The scale of rip-off varies tremendously. From a padding of the fare for a few dollars, to a massive hikes, perhaps five or ten times what a local would pay. The likelyhood is greater in countries where the currencies is not familiar (so not the Euro, or Dollar), so price comparisons are more difficult. Want to avoid being ripped off? Here some tips to minimise that chance.

1) Research Price in Advance: Clearly, you won’t be able to do this for all of your journeys, but you should be able to ascertain the cost of the most common used journies by tourists, perhaps from the main city to the airport. This should give you a good barometer to the rough cost of trips. Google the information, or Tripadvisor usually has good discussions of this.

2) Arrange Price in Advance: It’s better to arrange the price in advance, as you then know what you have to pay. It is daft getting into a cab and then paying at the destination, as then the driver could charge you anything he likes, with a lot of hassle if you choose to dispute this. If taking a taxi with a meter, then you won’t be able to do this, but you could ask for an estimation.

3) Don’t Accept the First Offer: Particularly if you are accosted at the airport or on the street. The first offer for these type of negotiations are always too high, almost a check to see if you are a mark or not. If you know a rough value for your trip (see tip 1) then you’ll be in a good place to negotiate the real cost. Obviously your negotiations will be dictated with how badly you need to go and the availibilty of alternatives.

4) Are there alternatives? Do use a bit of research to find out if you really need the taxi. There may be viable alternatives; such as train, bus or shuttle. Some people I know used a taxi to the airport from their hotel even when the hotel offered a free shuttle simply because they didn’t ask.

5) Use recommendations: If a city is rife with taxi scams (and most are not), you will be able to pick up recommendations from guide books such as Lonely Planet or internet guides – even at the airport, the information desk may be happy to recommend a certain firm. Do value these opinions highly; it may be even worth paying a little more as there is a greater chance of safety.

6) Avoid looking like a tourist: Sometimes, in fact, most of the time, this will be impossible, you’ll be betrayed as soon as you open your mouth. But you can avoid looking like a rich, dumb tourist. Being polite, smiling and friendly will always get you a long way. Don’t show off wads of cash, or excessive valuables.

7) Travel with a local: Often the best way. They already know the language and the price to pay, and who to use and who to avoid.

Got more tips or want to share stories? Do let us know.

This should tell you that car hire is a pretty lucrative business for all involved; there are handsome commissions paid to anyone promoting their services – after all, the car hire people have expenses that are pretty fixed – often cars are leased for a set period, and customers take car of the fuel. Any damage to the car can be billed direct to the customer.

There is also significant competition; and many car companies are seen as being ‘equal’. There is quite a difference in getting a flight from British Airways or Easyjet, even if they go to the same destination, however, a customer won’t see much of a difference in getting a car, from say Hertz or Avis.

This can lead to good competition in prices; but also there is an element of large price inelasticity; expect car hire prices to be very high in times of good demand and cheaper elsewhere. The reason being of course, that the car is often the customers only choice of transport; particularly if they have a family, or the airport does not offer the correct public transport.

Here are our tips to save you money when using the car-hire companies:

1) Never pay the rack rate: The rack rate being the price charged to someone who just walks up to the counter and hires the car there and then. It’s fairly likely that promotions (0ften decided by head office) will not apply in these cases and you will be charged the set fee, almost like someone walking into a hotel on the day they want your room. You may get lucky but the laws of supply and demand will not be on your side.

2) Book in advance: Tied into the first point. Some car hire companies may have a slim selection of cars, or not many of one type. If you need a particular type of car, ie. Manual or Automatic transmission, you may find it saves a lot of hassle to book online rather than to get to the airport and pay more for less. At larger airports such as Stansted, this is unlikely to be a problem but at smaller airports there will be less cars allocated.

3) Shop around: It may be easier and handier to pay for your car hire with your flight but it’s not really saving money: there is little incentive for a site to pass on savings (especially the really good deals) and it is not that much harder to have a quick scan around for your requirements. Neither is it any safer; if flight is cancelled for say, volcanic ash, your car hire booking will still stand. Travel insurance will cover you irrespective of the methods of booking (subject to the policy).

