So in a few months (June), I shall fulfill my dream and go to Iceland. ‘Normal’ airlines of which I had checked the fares were really expensive, especially for what’s a intra-European flight (I live in Luxembourg).
By some luck (?), I stumbled upon this company, Iceland Express, that offers really low fares (well, cheaper than the regular ones) and a direct flight. The only problem is that… I checked what people who flew with IE said about it, and I read stories of flight cancellations a little before the flight.
That really scares me. If it happens, my trip is shot down in flames, as I wouldn’t be able to afford a regular ticket on such short notice, especially with the fares having skyrocketed (eh) by then (and that’s saying a lot considering how they are now).
So, have many of you had experiences with such cost-cutting companies ? Are those flight cancellations a common occurrence ? Should I stop stressing (already) ?
The risk with flying discount airlines is they usually don’t have reciprocal agreements with other carriers. If United has to cancel a flight, they can try to put you on Northwest. If Big Jim’s Airline has to cancel a flight, that’s it.
We took a discount carrier (Allegiant) from Tennessee to Ft Lauderdale. They were missing a flight attendant and we were delayed 7 hours! They did buy pizza, and the 4 round trip tickets only cost a total of $200 (yes, total). There are also extra charges for everything, but that’s becoming the norm.
You need to check their policies, but it seems to me like the worst that could happen is you’re delayed a day (or till whenever their next flight is). Ask them what their procedure is for cancelled flights. Will they put you on the next flight, or cancel the ticket.
I do not use travel insurance services (and don’t know a lot about them), but I am wondering if there are policies that cover canceled flights and will reimburse the cost of a last-minute replacement ticket.
I’ve travelled with low-cost airlines in the past without too much bother. The worst one by far was Ryanair who cancelled our flight the day before we were due to leave the UK. The flight was on a Monday and they offered us seats on the next flight, which was a Wednesday. Originally they said we would have to pay for the new flight, we argued and they settled for just charging us an admin fee to rebook the tickets (which was later refunded after a planeload of folks complained bitterly at them). That incident coupled with their ridiculously low baggage allowance and their policy of charging you for every last little thing has convinced me to stay away from them forever.
As far as Iceland Express goes, check with the airline and see what their policy is for cancellations and check their booking site too, just so you know how frequently they fly to your chosen destination. Also, take out travel insurance that protects you against cancellations although you should bear in mind that you will likely have to pay for a new ticket yourself and claim the money back afterwards.
don’t fly much so i am a neophyte, but i always search the web for the lowest fares and then take that info to a travel agent. costs more, but nice to have an interested agent to call if things go astray.
Flight insurance is the answer and it does work. The problem is the flight insurance adds to the cost of the ticket. The discounted ticket PLUS the cost of the flight insurance, may be more than the cost of the ticket on a reliable airline.
Ryanair have a very bad reputation for this sort of thing. They’ll nickel-and-dime you at every opportunity. They’ve recently been done for their online booking system not being up-front about all the charges that get added.
Is Worm the Red still around? He’s an Icelander and may have useful input on travel to Iceland.