Just fly for the sake of it

[nic_biso]

Who’s “aviation maniac” enough to fly, no matter where, just to enjoy the experience of traveling at 900 km/h, 10.000 m above the earth?
I found out that there are some guys who book a ‘one day trip’, just to fly in Europe, as cheaply as possible, to do some sightseeing for a couple of hours or plane spotting.

Did you do these kind of ‘one day trips'? Where did you go and how much did you pay for it? Or are you planning on doing this soon?

[Ozzie1969]

I've been planning to do something like this for a while, but unfortunately 3 trips last year to visit my wife in the Philippines have pretty much soaked up my holiday budget for 2006... But I certainly wouldn't mind flying to some European city on the earliest possible flight and returning on the very last flight back the next day, as long as I can get a ticket dirt cheap. The cheapest return ticket I've ever bought so far was Charleroi to Stockholm and vice versa, but I did stay in beautiful Stockholm for an entire week that time.

[sab319]

I did a trip to FCO and LIN last year with AZ, €150 return and I also did a day return to THF on SN For about €100 return to visit the ILA

[Buzz]

CONDOR
Munich, Germany (1 day) to visit the airport and the airport museum
(2 days) to visit the city
I actually flew twice in one week to MUC, just for fun. (and because it costed € 30)

RYANAIR
Shannon, Ireland (1 day)
Dublin, Ireland (1 day)
CRL-DUB CRK-STN-CRL (3 days)
Venice, Italy (2 days)
Stockholm, Sweden (3 days)

EASYJET
Berlin, Germany (3 days)

all flights around € 30.

[airazurxtror]

I do day return trips quite often.

Main destinations :
Ryanair : Rome, Bergamo, Treviso - sometimes CRL-ROM + PSA-CRL or CRL-BGY + TRN-CRL or CRL-BGY + PSA-CRL; Dublin, Gerona; EIN-STN.
easyJet : MST-BER
Prices : I rarely pay more than 65 euros all included for the return ticket - often 30 -45 euros.

More expensive :
VLM : London (City)
Iberia : Madrid
I have booked for the coming months :
London (Heathrow) with BMI
Newcastle and Munich with Brussels Airlines
For these destinations (where no LCC ticket is available) , I am prepared to pay 100-140 euros at the most (total price as paid by Visa)


I find it most enjoyable : often 2 or 3 flight hours, and a nice day sightseeing at destination. For example, in Italy: Rome is inexhaustible; from Bergamo, I have visited a lot of towns around : Milano, Brescia, Parma, Piacenza, Como, Cremona and of course Bergamo; from Pisa : Pisa, Lucca, Firenze, Livorno ; from Treviso : Padova, Venezia, Castelfranco Veneto, Vicenza...

Such a day is rather tiring but quite interesting. It's not too expensive if you book far in advance - and don't do too much shopping there ! and you do fly a lot, which is the most important (for me).

[jumpjet]

BA used to do mystery trips where you paid about £40 and turned up at Heathrow and were given a ticket for a day trip.

I did that a couple of times and went to Amsterdam and Paris...but you really didnt have time to leave the arrival airport..just get some lunch and do a bit of plane spotting...but it was fun.

[Andries]

In 2003 I did a 2-day trip to LHR.
We left on saturday morning with the earliest BA-flight BRU-LHR(B763), went spotting all weekend and then came back with the last flight on sunday evening (again B763).

I did my booking with SN Brussels, but flew BA, paid around 95€ for my tickets and another 45€ for my night at the IBIS hotel at LHR. So totl trip cost was 140€ for 2 flights on 767 and a great weekend with marvelous birds !

Currently I am looking to do something similar in the second half of 2007.

Greetz,

Andries

[sunwing]

I have done it quite a few times. It's just flying for fun and as cheap as possible. Between the connecting flight I have some time left for spotting. Never had any problems with connections.

One day flights:

RTM-HAM with TTA
AMS-GVA (2x) with easyJet
AMS-LHR with BA
AMS-ZRH with Swiss
RTM-MXP with Azzura Air
AMS-LBA-LHR-AMS with Jet2 and bmi
AMS-STN-DUB-LPL-AMS with Transavia, Ryanair, easyJet
AMS-MAN with BA
AMS-GVA-LTN-AMS with easyJet
RTM-DUB-SNN-STN-RTM with Transavia, Aer Lingus, Ryanair
AMS-TXL with Air Berlin
AMS-LHR-MAN-AMS with bmi, Jet2
AMS-VLC-BCN-AMS with Vueling, Iberia

With one overnight stay:

AMS-MAD-TFN-MAD-AMS with Transavia, Iberia
AMS-CPH-TRF-CPH-AMS with SAS, Widerøe

Next one day trip: AMS-KRK-WAW-AMS with Sky Europe, LOT

BA used to do mystery trips where you paid about £40 and turned up at Heathrow and were given a ticket for a day trip.