4) Consider your needs: There may be cheaper car hire firms not located at the airport, who will nevertheless meet you at the airport with the car. Larger car hire firms have greater flexibility, allowing a car to be dropped off at a different location from the pick-up point; ideal for those on more flexible schedules. If transport to the city is easy and cheap, it may be worthwhile checking out other options. Don’t necessarily think that driving a car is more convienient. For example, if you are visiting Brighton on a day trip from London, it is quicker, easier and cheaper to take the train as opposed to the car.

5) Calculate your costs: The obvious one, really but much overlooked. Some people hire a car when they don’t really need to, and with fuel being so expensive nowadays, your holiday won’t necessarily be curtailed. Do make a quick calculation on not only the basic hire cost but also the petrol and also other fees such as car parking at hotel. I can accept that in many cases it really pays to have a car – particularly if you have a long way to drive. Some friends hired a car for a week in Spain to make the same journey to the beach everyday – a taxi would have worked out considerably cheaper considering the trips made.

Don’t be caught out – because the penalties for overweight bags are immense. If your hand luggage is overweight, on Ryanair you’ll have to put it in the hold as checked baggage, which is a fee of 40 pounds/euros. If you’ve already got a checked bag, here’s where the problems begin: the excess weight is 20 GBP/EUR a kilo, or you’ll have to check in a second bag at a cost of 70 GBP/EUR a kilo.

Ignorance of these rules can be very painful indeed, as I witnessed one day at Stansted with a family hit by a huge fine – presumably more than the cost of the flight. You can argue as much as you want but the choice is simple: pay up, or don’t get on the flight, and worst for the family, there was little they could do about it as it’s all up there on the site beforehand.

Here are some tips to bear in mind to make sure you d0n’t get stung:

1) Be aware of the limits
Already knowing what the limits are in advance of packing things will make you pack in a more sensible manner; better to know it in advance rather than to pack and take things out

2) Assess your baggage
The checked baggage weight INCLUDES the actual baggage itself and not the contents. Therefore an all-metal construction is likely to be half way to the limits already. The same goes for a hand luggage with very heavy wheels or handles. A backpack is probably the lightest way but offers less protection from the elements for fragile items.

3) Lose dead weight
Some things are high density and weigh quite a lot for what the space they take up. Consider whether you really need it, and if you do, think of another way to carry them. The prime contender here are books; a large paperback may weigh over a kilo, which is equivalent to a lot of clothes.

4) Can you wear it?
Some things weigh more than others and it’s not going to look too out of place to carry them. Although the rules now say one piece of hand luggage, no one is going to protest if you have your carry on and a coat draped over your arm as you enter the plane – an easy way of losing weight. The same applies for shoes as well, if you need to stay under the 10kg limit, consider wearing the heavier pair if you are taking two.

5)Weigh it before you leave
Don’t assume that your scales are calibrated the same way as the airports – do check the weight of what you have before you set out. Even a manual non-electronic set of weighing scales will give you a reasonable approximation of what your hand luggage weighs. Better still, invest in a set of electronic ones for more accurate readings. That said, if at the airport there is a big discrepancy, don’t be afraid to challenge this.

6) Electronics
Particularly laptops – which often when combined with their chargers and cases will add up to 3kg. Most low-cost airlines do not include a laptop in your allowance, whereas airlines such as British Airways allow you to take a laptop bag on in addition to the hand luggage. You could check your laptop in, but would you really want the hassle? If you really need the computer, consider downgrading to a mobile phone which has PC-like features, or a netbook, which you may be able to get aboard.

7) Understand the system
There are still raging inconsistencies regarding the weight on hand luggage. Sometimes it’ll be weighed at the gate, sometimes it won’t, sometimes the security will check it for size, sometimes they won’t. A very general rule of thumb is that the more busy the airport, the less likely it is your hand luggage will be weighed, as to do so wastes time. Airports which have only Ryanair as their sole airline may be more inclined to stick to policy

8: Be respectful
That said, a lot of the responsibility for forcing these rules lies with the staff themselves, and you will not lose anything whatsover by being polite, well-dressed and respectful. Someone travelling alone, being polite and minding their own business is very unlikely to get harassed unless your baggage is obviously over the mark.

