Michael O’Leary of Ryanair – the world’s most profitable airline – says that Ryanair does three things well, no more, no less: “We arrive and leave on time, we give good fares [read: competitive], we do not lose your bags”. It’s a winning formula!

Simple? Not really.

When planning your flights for an overseas trip, or even a local one, there is always the toss-up: regular flights, price, baggage allowances, price, airport location, flexibility, price and more price.

So – do you choose one of the so-called ‘legacy’ carriers or a ‘low cost’ operator? Legacy carriers are mostly those carrying a country flag (SAA, BA, Qantas, AA and Cathay, to name a few). Low cost are the Ryanairs, 1Time, Easy Jets of this world.

The answer… check them both out. And, don’t necessarily marry yourself to one carrier for the whole trip. Here’s an example: Cape Town to Marseille in France. We’ve found that often the best, cheapest, most flexible option is – Cape Town to London (BA), bus from Heathrow in London to Gatwick airport, Easy Jet to Marseille. But then you must factor in the bus trip, the differences in the baggage allowances. And there are many more examples like that.

If you’re booking online, do the comparisons – a great site is Fare Compare, and don’t forget 2oceansVibe Flights either. If you’re visiting a Travel Agent, do the comparisons yourself first and don’t take what their computer dishes out for you.

Many people only look at the actual airfares. Don’t! Always factor in the taxi/bus/train connections, the baggage allowances, the distances to and from the airports (many low cost airlines use regional airports – for example, Southampton for Flybe, Paris Beauvais for Ryanair and Kulula use Lanseria for some of their flights). Tot up your sums and then make your decision – legacy, low cost or a combo.

Happy flying!

If you want to read more of Simon Burrow, go to his site for all things Provençal – Living Stylishly Well.