Low-cost airlines are very popular in the countries of the European Union - airlines that carry passengers at affordable prices. In Russia, this category of air transport is not very developed. But one has only to cross the border with Finland - and you can travel by plane across Europe cheaper than by train or bus. If you want to significantly save on travel costs, low-cost airlines from Finland will help you.
Air transportation in Finland
Finland is not among the priority countries for the world's major air carriers. It is located away from popular transit routes, and the flow of air passengers from this country is rather modest compared to the states of Central and Western Europe.
Nevertheless, the air transportation market is well developed here: more than 50 airlines fly from Helsinki Airport, while direct flights can reach 145 destinations located in different parts of the world.
The airport of the Finnish capital serves more than 80 air destinations to Europe and more than 20 to Asia and the Middle East. For many years, Helsinki Vantaa Airport has been among the top ten best airports in Europe, and in March 2021 it took first place in the category "Best Airport in Northern Europe" in the Skytrax World Airport Awards.
More than 80% of all departures are from Helsinki, but there are 24 other civil airports in Finland, which operate both domestic and international flights. The most popular of them are located in Lappeenranta, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Rovaniemi.
Finland's main national airline is Finnair. Other airlines in Helsinki are Nordic Regional Airlines, CityJet, Jet Time, TUIfly Nordic, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Primera Air, Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia.
In addition, air transportation is provided by aircraft of British Airways, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Czech Airlines, SAS, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Belavia and many others.
Well-known European low-cost airlines operate in the segment of cheap flights: Ryanair, Easy Jet, Vueling, Wizz Air, Transavia, Norwegian, Air Baltic, Blue Air.
Why low-cost airlines are so cheap
It is generally accepted that air traffic is a fairly expensive form of transport. However, low-cost airlines offer their customers cheap flights, the cost of which is comparable to the price of a bus ticket. For example, the planes of Ryanair, the leading low-cost airline in Europe, can fly to the EU countries for only 20-30 euros, and during the period of promotions and sales, the price of tickets can generally drop to 5-10 euros.
Low-cost airlines keep ticket prices so low through special marketing technologies that allow them to minimize the cost of servicing aircraft and passengers.
The low-cost airline fleet usually includes aircraft of the same model (Boeing or Airbus), which allows for the maximum unification of maintenance. Low-cost airlines use only new airliners that do not need repairs and provide an adequate level of flight safety.
In addition, firms purchase the most spacious models (for 170-200 passengers) and equip the cabin in such a way as to accommodate the maximum number of seats. There is no division into classes according to the level of comfort in low-cost airlines.
Low-cost aircraft often use small and minor airports that are located outside of major cities. This makes it possible to reduce the cost of servicing the airliner at the airport, but complicates the transfer for passengers.
Companies strive to maximize the load on each plane, so departures are often delayed or postponed. The cheapest air tickets are sold for flights that depart at inconvenient times - early morning or late evening.
In addition, low-cost airlines exclude everything that is not directly related to the flight from the list of services provided to passengers.
Baggage restrictions
On the flights of low-cost carriers, the weight of hand luggage and baggage is as much as possible limited, which are allowed to be carried free of charge. Travelers can take a bag or a package of strictly limited volume and weight (up to 8-10 kg) into the cabin, as well as carry another bag or suitcase weighing up to 10-20 kg in the luggage compartment.
If your baggage weighs more, then you will have to pay more for the ticket, and for the cargo, the weight of which exceeds the established limit, you will need a significant surcharge, which can be several times higher than the cost of the ticket.
Ryanair has the largest baggage restrictions.
If you plan to bring a lot of things with you, you can take advantage of the more expensive fare, which allows you to carry more baggage.
Salon service and meals
The salons of low-cost liners belong to the economy category. The distance between the seats is small, there are no various types of in-flight entertainment (watching videos, etc.). Free meals are not provided on board. For an additional fee, you can buy light snacks (chips, cookies, crackers), mineral water, coffee or soda, fast food (sandwiches, hamburgers, fries) at a price of 2 to 10 euros.
It is not allowed to take your own food into the salon.
Purchasing tickets
Tickets for flights of low-cost companies are not sold at the airport or city offices. Typically, they can only be ordered and purchased online. When buying the cheapest tickets, the choice of a seat in the cabin is not provided - passengers are accommodated in empty seats as the plane fills up upon landing. Priority boarding or reserved seat tickets can be purchased at an additional surcharge.
Some airlines do not allow children under 16 to fly unaccompanied by an adult, so separate tickets are not sold for them.
If you are traveling with a child, you need to purchase a joint ticket.
Cheap airlines do not provide discounts on flights for children.
How to register
Passengers of low cost airlines carry out check-in for flights on their own online. This procedure is carried out on the website of the air carrier according to a specific template at a strictly allotted time. There is no charge for it.