9) Be realistic
Don’t pack so little that you are forced to compromise on things during your holiday – the saving you make on your flight will be outweighed by the enjoyment of your holiday, and some of the time, it’s not all about pure monetary costs. In many cases apart from the cheapest flights, the lowest prices of full service carriers are a little bit more than the low-costs but when you factor in you get a checked bag free, this might work out to be a better option for you.

Here is a list:

Whilst losing a flight is quite painful, there are often costs associated with it that are not reimbursed. Let’s say if you miss days from work, you may not be paid, or you may lose business. Therefore, it may be prudent to factor this in. We’ve come up with a handy list of countries that may be affected by the ash cloud. Now, I’m no meteorologist, and the wind can change at any time, but here are my best predictions:

1) Iceland: Obviously, the source of the Volcano. Strangely enough, flights from here to the US were unaffected in large parts, but as you can see from the map, getting to Europe is fraught with problems.

2) Scotland: Probably the closest to the eruption itself. The further north you go, the greater risks are posed. Has been hit pretty hard.

3) Ireland: Particularly Dublin and airports in the North of the Country.

4) United Kingdom: Large country so often you will find some airports are open and some closed (although probably too late to switch). Generally the north is affected first.

5) Norway: Another close country but in another direction. So far the ash is likely to affect flights travelling towards the UK but not the other way.

6) Denmark: Just south of Norway, but lying a little further north than London.

7) Netherlands: Surprisingly close to the UK  and quite a small land mass – easy for a blanket ban to happen.

8: Belgium: Much the same as Holland although there is the Eurostar if you’re from the UK as insurance policy.

Where are ‘safe’ places? Of course, there cannot be a 100% guarantee – and it also depends where you are flying from. But Spain, Italy, south of France, Greece, Turkey all have less chance of their airports being shut due to their locations further away from the action.

A lot of press is given to the high cost of refreshments on-board, however, the reality of the situation is that things may not be that much cheaper in the airport. Even big airports are at it; I’ve recently bought a terrible-quality sandwich from an airport cafe for more than it costs on Ryanair (and that’s expensive).

But the reality of the situation is that being hungry for another 2-3 hours was not worth the GBP 6 to eat. I suppose you’ll have to do this calculation yourself. Nutrition goes out of the window; as long as you have something to eat, then it’s better than nothing.

One benefit of the low-costs is that as sector times are short, often the food trolleys will start from the front and back, which gives the maximum amount of serving time; henceforth if you want to be served first, do try to sit close to one of these areas. If you’ve seen the Ryanair in-flight menu, you probably know all the prices are massively inflated; our top 10 just identifies which are the least inflated, and hence, best value.

Another point to make is that whilst Easyjet have seperate prices for Euros/Sterling, Ryanair use the 1:1 exchange rate.
Therefore, paying in Euros gets you better value. Conversely, paying in Euros on Easyjet gives you very poor value as the rates they use are far out.

1) Combo Deals (Equivalent retail price -N/A): Probably representing the best value but these are time limited offers which change around. For example, a hot drink and chocolate bar for 3.50 Euro, which is not that much more than in the airport.

2) Coffee (3.00 Euro); Considering that water is the same price, a coffee is far greater value. If you visit the coffee bar a coffee is over 2 Euro. I’m no expert on coffee and yes, perhaps they are different methods of making it but this is one of the few products that is actually the same price on Easyjet (which is cheaper for pretty much everything).

3) Galaxy bar (1.00 Euro) With the rest of the confectionery being priced at 1.50 or 1.30, this is quite good value. Retail price outside would probably be around 0.60-0.75 Euros in a shop.

4) Ham/Cheese Ciabatta (5.60 Euro) Not much to choose between the sandwiches but having something hot is easily more satisfying. Have discounted the burger and hotdog and pizza because of the small portion size. Judging by the local supermarket, the ciabatta easily retails for much more than the others.

