Cheap flights to Belfast

So i was thinking today about the differences between Belfast city airport and Belfast International. For many people the airport they fly out from is not that big a factor and i suppose this makes sense. You are often thinking about getting the cheapest flight possible and booking as soon as possible. However its not just airport charges that are an extra cost for your flight. One of the main factors to think about is car parking charges and these can vary pretty wildly depending on which main airport you choose. For example because Belfast International airport is pretty much in the countryside ands its much easyier to get cheap car hire there. When i was flying out last year from there i parked at Red Cent (cant remember the site now try google) and its really was quite cheap when you compare it to the main McCausland park at the airport. I think it was around £40 for two weeks which was really good value. The only difference i can remember about it from the big companies at the airport was the location but they ran a shuttle bus to and from the airport every 20 minutes.

As you can see it does pay to plan ahead at little when booking a cheap flight as for me the car parking saved me over £50 for the two weeks which is quite a big saving in my opinion. Another big factor that you should consider when choosing which Belfast airport you are going to use is your onward location. If your staying right in Belfast then it makes sense to use the main city airport but if you are outside the city then it may be worth your time considering international. Even though on a map they may not look that far apart in reality the time it can take to get out of the city centre in peak rush hour has to be seen to be believed. If you are flying into city airport then ideally you want to avoid 8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm as the city centre really becomes really clogged up. Also they seem to be constantly digging up the M1 (main motorway around Belfast) so don’t expect to be able to bypass the city easily. I know of a number of people who almost always use the outside International airport even when travelling north as the time spent getting right through the capital can be so much hassle.

As you can tell im definitely a fan of Belfast International and not just because its close to my house but because in general its so much less hassle to get in and out of. As always remember your stress levels are such an important part of any holiday!

So time for some more news here at CheapFlightsToBelfast and this time it’s our old favourite British Airways. Seems like the stalwart of the British aviation industry is falling on some seriously hard times as they have just announced a loss of over £150 million for the last quarter which is a serious amount of money. My thinking is that they are probably going to try moving more into the budget area of the market. Its hard to think how they are ever going to compete with the likes of ryanair and easyjet as its just a completely different market. Although we are starting to see some changes with their flights even if it is just small things at the moment. For example they are stopping offering automatic meals on short haul flights for all passengers and they are also starting to charge for excess baggage like skis and snowboards.

Time will tell if these changes are just a token change for BA or if the tide really will start to change for them. I also have to mention that one of the biggest problems for them is their wages which are up to 30% more than their rivals. To show that wages are one of their biggest expenses (maybe behind fuel charges) they have asked all of their staff to take not only a pay cut but to work for free for a month. Its pretty extraordinary that a company as large as British Airways has had to ask its staff to do something like this (and also a little embarrassing). I can understand how this scheme may be practical for your average CEO on a hundred grand a year but if you’re a cabin steward with a mortgage to pay. Still radical problems do call for radical solutions and maybe this is one that other airlines will take on board in the future if the run into serious problems.

Another scheme that they are starting to implement on long haul flights is their upgrade policy. Until recently most people just waited and hoped for an upgrade and it was not as common as you might have thought. Now BA are starting to offer upgrades to more and more people for a small fee. I recently heard of a passenger flying from London to Belfast who got upgraded to business class for just £40 (the price for the business class seat was £300). Its a good policy as if these seats are empty they are making no money and it will be much easier for the airline to sell the cheaper economy seat to another passenger.

Who knows if all of these different methods will be good enough to save the airline, but its definitely a signal of how much the market has changed that this once mighty airline is starting to compete for cheap flights.

Michael O’Leary is at it again. You may not be surprised if you have heard some of his previous ideas but Micheals latest is to charge people £1 to use the toilet on Ryanair fights in the hope that it will make the overall cost of the flight even cheaper. It really shows the lengths some airlines are going to in order to cut costs and is quite admirable is some ways. But at the same time you have to wonder how far this kind of thing is going to go. Will you have to pay for your lifejacket soon?

Michael O`Leary

Having said all of this Ryanair is still one of the most profitable airlines there is as the have far supassed old rivals like Air lingus a long time ago but cutting down on the non essentials like on board meals and they were one of the first to have online checkin. In fact i heard the other week that they would be requiring all people to check in online.

Fuel costs have come down in recent months so this should help all airlines but the problem is that they credit crunch has also reduced passenger numbers by an average of about 10%  which is quite a serious situation for most airlines. However its true that the budget airlines like EasyJet and RyanAir are much better placed the deal with these changes. I will keep you updated on any new price saving developments ont he horizon.

If you had asked someone 15 years ago if it was possible to find cheap flights to Belfast easily they probably would have laughed at you. The thing is that the low cost airlines have really revolutionised air travel not just too and from Belfast but right across the country. With new airlines like Ryanair and easyjet moving into Belfasts airports prices have come down rapidly. These airlines can compete on price with the bigger airlines because they are what is known as a no-frills airline. This means that they will seek to cut costs were ever possible. The first thing you will notice is that you will need to pay for any food on board which may be unusual for anyone used to flying with British Airways. The other main factor i have noticed is that they will always encourage you to book online, and there will probably be a charge to book over the phone or through other methods. With that being said i think nearly every airline these days tries to get you to book though the net anyway so its not actually that big a deal. Also if its only a short flight do you really want to be paying for food you might not eat anyway?

The main advantage of all these new airlines being on the internet is how easy it is to compare all of these different flights within minutes. Its really is a far cry from years ago when you had to book though a travel agent who would often take a very healthy commission! With both the International Airport at Belfast and the City Airport running at full capacity 24/7 there are more flights that ever flying in and out of Belfast so don’t delay and book today!