I suppose you could always just compare prices...
Quite right! For all my flights I always compare prices for who flys there. I don't care about meals and any other frills, as long as I know what I'm getting. The interesting part is that on first glance, there seems to be little in it, but checking the final "all-in price" shows significant savings with the LCCs.
Overall I find the relative costs of public transport fascinating: £2.20 to go 2mls (bus), £4.80 to go 10mls (train), £28 to go 200mls (train), £52 to go 200mls (train opposite direction), £64 to go 1,250mls (LCC). All for returns booked a few weeks ahead, except the bus.
When I started using LCCs people always used to say "make the best of it while it lasts". Well it seems to be lasting at the moment...