Thursday 2 September 2010

"There's no such thing as a flight for 50p". Incorrect.


I watched a really funny video earlier, about how cheap flights aren't actually cheap flights. It includes the line "Cheap flights cheap flights, we should have gone by sea. There's no such fecking thing as a fecking flight for 50p".



Now I would have to disagree. Last year I went on a lot of holidays, which I have decided to call 'Micro travelling'. The story is as follows...

While sitting at University with my friends, I saw on
HotUKDeals with a Ryanair offer for 'Flights from 1p'. All the comments was insult the 'deal', saying that it is as good as a scam with all the extras. I decided to check it out myself.

I asked Mike for a number between 1 and .. possibly 20 (then number of airports Ryanair flew to from Birmingham). The number he chose landed on Billund, in Denmark. After a quick search we saw that literally the only thing in Billund is a Legoland, as it is the main place they make Lego. But... we couldn't let that stop us, we had already decided on the location.

I checked the flights, and they were 1p. That is ACTUALLY 1p for the flight, including taxes. I clicked continue. It asked me if I wanted priority boarding for £5... nope. It asked if I wanted bags for £30... nope, I'll travel light. It asked if I wanted insurance... nope. The flights were still 1p. Then it asked for a payment method. I selected Visa, and it added £10 on per person. Screw that! Not made of money!

I checked the terms and conditions and it said using a Visa Electron is free! Sorted, I changed to that and paid. The... flights... were... 1p. I even treated my friends to flights! What other friend does that ;).

When telling people they didn't believe me. At the time I had my bank statement to prove it. I then went on to have cheap holidays in Poland, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Germany and so on.

So yes, if you read and do things correctly, there IS* such thing as a flight for 50p... actually, there is 50 flights for 50p!


... and there we are, drunk, in Billund, naked... in the winter.

* Things have slightly changed since, they have added a forced £10 fee, and the flights are almost never 1p now, but you can get a £20 flight easy enough.

10 comments:

  1. Love this Andy (hey your almost doing my #4!

    Sorry I pinched the ad and posted it - before my stalker has a chnace to ask who or what I am commenting on!!

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  2. I went to Bilund once, got drunk but stayed clothed. Maybe I missed out. The thing I remember most was asking the lady at the hotel 'which way to the town centre' she replied 'Out the door. Thats it'. Suffice to say it was smaller than I expected.

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  3. I am very, very jealous. If you know of a US counterpart, please let me know so I can do some cheap traveling as well!

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  4. Yeeeaah... 20 pounds isn't the same as 1p.

    Like, AT ALL.

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  5. Yeeeaah... 20 pounds isn't the same as 1p.

    Like, AT ALL.

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  6. £20 and 1p for a flight are the same thing, in that either one is a tiny cost for a flight, and I would book! Differs in that I wouldn't book ones for my friends though.

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  7. I guess I don't know what a p is, (if not a pound.) Lets stick to useful currencies, shall we.
    For instance what's the cheapest flight I can get on Ryanair in Galleons, Sickles and Knuts?

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  8. 1p is 1/100th of £1, which is about 2 knuts!

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