RTW Fare-Off: Full-Fare vs. Discount Airlines

13Jul

RTW Fare-Off: Full-Fare vs. Discount Airlines

Posted by roshodgekiss in Airfare Advice

Photo Credit: Jon Keegan

After reader Mark threw down the gauntlet regarding my recent ‘Round the World on Discount Airlines‘ article, I made it my imperative to sum up how much it would cost to actually travel Round The World solely on discount airlines. Based on my “RTW #1: 24-hour Party People (ex. Sydney)” itinerary, I totaled up the trip cost as follows (based on travel dates in Oct/Nov):

Sydney, NSW, AU to Honolulu, HI, USA – Jetstar – $463
Honolulu, HI, USA to Vancouver, BC, CA – Westjet – $186
Vancouver, BC, CA to Las Vegas, NV, USA – Westjet – $172
Las Vegas, NV, USA to New York, NY, USA (JFK) – JetBlue – $207
New York, NY, USA (JFK) to Ibiza, ES – Air Berlin – $413
Ibiza, ES to Berlin (Tegel), DE – Air Berlin – $204
Berlin (Tegel), DE to Phuket, TH – Air Berlin – $774
Phuket, TH to Sydney, NSW, AU – Jetstar – $390

Discount Airline Total: $2809 (inc tax).
Mark’s Full-Fare RTW ticket: < $2700.
The winner is… Batty travel. And Mark. Game and match!

In conclusion, discount fares seem to be at their best value when used for short- to medium- haul flights, however the savings are much diminished once longer flights or many hops are introduced to your itinerary. Also, due to the inflexibility of most low-cost fare rules, I would not recommend packing in a handful of such discount airfares if there is any chance that your travel plans may change. Often the only way to change details such as departure dates is to either pay a hefty fee, or purchase a new ticket.

Many thanks to Mark at RoundAbout Travel for being a good sport; if you would like to have your discount airline questions answered, please feel free to shoot me your travel questions via this blog, or on Twitter. Bon voyage!

Flighthacker