If you did not have time to check-in for a flight via the Internet, you can do it at the airport at the Check-in kiosk self-service terminal. However, some companies charge a significant surcharge for check-in at the traditional counter.
Possibility of ticket refunds
Tickets purchased from low-cost airlines are in most cases non-refundable. They can only be re-registered for an additional fee to another name.
If you decide to cancel your trip, you cannot receive a refund for the ticket price.
Low-cost companies
Finnish low-cost airlines provide travelers with an opportunity to travel to different countries of the world without significant financial costs. Liners depart not only from Helsinki, but also from other cities of the country.
Departures from Helsinki
The list of low-cost airlines that fly from the Finnish capital is extensive.
Norwegian
The well-known Norwegian low-cost airline is the leader in the Finnish low-cost airline market. Norwegian's list of routes from Helsinki is quite extensive: it includes not only flights to the countries of Scandinavia and Europe, but also long-distance flights to Mediterranean resorts and the tropical islands of the Atlantic.
On the liners of this carrier you can go to London (Great Britain), Dublin (Ireland), Paris and Nice (France), Barcelona, Alicante, Burgas, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife (Spain), Athens and Crete (Greece), Rome and Venice (Italy).
There are flights to the countries of Eastern Europe (Czech Prague, Hungarian Budapest, resort cities of Croatia) and the capitals of the Scandinavian states (Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen). Some routes are only operated during summer or winter. Several of the company's aircraft operate on domestic routes, operating from Helsinki to Oulu, Rovaniemi, Ivalo and Kittila.
- The cost of air travel to Oslo, Stockholm or Prague starts from 27 euros, to Paris, London or the cities of Spain - from 37 euros.
- The cheapest Low Fare fare does not include luggage - you can only take carry-on luggage weighing up to 10 kg with you. For one piece of baggage weighing up to 20 kg, you will have to pay 12-25 euros, depending on the direction of the flight, for the second - 25-100 euros.
- Low Fare +, Premium Flex and Premium Flex fares allow you to carry up to 40 kg of baggage at no extra charge.
- For students with international ISIC certificates and young people from 12 to 25 years old, there are reduced fares for flights in Northern Europe.
The cabins of Norwegian aircraft are more spacious and more comfortable than other low-cost airlines, and you can use free Wi-Fi during the flight.
Website: www.norwegian.com
EasyJet
This British low-cost airline is well known in Europe, with hundreds of flights in different directions. But from Helsinki, EasyJet planes fly only one route - to Berlin with a landing at Tegel airport. The duration of the flights is 1 hour 05 minutes, the cost is 20-31 euros. For luggage weighing up to 20 kg, you will have to pay about 18 euros.
EasyJet is convenient for traveling with large companies: the more tickets you buy in one package, the cheaper they are. For example, if you travel together, you can pay 30% less for the trip, and if you are four, you will get four tickets for the price of two.
If you are planning a flight to other European countries or to a Mediterranean resort, you can get on an EasyJet aircraft to Berlin, and there you can transfer to the flight of the same or another low-cost airline in any direction you are interested in.
EasyJet also operates flights from Helsinki to London (arriving at Heathrow, Gattwick and London City airports) using the fleet of its partner Bravoavia. Tickets cost from 114 euros.
Website: easyjet.com
Vueling
The Spanish low-cost airline Vueling started operating in Finland relatively recently - in 2021. If you are planning a trip to Spain, you can fly from Helsinki to Barcelona (El Prat airport) for only 50-70 euros. Direct flights to the capital of Catalonia are carried out twice a week - on Tuesdays and Fridays, the journey takes 3 hours.
Website: www.vueling.com
Transavia
In 2021, the Dutch carrier Transavia Airlines, which is part of the Air France-KLM holding, opened a direct route from Helsinki to Amsterdam. You can fly to the capital of the Netherlands in 2 hours 35 minutes, paying 39-55 euros for tickets. Flights depart 4 times a week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
This company has strict rules regarding carry-on luggage: all the things that you want to take with you to the cabin must fit in one bag or handbag measuring 55 × 40 × 25 cm, and even that can be sent to the luggage compartment if it is not available for it. enough shelf space. For a ticket that provides for the carriage of one piece of baggage weighing up to 20 kg, you will have to pay 23 euros more.
Website: transavia.com
AirBaltic
Aircraft of the Latvian low-cost airline AirBaltic operate between Helsinki and Riga three times a day: morning, afternoon and evening. You can get to the capital of Latvia in 1 hour 10 minutes, the price of the flight will be from 40 euros.
The requirements for hand luggage are quite democratic: you can take with you two bags 55x40x20 cm and 30x40x10 cm, as well as a bag with Duty Free purchases. The main requirement is that the total weight of things should not exceed 8 kg.