5) MySmoothie (2.50 Euro): This probably retails at double the outside cost but it is still more favourable to other beverages and has the advantage of probably being the most healthy thing you can buy, containing 100% fruit.

6) Bullseye Baggies (5.50 Euro/2): Always have been on sale in the ‘Buy one, get one free’ offer, they are probably liked due to the limited space they occupy. At this price for a double measure, it is ideal if you like your spirits on the rocks, for they have not started charging for a glass and ice. At almost 6 Euro for a small glass of wine, I believe that the spirits offer the best alcohol/price ratio.

7) Bounty (1.00 Euro): Much like Galaxy, not too much of a markup here.

8. Boxerchips (1.50 Euro): If you want your crisp fix, the Boxerchips are probably your best option; 40g of premium crisps as opposed to 43g of bog standard Pringles, and much cheaper.

9) Muffin (2.00 Euro): Probably sells for 1.00 Euro in the shop so this doubling of costs is not too bad is small. Comes boxed.

10) Walkers Shortbread (1.50 Euro): Probably the best of the biscuit-type options.

Possibly clutching at straws here with some of the choices – but the fact remains if you can bring it on-board yourself, do so, and if you can consume it before hand, that would be prudent as well. Do treat purchasing on-board as the last resort.

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Generally, some of these destinations form some of the longest routes – perhaps a flight of four hours may be required, which is certainly pushing it in terms of comfort. Nevertheless, if these destinations appear in the sales, they are of great value. If you want to bag a bargain bear in mind that frequencies of flights tail off outside peak season (some are virtually seasonal). During kids summer holidays, no deals may appear at all.

Here is a list of our top 10 by geographical location:

1) Tenerife South (TFS)
An island of Spain, but actually closer to Africa, the island of Tenerife is one of the largest Canary Islands and extremely popular with holidaymakers from all over Europe thanks to the climate.
Fly here from: Ryanair: Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Brussels South-Charleroi, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Hahn, Liverpool, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Madrid, Porto, Shannon, Weeze
Easyjet: Bristol, London-Gatwick, Manchester

2) Lanzarote Airport (ACE)
IATA code doesn’t signify greatness but probably the isle of Arrecife. It’s close in proximity to Tenerife by less than 100 miles but many of the flights here are duplicated from departure cities. Attracts many similar tourists but also a great destination for fans of nature.
Fly from: Ryanair: Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Brussels South-Charleroi, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Hahn, Liverpool, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Madrid, Shannon [ends 14 March], Weeze
Easyjet: Liverpool, London-Gatwick, Madrid

3) Agadir (AGA)
A virtual stone’s throw from Lanzarote, Agadir is in a different country (Morocco) but still enjoys miles and miles of stunning coastlines. Has been pushed in the last few years as a major tourist destination to rival that of Marrakesh, with the budgets arriving. With the expectation of a new terminal and further investment, further traffic may come.
Fly from: Ryanair: Brussels South-Charleroi, Liverpool, London-Stansted, Marseille, Weeze
Easyjet: London-Gatwick, Milan-Malpensa [begins 11 February], Paris-Charles de Gaulle [begins 9 February]

4) Marrakesh (RAK)
The inland buddy of Agadir, probably the original Moroccan destination to get to. Served by the charters for many years, the airport handles roughly double the numbers of that of Agadir and is one of the more popular destinations.
With a large Moroccan contingent in Europe, it’s no surprise that many destinations are covered.
Fly from: Ryanair: Alicante, Bristol, Brussels South-Charleroi, East Midlands, Girona, Hahn, London-Luton, Madrid, Marseille, Pisa, Reus, Seville, Weeze
Easyjet: London-Gatwick, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa, Paris-Charles de Gaulle

