In recent years it has gradually become commonplace for what were once so-called “full-service carriers” that, for example, the wallet has to be pulled out for checked baggage as well as food and drinks on board. The differences compared to low-cost companies such as Ryanair, Wizz Air and Easyjet are only minimal.

The following comparison of the low-cost airlines mentioned in the previous paragraph with Austrian Airlines is not a ranking, but a mere comparison of the services included and selected chargeable extras. It should also be noted that the cheapest tariff class on the line (short and medium-haul) has been selected. All providers also have more expensive tariffs in which additional services can be included. These have not been taken into account in the comparison.

Ryanair: View of plastic cladding dominates

Ryanair is considered a pioneer of European low-cost airlines and is also the largest operator. The group includes the airlines Ryanair DAC, Ryanair UK, Buzz, Malta Air and Lauda Europe. With the exception of the last-mentioned airline, which uses the Airbus A320, all group members fly with the Boeing 737-800. A few Boeing 737 Max 200s are already in use at Ryanair, Malta Air and Buzz. Due to the bulk order, it can be assumed that this pattern will soon dominate.

The Airbus A320s operated by Lauda Europe are an eccentric with regard to the cabin, because in contrast to all other machines, the view of plastic cladding and glued-on safety cards does not dominate here. In contrast to the sister companies in the group, you also have seat pockets. These are simply not available on the Ryanair 737, for example.

With regard to the seat spacing, the 737 fleet depends on whether the new space cabin (thin seats with plastic cladding) or the older one (thick seats with plastic cladding) is installed. With the last-mentioned variant, it can get very tight. With the space cabin, the distance is comparable to that offered by network carriers. In the 737 Max 200 this is a little tighter.

In the case of Ryanair, it should be expressly pointed out that this group charges horrendous fees if you have not checked in online beforehand. You also have to dig deep into your pocket if your hand luggage is too large or if you haven't booked a check-in suitcase in advance. The prices at the airport are considerably higher than on the Internet.

The included hand baggage may be a maximum of 40 x 25 x 20 centimeters. But the weight does not matter. If you also want to take a classic trolley with you, you have to book the so-called priority package. Depending on the route, this costs between six euros and 35 euros extra. On average you will have to pay around 12 euros. If you book in advance, you have to pay at least ten euros extra for checked baggage. The emphasis is on at least, because an average of 40 euros is due.

The special feature of web check-in is that people who book a paid seat can download their boarding pass several weeks before departure. If you don't want that, you will be assigned a seat and can only check in 24 hours before departure. It turns out that Ryanair initially distributes middle seats and deliberately deals with people traveling together. What a miracle: Immediately afterwards it is offered that you can sit together for a fee.

In recent years, Ryanair has invested a lot in the look of the cabins, but anyone who expects any form of cosiness here is completely wrong. The seats are okay, but the flair is reminiscent of a long-distance bus somewhere in Asia. Drinks and snacks are chargeable and tend to be in the upper price segment compared to the competition.

On the negative side, it should be noted that the cabin crew sometimes makes extremely intrusive sales attempts. Behind this, however, there is likely to be that enormous pressure is being exerted on the flight attendants in the background.

Wizz Air: Almost like Ryanair - sometimes cheaper, sometimes more expensive

The Wizz Air Group is a specialist in Eastern European routes in Europe. In recent years the city shuttle and leisure segments have been pushed more and more. The concept is almost identical to that of Ryanair.

The fleet differs fundamentally, however, because Wizz Air relies on the Airbus A321, A320, A321neo and A320neo models. Seat pockets and safety cards are also available, although the carrier has built in smaller folding tables.

There are also differences when it comes to the seat spacing: those machines with older seats - recognizable by the blackberry-colored seat cover - have less spacing between the rows. The newer blue seats are thinner and so the legroom is comparable to that of Ryanair and other providers.

Similar to Ryanair lurking with hand luggage and at check-in cost traps. Anyone who does not check in in advance via the Internet and, if necessary, books checked baggage and / or priority boarding (for the classic hand luggage trolley), risks being asked to pay at the airport.

Priority boarding, which is required to take a trolley with you, costs at least ten euros extra. In practice, however, it has been shown that Wizz Air sometimes also charges 48 euros for this. The same applies to check-in baggage, which can be exorbitantly expensive, especially during the main season, even if booked in advance via the Internet.

In contrast to Ryanair, the weight of the small piece of hand luggage, which can be a maximum of 40 x 30 x 20 centimeters, plays a role at Wizz Air. It can weigh a maximum of ten kilograms. The same applies to priority boarding for the trolley, whereby the respective maximum weight counts separately.

Wizz Air behaves just like Ryanair when it comes to seat reservations. If you book a seat, you can check in a few weeks earlier. You also "randomly" allocate center seats and separate people who have been booked together and then offer you the opportunity to sit together for a fee. For seat reservations at Wizz Air you sometimes have to dig much deeper into your pocket than at Ryanair.

On board there is the sale of drinks, food and other goods. This is done in the name and for the account of Gate Gourmet Switzerland GmbH. The staff is not pushy, but rather discreet.

