BEFORE the Covid pandemic, lucky ‘expats’ could book off-season flights from Malaga Airport to various UK destinations for about 100e for the whole family (based on first hand reporter experience). Some “10e” flights existed over at Michael O’Leary’s Ryanair, to much fanfare.
Even with Ryanair charging extra for any form of bag – and bundling priority boarding, seat selection, and cabin luggage in deals costing 24e upwards – the fares were affordable for most people. They could even prove cheaper than the onward train journey or hire car!
Arguably, this was the “golden era” for flying between Spain and the UK and maintaining a double-life as a “swallow”. Even if you were herded like cattle, and the cabin wasn’t terribly clean, the prices made it worthwhile.
The pandemic killed cheap flights
Since the pandemic, the situation in the airline industry has changed – and several factors are at play.
The higher airfares we are seeing from ‘AGP’ and ‘GRX’ (and other airports) to our chosen UK (or other European) destination airports are probably here to stay.
This isn’t good news for ‘familias numerosos’. Or for a single parent flying with two teens who are counted, by airlines, as adults from age 16.
However, with the airline industry, changes tend to move slowly (compared to the actual planes). There isn’t an overnight solution to restrictions with infrastructure or capacity, that we are seeing now.
Higher demand for fewer seats
Various problems are making passengers pay more. Firstly, during the pandemic, airlines laid off staff and some carriers pulled out of certain bases. One example is Easyjet leaving Newcastle Airport in August 2020 (the carrier is returning for summer 2024, with flights to Alicante, not Malaga).
When the pandemic ended, there was increased demand for air travel, but less infrastructure, fewer flights, and fewer staff than before. These aren’t easy issues to resolve.
Furthermore, some passengers were given time-limited vouchers for flights cancelled during the pandemic. They had until 2023 or 24 to redeem them – further filling available seats to capacity.
In some cases, like Newcastle Airport, fewer operators are now serving the same routes that previously had multiple daily flight choices. This constanly forces up prices. In crude terms, there are too many “bums for the seats”.
Strike action
When aviation industry staff returned from their pandemic furlough, some of them negotiated higher pay and improved working conditions. Airline and ground staff have continuously staged a series of strikes that have hit operators and passengers from 2022 to present.
AENA (the Spanish airport authority), Ryanair and Vueling have all seen strike action. Heathrow ground staff threatened walkouts this May 2024. Easyjet pilots are threatening to strike. Another summer of “travel chaos” is almost inevitable.
From cabin crew serving in-flight refreshments, to air traffic control navigating your route, strikes are now commonplace across multiple airlines, airports and airspaces. Who hasn’t striked, or isn’t planning to? Therefore, overall, staffing costs have increased.
New aircraft are delayed and fuel costs have risen
Although there’s strong demand for new aircraft, some manufactueres have not delivered new planes on time. Boeing and Airbus both have criticism in this area. This hasn’t helped the industry’s capacity issues.
Meanwhile, the price of jet fuel is higher than the pre-pandemic and Russia-Ukraine days. The crude oil price affects jet fuel costs. Today, airlines are subject to stricter legislation over emissions and must invest in more efficient planes and buy emission allowances to offset their carbon footprint. This is passed on to… yes, you’ve guessed it… the passenger via the air fare.
The baggage conundrum
And that’s not the only cost that’s habitually passed on to the passenger. The weight of what we “carry on” the plane is thrown into the equation, and calculated carefully by the airline when determining extra charges. So, what’s happening with baggage?
Anyone flying Easyjet from Malaga, or Vueling from Granada Airport, will find hidden extra fees of around 65e per passenger to take more than a rucksack into the cabin. And, note, you can only apply it universally to all passengers at once. Yes, a standard 55x40x20cm cabin bag now costs more than a shopping trip to Primark. All that money to argue with the neighbouring passenger over whose bag is forced into the (usually full) overhead locker.
Since 2023, MEPs have campaigned for carry-on baggage fees to be abandoned as part of EU plans to simplify air fares. Is this a new initiative? No, it is not.
In fact, it harks back to a 2014 hand luggage ruling from the European Court of Justice. The idea is to make countries enforce it! The 2023 resolution calls on airlines to guarantee that passengers can carry “reasonable” sized cabin baggage free of charge.
At present, the airlines have differing baggage rules. This is problematic for those who are boarding connecting flights from different airlines. Your bag is 2cm too big? You’ll pay a hideous fee at the gate to check it into the hold.
The EU wants airlines to be more transparent with passengers about additional costs – like seat allocation, as well as cabin baggage. At present, it seems nigh on impossible to get any of them to comply! Watch this space…
Tricks to save money on your flight
- Book flights that depart on less popular days, such as Tuesdays and Wednesdays
- Avoid Saturdays – especially at Malaga Airport
- The best fares can usually be found between 5 months and 1.5 months before departure. If you wait until a few days before departure, the fare is likely to have increased (although this is not a 100% given).
- Better rates exist on hold bags by booking them before you check out (and pay) for your initial flight booking. When you log back into your itinerary via “my booking”, the price will have increased.
- The cheapest way to fly is with just a rucksack that fits under the seat, no pre-booked seats, and no priority boarding. However, this is not to everyone’s taste!
- Avoid paying the rip-off prices for food and drinks at Malaga Airport. Take your own sandwich and snacks in that rucksack.
- Take an empty small water bottle through security and fill it afterwards. In Malaga Airport, there are specific drinking water-filling points for passengers near the boarding gates.