5) Fez (FEZ)
Correct spelling of the place is Fes but most people will associate with the Tommy Cooper hat. Surprisingly an overlooked destination in Morocco with just over 400,000 visitors in 2008. Only a handful of airlines on skinny frequencies here.
Fly from: Ryanair: Alicante, Brussels South-Charleroi, Girona, Hahn, Madrid, Marseille, Milan-Orio Al Serio, Seville, Weeze
Easyjet: N/A

6) Nador (NDR)
Probably the first destination here that isn’t considered a tourist one yet, and handled just over 200,000 passengers a year. It’s telling that Ryanair do not even fly here from anywhere in the UK but if you want to get here, it’s still well possible using split ticketing. Brussels and Amsterdam make up the bulk of the destinations here.
Fly from: Ryanair: Brussels South-Charleroi [begins 9 April], Madrid, Marseille, Reus
Easyjet: N/A

7) Malta (MLA)
Gets harder to differentiate now as the airports get packed closer together. But Malta is a popular destination and has been with the ex-pat community for years. A busy airport, it has good connections with the rest of Europe. with the UK making up the bulk of traffic.
Fly here from: Ryanair: Bari, Bournemouth [begins 30 March], Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh, Girona, Leeds/Bradford [begins 25 March], London-Luton, Madrid, Pisa, Stockholm-Skavsta, Trapani, Venice-Treviso
Easyjet: Liverpool [begins 13 June], London-Gatwick, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa [begins 30 June], Newcastle upon Tyne, Rome-Fiumicino [begins 12 March]

Malaga (AGP)
And so we reach the mainlands of Spain, and sub 3-hour flights from the UK, and also an airport that has connections to the US. The airport is not only popular for Malaga but also the closeby Gibraltar. With expansion going on here, a train connection and a Ryanair base, things are looking good.
Fly from: Ryanair: Aarhus [begins 23 June], Berlin-Schönefeld [begins 25 June], Birmingham, Bologna [begins 29 March], Bournemouth, Bratislava [begins 23 June], Bremen, Bristol, Brussels South-Charleroi, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Eindhoven [begins 22 June], Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Gothenburg-City [begins 25 June], Hahn, Krakow [begins 24 June], Leeds/Bradford [begins 25 March], Liverpool, London-Stansted, Maastricht [begins 22 June], Marseille, Memmingen [begins 24 June]), Milan Orio al Serio, Oslo-Rygge [begins 20 March], Oslo-Torp [begins 23 June], Paris-Beauvais [begins 23 June], Pisa [begins 24 June], Santander [begins 24 June], Santiago de Compostela [begins 23 June], Shannon, Stockholm-Skavsta [begins 24 June], Tampere [begins 25 June], Valladolid [begins 23 June], Venice-Treviso [begins 24 June], Weeze, Wroclaw [begins 25 June], Zaragoza [begins 24 June]
Easyjet: Basel/Mulhouse, Belfast-International, Berlin-Schönefeld, Bristol, Geneva, Glasgow-International, Liverpool, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa, Newcastle upon Tyne, Paris-Charles de Gaulle [begins 14 May]

9) Jerez (XRY)
Growing in popularity owing to it’s position, making it convienient for a number of places along the coast. Still around only 10% the size of Malaga, which probably puts a limit on the top end. Popular training base for pilots and flight maintenance.
Fly from: Ryanair: Hahn, London-Stansted, Madrid
Easyjet: N/A

10) Almeria (LEI)
A close run thing between here and Faro, but Almeria comes out tops here. A modern facility which serves a much over-looked area on the southern coast. There are not many carriers here but certainly a place worth visiting if you can get a cheap ticket.
Fly from: Ryanair: Dublin [seasonal], London-Stansted [seasonal], Madrid, Weeze
Easyjet: London Gatwick

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Note that distance isn’t an absolute guide (although it helps). Making an airport really close usually discourages airport bus services, and in the case of some like Dinard, no bus services at all. A place like Valencia, which is on the Metro line, is much easier, quicker and cheaper, despite being 10km out. As well, it may be possible that we have overlooked some airports. So, please do your own research as well.

