Results from our cheap flights study are in, so without further ado, here you have the 50 airlines operating the cheapest short-haul flights in the world, according to millions of eDreams bookings during 2011. Congratulations to Vietnamese airline Jetstar Pacific (BL) who offers the cheapest flights worldwide. UK contender Monarch (ZB) came in 2nd, with Romania’s Blue Air in 3rd.
We compiled data from several million flight bookings made through us in 2011. Focusing on short-haul flights, we only included bookings for flights of under 1000 miles. To get the 50 rankings, we summed up the miles flown by all customers on a given airline, before adding up all the individual prices paid for the flights. The total amount paid (all inclusive) was then divided by the total distance flown to get a price per 100 miles.
Price per 100 Miles is an alternative way to compare airlines by price. Consider that different airlines fly different routes, which makes direct comparisons difficult. However, this is an indicator of the overall pricing policy of the airline and is an objective value that allows for comparison and ranking.
The table below details the individual rankings. Take a look to find out how cheap your favourite airline really is:
| Code | Airline | Country | Price (Euros) Per 100 Miles | |
| #1 | BL | Jetstar Pacific | Vietnam | 8.55 |
| #2 | ZB | Monarch | UK | 9.61 |
| #3 | 0B | Blue Air | Romania | 10.43 |
| #4 | G9 | Air Arabia | UAE | 10.71 |
| #5 | 3K | Jetstar Asia | Singapore | 10.91 |
| #6 | FR | Ryanair | Ireland | 10.95 |
| #7 | JE | Mango | South Africa | 11.01 |
| #8 | BY | Thomson Airways | UK | 11.67 |
| #9 | X3 | TUIfly | Germany | 11.77 |
| #10 | 3O | Air Arabia Maroc | Marroco | 11.92 |
| #11 | TR | Tiger Airways | Australia | 12.02 |
| #12 | HV | Transavia | Netherlands | 12.25 |
| #13 | W6 | Wizzair | Hungary | 12.78 |
| #14 | 8J | Jet4You | Morocco | 13.04 |
| #15 | E3 | Eagles Airlines | Italy | 13.35 |
| #16 | KU | Kuwait Airways | Kuwait | 13.37 |
| #17 | JQ | Jetstar Airways | Australia | 13.48 |
| #18 | U2 | Easyjet | UK | 13.49 |
| #19 | DY | Norwegian | Norway | 14.63 |
| #20 | AP | Air One | Italy | 14.84 |
| #21 | S4 | Sata International | Portugal | 14.91 |
| #22 | QS | Smart Wings | Czech Republic | 15.00 |
| #23 | F9 | Frontier Airlines | US | 15.24 |
| #24 | ZI | Aigle Azur | France | 15.48 |
| #25 | TP | TAP Portugal | Portugal | 15.52 |
| #26 | MN | Comair | South Afrika | 15.75 |
| #27 | IV | Wind Jet | Italy | 15.76 |
| #28 | VY | Vueling | Spain | 16.25 |
| #29 | HG | Niki | Austria | 16.66 |
| #30 | LA | LAN | Chile | 16.70 |
| #31 | LS | Jet2 | UK | 17.08 |
| #32 | XW | Sky Express | Russia | 17.28 |
| #33 | EI | Aer Lingus | Ireland | 17.41 |
| #34 | U6 | Ural Airlines | Russia | 17.44 |
| #35 | SE | XL Airways | France | 17.48 |
| #36 | FB | Bulgaria Air | Bulgaria | 17.53 |
| #37 | PZ | TAM | Paraguay | 17.76 |
| #38 | WW | Bmibaby | UK | 17.77 |
| #39 | KL | KLM | Netherlands | 17.97 |
| #40 | S2 | Jet Lite | India | 18.19 |
| #41 | PC | Pegasus Airlines | Turkey | 18.30 |
| #42 | SN | Brussels Airlines | Belgium | 18.42 |
| #43 | KF | Blue1 | Finland | 18.43 |
| #44 | JK | Spanair | Spain | 18.46 |
| #45 | UX | Air Europa | Spain | 18.51 |
| #46 | IB | Iberia | Spain | 18.57 |
| #47 | LV | Albanian Airlines | Albania | 18.62 |
| #48 | AT | Royal Air Maroc | Morocco | 18.79 |
| #49 | UN | Transaero Airlines | Russia | 18.88 |
| #50 | OK | Czech Airlines | Czech Republic | 19.00 |
You may be surprised to see that traditionally ‘expensive’ countries don’t necessarily produce the most costly airlines. For example, the UK can boast the presence of two airlines in the top 10, including Monarch (ZB) in second place at €9.61 per 100 miles and Thomson Airways (BY) in 8th at €11.67 per 100 miles. Germany’s TUIfly (X3) also occupied a place in the top 10.
On the other hand, it is notable that the top 50 is heavily occupied by Middle Eastern and North African airlines. The UAE’s Air Arabia (G9) came fourth for cheap flights at just €10.71 per 100 miles, plus Morocco’s Air Arabia Maroc (3O), Jet4U (8J), and Kuwait Airways (KU) also scored high. Eastern Europe has a tendency to produce bargain airlines, with Blue Air (0B) coming in third, plus Transavia Airlines C.V. (HV) and Wizz Air Hungary (W6) occupying prominent positions.
For those travellers who book with ‘low cost’ airlines wondering if their flights really are the cheapest, or for those who wonder if the sacrifices they make in service really translate into savings, here’s the proof that ‘low cost’ airlines really are just that. The top 14 positions in our list are occupied by 'low cost' flight operators, a comforting confirmation for customers.
With this list we aim to give customers a valuable tool in their flight search, so that they can make an informed decision about which airline to book with.
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*Price for route. Tax included. Shiping and handling not included.