- Battery life: Most laptops have a top battery life of three hours (if that); some netbooks have battery life of up to 11 hours. In practical terms this means you could probably go for a weekend away and not bring your charger; whereas with a laptop you would have the worry of finding an available plug socket.

- Portablility: With some laptops busting the scales at 3kg+, this has a big impact on your hand luggage allowance (you wouldn’t want to put it in the hold). As well, the extra dimensions mean this may be a tricky item to fit. No such problem for the netbook, an average weight of 1.2kg and small footprint mean a typical model will easily fit into any bag.

- Cost: Prices on netbooks have been falling and it’s possible to pick one up now for less than £200; in many cases, cheaper than a mobile phone. This kind of price makes a netbook not quite disposable, but if you lost it, it would much cheaper to replace it. From a security point of view, a shiny Ipad is much more likely to be a target rather than a small netbook which is underspecced.

- Connectivity: All netbooks feature wi-fi which means should you be able to hook up to a network you’ll have the perfect workstation. Many netbooks are also coming with a SIM card slot as well, meaning that you can pick up the internet anywhere you go, thanks to your service provider. By contrast, you’ll at the very least need a seperate USB dongle to access the internet on a laptop.

Given this, our recommendations (see our link to compare prices)

Battery Life: ASUS 1005PE - ASUS have been a solid brand in the netbook scene. Their latest models with the ‘E’ – standing for extended are renowned for their superb battery life with no compromise on performance. With some of the older models now retailing under £200, there are some real bargains to be had.

Portability: Toshiba Portege R600 – one of the lightest portable computers out there at only 820g – you’ll hardly believe it’s a computer. The downside to this is a compromise in performance with a battery life of under four hours – low by today’s standards. If you can tolerate an extra pound, do see the HP Mini 2133, which comes with a smaller screen but better spec.

Cost: Second-hand you’ll probably pick up a bargain, but it’s really a minefield; just one costly repair may see the economics of the used item disappear. For new items there are always plenty of sales on; two models that are commonly discounted are the MSI Wind U600 or Samsung N130. Both should be easily available for under £200.

Connectivity: As time goes on, the likelyhood of the SIM card slot gets more likely with the newer models, but many older models do not have the facility. If you need this; do double check before purchase that the item definately does have it; one that does is the Compaq Mini 311C. Remember, if planning to use a lot of data do make sure your cell plan doesn’t overcharge.

For comparison, that is a paltry 3% discount – a 17.5% discount would see the Ipad priced at £354 for the cheapest version – now that would be tempting. For now, all the stores are h appy and Dixons can still say they’ve got the cheapest prices.

There is a way around this however; but this is only for non-EU nationals residing outside the EU – for example, somewhere like Norway; purchases made at the airport can have the duty reclaimed on them which is refunded by the retailer. Of course, with the ease of flight bookings nowadays means that you could easily travel with  a friend out and get them to purchase it on your behalf do the refund, and then travel back with the purchase sans packaging. (Or with, if you’re feeling brave enough). While the chances of this working are very high; you do have to consider the bad points, namely purchasing of flights and waste of a day just to get a £75-125 saving off the RRP, and strictly, it isn’t legal – if caught, you run the risk of having to pay duty of your import into the UK.

Ipads are coveted items and demand is extremely high for them. If you do want to get one from a UK airport it’s best to phone ahead in advance. It’s a general rule of thumb that the London airports such as Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick will be best stocked (one of the Heathrow stores even has an Apple store).

Requirements for the hand luggage have gotten tighter over the years as well: many airlines institute that you can only travel with one piece of hand luggage, posing problems for those who travel with laptops. Not only this, checks have been stepped up at some airports and the overweight fee (assessed per kg) has risen as well. Going a measly 4kg over limits can cost as much as 60 EUR.