Here’s what we found:

1) Pisa (1.8km)
Ryanair fly from: Alghero, Alicante, Bari, Billund, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bratislava, Brindisi, Brussels- South-Charleroi, Cagliari, Constanţa, Dublin [seasonal], East Midlands, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Girona, Glasgow-Prestwick, Hahn, Ibiza, Lamezia Terme, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria [begins 25 November], Leeds/Bradford [begins 25 March], Lille, London-Stansted, Lübeck, Maastricht/Aachen [seasonal], Malta, Marrakech, Oslo-Torp, Palermo, Paris-Beauvais, Porto, Seville, Stockholm-Skavsta, Trapani, Valencia, Weeze, Zadar
Comments: A very quick journey into town; bus station or train. Good solid medium-size airport featuring good connections as well as numerous other airlines.

2) Parma (2.4km)
Ryanair fly from: Alghero, London-Stansted
Comments: Very small – only a handful of flights. However, a bus service connects the airport with city centre, costing just 1 euro.

4) Memmingen (2.5km)
Ryanair fly from: Alghero, Alicante, Bremen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Girona, London-Stansted, Oslo-Rygge [begins 31 March], Reus, Stockholm-Skavsta, Trapani [begins 4 May]
Comments: Ostensibly set up as an alternative to Munich (over 100km away), was shelved somewhat with the use of Munich-West airport. However, very close to Memmingen city centre, and developing well with TUIfly and Wizzair becoming interested. Choice of 2 buses to take to town.

5) Faro (2.6km)
Ryanair fly from:Bournemouth, Bremen, Bristol [begins 31 March], Brussels South-Charleroi, Dublin, East Midlands, Glasgow-Prestwick, Hahn, Leeds/Bradford [begins 26 March], Liverpool, London-Stansted, Porto, Shannon [ends 27 March], Weeze
Comments: One of the biggest airports in this list, Faro is a popular destination, especially during the summertime. Although many people will have other destinations in the Algarve, Faro town centre is just a short hop away by bus.
Good connections with most of the big UK airlines also flying here and a good battleground for Easyjet/Ryanair price guarantee comparisons.

9) Bydgoszcz (3.5km)
Ryanair fly from: Birmingham, Dublin, Liverpool, London-Stansted, East Midlands, Weeze
Comments: Small airport where Ryanair dominate. Quite low passenger numbers with the Stansted service offering the bulk of pax. Still, at 3.5km this is not to be sniffed at for a quite modern terminal, and the bus will have you in town in a matter of minutes.

10) Biarritz (5km)
Ryanair fly from: Birmingham, Dublin, London-Stansted, Marseille
Comments: Small airport but modern and good connections to Marseille and Paris via Air France regional services. Easyjet also provide good competition with a flight to London Gatwick. Easy bus ride at 1.20 Euro.

If there’s anything we have missed out on, don’t hesitate to let us know and write a comment!

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Such airports have a few advantages over their far-flung counterparts: they generally cost a lot less in transport to reach your desired destination, often only being a couple of euros for a short bus-ride, which is often a public bus and not a chartered one. Transit times are also quick, and give a much smaller ‘window of error’ (this meaning arriving at the airport sufficiently early to allow for risks).

These two factors on their own are a boon to the casual day-tripper; meaning you’ll not only save money but also have (hopefully) more time to spend sightseeing. However, there are some downsides; often the proximity of an airport close to a town may impose some limits on the airport; there may be less flights or less activity, making the day-trip inaccessible or further connections difficult. Even the massive airports are close to the city but not right on the doorstep. So bear that in mind. Without further ado, here are our recommendations:

1) Parma (1.5km)
At only around a mile, this is very easy to reach. Only problem is the connectivity: Parma is only reachable from Alghero and London-Stansted.

2) Pisa (1.5km)
You could walk to the airport from the town centre, if so inclined. A big hub for Ryanair – a lot of flights to their major hubs as well as the larger airlines such as British Airways.

3) Biarritz (3km)
With a bus costing just 1.5 euros, this is a great value place. Good connections here as well; Ryanair have London Stansted, Birmingham, Dublin services as well as a Marseille service. Air France fly from here as well.

