(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Travelling on a budget has never been more luxurious finds David Light
Low-cost airlines may have their detractors but never has international travel been available to such a large proportion of the world’s population. The rise in people regularly venturing abroad over the last 20 years has been enormous. I don’t wish to go into the environmental aspects of the sudden change in voyaging habits as that will be discussed in a later column.
I will however deal with the facts as I see them regarding the standard of carriage over the last few years. In the late ’90s when budget travel took hold of Europe nobody expected a very luxurious build standard. Flying until then had been the preserve of the relatively wealthy. It was a glamorous affair complete with crystal glasses fine china and blankets for all. With flights going for as little as Dhs1 from London Luton to Nice Cote D’Azure return excluding taxes no one thought the plane would get there let alone be comfy. The airlines duly obliged. What you got was very similar to a bus experience – a seat and not much else. But for those prices who could complain
Gone are the days where flights are that cheap but along with the rising cost came a rising level of cosiness. An increase in competition also led to ‘no frills’ evolving into ‘a few frills’…at an extra cost of course but at least they are there.
It was a recent trip out of Dubai on a low-cost airline (three guesses) which really brought this point home. It had been a while since I’d taken the budget option and I was surprised how far it had come. A great entertainment system larger than expected seats and a reasonable refreshment service made for a great flight. Don’t get me wrong I fully embraced the bare bones trend that swept through years ago and would continue to revel in the bargain basement atmosphere if the fare was equally diminutive. However I’m pleased to see that for not much more money you can actually enjoy your journey. Long may it continue.
(davidkhaleejtimes.com)