Cheapest European Airlines for 2024 - Top 10 Budget EU-Based Carriers

Written By Amy Lancelotte

11 minutes read
Last Updated: November 26, 2024

These days, it’s crucial to make your travel budget stretch as far as possible. Finding a cheap flight can mean the difference between being able to take a vacation and staying home. To help you search for budget-friendly flights, we have set out to determine the best low-cost airlines Europe offers.

We based our list on the 2023 RASK of each airline, which is the revenue average per seat kilometre. When you consider how many kilometres even the shortest flights are, a lower RASK can really make a difference in your budget.

Our research and findings included:

• Nearly one billion euros in European airline revenue.
• 15 different EU-based carriers.
• Seat kilometre revenue in 2023 varied from €0.0398 to €0.0824.

Top 4 Cheap European Airlines

At AirAdvisor, we compiled an in-depth study on the Overall Top Airlines in Europe, and an important component of that research was affordability, so here are the top 4 cheapest airlines in Europe:

#1 Cheapest Airline in Europe - Wizz Air

According to our research, European airlines don’t come any cheaper than Wizz Air, and by a fairly wide margin. With our lowest RASK of €0.0398, this budget carrier definitely has some affordable fares.

Wizz Air was also the cheapest European airline for 2023, so they are certainly consistent, but we should note that their RASK increased by a full euro cent compared to 2022 (it’s more than you think).

Although Wizz Air seems to be a cheap option, they were actually one of the worst European airlines in 2024, so you should keep that in mind.

Other than constantly checking for discounted European flights, there are a few things you can do to ensure you get the best deal:

1. Subscribe to the Wizz Air Newsletter - Everyone likely already gets a lot of emails, but if you want to secure a sale flight quickly, information is key. This is how the company informs the public first about special offers.
2. Be flexible - On the Wizz Air website, you can use the fare finder to identify the cheapest flight for your route. And if you don’t care where you go, select your departure city only and see what affordable options are available and when.
3. Act fast - Don’t hesitate when you find a great deal, like a flight from London Gatwick to Malaga for as low as €15.

When you search for your next flight anywhere in Europe, start with Wizz Air and branch out from there.

#2 - Aegean Airlines

As our overall winner for the best airline in Europe for 2024, Aegean Airlines is a good choice for travellers who value comfort, family-friendly travel, and high review scores from other passengers. Luckily, all these great features don’t translate to higher costs.

Aegean’s 2023 RASK was €0.492, basically one euro cent higher than Wizz Air’s. Last year’s list put Aegean Airlines in the last spot on our 10 cheapest EU airlines list, so they have climbed significantly year over year.

Aegean offers a well-laid-out fare calendar, so it’s quite easy to score a deal on one of their flights. The only caveat is that you can’t select all destinations to get an overview, so you’ll need to know where you want to go.

#3 - Vueling

Vueling advertises itself as a low-cost carrier, and we have to agree. Although Vueling gained one spot on this year’s list, there is a big difference between Aegean’s RASK and Vueling’s. In 2023, the Vueling revenue per passenger seat kilometre was €0.07.

Finding the best deal for your desired route on the Vueling website is easy. Flight prices are displayed in a calendar format if you don’t select a specific date. Then, you can scroll through the months to get the cheapest option. One of the more popular routes goes from Barcelona El Prat Airport to Amsterdam, and using the price calendar tool allows you to see instantly that this flight is the least expensive from January to March so that you can plan your trip accordingly.

#4 - TAP Air Portugal

Now, we move to Portugal with TAP and their RASK of €0.073, landing the airline in our top 4. TAP Air Portugal isn’t billed as one of the cheap airlines in Europe, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find a deal. TAP’s website has useful sections for discount-centric travellers, namely the Best Offers and Promotions ones. These are great for travel inspiration that will fit your budget and are always based on your departure country or city.

TAP is another climber compared to last year, even though their RASK only decreased marginally, they gained 5 places. We can therefore infer that the other European airlines got more expensive, which isn’t great news for passengers.

The Other 6 Cheap European Airlines

As we leave the top 4, we’ll see that the revenue average per seat kilometre doesn’t vary as much and contains some of the “heavy hitters” in the European airline market.

#5 - Ryanair

The quintessential no-frills, low-cost European airline, Ryanair, is generally a means to an end for travellers. It owns the #5 spot for 2 years in a row. Featuring some of the cheapest advertised fares around, why isn’t Ryanair number 1? Ryanair’s business model draws you in with a low initial price and then charges for everything. This includes basic drinks, food, seat selection, and bags. Plus, the goal is to upsell you onboard, like lottery tickets and duty-free items, all amounting to a higher passenger revenue per kilometre. Their RASK from 2023 is €0.0734.

That said, Ryanair can really keep your costs down if you’re not one for the extras. Pack light, bring snacks, and don’t let them talk you into anything.

