I have not flown either of those yet. But we have booked flights on EasyJet from Milan to Lyon in May. It was only 49 euros per flight. I am confident that it will be fine.

We did, however, pay for checking our luggage at 14 euros per bag. I was concerned that our carryon luggage was a teeny bit larger than the restrictions on their website, so I decided it wasn't worth worrying. If you don't pay for the checking baggage when booking, and they refuse you when you board, it costs significantly more.

That's all I know. Others on this board spoke well of those two airlines when I asked.

Ryanair flies out of Beauvais (an hour from Paris) into Treviso( half an hour from Venice) whereas EasyJet flies from either CDG or Orly to Venice Marco Polo airport.
EasyJet wins hands up.
I've flown both companies. EasyJet is fine, more comfortable and pleasant than Ryanair
.

I have travelled with Ryanair many times without any problems. You do have to remember that you only get what you pay for.

Ryanair is extremely low prices at first glance. Then there is the added cost for checked luggage, priority boarding, travel insurance etc. If you aren't very careful the final price can be twice what you were expecting. Of course, if you only have carryon and don't care about getting a decent seat you don't have to pay for most of those extras.

You do need to look very closely at the measurements for the carryon, because it gets really expensive to check the bag at the last minute. And when they say ONE carryon item they do mean ONE.

Also keep in mind that Ryanair does not always fly to the main airports and there may be an extra cost to get into the actual city. Have no idea of this is true for Venice, but it certainly was for London.

I have never tried EasyJet.

Easyjet.

1. they fly between proper airports which bear some resemblance to their names - ie Paris CDG, not Beauvais, Venice Marco Polo not Treviso. [we flew Ryanair from Bristol to Vienna and landed in a different country! - it actually goes to Bratislava, in neighbouring Slovakia].

2. the price you see is the price you pay - no extras to pay by credit card, fuel/tax surcharges, etc. yes, they do charge extra for checked luggage but you get 20kgs, and there is no bar on "pooling" [ie 2 people may have a total of 40kgs; on Ryanair you must each be below the 15kgs limit - if one of you has 14kgs and the other 16kgs, the latter will pay for the extra 1kg].

3. they are pretty punctual - we've used them loads of times and have had very few delays or cancellations.

Thanks for the advice! I was leaning toward Easy jet because of more convenent travel times. I'll bet even with all add ons these airlines will be worth the price difference from Air france. We were considering the train. thirteen hours by train and a sleeper is available for $192.00 X two.

easyJet for sure.

"I want to consider smaller airlines like Ryan Air And easy Jet"

Nothing at all 'smaller' about either one BTW. They are massive airlines and carry more people than many of the legacy/'larger' airlines . . . like AF.

Easyjet , but I would also check prices on Vueling I have done both airlines and they are cheap and we thought they were absolutely fine.

I did not see any "hidden" prices, you buy your ticket then you asked if you wish to add extras, like checked luggage, early boarding, seat assignment , insurance.

I never take any of those features EXCEPT I always pay to check a bag. Paying up front ahead of time for a checked bag is like 10-20 euros extra,, but if you get to the airport and then have to check it ( because you foolishly thought they would ignore that exta 1/2 inch whatever) now the fee to airport check is ALOT more.

I would not recommend Ryanair, I have done alot of research on them( as with several other airlines that I do think are fine, Tuifly and AirBerliner) and Ryanair is a joke, they say you are flying to or from Paris but you are not, you are 100 kim away ,and there is no direct route to commute out there its bus and train and almost 2 hours.. and thats not free, so the 15-30 euros you think you are saving by using them compared to Easyjet or others, well you are not saving it at all plus you are losing hours of your time. The rer from Charles de Gaulle airport to Paris is about 35 minutes and takes you right into centre of city and costs under 10 euros.

I've flown Easyjet a couple times and like them a lot. I always pay to check a bag, also, but I have traveled on them when I was in the middle of a long vacation so had a bag over the carryon limits, which are very very strict. And you cannot have two of them, and that includes your purse. That's fine as long as you understand it, their rates are still excellent, and the planes are fine.

Your replies are graciously appreciated.Easy Jet it is! A flight Leaving at 11Am and arriving at 1Pm. We'll have plenty of luggage and reserved seats for around $260.00 for both of us. Thanks,So much. If anyone has any questions about Nawlins,Louisiana. That's where I am.

