Whether you have plans to travel or simply wondering about budget airfares, knowing the history of low cost airlines in Europe would glue you to the idea of traveling to other places. For many years, plane rides are meant for the rich people living in great comfort. Exploring the cultures and experiencing sights and sounds of other countries was something majority of the hardworking, regular folks could only dream about.

As the history of low cost airlines in Europe would attest to, the past ten years or so did see more people traveling outside of the country, even as far as the Pacific Rim and the African continent. With the passing of the European Open Skies Treaty in 1991, airlines started flying to other parts of the continent without the previous government restrictions. While it’s true that the history of low cost airlines in Europe started two decades after the first budget airlines rules the American skies, Europeans are still thankful that the affordable travel by air did come their way.

Today, the Europeans from all economic classes are probably the most frequent travelers. As history of low cost airlines in Europe would have it, over sixty companies are operating their smaller crafts in most of the European cities. This is indeed a remarkable aviation record considering that only two decades ago, travel outside of their country meant long hours on the train or cars.

Here is a list of some of the low cost airlines:

• Laker Airways
• British Airways
• RyanAir
• Aer Lingus
• Zoom Airlines

When cheap airfares came around to major cities in the continent, it was frowned upon at the thought that the carriers were unreliable and the services were considered second-rate. But history of low cost airlines in Europe proved all these untrue. In fact, the planes are manufactured by the most trusted giants in aviation. Even if the planes of these budget airfares are smaller than the jets, their pilots have all the credentials and years of experience.

Another significant turn of events in the history of low cost airlines in Europe is how folks purchase their tickets. Of course, Americans did get to the idea first. But just the same, Europeans make use of online booking and purchase of tickets, as well as searching for the most competitive airfares.  All these smaller airlines have service-oriented schemes where changes in bookings or special requests for seats come with very little cost or for free. Compared to the long-standing leaders in air travel, this is another turning point in the history of low cost airlines in Europe.

Indeed, the world of plane rides opened doors for many Europeans to explore the rest of the world. So what if there’s no service like the traditional food served during flights, as popularized by the American culture of flying. What’s more important to these travelers is the savings and the amazing experience they get. The history of low cost airlines in Europe, after all, says that the change is about providing the safest, most efficient travels by air.