7 things that surprised me when I flew on Europe's budget airlines

As soon as the word "cheap" is attached to the word "airline," people get nervous.

It's understandable — America's budget airline companies tend to get horrible reviews for everything from last-minute cancellations to relentless nickle-and-diming.

So when I tell friends and relatives that I regularly fly cheap airlines when I travel around Europe, I am prepared for their immediate concern. "What do you mean that your round-trip flight from Edinburgh to Rome only cost you $100?" they ask, terrified at the thought of all of the shortcuts the airline must be making to keep prices so low. "Is that even safe?" 

In all of my experiences flying with low-cost European providers — notably, Ryanair and EasyJet — I have (usually) been pleasantly surprised. Here are some of the things that shocked me the most. 

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Many international European flights cost less than domestic US flights.

The distance from New York to Miami is about the same as the distance from London to Madrid, but, in my experience, tickets for the latter trip on Europe's budget airlines will almost always be cheaper. For comparison's sake, I looked up round-trip flights to both places on the same dates in August.

According to my searches on Google Flights, the trip from New York to Miami cost around $230 at the cheapest, while the flight from London to Madrid was only $121 — almost half the price. The difference in airfare makes even less sense when you think of the fact that London and Madrid are in two different countries, while New York and Miami are both in the US.

Europe's cheap airlines aren't just for the budget-conscious.

You really see a diverse crowd on Ryanair and Easyjet planes — I was surprised to notice a fair amount of well-dressed businessmen and families among the groups of traveling students that I was anticipating. I guess that if the flights are reliable and cheap, why would you go with anyone else?

They're much more reliable than I anticipated.

I've taken more than 10 trips with budget European airlines, and I can confidently say that I have not run into a single delay or cancellation. I have always arrived at my destinations with spectacular punctuality, which is pretty impressive.

Of course, unexpected situations do arise— Ryanair's cancellation policy allows you to change flights up to 4 hours before flight departure time (with a pretty standard fee that varies depending on the circumstances), and a cancellation or significant delay on their part guarantees the passenger a full refund.

So far, though, I've gotten pretty lucky, and haven't had to deal with any travel hangups that weren't my own fault. When I have missed an occasional flight or had to change plans, Ryanair and EasyJet staff have always been helpful and attentive.