I did that a couple of times and went to Amsterdam and Paris...but you really didnt have time to leave the arrival airport..just get some lunch and do a bit of plane spotting...but it was fun.

KLM had also the mystery trips. I also did the mystery trips a few times all from Amsterdam to FRA, BRE, CPH and MME and once with Transavia to CIA. All these flights departed from Amsterdam in the afternoon and returned back in Amsterdam in the evening. There was no time for spotting at the destination because you had to go back with the same aircraft so you had only 45 minutes at that destination. On every flight I made there were about 10 people doing the mystery flight and on the Transavia flight to CIA even 50 people. This was just a simple way for airlines to fill the empty seats.

[Stij]

When I was working in the airline business (weekends while I was studying), I flew a couple of times on interline tickets to LHR, not to spot, but to shop and visit musea! It was a wonderfull time!

Cheers,

Stij

[eurofighter]

I did it in 2005 from BRU to Jersey with SNBA. But I had a purpose, to collect enough miles to become SNBA Privilege Gold, which I managed to achieve.

However I was involuntary rerouted back to Brussels as the flight was oversold. New route back: Jersey-Glasgow (International)-Heathrow-Brussels.

It was a great day with two extra flights added for my itinerary, and a 250 EUR reimbursement by SNBA because I arrived more than four hours later back in Brussels. That money I used for another fun trip, to Rome where I visited a friend and returned the next day.

[Air_Lac]

Some spotting trips:
BRU-LHR-BRU (British Airways & Virgin Express) 2 days
CRL-STN-CRL (Ryanair) 1 day
CRL-STN STN-OST (Ryanair inaugural flight to the shortlived STN-OST route) 1 day
BRU-THF-BRN (Sabena and Intersky - to see THF airport) 1 day
BRU-CPH-SXF-PMI-BCN-BRU (SN Brussels Airlines, easyJet, Air Berlin, Virgin Express) 2 days
CRL-BGY-CGN-TXL-ZRH (Ryanair, Hapag Lloyd Express, dba, Germania Express) 2 days
ZRH-MAN-ZRH (Swiss) 2 days
DNR-DCI-DNR (Aurigny Air Services) 1 day

several GVA-ZRH-GVA (Swissair, Air Algérie, Balair, Air Portugal)

other short trips (non-spotting) and not business related
CRL-DUB-CRL (Ryanair) 2 days
CRL-CCF-CRL (Ryanair) 2 days
CRL-BGI-CRL (Ryanair) 1 day
CRL-PSA-CRL (Ryanair) 2 days
GVA-ZRH-ARN-TOS-ARN-ZRH-GVA (Swissair, Scandinavian Airlines) 1 day (night - special offer to see midnightsun)
BRU-ZRH-BRU (Helvetic Airways inaugural flight to the shortlived ZRH-BRU route of Helvetic Airways) 1 day

Air_Lac

[sn26567]

I did it in 2005 from BRU to Jersey with SNBA. But I had a purpose, to collect enough miles to become SNBA Privilege Gold, which I managed to achieve.

However I was involuntary rerouted back to Brussels as the flight was oversold. New route back: Jersey-Glasgow (International)-Heathrow-Brussels.

It was a great day with two extra flights added for my itinerary, and a 250 EUR reimbursement by SNBA because I arrived more than four hours later back in Brussels. That money I used for another fun trip, to Rome where I visited a friend and returned the next day.

You lucky bastard! (Excuse me for using such a term).

[eurofighter]

Yesterday night I booked a flight which falls in the category flying just for the sake of flying. On Monday I will be in the NL and I have to get back to Brussels somewhere during the day. I could take the train. But then I still had 12000 unused miles with Flying Blue which would probably expire in the coming years anyway. Therefore I checked availability to fly from Amsterdam to Brussels, a short hop of 20 minutes but nevertheless. And I was lucky. There was availibility on the direct flight, but FB also offered some nicer routings of getting to Brussels from Amsterdam. I decided to fly AMS-CFE (Clermont Ferrand) CFE-BRU. I will depart at 16h25 arrival in CFE at 17h55 and I will continue my journey at 18h30 with arrival in Brussels at 19h50. I should be at home before 20h20 as I live very close to the airport.

The price in miles was exactly the same, but airport taxes are 20 EUR higher. As I love flying this is very well spent money. I will have two new routes on my list of flight routes, will fly into an airport where I have never been before, and I will fly on an aircraft in which I have not yet flown EMB 135. It's nearly like a private jet

I will report to you next week.

[regi]

Some schools in Bangkok sent children on day trips to Nakhon Rachasima ( Khorat ) with Airasia to learn how to fly because the tickets were for free and the airport tax was something like 1 dollar.
But that destination is now off the list.

[eurofighter]

The two flights were brilliant. Fast, comfortable and a very quick connection in Clermont Ferrand, within 20 minutes I changed plane, within 30 minutes I was in the air again, and my luggage followed me as well.

Recommendable route for those who want to fly to the French regions.

