Connecting the Continents Cheaply

These alternative airlines—intercontinental low-cost carriers—can make crossing the Atlantic or Pacific or other long-haul international flights less expensive

• No-frills airlines
• How they work
• How to find them
• How to book them
• N. America to Europe
• Intercontinental LCCs
• Big Ben Switcheroo
• Big Apple Switcheroo
• Airport resources

As you can now fly between North America and Europe cheaply on a low-coast carrier, so can you fly from Europe to Asia, or Europe to Africa, or even Europe to the Caribbean or Latin America on the cheap on a budget airline.

How cheap? How about £10 one-way from London to Marrakesh, or £99 each way from London to Hong Kong? Not bad! There are so many between Europe and North America now, they are collected on a seperate page. As for connecting the other continents, here are the players.

Flights between North America and Asia

Oasis Hong Kong (www.oasishongkong.com) - Vancouver to Hong Kong.

Flights between Europe and Asia/the Middle East

Condor (www.condor.de) - Germany to India (Goa), the Indian Ocean (the Seychelles, Mauritius, the Maldives, Sri Lanka), and Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket).

Eurofly (www.eurofly.it) - Italy to Male/the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius.

LTU (www.ltu.com) - Germany to Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Chaing Mai), Cambodia, India (Goa), the Maldives, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka.

Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com) - Bought in 2007 by LTU but still operating independently. Germany and Vienna to China (Shanghai, Beijing), Thailand (Bangkok, Koh Samui, Phuket, Chiang Mai), India (Goa), Sri Lanka, Maldives.

Martinair (www.martinair.com) - The Netherlands to Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand (Phuket).

Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) - Flights from London to Dubai, Mumbai (Bombay), Hong Kong, Mauritius, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore. Also (though I relaize this is not in Asia) London to Sydney.

Oasis Hong Kong (www.oasishongkong.com) - London to Hong Kong.

Flights between Europe and Latin America

Condor (www.condor.de) - Germany to Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, and the Caribbean (Antigua, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago).

Air Comet (www.aircomet.com) - As of 2007, focusing on the Spain-to-Latin America market: offering flights from Madrid to Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Peru.

Eurofly (www.eurofly.it) - Italy to the Dominican Republic.

LTU (www.ltu.com) - Germany to Mexico (Cancun) and the Caribbean (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica), Mexico.

Martinair (www.martinair.com) - The Netherlands to the Caribbean (Aruba, Cuba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago), Costa Rica, Surinam, and Mexico (Cancun).

Zoom (www.flyzoom.com) - Bermuda to London.

Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) - Flights from London to the Caribbean/Atlantic islands (Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Tobago).

Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com) - Bought in 2007 by LTU but still operating independently. Germany and Vienna to the Caribbean (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica), Mexico (Cancun).

Flights between Europe and Africa

Condor (www.condor.de) - Germany to Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Gambia, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, the Canaries, and the Indian Ocean (the Seychelles, Mauritius, the Maldives).

HLX, or Hapag-Lloyd Express (www.hlx.com) - Germany to Egypt, Morocco, the Canaries, Cape Verde islands.

Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com) - Bought in 2007 by LTU but still operating independently. Germany to Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Namibia, South Africa (plus Vienna to Kenya).

EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) - England, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland to Morocco.

Eurofly (www.eurofly.it) - Italy to Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius.

LTU (www.ltu.com) - Germany to Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius.

Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) - England, France, Germany, and Spain to Morocco and the Canaries.

Thomsonfly (www.thomsonfly.com) - England and Scotland to Egypt, Morocco, and the Canaries.

FlyGlobeSpan (www.flyglobespan.com) - Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Durham, and Glasgow to the Canaries, plus Edinburgh to Egypt.

Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) - Flights from London to South Africa (Cape Town adn Johannesburg), Nigeria, Kenya, Mauritius.

This article was last updated in November 2007. All information was accurate at the time.
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