Therefore you can turn your attention to the one thing that is not regulated at the moment: carrying goods on your person. You may have seen the YouTube video around which shows a group of ladies putting on multiple amounts of clothes from their luggage to get it back into regulation. Whilst we couldn’t recommend this on a regular basis (best to check before you leave what the limits are) there are some things you can do to make life easier if you are over the limit.

For carrying a little more than you are intended, a poachers jacket is ideal. What is a poachers jacket? It’s basically a jacket with many pockets. Originally designed for hunters – it features loads of storage, as they would require it for keeping their pieces but crucially the back is hollowed out and is essentially one big pocket, presumably for keeping the captures of the day. This can easily take a laptop as modelled by MoneySavingExpert (left).

Of course, there are downsides but there are very little. Often there is no need to wear it like their going into security – as they are there to enforce security requirements and not to enforce any particular requirements of any individual airline (which may vary greatly). You will have to wear it to board the aircraft – and on a hot day it might be particularly uncomfortable. As well, you may look a little weird and given the high security levels at many airports, that is not a great thing.

For these reasons we would recommend the gillet version (the one without sleeves) as you can easily wear a coat over it and once in the cabin you can take it off to avoid overheating. Clearly some manufacturers are seizing on this opportunity to bring out a great range of these things – the version pictured is USD 100 which is a lot of cash considering that this kind of loophole may be closed at any time. If you’re not intending to use it for anything else, then it is not a great investment.

For the best value there are many cheap options on Ebay - try our special search which features all the relevant items for sale which you can browse to suit your price, colour and even number of pockets. Access the search here!

But for someone booking on a promotional fare, timing could be key. Each flight has a certain number of seats allocated to the discounted fares and these seats would in the main follow the discount amounts. Let’s take someone booking a seat to Dublin at £12 – if the next day’s promo offer was a £3 rate, then you could save £9 simply by booking after midnight (following closure of one promo and opening of another).

The promos for Ryanair are a little different from other airlines – there is always a promotional offer on – although some are much better than others, and also there is a uniformity to the sales – the price is the same for all countries sites (although charged in different currencies). They appear to follow no order whatsover. There is a Google doc site which tracks the promotional sales as such here.

There is a possible way of finding out the next days sales by simply looking at the graphic for the sale. For example, today’s sale has the graphic:

Let’s look at the link in more detail:

http://www.ryanair.com/img/cday/100702/cday-GB-mon.gif

It’s pretty straightforward to decipher what this means. Here we have the date in yymmdd format, along with the corresponding graphic, with a two digit country code (GB in this case = Great Britain) as well as the day of the week for the graphic to be shown (Monday in this case).

There are two versions of the graphic: GB-mon.gif and GB.gif. The -mon.gif can only be used on Monday (because the banner will say – book until midnight tonight), but the -GB.gif will say booking until midnight Monday – this has a more general use so that the image can be used on any day in the previous week and the time is correct.

The second URL is the one you want to edit. By messing around with the URL and entering tommorow’s date, you can often find the graphic to be used for the next day, and hence, what the prices will be. Note that in many cases the graphic is only available late in the day and time of upload varies a lot – in many cases you will get an ‘image not found’ page.

So, not guaranteed by any means but certainly a useful way of checking particularly if you are booking in the evening coming up to the close of a promotional period.

Need a pre-paid card to dodge Ryanair fees? We’ve teamed up with FairFX to offer you their anywhere card – get one for FREE (usually £9.95 for loading under £500). Any currency – anywhere – it’s ideal for everyone.

1) Advance booking and EU law: If you’re going to need assistance at the airport, it’s always best to let the airline know well in advance. Care for disabled passengers in the main falls under the jurisdiction of the airport, for which they include in the charges to the airline. What is provided is transport from the check-in area to the aircraft itself – the proviso being that you can make it to the airport yourself.

Most airports now are disabled-friendly with lifts and step-free access but this may not be the case for all airports, particularly the older ones and smaller ones which may not offer this facility; many were designed for use with airbridges (a connection directly from the aircraft to terminal). However, with this removed, it may be the case that some may just not have carried out the adaptations, with the requirements that passengers have to decend stairs to get down to ground level.

