Flying is still the fastest way to travel today, after 115 years, Wilbur and Orville still are the greatest inventors in the field of traveling and the greatest contributors to the industry of tourism. The Wright Brothers were American inventors and they were the first to successfully make an airplane fly. Their first successful flight lasted almost a minute and their airplane traveled about 850 feet. With the emergence of budget airlines and cheap plane tickets, people all over the world are now enjoying affordable travel and can go to places they never thought of going without these budget airlines.

Southwest Airlines, Air Asia, Eurowings, Jetstar, and Easyjet - these are some of the top budget airlines operating internationally today. They have destinations not offered by regular airlines and promotions people could never get from the other regular airlines. Millions of people travel through these budget airlines on a daily basis. But these tickets are cheap for a reason, and we will discuss here why it’s not worth buying. On the other hand, we will also cover reasons why it’s a good buy, and why we should do it, too. So read on and make up your mind afterward and whichever it is you choose, we wish you safe travels and a fun vacation!

25 Not Worth It: Different Booking Process

One reason why the budget airlines are not the way to go is that of the process of booking them. One cannot go out in person and book them with travel agencies or in ticket offices. They might not get it and will just be told what they should be doing in order to get that particular ticket price. Most airlines that offer cheap tickets have their customers do it online rather than through the traditional channels, those that the more seasoned customer is used to doing all their life.

24 Not Worth It: Overhead Luggage

Cheaper tickets sometimes mean smaller things, this is exactly what it means with the overhead luggage compartment of most budget airplanes. So if your carry on luggage fits perfectly in a regular airplane’s overhead bin, don’t get too surprised if it seemed to grow an inch or two in budget airplanes. They did not just grow thicker or wider, the plane is just smaller. After all, there are other restrictions about luggage that you should be more worried about, like some of them charging for overhead luggage and some that we will get to later.

23 Not Worth It: Free Drinks

All those niceties that we enjoy on regular flights are mostly gone when you choose to take a budget airline. Refreshments are usually free and served by flight attendants as soon as that seat-belt light is off and the captain announces that we are free to roam about in the cabin. But this freebie is not present with budget airplanes. So, if you are thirsty, you’d have to pay for it to quench that thirst. Yeah, maybe bring your own water bottle next time you choose to fly cheap.

22 Not Worth It: Free Magazines

The reading materials might as well be part of your carry-on luggage if you choose to purchase the cheaper airline tickets. In a regular airline, drinks and reading paraphernalia, such as magazines and newspapers are given to passengers free of charge. It’s a good way to kill time on the flight reading free magazines and newspapers. You won’t find any of those in budget airlines, it is not part of the “budget” unfortunately. So take a nap or bring your own book with you for these flights.

21 Not Worth It: Free Meals

No free drinks and not a magazine or newspaper in sight? That’s bad enough, but it gets worse. One big reason why cheap plane tickets are not worth your money is the free meals regular flights serve their passengers on long flights. Those are three essential things, quite pampering and comforting, that you can only enjoy in a budget flight if you are willing to pay extra for it. We might want to re-think our carry-on luggage packing before going on a trip this way. A water bottle, a book, and a sandwich will take up some space.

20 Not Worth It: Baggage Restrictions

Budget airlines are not for everybody. Most people rush and pack their things and luggage on the day of the flight and will almost always go over the weight limit of their carry-on bags. It’s fine because they can still put it in their checked baggage. Most budget airlines charge a hefty fee for excess and overweight baggage. This is why it’s not for everyone, only the most prepared of people find this case of baggage restrictions a non-issue at all.

19 Not Worth It: Hidden Fees

Is it too good to be true? Can airline tickets be so cheap? Yes, it is too good to be true. They are cheap, but that’s really not the final or checkout price. What you see in advertisements is the base price, that value does not account for insurance fees, taxes, and other surcharges that will increase that “too good” price to something a little more believable. Read and check carefully before you confirm the purchase of your tickets online or you will be in for a surprise when it comes time to pay the bill.

18 Not Worth It: Limited Flight Schedule

These budget flights keep revealing reasons why they are cheap and here’s another one that’s sure to get you off that undecided state. The flights offered by budget airlines do not fly as frequently as a regular airline does. In fact, some destinations will have just one flight a day. Budget airlines will usually have just two flights a day to a certain destination, and these flights are scheduled at uncommon hours of the day. Yet another reason to think twice before booking a ticket.

17 Not Worth It: Cramped Cabin

When choosing to fly in one of these budget airlines, you have to lower your expectations when it comes to comfort, leg space, elbow space, and virtually any kind of personal space inside the cabin. This is why the airline companies can afford to sell tickets at very low prices, the airplanes used in these flights are designed to just have enough space for their clueless passengers. If you are much taller or wider than the average person, you’d have an uncomfortable flight for sure.

