Budget Airline Offers $13 Flights to United Kingdom

Bon voyage -- the European budget airline Ryanair is planning to begin offering flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. for a mere £8 each way.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on November 02 2008

Maybe you’d love to pay a visit to the solemn guards at Buckingham Palace, and stake the place out for a glance at the queen—but those trans-Atlantic flights don’t come cheap, and an economic slump is no time to splurge on a trip across the pond.

But as of next year, you’ll be able to satisfy your Anglophile travel cravings at bargain-basement prices: the European budget airline Ryanair is planning to begin offering flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. for a mere £8 each way—in the current financial market, that’s about $13 a flight, less than you’d pay for a night at the movies. The new flights will fly to airports in Dublin, Ireland and Stansted, England, from New York, Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston. While the remarkable rates don’t include mandatory taxes for air travel, the resulting final cost is still likely to be significantly less than any other cross-continental airline currently operating in the U.S.

As most Europeans already know, Ryanair’s flights offer a no-frills experience for those who fly in coach at the low rates: food and drink cost extra, and you’re expected to bring along your own pillows, blankets, and entertainment. But the money saved more than makes up for the lack of luxury—and you’ll be happy to have the extra cash by the time you get to London’s notoriously pricey pubs.

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