4) Bydgoszcz (3km)
Difficult to pronounce but very close to the airport; this Polish city is one that is up and coming. Good train connections to the rest of Poland. Connections to the UK include Liverpool, Birmingham, Stansted, East Midlands and Germany’s Weeze.

5) Freidrichshafen (3km)
Only a small international airport in this German town close to the border of Austria and Switzerland. Only accessible via London Stansted and Alicante.

6) Poitiers (3km)
Small airport in France, but is worth a visit. Connections to London, Birmingham and Dublin.

7) Venice-Treviso (3km)
Of course, this is closer to Treviso (Venice being served by the Marco Polo airport) but it’s still not that bad news if you’re wanting to go to Venice, which is 20kms away – not too far. This airport is also being used by Wizz Air for further connections as well as a whole host of Ryanair ones.

8: Edinburgh (4km)
Unlike Glasgow Prestwick, this is the real deal for Scotland – a 10m+ passenger airport with great connections although none with Ryanair from London (these being monopolised by EasyJet. A great range though and almost as many as any other airport.

9) Faro (4km)
Although this is extensively used as a tourist destination this is one of the leading low-cost airports in Europe and the second largest in Portugal. A great range of connections mean that this is very convienient.

10) Salzburg (4km)
Another popular charter destination although for different reasons (skiing), and very close to the Austrian border; the airport offers a good variety of flights although Ryanair only from Stansted and Dublin.

There are a whole heap of airports under the 10km category, to list them all would take far too long. But do your own research and there are very easy pickings here.

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Just a handful of airports have this distinction – and what’s more, close to 95% of airports are closer to their respective cities than London Luton, Gatwick or Stansted - a trip many do uncomplainingly and often at large expense (extorntionately so on the Express train service).

The average commute for all Ryanair airports is just under 20km which is pretty respectable.  However, distance becomes pretty significant when considering shorter journeys. With the a transfer time which threatens to be significantly longer than your flight time, it eats into your sightseeing time. Here, we’ll give you the lowdown on the furthest airports. This doesn’t mean they are the worst airports – it’s just useful information to know when flying out there.

1) Frankfurt-Hahn, 124km
At a whopping 124km, this really tested the competitions patience and indeed Ryanair were banned from referring to this as Frankfurt, only to be saved by the airport itself rebranding itself with the Frankfurt prefix. It’s a major base for Ryanair and with plentiful cheap flights and connections, it’s likely that any regular traveller will pass through here sooner rather than later.
The good news is that the airport is extremely well served by buses, not only to Frankfurt, but other destinations. A bus to Frankfurt costs about 12 Euros and takes from 100 minutes to 2 hours dependent on traffic.
Alternatives: The bus station at the airport means that you don’t need to consider Frankfurt as an automatic choice of destination to visit. Trieste, Heidelberg and Luxembourg are all equally as nice.

2) Oslo-Torp,  110km
The second airport over 100km, Torp is somewhat negated by the new Rygge airport in Oslo, at around half the distance away. Again, Torp has proven to be quite successful for Ryanair with a range of routes from here. If you are wanting to go down town, the bus takes around 1h 45m with a return ticket of around 300 NOK – Norway is a seriously expensive place.
Alternatives: The airport is linked with Sandefjord train station which gives you many more possibilities in Norway. But Sandefjord is a good place in it’s own right.

3) Knock (Ireland), 88.5km
Only really here as a technicality, as the airport quotes the distance to the nearest city of Galway. Again, this will take around one and three quarter hours to reach by bus. This is an airport heavily used by flights to/from the UK, with most people already knowing where they are heading. You can get a bus to nearby Charlestown (around 20km) which then links you to the main transport links.
Alternatives: This isn’t the best location to be relying on public transport as it can prove few and far between; but if you do have a car, there are some outstanding places to visit; I am sure that anyone Irish could recommend something far better than me.