If you are carrying baggage weighing up to 20 kg, then 19 euros will be added to the base rate when checking in online, or 35 euros if you do it at the airport. It is also better to check in for a flight on the website - at the airport you will be charged 30 euros for this, while online it can be done for free.
In 2021, AirBaltic was recognized as the most punctual airline in the world - more than 90% of its flights depart and arrive at their destination exactly on schedule.
Website: airbaltic.com
Blue air
The liners of the Romanian budget company operate direct flights from Helsinki to Bucharest and back on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Travel time takes 2 hours 50 minutes, ticket prices start from 37 euros. The weight of hand luggage, which you can take with you to the cabin free of charge, is 10 kg, for luggage weighing up to 20 or up to 32 kg, you have to pay, respectively, from 15 to 34 euros.
Website: blueairweb.com
Departures from other cities in Finland
Liners depart not only from Helsinki, but also from other cities of the country.
Ryanair
The Irish budget company Ryanair is the largest low-cost airline in Europe and the pioneer of the low-cost airline market. This company offers the lowest airfare in Europe and is renowned for its safety - since Ryanair was founded, its aircraft have had no fatal accidents.
One of Ryanair's tenets of keeping air travel prices at record lows is to use smaller airports far from major cities. This enables the company to significantly reduce the costs of ground handling of aircraft. In this regard, the leader of low-cost transportation sends its liners from two cities in Finland located to the west and east of Helsinki - Tampere and Lappeenranta.
In winter, you can travel from Tampere to Germany (Frankfurt, Bremen), Great Britain (London) and Hungary (Budapest). During the holiday season, flights to the Spanish direction (to Alicante, Malaga, Girona, Palma de Mallorca) and to Italy (Milan) are added to them.
From Lappeenranta you can fly to Dusseldorf, Milan, Athens or Girona. This airport is very popular among Russian tourists, since it is most convenient to get to it from the Russian Federation.
The route from St. Petersburg to Lappeenranta is more than twice as short as to Helsinki, and Ryanair's ticket prices are lower than those of other low-cost airlines. The cost of flights within the European Union for this airline starts from 10 euros. Flights depart 1-2 times a week.
Site: ryanair.com.ru
Wizz air
Hungarian airline Wizz Air operates primarily in Central Europe. Unlike other low-cost carriers that prefer Boeing airliners, Wizz Air's fleet is manned by Airbus aircraft (A320 and A321ceo). The company operates flights from Finland to Gdansk (Poland). The planes depart from Turku Airport.
The minimum base ticket price is 17-27 euros. Additional payment for luggage and additional services will cost 30-40 euros.
Website: wizzair.com/ru-ru/
Useful tips: how to buy tickets cheaper
Low-cost airline tickets do not always have the same cost. Their price can vary depending on many factors. To travel by plane as cheaply as possible, consider the following:
- carefully study the rules of the airline, the services of which you intend to use. Even if you buy tickets at the lowest price, their cheapness can come to naught due to various factors: the high cost of additional baggage that you are going to take with you, or an inconvenient landing place, from which you have to get to your desired city for too long. and at significant cost. As a result, the additional costs can be much higher than the ticket price. Therefore, look for a compromise between cost and volume of services provided;
- pay attention to the rules of online check-in of passengers and baggage for low-cost flights. You can go through all the necessary procedures on the Internet for free, and at the airport you will pay a significant amount for this. If you want to save money and buy a ticket for 20 euros, you will hardly like to shell out about 50 euros more for registering it, 15 euros for printing a boarding pass and up to 40 euros for checking in baggage;
- buy tickets in advance. With early booking, they can be found at a minimal price, while on the eve of departure they become much more expensive;
- airfare varies considerably depending on the season. In the season of mass vacations (July-August) and during the Christmas holidays, prices for them increase significantly.
If you want to travel around Europe on a budget, choose the spring or fall months for your trip;
- Low-cost airlines often hold various promotions and sales. If you subscribe to newsletters from airline websites, you will be the first to know about attractive options. This is a great opportunity to buy tickets in the range of 10-15 euros;
- some budget carrier companies operate loyalty programs. If you have to fly frequently, it is worth joining them. This will allow you to receive additional discounts on tickets, as well as various amenities and opportunities that are not available to ordinary passengers;
- to find cheap tickets, use specialized services: Skyscanner, Aviasales or Momondo.
Finally
It is convenient for residents of Russia to fly to European countries with Finnish low-cost airlines. It is not difficult to travel from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, Lappeenranta, Tampere or Turku, and tickets for low-cost airlines will cost you much less than in Russia. Low-cost airlines do not have a high level of comfort, and if you want to take luggage with you, you will have to pay extra for it. However, the disadvantages of low-cost airlines are not so significant compared to their main advantage - the ability to travel around Europe without significant travel costs.
