The price of air travel has come down significantly in the last decade. No longer must you fly the big, national airlines. Smaller and cheaper regional airlines have sprung up all over the world. Inter-continental flights are still typically in the mid to high three figures (US$), but international flights within a continent can be remarkably low. You can regularly fly anywhere in Europe, for example, for less than US$50. If you shop around and can be flexible, like me, you can easily find international flights under US$30 or even US$20! Keep in mind, these cheap flights likely do not include a checked bag, just limited carry-on luggage, and no food or amenities onboard.
So how to find these incredible fares? Many budget airlines do not show up on the major flight search engines. In order for you to know which airlines to check for the best flight deals, I’ve put together a list of some of the top budget airlines on every continent! Except for Antarctica. There’s nothing budget about traveling to Antarctica…
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Europe
RyanAir
Perhaps the most well-known European budget airline, RyanAir has a UK focus, with many flights within, to, and from England and Ireland, especially. They do have routes across much of Europe as well.
EasyJet
This UK based budget airline flies to 31 countries and has a bit more range of route options than fellow UK budget airline, RyanAir. If you’re looking for flights within continental Europe, EasyJet is a good choice.
FlyBe
Another UK based carrier, FlyBe flies to 15 European countries.
WizzAir
This relatively new Hungarian airline has over 500 routes to 27 European and Middle Eastern destinations.
Vueling
This Spanish airline serves not only Europe but also destinations in Africa and Asia.
AirBaltic
For more destinations in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, and the Middle East check out AirBaltic, which is based in Latvia.
North America
Sun Country
Based in Minnesota, USA, this budget airline flies to 40 destinations in the States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Costa Rica.
Spirit Airlines
Spirit is very bare-bones but offers some pretty cheap fares to ~60 destinations in the USA, Caribbean, and Latin America.
Allegiant
Flying out of Las Vegas, USA, Allegiant services mostly the Southern and Western US.
JetBlue
For the cheap flights within, to, and from the East Coast of the United States, JetBlue has you covered. They also range to 61 destinations throughout the US, Caribbean, and Latin America.
Viva Aerobus
This Mexican airline covers 60 routes within Mexico and to the United States.
Volaris
Another Mexico-based airline, Volaris services destinations in Mexico, the US, and Central America.
WestJet
Canadian airline WestJet flies to 100+ destinations in North and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and Europe.
AirTransat
A larger Canadian budget airline, AirTransat has routes to 60 destinations in 30 countries.
AirCanada Rouge
The budget arm of the major national airline, Air Canada, Rouge offers more reasonable flights to many Canadian destinations. Their large service area also includes routes to a lot of North, South, and Central America, as well as Europe, Africa, and Asia.
South America
Viva Air Colombia
Based in, you guessed it, Colombia! The majority of this very new budget airline’s flights are within Colombia, but they do also fly to Peru and Florida, USA.
GOL
This Brazilian airline services 7 South American countries and the Dominican Republic.
Sky
Sky is based in Chile and mostly operates within that country, but they do also have routes to Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, and Brazil.
JetSmart
Chile is the home of JetSmart airlines, so naturally, they serve tons of Chilean destinations. Argentina is also well served by JetSmart and they do fly to Peru, too.
Amaszonas
With two subsidiary hubs in Bolivia and Uruguay, Amaszonas obviously flies within and between those two countries. It also has routes to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru.
Asia
AirAsia & AirAsia X
AirAsia is probably the biggest budget airline in the region, with many routes all over the continent. AirAsia X is their intercontinental extension that flies to Oceania and the Middle East.
Scoot
Scoot is a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. It flies to many destinations across Asia as well as Australia.
JetStar Asia
With destinations in Singapore, Japan, China, Indonesia, and Thailand, JetStar is another Asian airline that also flies to Australia.
IndiGo
IndiGo is an Indian budget airline with many destinations around India, plus stops in Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
Cebu Pacific
As it is based in the Philippines, Cebu has a ton of destinations within that country. However, they also fly to 15 other countries across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
JejuAir
This South Korean airline has many domestic routes and also flies to 7 international destinations in Asia and the Pacific.
Africa
Kalula
Based in South Africa, this budget airline flies to multiple destinations within that country, as well as routes to Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mauritius.
FastJet
FastJet, out of Tanzania, serves that country plus South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Zambia.
Fly540
This Kenyan airline focuses mostly on flights within Kenya but does have routes to South Sudan and Zanzibar.
FlyDubai
While this airline is based out of Dubai in the Middle East, it flies to many African destinations.
Air Arabia Egypt
This is the budget subsidiary of Air Arabia and flies to many Middle Eastern destinations. It is based in Egypt, however, and its African routes also include Sudan.
Proflight Zambia
With several domestic destinations within Zambia, Proflight also serves Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Africa.
Malawian Airlines
A partnership between Malawi and Ethiopian Airlines, this carrier flies to several destinations within Malawi as well as Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Oceania
JetStar
The sister company of JetStar Asia, JetStar as a whole is a subsidiary of Australia’s largest airline, Qantas. They have routes across the country and New Zealand, plus, of course, to Asia.
There aren’t many budget carriers in Oceania. For more options, scroll up and check the airlines listed under Asia as many of them fly to Australia as well!
For a complete list of all budget airlines around the world, check this Wikipedia page.
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