Depending on the season when you're travelling, I'd also suggest investing in a scottevest.

http://www.scottevest.com/

One time on Easyjet I had stuck my backpack into the suitcase so as to have only ONE carryon. The suitcase had a bulge and the flight attendant refused to let me on because of the bulge.

Luckily I had a scottevest with its numerous pockets, so was able to take out all my electronics gear - chargers, phone, batteries, even my netbook and stuffed them in different pockets. I even stuffed my lightweight backpack into the pocket on the back of the scottevest. The flight attendant then let me on the flight.

She really didn't care how much I was carrying ON me, just that the independent carryon was a one piece that fit within the dimensions.

Once on board, I took everything out again and put them into my backpack, put the backpack into the suitcase and put the suitcase in the overhead bin.

Much ado about nothing.

But that one carryon has to fit EXACTLY the dimensions given. and only ONE piece.

Have a great trip!

ironandsilk, I warn you to keep luggage to a minimum, Venice, all those cute arched bridges,, you know most are actually stairs up and down, and if taking trains, no porters etc.. Sorry don't know how euroepeon travel experienced you are, but lots of luggage will really impact your trip in negative ways.. but hey, you'll see. lol

I am Blessed. This is my third trip to Venice and Italy. What you say about the trains is true first I traveled first class for only a little more it was nice. Then came the trouble no porters no carts.All our luggage was on wheels but my wife couldn't help because it was just too heavy. So I drug 4 bags down the tracks for two blocks. It was difficult, but my plan this time is the four wheels spinner luggage.I have tried to cut back but I am a photographer and usually have 6 cameras and lens along with a laptop.What I have learned on this site is be prepared to pay extra for my luxuries and believe me I know what you say is true. Thanks!

"I am a photographer and usually have 6 cameras and lens "

That's nuts

I know a couple of world famous photographers and unless they are on a special assignment like Wimbledon or a Grand Prix or a fashion shoot, a couple of outfits is all they need. Plus they fly on the client's dime in Business/FC . . . certainly not on easyJet.

Some people just pay the several euro fee instead of loading up with special vests and stuffing themselves by wearing stuff all over them, this reminds me of some bad movie. There is a point where doing stuff like that is just being cheap IMO, but if that's the way you want to spend your time and money, go ahead.

Christina I don't think its fair to say its cheap, you don't know what sacrifices people make to be able to afford to travel and they may take shortcuts I wouldn't , but then I may take shortcuts others wouldn't dream of either.. I stay in 2 and 3 stars and I am sure there are travellers who may think its cheap that I spend months researching to get the best deal , because they can easily afford the 4 plus stars and first class airfare.. I 'm not cheap, but I do get to travel alot more then some people I know ,, mostly because they say "its so expensive",, it is the way they do it though.

ironandsilk

pay for your checked in luggage online and not at the airport where the charge generally is notably higher. you can do this by retrieving your booking and add how many bags you want to check in.

I personally would never check expensive camera gear and six cameras/lenses/laptop are likely too big for the ONE carry on you are allowed.

Have you had any trouble with the Easyjet website? We are in Texas and could get to the page to pay and we would get an error code. I looked up the code online and apparently they have been having trouble with it for years. We have luckily been able to use Easyjet a few times in recent years and have never had this problem.

I finally just called and they had to book everything online for me. We are checking luggage on 2 flights to Sicily and then on to Paris and they were 212 dollars each person. For they time this saves us to get from one place to another, the $200 is worth it. This was cheaper than anthing else I could find.

I have not yet used either airline, but I do know from my entourage that people like Easyjet and generally hate Ryanair. This said, people will generally choose the cheapest fare no matter what for such a short flight, but look out for the hidden fees.

The fees are where they get you. But, we paid $212 total for Rome-Palermo and then from Sicily to Paris in March with selected seats and checking in a bag. Can't beat that. At least I couldn't when I looked. That being said, as much as I look forward to Rome, Paris is calling!!!

Irock, someone else on another thread reported having the same problem.

sadly I can't remember which thread or what they did about it.

I'm glad you managed to book at such a good price.

I will be in Rome in February [flying easyjet from Bristol] and I can't wait. I don't know how much the flights cost as I am travelling as part of a group and we were charged an "all in price" of £700 that covers the return flights, transfer to Rome and back, accommodation, and attendance at a language school for a week. I'm guessing that the flight wasn't very much, but OTOT it is during the english schools' half term holiday so it could be pricey.