Yesterday night I booked a flight which falls in the category flying just for the sake of flying. On Monday I will be in the NL and I have to get back to Brussels somewhere during the day. I could take the train. But then I still had 12000 unused miles with Flying Blue which would probably expire in the coming years anyway. Therefore I checked availability to fly from Amsterdam to Brussels, a short hop of 20 minutes but nevertheless. And I was lucky. There was availibility on the direct flight, but FB also offered some nicer routings of getting to Brussels from Amsterdam. I decided to fly AMS-CFE (Clermont Ferrand) CFE-BRU. I will depart at 16h25 arrival in CFE at 17h55 and I will continue my journey at 18h30 with arrival in Brussels at 19h50. I should be at home before 20h20 as I live very close to the airport.

I will report to you next week.

[summersso]

I'm going to VIE on SkyEurope on Saturday 31 March, returning on Sunday evening (1 April), return cost just 38euros taxes included! Looking forward to a bit of spotting - will report back on one of SkyEurope's first flights from Brussels to it's new base.

Another quick weekend trip I'd like to do is to fly over to Prague on SkyEurope one Friday evening, take the Eurocity train (29euros, 11hours, one-way) through Linz, across Austria, across the Alps, down to Ljubljana - must be a very scenic trip - then fly back on the Sunday evening to CRL on Wizzair. May get round to that in late May if I find the time!

[MHG]

The most "useless" ( regarding origin/destination) but at the same time the cheapest of all my funtrips was in 2006 a daytrip Stuttgart (STR) - Hannover (HAJ) and back with HLX (X3) for an incredible 3,-EUR incl. Tax per one-way...
(6,-EUR being less than the trainticket from Stuttgart central station to the airport and back )

[vinz57]

In January I decided to try a round trip of Europe in one day with Ryanair, just for the challenge, the fun of flying and maybe for a little bit of plane-spotting.

This was my route:

Brussels Charleroi (CRL) - Faro (FAO)
Faro (FAO) - Dublin (DUB)
Dublin (DUB) - Brussels Charleroi (CRL)

Leaving from Charleroi, there are a few "triangles" that you can do in one day. I think Charleroi-Barcelona-Milan-Charleroi was another one.

I chose Faro and Dublin because the beach is 2km away from the airport at Faro, plus you have a few neat spotting places there. Dublin is the only city that is connected to both Faro and Brussels. the other reason is that you have very long flights. Faro is a long way from Brussels. The latitude is the same as that of the popular Tunisian holiday resorts!

All flights were with a 737-800 Winglets. Was amazing to see the sunrise and the then the sunset from above the clouds. And the approach to Faro is just amazing since you have to fly over a turquoise laguna. Unfortunately, impossible to get into the cockpit as they are really tough about this at Ryanair.

Having booked my trip well in advance, I couldn't know that there would be such weather problems in Europe that week. It was that week in January when British airports had to close etc. Due to the wind, my flight to Dublin was delayed by 1h30 and I missed the flight to Brussels. I spent the night in the terminal with a few other guys and it endend up being quite fun. The last flights leave at 11pm and the first passengers are there at 4pm so I didn't get much sleep but what the heck. The whole thing ended up costing me around 120 Euros but it would have been around 70 Euros if I hadn't missed the flight in Dublin. If you book really early, I think it's doable for 60 Euros.

You should definitely try it but keep in mind that you're burning a lot of fuel "just for fun", which ethically isn't very nice.

[airazurxtror]

In January I decided to try a round trip of Europe in one day with Ryanair, just for the challenge, the fun of flying and maybe for a little bit of plane-spotting.

This was my route:

Brussels Charleroi (CRL) - Faro (FAO)
Faro (FAO) - Dublin (DUB)
Dublin (DUB) - Brussels Charleroi (CRL)

Leaving from Charleroi, there are a few "triangles" that you can do in one day. I think Charleroi-Barcelona-Milan-Charleroi was another one.

The whole thing ended up costing me around 120 Euros but it would have been around 70 Euros if I hadn't missed the flight in Dublin. If you book really early, I think it's doable for 60 Euros.

You should definitely try it .

Most interesting !
I had never thought of it, but it's a very good idea, and I will try and do it some day.
Thanks a lot for your suggestion !

[airazurxtror]

In January I decided to try a round trip of Europe in one day with Ryanair, just for the challenge, the fun of flying and maybe for a little bit of plane-spotting.

This was my route:

Brussels Charleroi (CRL) - Faro (FAO)
Faro (FAO) - Dublin (DUB)
Dublin (DUB) - Brussels Charleroi (CRL)

Leaving from Charleroi, there are a few "triangles" that you can do in one day. I think Charleroi-Barcelona-Milan-Charleroi was another one.

You should definitely try it but keep in mind that you're burning a lot of fuel "just for fun", which ethically isn't very nice.

I am sorry, I don't see what is ethically wrong with flying for fun. The flights will be operated anyway, you (or me) being or not being aboard.