Easyjet: Between low-cost airlines and a focus on business travelers

Easyjet is the second largest low-cost airline in Europe and has been trying for a number of years to position itself somewhere between lowcosters, holiday airlines and alternatives for business travelers. Sometimes it works quite well and sometimes it doesn't. First and foremost, Easyjet's dominance depends on its position in the market, because, for example, it was not so successful in Germany in competition with Lufthansa and Eurowings.

Easyjet has a total of three airlines: Easyjet Switzerland, Easyjet Europe and Easyjet UK. This is necessary for regulatory reasons (keyword: Brexit). The aircraft types Airbus A319, A320, A320neo and A321neo are operated. No clear statement can be made about the seat spacing, as the fleet has been a little mixed up since the introduction of used machines (e.g. Ex-Air Berlin) at the latest.

In contrast to Ryanair, the cabin design is subtle and strongly reminiscent of classic network carriers. Of course, seat pockets and safety cards are also available. Easyjet only changed the hand luggage concept in February 2021. It has moved closer to that of Ryanair and Easyjet.

It should also be noted that Easyjet used to have an option at a price of around six euros where you could check in hand luggage at the counter. This was abolished. Probably because so many travelers can double their free hand luggage for a small extra charge.

In any case, Easyjet only allows you to take a small bag with you, which must be a maximum of 45x26x20 centimeters. For example, if you also want to take a classic trolley with you, you have to book seats in the front area of ​​the cabin or in special zones for a fee. Otherwise, only the paid task at the check-in counter remains. Incidentally, the weight does not play a role in hand luggage.

Caution! Easyjet also demands horrific additional costs if you are standing at the gate with excessively large hand luggage or if you want to check in your suitcase but have not booked it online in advance. You should definitely take that into account.

In contrast to Wizz Air and Easyjet, you may charge extra for seat reservations, but - depending on availability - do not deal with people traveling together with pure intent. The counter check-in at most airports is also not subject to a fee.

Food and drinks as well as other products are offered on board for a fee. The crews are not pushy. It should also be mentioned that salads and other fresh dishes are also offered on some routes. These are not included in the general menu, but there may be route-dependent offers, which are then pointed out on board by means of a flyer or announcement.

Austrian Airlines: Low-cost product at a higher price

In recent years, Austrian Airlines' economy class product has largely adapted to that of Easyjet, Ryanair and Wizz Air. Specifically, this means that in the cheapest tariffs for any luggage you have to pay extra and drinks and snacks are no longer included. The differences are now minimal, but still exist.

It is worth mentioning that Austrian Airlines will serve a small cup of water free of charge on request. In some cases, microscopic plastic bottles from Vöslauer are also used. With the competitors Ryanair, Wizz Air and Easyjet there is no water for which you do not have to reach for your wallet.

It should also be mentioned that Austrian Airlines still allows one piece of hand luggage with a maximum of eight kilograms in IATA standard dimensions (“trolley”). They also have no plans to change anything. However, it should be noted that costs may be incurred if the free amount is exceeded. These can sometimes be very sensitive.

Check-in luggage costs at least 25 euros, although the costs can vary depending on the route. The same applies here: Those who book in advance online pay significantly less than directly at the airport. It gets really expensive at AUA from the second piece of luggage. Here - depending on the route - 150 euros can be charged.

When checking in, the AUA behaves similarly to the low-cost airlines, but still different. Seat reservations can be offered for a surcharge, but depending on availability, you can also choose a seat free of charge during web check-in - if it is still free. Austrian Airlines does not charge anything extra for counter check-in either, but has a chicane in economy class. The boarding pass must be brought with you, ie check-in via smartphone, web or at the machine. You can only go to the baggage drop-off counter without this in exceptional cases. At least there is no cost trap lurking here.

In contrast to the low-cost competitors, there is currently no option at Austrian Airlines to increase the free hand baggage allowance for a surcharge. Here you have to rely on the goodwill of the ground staff or you have to book a piece of checked baggage. This is usually more expensive compared to the low costers.

Austrian Airlines offers chargeable WiFi on board the Airbus fleet. The prices are very high for what is offered. Incidentally, the provider is not AUA itself, but Telekom Deutschland GmbH. Eating and drinking (with the exception of a cup of water) are chargeable and sometimes exorbitantly expensive. Unfortunately, it is mostly frozen goods and only a few dishes are actually fresh. This fact is swept under the table in marketing, as the "freshness" of the offer is emphasized. The price-performance ratio of the offer is questionable.

What you definitely won't experience at AUA: pushy flight attendants who, like Ryanair, want to sell pretty much everything. There is nothing like that at Austrian Airlines. At best, the cabin crew asks if you want to buy food and drinks and do so in a discreet and not intrusive way. The booths are also discreetly designed, with the playing of waltzes and the sometimes out of context wounding of the word Servus are sometimes very close to kitsch.

It should be noted negatively with Austrian Airlines that on routes on which there are no competitors, significantly higher ticket prices are taken with "almost zero service". As soon as, for example, you have a low-cost airline as a “playmate”, you ask on average significantly lower prices for the tickets. The product offered is, however, one to one the same. So sometimes the questionable circumstance arises that on one route around 50 euros are incurred one-way and on the other sometimes 350 euros and more and yet the included or non-included services are identical. The description given in the last sentence is a mere description Example for illustration.