How to get from BCN to Budapest using Low Cost Carriers
 

Hi,

Here's a test - how do I get from BCN to Budapest and back in January making only one stop each way and only using low cost carriers.

I don't want to have to do an overnighter, so that rules out German Wings in Stuttgart and Cologne-Bonn.

Any suggestions?

(Or can anyone say who might be the cheapest if it's not the low cost carriers - KLM.com is offering me EUR300 total, tax included.)

Air Europa have an alliance and code share with Hungarian national carrier Malev so you may well get a good deal BCN-MAD and on to Budapest on Malev which is a daily service. Air Europa will sell/issue the ticket.

I think E300 is a good price from KLM for that routing but going via AMS takes you a long way off track

Interesting suggestion there Boss Raptor - hadn't thought of it - however the Air Europa site's coming in with a EUR590 offer BCN-MAD-BUDAPEST. (EUR377 without BCN-MAD connection, which with a EUR66 Iberia flight would still push it into the 400s.)

The internet age offers a myriad of options - dizzying in fact - London, Amsterdam, many airports in Germany, Paris, Madrid - are all options - it's modern day investigation, which is what gives me the buzz... trying to find that elusive great deal.

Thanks for aiding in the investigation, nonetheless!! :-)

You may well find more excursion fares are available if you visit a travel agent to book the ticket, alternatively booking with Malev (via the agent) may give you a better fare...

Again I think AEA E377 + IB E66 is a very reasonable cost for that route. I cannot see that you will achieve much more of a saving certainly not on a scheduled carrier and as with your KLM pricing the routing/time is awful.

Beware if you find a low cost carrier alternative then if one is late the other wont refund or alter your onward ticket and you are stuck...maybe for days...or until you pay up another E200!

CSA Czech Airlines is coming up E348 BCN-PRG-BUD on the CRS for a 7 day return - that'll be a nice trip - 13:35 - 18:05 local

easyJetBCN - STN

Sky Europe STN - BUD

easy as that!

FJW.

Easy as that... if only EasyJet's a/c arrived before SkyEurope's 9.50am departure daily, which it doesn't....

:(

www.ba.com will quote EUR401 including taxes for non-low cost carrier with connection at LHR and no overnight stop!

Low-cost carriers are a hype created by clever marketing!

wrafter, look at www.lastminute.es as they have ''tarifa especial'' on Lufthansa via munich from €301 including taxes!! :ok:

You know - I see a routing for EUR294 (inc tax) through Amsterdam - though it's a 06.30am departure - can't like that - but what a stellar price!

Thanks for the tip!

Barcelona 1235 EasyJet EZY 4781
Paris Orly 1410

Paris Orly 1935 SkyEurope 5P 321
Budapest 2140

Return

Budapest 0700 SkyEurope 5P140
London STN 0830

London STN 1720 EasyJet EZY 3035
Barcelona 2045

or for the last leg, if GER is convenient

London STN 1505 Ryanair FR 9806
Gerona 1810


Too easy ... give me another !!

WHBM - thanks for that reply - and I glad you're enjoying the challenge :O

Considering your suggestion (I'd been checking it out today - but had discounted it cos of the unsuitable connections times on return thru Orly - you got around that by going one way each leg and coming back thru STN, nice!)

I'm looking at Jan 16th to Jan 21st. (It has to be 16th cos there's not much other availability with SkyEurope around those dates out of Orly)

BCN - Orly = EUR92.99
Orly - BUD = EUR66.63

BUD-STN = EUR65.08 and an early early start :{
STN - BCN = EUR17.99

Total, including GBP£4 x 2 on each EasyJet flight (total: EUR11.40) for credit card charge equals:

EUR254.09

Not bad! Not bad at all! Any other takers??

Though I gotta add - on reflection - that route we just spoke of... it's gonna take eight hours to get to BUD from BCN and a whopping 14 hours to get back.

Contrast that to the EUR287.21 offered on the Lufthansa flight on ebookers.es through Munich, which takes 4 hours 15 mins out and 4 hours 25 mins back.

Contrast:

EZ+SkyEurope = 22 Hours
Lufthansa = 8 Hrs, 40Mins

For a difference of 33 Euros... I think I know which option I'll take.

The Full Service Carrier option not the LCC ;)

As Bealine says Low-cost carriers are a hype created by clever marketing!

They dont provide the best option away from their usual point to point structures...at least on LH/KLM etc. if they dont make the connection you should be looked after...on an LCC well that would be your hard luck :hmm:

wrafter:

I am pleased to have complied with the terms of reference of the original challenge. This is the sort of schedules knowledge unfortunately that can have others just shaking their heads in disbelief !

I didn't go to Repton school but knew someone who did. Apparently a headmaster there in the old days, as a minor punishment, would give boys the national train timetable and tell them to find the quickest journey from, say, Northampton to Bradford. When the results were offered he would glower incredulously at it and then write a better version down off the top of his head.

The only point to watch for on the low priced tickets from full service carriers - typically these are totaly restricted. No changes under any circumstances. Use as issued or throw it away.

Both EZY and FR offer a fee to change per sector - plus any variation increase in the price of the new sector over the one paid for. This will be same routing just alternative time or date. This provides a flexibility that you cannot get from the full service carriers - at these prices. So be sure that you are going to use the ticket as issued.

Earlier this year my mother had to throw away a £90 (or so) BA ticket for an internal flight and found that her insurance company did not agree with the doctor and refused to pay. Unfortunately, no choice of carrier on that route.