We’re not trying to badmouth this airline. We just want to set realistic expectations. And one thing that Ryanair does well is reliability. They scored the best overall for this category in our 2023 study and fell to fourth place in 2024. So, you could do much worse than a basic cheap fare and arriving mostly on time.

Did your last flight arrive late by 3 hours or more?

You are likely entitled to compensation.

Claim Submission

#6 - Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)

Another wallet-friendly EU airline in the same position as last year is SAS. The RASK for this Stockholm-based carrier is €0.074. As Scandinavia’s flag carrier airline and knowing that Demark, Norway, and Sweden are some of the more expensive countries in Europe, you may be surprised to see SAS so high on the list.

Like Vueling, SAS has an easy-to-use low-fare calendar to ensure you get the cheapest price. You can even search from your departure city and see the most popular destinations within the calendar or sort by arrival city or country.

#7 - Norwegian Air Shuttle

For 2023’s best budget airlines in Europe, Norwegian was in third place. In 2024, they lost 4 places with a RASK of €0.075, nearly a one-cent increase. Norwegian Air Shuttle is one of the smallest airlines we reviewed, so although they might be relatively cheap, it might be harder to find a convenient route.

On Norwegian’s website, you can select the option to see all the cheapest fares broken down by month and cost from your departure point. This is especially useful when you don’t have a specific idea in mind. Additionally, flights to the Nordic countries tend to be the cheapest.

Another way to make Norwegian affordable if you travel frequently for business is to set up a corporate agreement to secure fixed discounts. Norwegian also offers 3 categories of fares, so you don’t need to pay for anything you don’t need, like cabin bags or advanced seat selection.

#8 - Lufthansa

This year, Lufthansa is a new entry on our list with average seat kilometre revenue of €0.0765. This is a decrease of over one euro cent, which explains how the German carrier cracked the top 10 for 2024.

Lufthansa took third place overall for the best EU carriers in 2024 and is especially good for travelling with pets. This flag carrier is well-liked by customers, comfortable, and receives plenty of professional awards, so it’s nice that their fares are somewhat affordable.

There is no cheap flight calendar on the Lufthansa website, but you can search flight offers (one-way or round-trip) from your destination or click on all offers and destinations to see everything.

#9 - LOT Polish Airlines

Another newcomer, LOT Polish Airlines had a 2023 RASK of €0.0779. For 2022, LOT’s passenger revenue numbers were not available, which is likely why it did not appear at all on the list. The Polish flag carrier is one of the oldest airlines in existence and an IATA founding member. LOT passengers should also be happy the fares are quite affordable and it’s one of the safest EU airlines.

To make sure you get the best deal possible, LOT has a convenient low-fare calendar where you can see the cheapest rates for a selected flight by month. Because of this, we know that the cheapest time to travel from London Heathrow to Warsaw Airport is November when prices are as low as £79.

#10 - Iberia

The Spanish carrier Iberia is our last-place finisher in the list of the cheapest EU-based airlines. But since we reviewed 15 in total, it’s actually good that they at least made the list. Iberia’s numbers, RASK of €0.0582 in 2022 and €0.078 in 2023, show a pretty big increase. This earns the airline the title of the largest price increase between the two years.

To put this significant change in perspective, let’s assume you’re booking a flight from Madrid Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is a little over 1,000km. That means that passengers spend (on average) over €20 per one-way flight than last year. If you’re travelling as a family, that can quickly add up.

Even though an Iberia flight might set you back a little more, this airline may represent better value than our cheapest European airline, Wizz Air, if you prioritize price over other factors. For instance, Iberia ranked highly for reliability, airport lounges, and professional reviews in our study. Wizz Air did not.

Encounter a European flight disruption?

Determine the compensation you may be owed using our convenient flight checker.

Check Your Flight

Free Instant Check

No Win, No Fee

98% Success Rate

European Affordability Ranking by AirAdvisor - A Comparison

Two airlines appeared on last year’s list but did not make the cut this year. They are Air France (previously #7) and Finnair (previously #8).

NOTE: Our team was unable to find and numbers for the RASK of Volotea. This airline is not included in this list and received the worst price score by default in our larger study of the best EU airlines. 

Conclusion

This ranking of the cheapest European airlines should help guide your next flight search. Our research found that overall, Wizz Air, Aegean, Vueling, and TAP were the airlines with the lowest passenger revenue per seat kilometre in 2023, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look around. Airlines have periodic sales, last-minute deals, and special discounts for events like Black Friday, Christmas, and spring break. So, use this list as one of the tools in your arsenal to ensure you stick to your travel budget.

Grabbing a deal from any of these airlines is a satisfying thing, and hopefully, it will stop you from constantly wondering why flights are so expensive right now. No one wants to give up travel, so go and seek out a bargain!

FAQ

No feedback