I'm also hoping to get to Sicily later in the year so I'll be interested to read how your trip goes, if you don't mind coming back and telling us!

Absolutely. My husband has distant family on Sicily and we are going to see them. We missed them on our first trip as the letter we mailed them 2 months before our trip got there the week after we got back. Imagine our surprise when we got a phone call at 6 am telling us they just got it and to come back. All through a translator of course!!

We can't wait. We are 5 days in Rome, then 5 in Sicily and finally 5 in Paris. Just counting the days!! We are kind of splurging on the Rome part as my husband had a health scare last year and we had to cancel this same trip at the last minute. My sister in law is coming with us so after our year it should be a very special trip for us.

The $212 was per person but $106 per flight for us is still cheap.

I'll just add that, having flown both airlines mentioned in the original post a number of times, I will use Easyjet again should the occasion arise and will never, under any circumstances that come to mind, use Ryanair. I have, on rare occasion, not flown to a place if Ryanair was the only option.

Irock - that sounds like a terrific trip.

where in Sicily does your family live?

Salaparuta. My husband's grandfather came to the US in the early 1900's along with some brothers and a sister. There are distant family still there. We are taking Easyjet to Palermo (we have been before so we are skipping it with such short time)and then renting a car to spend the night in Erice. We are going to make some time to see the Valley of the Temples, Piazza Armerina and are spending the last 2 nights in Taormina before leaving for Paris. We will stop in Salaparuta before heading to Agrigento.

Salaparuta was heavily damaged by the earthquake that hit in 1968 and we want to see the ruins of the old city of we can. The city was moved and rebuilt. It is sad as the old Salaparuta from the pictures we have seen was quite lovely.

Irock- that looks like a nice trip.

are you going to visit your family?

We are in Texas and could get to the page to pay and we would get an error code.

After checking that the booking hasn't actually been made, the best option is to try a different internet browser

Christina: Some people just pay the several euro fee instead of loading up with special vests and stuffing themselves by wearing stuff all over them, this reminds me of some bad movie. There is a point where doing stuff like that is just being cheap IMO, but if that's the way you want to spend your time and money, go ahead.

I'm retired and sometimes am gone for weeks or months with quite a bit of train/air travel, so I am "cheap". It's wonderful for you that you can afford to pay an extra $40-$60 each flight just for a small backpack worth of stuff.

BTW, my Scottevest is not used to be "cheap" and bypass airline fees but more as a safety item. It has so many pockets that my passport, money and credit cards can be separated, placed in different pockets and still be around my person instead of all being in one place like a wallet or a purse. Maybe that's being cheap too. Maybe I should make it easier for the thieves and place everything in one container.

Scottvest is overkill for keeping valuables separated - you could buy a cheap fishing waistcoat and have the same effect or just put things in different pockets, not carry as much with you and numerous other methods.

Alan,

We tried everything to book online at Easyjet. We deleted cookies, tried a different computer and credit card. Apparently this is a problem they have had for a few years and so all I could do was call and do it over the phone. They charged me the same price as is I had done the booking online.

alanRow: I have three of those fishing vests, even one that is pink, before picking up a scottevest.

However, they

a) Look like "cheap" fishing vests

b) Wear like fishing vests

c) Have pockets designed for fishing, not traveling

They worked OK for traveling before my scottevest, but really there's no comparison.

Who wants a pink fishing vest? Yours free (if I can find it!)

I would suggest Easyjet but be sure to read their terms and conditions. They are very strict now on baggage allowance and you can only bring 20 kilos. If you are over the allowed weight they will charge you an arm and a leg for each kilo you are over. I would steer clear from RyanAir. I just saw on the news today that they charged a family 200GBP to print out their boarding passes. Yes if you show up to the airport and you forget to print out your boarding pass before you get there they will charge you 40GBP per boarding card. And dont even dream about have your luggage over the allowed amount as they will charge you a fortune. They actually give their employees a bonus for charging travelers for overweight luggage. Easyjet is a much better option!

I would suggest Easyjet but be sure to read their terms and conditions. They are very strict now on baggage allowance and you can only bring 20 kilos>>

that's always been the case with Easyjet, but they do allow pooling - ie if you are travelling with someone else, you have a total baggage allowance of 40kgs, not 20kgs each. so you could ahve 18kgs in one bag, and 22 kgs in the other. Ryanair don't allow pooling so that's another reason not to use them.