4) Stockholm (Vasteras and Skavsta) c.100km
Not much to choose between these two airports if you’re flying from London and want to see Stockholm; as they’re roughtly the same distance away from the city. Skavsta is more likely to feature in the low fares list and is the busier of the two. Again, like Oslo, expect fares to be expensive and above the equivalent of 20 Euros for a return ticket, with a journey time of 90 minutes.
Alternatives: Stockholm is an essential visit in my own opinion but the airports do have places closeby: Vasteras and Nykoping are a short distance away and can be reached by local bus.

5) Barcelona-Girona, Barcelona-Reus, c.90km
Ryanair has two airports for Barcelona, with Girona being the larger one. That said however, they are both pretty far away, albeit in different directions. If you’re flying in from London and wanting to go to Barcelona, it doesn’t matter too much which one you’re going to although I prefer Girona (as it connects from Gatwick). Having said that, the costs from Reus are slightly cheaper: you can get a bus to the nearby station, which will save you around 5 euros each way. The high transport costs negate these airports a bit: Easyjet and British Airways fly to the main airport (BCN) pretty cheaply. Things may change here as Ryanair will now fly to El Prat but it is likely many routes will remain to the secondary airports due to costs.
Alternatives: Spain is a bigger country than you might think! The actual town of Girona has merits in it’s own right and Reus is close the coastal town of Tarragona with miles of beautiful sandy beaches nearby.

6) Paris-Beauvais, 80km
Charles de Gaulle this isn’t – this is actually another 80km north of Paris, close to a small town called Beauvais. Not particularly favoured by me, as the coach transfer can be pretty expensive – the coach service costs 13 euros one way (no discount for return!). No access from London-Stansted (the Eurostar is probably a better choice for the price), and also other budget airlines have managed to get into the main Paris airport at prices less than the coach transfer costs.
Alternatives: More convienient if you’re not wanting to see Paris, there also are places such as Eurodisney, and if you do have a car, the north part of France is less travelled by tourists.

7) Glasgow Prestwick, 51km
Pretty surprising that Ryanair could not get in to the main airport, but this is negated somewhat by the good connections at the airport. One of the few low-cost airports with it’s own railway station, it offers discounted fares for passengers (FREE if the route is less than 6 months old). With the main airport almost 10 miles outside the city centre as well, it means that getting there is longer, but not by that much.
Alternatives: A lot of beautiful scenery around this part of the world. Ayr or Troon are worth a visit for some nice coastal walks.

London Luton/Gatwick c.48km
Probably a bit miserly to quote these here, but surprisingly both lie further out than Stansted. London is a massive place though, so the distances can be vastly exaggerated. For example, Luton lies only a short drive from the start of the M1/M25 junctions so that distance can probably be halved if you’re in North London. Ditto for Gatwick and South London. In addition both are really well connected by buses and trains, although don’t book any ‘Express’ services, as they are invariably not worth it. Easybus offers the very cheapest fares but the least flexibility, requiring booking in advance. One big advantage of the trains is that they avoid the traffic; London traffic can be a nightmare, especially during busy times.
Alternatives: If arriving at Gatwick, you can take the train the other way for 30 mins to Brighton, one of the UK’s biggest seaside towns and very popular in the summer. For Luton there are a few less options, although several places in Hertfordshire are nice. But either way, it’s no big deal to get into London from here.

9) Brussels-Charleroi, 46km
South of Brussels, this airport is a busy place for the low-costs and was Ryanair’s first base outside the UK. However, there is no service to London although there are to most of the major hubs. Transfer to the town can be acheived by bus (13 Euro one way, 22 Euro return) or via a connection via the nearby train station, in around one hour. In truth it’s not too bad albeit a little expensive.
Alternatives: Personally can’t vouch for anything yet.

10) Milan Orio-al-Serio, 45km
Otherwise known as Milan Bergamo, this lies to the north-west – and thankfully pretty close to the motorway taking you to Milan. Run by Terravision, the ride is pretty easy and costs 16 return.  Journey time is 60 minutes. No real other alternatives here.
Alternatives: Orio-al-Serio is an ideal airport for the nearby Lake Garda.

Have we missed an airport? Please let us know.

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