Passengers are being urged to make an important check before booking their flights with budget airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz Air to avoid costly transfer fees
Ryanair and Wizz Air passengers are being warned to avoid a costly mistake when booking flights abroad.
While these budget airlines offer cheap flights across Europe, travellers can end up shelling out a significant amount of money after landing if they fail to make an essential check.
Airport transfer experts SCSChauffuers caution Ryanair and Wizz Air customers to verify their destination airport before confirming their flight bookings to avoid hefty transfer costs at certain locations. The company explains that many budget airlines, including Ryanair and Wizz Air, use major destinations in airport names, but the actual airport may be miles away from the city you intend to visit.
This could result in passengers having to pay extra for an airport transfer to their destination, which can be expensive depending on the location. Therefore, travellers are advised to double-check the exact location of the airport before booking their flights to prevent additional expenses.
SCSChauffuers warns that airports might bear a ‘big city’ name even if they are not actually located there. This is because the airport is intended to serve as the main hub for people flying to and from that entire metropolitan area, even if it’s technically situated in a nearby suburb or town.
The company clarifies the naming strategy adopted by airlines: “Think of it like this: it’s the city’s airport, even if it’s a little outside the city limits. This makes things easier for travellers and helps with name recognition, especially when there’s only one major airport serving a large area. It is a little bit of creative licence, but it also allows travellers to enjoy much cheaper flights to their favourite destinations”, reports the Express.
SCS Chauffeurs alerts passengers of Ryanair and Wizz Air to the potential pitfalls of some airports, which may have long transfer times that could cut into a quick getaway or a brief weekend escapade—not to mention the additional cost of transfers.
Airports not actually near the city they are named after:
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Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN) – approximately one hour and 45 minutes away from Frankfurt
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Oslo-Torp Airport (TRF) – around 68 miles southwest of Oslo
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Stockholm Skavsta Airport (NYO) – about 62 miles south of Stockholm
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Memmingen Airport (FMM) – often marketed as ‘Munich West’ but located 72 miles from the city
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Barcelona-Reus Airport (REU) – around 62 miles southwest of the city of Barcelona
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Paris–Beauvais Airport (BVA) – 53 miles or an addition one hour and 15 minutes of your journey time away from the actual city
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Düsseldorf-Weeze Airport (NRN) – approximately 50 miles away from the city