Connecting the Continents Cheaply

These alternative airlines—intercontinental low-cost carriers—can make crossing the Atlantic or Pacific or other long-haul international flights less expensive

• No-frills airlines
• How they work
• How to find them
• How to book them
• N. America to Europe
• Intercontinental LCCs
• Big Ben Switcheroo
• Big Apple Switcheroo
• Airport resources

As you can now fly between North America and Europe cheaply on a low-coast carrier, so can you fly from Europe to Asia, or Europe to Africa, or even Europe to the Caribbean or Latin America on the cheap on a budget airline.

How cheap? How about £10 one-way from London to Marrakesh, or £99 each way from London to Hong Kong? Not bad! There are so many between Europe and North America now, they are collected on a seperate page. As for connecting the other continents, here are the players.

Flights between North America and Asia

Jet Airways (www.jetairways.com) - Not always low-cpot—but sometimes—This Indian airline flies from New York to Chennai (via Brussels—probably the cheapest ticket direct to Brussels you'll find), Newark to Mumbai (via Brussels; ditto), Toronto to Delhi (via Brussels; ditto sitto), and San Francisco to Mumbai (via not Brussels this time but rather via Shanghai, China—bonus!).

Flights between Europe and Asia/the Middle East/Australia

Condor (www.condor.de) - Germany to India (Goa), the Indian Ocean (the Seychelles, Mauritius, the Maldives, Sri Lanka), Thailand (Phuket), Dubai, and Egypt (Sharm el Sheik, Hurghada, Luxor, Marsa Alam).

Eurofly/Meridiana (www.meridiana.it) - Italy to Male/the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius.

Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com) - Consolidated with LTU in 2007; Germany (mostly Dusseldorf, with connections on from many other cities) to Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket), India (Goa), Sri Lanka, Maldives.

Martinair (www.martinair.com) - The Netherlands to Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand (Phuket).

Virgin Atlantic (www.virginatlantic.com) - Flights from London to Dubai, Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Hong Kong, Mauritius, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore. Also (though I relaize this is not in Asia) London to Sydney.

Jet Airways (www.jetairways.com) - Indian airline flying from London to Delhi and Mumbai and from Brussels to Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru.

Air Asia X (www.airasia.com) - Starts flying direct five times per week from London (Stansted) to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March, 2009 (with loads of connections from there throughout Asia and Australia).

Flights between Europe and Latin America

Condor (www.condor.de) - Germany to Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, and the Caribbean (Antigua, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago).

Air Comet (www.aircomet.com) - Though it also flies from Madrid to London, Paris, and Rome, as of 2007 it's also focusing on the Spain-to-Latin America market: offering flights from Madrid to Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Bogotá, Colombia; San José, Costa Rica; Havana, Cuba; Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador; the Dominican Republic; and Lima, Peru.

Martinair (www.martinair.com) - The Netherlands to the Caribbean (Aruba, Cuba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico), Costa Rica, and Mexico (Cancun).

Virgin Atlantic (www.virginatlantic.com) - Flights from London to the Caribbean/Atlantic islands (Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Tobago).

Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com) - Germany and Vienna to the Caribbean (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica), Mexico (Cancun).

Flights between Europe and Africa

Eurofly/Meridiana (www.meridiana.it) - Italy to Egypt (Cairo, Sharm el Sheik), Kenya (Mombasa), Tanzania (Zanzibar), Mauritius, Senegal (Dakar), the Canaries.

Condor (www.condor.de) - Germany to Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco, the Canaries, and the Indian Ocean (the Seychelles, Mauritius, the Maldives).

TUIfly (www.tuifly.com) - The former Hapag-Lloyd Express flies from Germany to Egypt, Morocco, the Canaries, and Cape Verde islands.

Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com) - Consolidated with LTU in 2007, and desipte its name connecting many other places than just Germany. Flies from major German cities to Egypt, Kenya, South Africa (Cape Town), Namibia, Morocco,

EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) - England, Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland to Morocco plus London to Egypt (Sharm el Sheik and Hurghada).

Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) - England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Belgium to Morocco; also Germany, England, Scotland, and Ireland to the Canary Islands.

Thomsonfly (www.thomsonfly.com) - England and Scotland to Egypt, Morocco, and the Canaries.

Virgin Atlantic (www.virginatlantic.com) - Flights from London to South Africa (Cape Town and Johannesburg), Nigeria, Kenya, Mauritius.

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This article was last updated in November 2007. All information was accurate at the time.
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