Flybe are the leading regional budget airline that has seen big growth in recent years. Passengers are able to fly from local UK airports to more than 40 UK and European destinations.
So what's the secret of their success? We took a trip on one of their regular scheduled flights from Southampton to Dublin in order to find out more.
The first thing that you notice about Flybe is that it's very much an airline of the internet age. Bookings are made online and it seems to be expected that this is the way that all customers should deal with the airline.
While it may well be possible to purchase flights from a travel agent, it seems to make sense to make purchases online in this way. It was simple to use the website to book the flight from Southampton.
Checking back in the months leading up to the flight, we noticed that prices seemed to rise the closer that you book to the departure date. It appears that it pays to book early.
What you're paying for is basically your flight - if you want any added extras then you'll need to pay for them. That applies to putting suitcases in the hold of the aircraft and also to eating while onboard.
Since most of their flights appear to be over relatively short distances, the issue of not being served a meal during the flight doesn't seem to be a major problem.
You can always opt to take your own food onboard, or alternatively pay for a sandwich and a drink during the flight. Since aircraft meals have been heavily criticised in the past, the fact that they're not present may even be seen as a benefit!
The flight itself took around an hour and was pretty eventful. When it comes to Flybe, it's clear that this is a budget operator.
That's no bad thing - they're the perfect airline if you're looking for cheap flights from a smaller, regional airport.
Information about Southampton Airport flight deals is available online, as discussed by Keith Barrett. This article may be used by any website publisher, though this resource box must always be included in full.
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