16 Not Worth It: No Refunds

Purchasing a ticket for one of these budget airlines is like a final and irrevocable acquisition. It does not possess the flexibility a regular airline ticket has. One can change flights to a later or earlier date, if available, even transfer the tickets to another person. All these options are lost with a cheap plane ticket. Be sure before booking, because there are no refunds either. And if you choose to re-book, the charges would be so high that you would have spent less if you went with the regular plane ticket in the first place.

15 Not Worth It: Gates and Proximity

Airports charge airlines depending on the gate they use, so the cheaper the charge for that gate, the better it is for the budget airline. This is one thing you will never see online when you purchase that cheap plane ticket. This is essentially an added hassle for the traveler, you’ll have to walk further to get to the gate where that flight is. It is also probable that parking is very far from where the gate is. Some travelers find that very inconvenient and annoying.

14 Not Worth It: Extra Charges

Now it’s time for the culmination of the extra charges for services budget airlines will have offered you if you choose to fly with them. Right off the bat, the hidden fees are considered extra charges if you think about it. At the airport, excess baggage has charges, even overhead bin usage. Then, as soon as you get settled in your seat the refreshments aren’t free. Then there’s the food, too. These extra charges are just some reasons these cheaper plane tickets are not worth it in its entirety.

13 Not Worth It: Basic Aircraft Interior

We’ve discussed how personal space is sacrificed when you are a passenger on a budget airline. If that hasn’t changed your mind from getting one, wait until you get on the plane. Although relatively as safe as any other aircraft, budget airplane interiors do not have the features a regular airplane has for its users. What you will see is pretty basic, from the upholstery of the seats to space, cushion comfort, lights, food tray, and all other things available for you. No moment where we’d say, oooh... what’s this for?

12 Not Worth It: Print Your Own Ticket

If buying a ticket has to be done online by the passenger themselves, more often than not, getting a copy of it will be asked of you still. Unless you are a tech savvy person, this could be a headache. Some would ask you to print that page after the purchase has been made and confirmed. Other airlines will accept a printed screenshot of that page, some would even accept a copy saved on your phone. If you don’t know how to do any of that, it’s time to get help from your teenage family member.

11 Not Worth It: Which Airport Again?

Budget traveling will take you places you’ve never been before, but not how you think. This means that budget airlines would land in the same country or city, but it will take you to a secondary airport. Welcome to the International Airport of... what? I thought we were landing in this city, why are we in a different airport? Not to worry, just make sure that you’ve landed in the right country, in the same city, or somewhere within close proximity of the city of your destination, then just take a cab or shuttle. What a pain, right?

10 Worth It: It is Cheaper

There is no denying it, budget airlines offer a much cheaper cost for flying to the same destination and the same place of origin. No matter what it is they say about hidden charges and such, the fact of the matter is that after all of that, they are still cheaper than regular airline tickets. If there is one more thing that you value more than cost, then read on as it might be further down the list.

9 Worth It: New Destinations

Budget airline traveling offers new destinations, those that you will never see in any other regular airline’s flight schedule. This is really exciting, because there might be a place where you’ve always wanted to go to, but would have to take connecting flights just to get there. With budget airlines, it may just be one flight, and it will be much less expensive. So go online now, and find that dream destination and your other expenses, because the airfare would be a breeze.

8 Worth It: New Planes

Most budget airlines have relatively new aircraft, they must have bought them in bulk with a huge discount from the manufacturer and it’s the main reason why they can sell those crazy cheap tickets. So, get ready to enjoy that new airplane smell as soon as you step into the cabin of the plane. That new seat, shiny knobs and handles, and just everything feeling new and comfortable. Oh, and don’t forget to go and use the new lavatory, it smells new too!

7 Worth It: One-Way Tickets

Low-cost airlines cater to travelers who travel one-way. This is a good method of saving money as it avoids other extra charges that would appear if a customer chooses the return or two-way ticket through a regular flight. Most travelers nowadays like the flexibility of staying in one place and not be tied down or have their vacation get dictated by a return flight. They might even choose to visit the neighboring country by train or bus. This advantage is given to the passenger who opts for the cheap one-way plane ticket.

6 Worth It: Promotions

This is one exciting feature that always pops up in these budget airline websites. Promotions that gives a customer huge discounts are exciting opportunities for the frequent flier and smart traveler. Be alert though, sometimes these promos are so hot that the moment they appear on the website, all tickets will be sold out in the next hour or so. Some promotions are so far in the future that you have to put a reminder in your calendar that you bought a ticket for nine months from now, but it is such a steal that it’s worth the long wait.