The main reason for booking in advance is personnel. Especially at smaller airports, the range of staff may be limited to just check-in agents and flight despatchers whose time is almost solely dedicated to their jobs. Larger airports will have a full-time section catering to the needs of disabled passengers. By allowing advance notice for your arrival, people will be better prepared to help you; providing no notice may mean a considerable wait and whilst the flight should wait for you, it’s better to have this squared away.

2) Boarding: With an airline that features allocated seating, this takes away the hassle of getting a seat on the aircraft, however, with free seating, expect to be boarded last as this offers a quicker turnaround for the airline. If your disability is such that you might need extra space, it should be possible to arrange a seat but it may be prudent that if you are travelling with someone, for them to arrange priority boarding and then to save you a seat. Again, informing the airline in advance is the best way to minimise the chances of a problem later on.

3) On board: Under EU law, you can expect only basic services on-board, which includes getting you on-board the aircraft. Many low-cost airlines don’t have wheelchairs on board (which requires the wheelchair to be deposited in the hold) – with this being free of charge – Easyjet allow 2 pieces of mobility equipment. This is understandable, as there is very little space on-board the standard aircraft for a wheelchair to be situated without causing some form of safety requirement. Talking about safety, although the emergency exit rows offer the best leg room, anyone who cannot operate the exit doors is not allowed to sit in those seats. Expect services such as storing hand luggage, assistance with seating and opening of food packages to be met.

4) Toilets: With space at a premium in aircraft cabins, many toilet facilities on board are not designed with this in mind. Services such as lifting/help, administering medicine or childcare are not likely to be met on low-cost airlines – full service airlines should be more accomodating. The main configuration on aircraft such as the Boeing 737-800 is there are two toilets to the rear and one to the front. If you are going to need the toilet during the flight, it is better to sit towards the back. The reasons being obvious: there are two toilets, so less chance of queueing, and the front toilet can be ‘off-limits’ – the area around the cockpit is closed in-flight whenever the cockpit door is open. This happens surprisingly regularly, for example if a pilot uses the toilet, or cabin crew deliver a drink to the cockpit. Should this happen, there is a long walk to the back of the cabin, and with trolleys or other passengers coming the opposite way, there is not much passing room.

5) Scope: Laws govern the service standards pertaining to EU countries only. Outside of this, there may be different rules or procedures (or none at all). So if travelling outside the EU, it’s always better to check what assistance the airline or airport will offer beforehand.

Now, we’re in favour of low-cost, but you have to be warned that some of the options are not cheap – we’ve only listed Samsonite merchandise here which is a pretty reputable brand in the world of luggage. In fact, given the respective price points, one would suspect that the build quality is in excess of that of Ryanair’s offering. Of course, there are cheaper alternatives but we will cover that in another post.

On to the contenders:

Samsonite Aeris Comfort 55cm Roller Case

Cost: Apprx £135
Size: 55 x 40 x 20cm
A similar blue colour but more durable outer shell; retractable handle and concealed wheels, a popular choice.

Samsonite Pro DLX 3 55cm Trolley Case

Cost: c. £200
Size: 55 x 39 x 20cm
Expensive, with with genuine nappa leather trim you would expect so. Really solidly built, a real top-quality case but unfortunately weighs 3.8kg. Great if you travel light.

Samsonite Termo Comfort Upright Case 55cm

Cost: £139
Size: 55 x 40 x 20cm
Quite a similar design to the Aeris; it claims that the outer details can be recessed for extra protection, although you would assume this would only provide minor improvement.

Samsonite Bright Lite 55cm Trolley Case

Cost: £129
Size: 55 x 37 x 20cm
Comes with a polycarbonate outer shell, offers better protection than fabric (especially from water) and lightweight. Features a handy combination lock on the side and oversized handle.

