Budget Airlines in Europe: What to Know Before You Book

Ryanair, Wizz Air, and easyJet built their businesses on the same model: an extremely low base fare, and nearly everything else priced separately. For a solo European trip, these airlines are often genuinely the cheapest way to connect cities, provided you understand the add-on structure going in.

Carry-on rules are the most common trap. Ryanair's cheapest fare tier typically allows only one small personal item that fits under the seat, a genuine cabin bag (the kind most people travel with) usually requires paying for priority boarding or a cabin bag add-on. Gate agents do check bag sizes, and the fee for getting caught with an oversized bag at the gate is considerably higher than paying for it in advance.

Wizz Air and easyJet follow broadly similar structures with slightly different specifics, so check the actual baggage policy for your specific fare at booking time rather than assuming it matches a previous flight with a different carrier.

These airlines often fly into secondary airports further from city centers than you'd expect, Ryanair's “Paris” or “Barcelona” routes sometimes land well outside the city, with transfer times and costs worth factoring into whether the fare is actually cheaper once you account for getting into town.

Book directly through the airline's own site or app rather than third-party resellers when possible. Budget carriers in particular can be harder to deal with for changes or refunds through a middleman, and direct booking keeps your options clearer if something changes.

Despite the fee structure, these remain the backbone of affordable intra-Europe travel for a solo trip, especially for short hops where the train would cost several times more and take considerably longer.