Chasing the Fionist Dream

We are so excited now that Europe’s low-cost carriers are returning to Israel! As of the writing of this post (February 2025), Wizzair currently operates out of Tel Aviv, while Ryanair and Easyjet are expected to return later this spring. Provided they actually stick around this time, this is huge news! Why? Because low-cost flights can cost a fraction of those on more traditional airlines, making it possible for us to travel more – for less. Remember Fiona and our daughter’s 200 shekel round-trip Wizz tickets to Bucharest or Fiona’s 240 shekel round-trip Ryanair tickets to Paphos? Compare that to Finn’s and his dad’s 1,500 shekel round-trip El Al tickets to Rome. Just saying.

So how does low-cost air travel work? And why is it so cheap? And most importantly, how do we make it work for us?

In short, the basic ticket on a low-cost airline will get you and a smallish backpack a cramped seat somewhere on a plane that will take you from point A to point B. That’s it. Aside from bathroom access, anything and everything beyond that costs more.

This includes:

• Luggage. Most low-cost airlines will allow you to take a small personal item no larger than  40 x 30 x 20 cm free of charge. You can choose to pay for a bag (often hundreds of shekels per direction) or pack light. We pack squishable backpacks and book short-term rental apartments with washers and dryers. Be careful to stay within their size and weight restrictions. Bringing luggage too big runs the risk of being fined by the airline.
  
  
• Seats. Provided there are no kids in your booking, you will be charged extra if you want to sit together on the plane. Different airlines have different rules for how to seat children next to their adults. Ryanair requires the adult to pay for a selected seat and up to four kids will be seated next to you for free. Wizz and EasyJet seat children next to their adults for free. We recommend checking in as early as possible to guarantee that you sit together.
  
  
• Food. These flights have no complimentary food or drinks – not even water. Make sure to bring enough food and drink with you for the duration of your flight. As all low-cost flights from Israel go to Europe or occasionally the UAE, these flights tend to be relatively short, so packing enough food for the flight shouldn’t be too challenging.
  
  
• Advanced or on-site check-in. Wizz and Ryanair allow free online check-in from 24 to 2 or 3 hours before the flight. Easyjet allows free online check-in up a month ahead of the flight. On all airlines, you can pay more to check in before the window. Whatever you do, make sure to check in before you get to the airport. In-person check-in will incur heavy fines.

• Refunds. The basic ticket on a low-cost airline is non-refundable. Flexible tickets are available for an extra fee. Of course, if the airline is the one who cancels the flight, you will be refunded.
  
  
• Small print. While we have covered the basics in this post, make sure to check the exact rules and regulations for your specific airline. They are designed to be tricky so you end up paying high fees for extra luggage, oversized personal items, or forgetting to check in in advance.

While there is nothing wrong with paying extra for any of these add-ons, the more you add, the closer you’ll get to (or even surpass) the cost of a ticket on a traditionally operated airline, which in our opinion defeats the point.

Just like any airline, always book through the airline itself and not through a third-party vendor. In the event of changes or cancellations, you will be able to be directly in touch with the company running your flights.

Low-cost travel isn’t for everyone, but we’ve had great experiences with it. The most important thing is to set your expectations accordingly and play by the rules.

Before booking your next trip, check out our Fionist trip planning guide, our 7 ways to save thousands on your next vacation, and of course our post about 10 costly mistakes that people make when vacationing abroad (and how to avoid them).

Have you ever flown on a low-cost airline? What was your experience like?

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