Samsonite Termo 55cm Trolley Case

Cost: £119
Size: 55 x 40 x 20cm
Made from polyproylene; features recessed wheels and frame as well as a combination lock. Very similar to the Comfort but slightly more rigid.

Samsonite Sky Wheeler 55cm Limited Edition

Cost: £149
Size: 55 x 40 x 20cm
Similar to the Bright Lite product except with a slightly sleeker, more rounded front.

Samsonite B-Lite Spinner 55cm

Cost: £119
Size: 55 x 37 x 20cm
Non-recessed wheels mean that case is a little smaller in terms of capacity but still smart nonetheless. Boasts sections for clean and dirty laundry, if you like that type of thing.

Doesn’t look like purchasing the bag will be possible without taking the flight, although that’s pretty academic. Given that most offers are over 2 weeks in advance, you should receive the hand luggage prior to the flight in any case.
It’ll be very interesting indeed to see what the take-up rate on this will be in the coming months, as it’ll be pretty easy to tell simply by watching the boarding. If you’re not buying a flight, why not check out our post that details the alternatives.

Got yours yet? Why not let us know what you think.

The reason of course, is that certain pricing controls are needed to regulate the numbers of people accessing it. Not only are most lounges small – some I have seen in smaller airports barely taking no more than 20 people – but a crowded, noisy, lounge also quickly diminishes one of the lounges unique selling points – that is, a peaceful, quiet place to relax in before the flight.

But can a lounge really act as moneysaving? Perhaps. Recently I travelled with a colleague from Stansted on an early morning flight. Usually, at this time, you have to purchase something from the airport for breakfast, (which we ate at 5.30am!). Incredibly he also purchased a sandwich on the flight 2 hours later, along with a coffee, which was repeated on the way back (substituting a coffee for a beer).

You only have to see the costs mount up here:

- Breakfast in restaurant: £6.30
- Coffee + sandwich on plane: £8
- Coffee + beer on plane: £9

That is a shocking £23+ spent on, to be honest, not many food items in one day. Could this be replicated by using a lounge: perhaps. At most lounges you won’t get a meal (such as egg and bacon on toast), but sandwiches, pastries, crisps, coffee are available. At most alcohol is also free. If you travel more than say, 5 times a year and you can find lounge access cheaply, it may be worth it.

The cheapest I’ve found is Diners Card – which, for a £50 annual fee, gets you access to their airport lounges – which, to be honest, is easy to get your values worth in just a few visits. All have wi-fi and the internet, which for me, is an extra bonus simply because accessing the net abroad is often a pricy and inconvienient process.

The downsides are obvious. Many airports served by low-cost carriers are secondary and tend not to have these type of facilities by design. But some have evolved and have a good business niche as well. Some, still resent this side of trade – the lounge at Stansted, for example, is off-limits to Ryanair customers (although I believe a new one is being built). So, before you get your Diners Card, here is a list of airports in Europe that not only 1) serve the low cost airlines, and 2) have a lounge.

Aberdeen
Athens (Easyjet)
Birmingham
Bristol
Brussels (Easyjet)
Copenhagen (Easyjet)
Durham Tees Valley
East Midlands
Edinburgh
Geneva (Easyjet)
Inverness (Easyjet)
Istanbul (Easyjet)
Leeds-Bradford
London Gatwick
London Stansted
Madrid
Manchester
Newcastle
Prague
Stockholm (Easyjet)
Vienna
Zurich (Easyjet)

IATA Code: LBC

Address: Flughafen Lübeck
Blankenseer Str. 101
23560 Lübeck
Germany

Distance from City: 54km

Terminal Plan: Here

Day Trip Possible: Yes

Passenger Numbers: 697,000 (2009)

Closest Alternative: Bremen

Overview: One of the older international destinations on the Ryanair network, it’s a shame that Lubeck hasn’t really caught on. Not too far from an excellent city, it used to have a better range of destinations but these, and respective frequencies have been cut to make way for other things. A former airbase, there are set to be some expansions here although it remains to be seen if more routes can be added. Promisingly, Wizz have also set up a much needed link to Eastern Europe.

Getting there: The Hamburg Shuttle bus is the best bet; which costs 10 Euro each way and takes around an hour on a mostly brisk drive. You won’t be able to miss it – it waits directly outside the terminal. Don’t delay too much in getting your baggage – as there are not many alternatives apart from the bus. Lubeck is now connected to a train station, which is a short walk away from the terminal, although there is not a direct train to Hamburg; you’ll have to get to Lubeck Central first. Car hire and taxi is available at the airport but bear in mind the flight timings.

General Tips: The airport has changed little in design over the years and features a very long and flat design, meaning that it’s possible to get to the aircraft pretty quickly, as well as having ample space inside. There is not a great deal to do before security – there being a general shop which also sells local produce, and quite a decent cafeteria although quite pricey. It is possible to get a look right into the airfield from outside, which is nice if a good day. Departures there are a couple of extra shops, including a duty free and bistro.

Budget Travellers Guide: A good airport, with frequent offers but do factor in the shuttle bus cost if you have to take it. Otherwise, a decent destination with plenty of things to do. A small range of flights from here: apart from London you can have Girona, Milan Orio-al-Serio, Palma, Stockholm Skavsta as well as Edinburgh, Faro and Alicante. Wizz Air now fly here too, serving Gdansk and Kiev.

Need a pre-paid card to dodge Ryanair fees? We’ve teamed up with FairFX to offer you their anywhere card – get one for FREE (usually £9.95 for loading under £500). Any currency – anywhere – it’s ideal for everyone.

Let’s differentiate between refunds and compensation: a refund is what you would get on your airfare if you did not use the ticket in this circumstance because of the conditions. Under EU law ‘compensation’ is not due owing as these conditions are outside the airlines control. Anyone asking for compensation is likely to be rebuffed.

However, the airlines have a duty of care for their passengers until the time they either refund or are repatriated back to their original point of departure. Which means people must be fed, watered and accomodated if overnight is involved. In quieter times of isolated incident, it may have been possible for an airline to just organise a bus to take a plane-load of people to a hotel, but given that tens of thousands of people are affected simulataneously at such short notice, it’s understandable that many don’t have the resources to cope.

So what the airlines are doing is putting their hands up and saying ‘OK, go out and sort it out for yourself, and we’ll pay you back’. Essentially what you’re doing is spending their cash in good faith – as long as you keep your receipts you will be reimbursed.

That said – you’ll only be reimbursed under the what the EU regulation says. A room for a night in a hotel is fine – but watching a movie on room service is not. The law is also unclear to what would happen if someone stayed in a 5-star hotel suite, or took a taxi to the city centre, if for example, a Terravision bus was available. You would expect the larger the claim, the longer it’ll take to sort out and there will be a fair amount of wrangling on both sides.

If you haven’t received a refund yet, here’s what you can do:

- Flight refunds are quicker than expenses claims: there is a simple form on websites for flight refunds: I would guess that processing these would be much quicker and straightforward as there is no other decision to be made.

- If you haven’t received a claim, you may have to wait slightly longer: O’Leary mentioned 4,5 or 6 weeks for outstanding expenses claims (not refunds) to be processed. Sadly, there is not a long you can do about the waiting time.

- Bear in mind the timescales; don’t be afraid to submit extra info with the claim if you need it. Remember, it’s likely that people will be verifying everything; if you had to take a taxi from the airport as not buses were available, mention the time you left. If you went to a hotel but it was sold out, mention the name – which will make it slightly easier for cross-referencing.

- If you’ve still not received a satisfactory reply, you could try the Air Transport Users Council (www.auc.org.uk) although it’s likely they will not entertain your complaint properly until the airlines timescales have passed – additionally they will be inundated with a huge number of cases so resolution could be just as slow.