hello quick question...I am just sorting out my flights between England and NI and NI and Scotland. BA gave me a quote of 70 (pounds) for both flights..into Belfast (not int'l) and then into Glasgow two weeks later. However, I found a cheap flight costing 12 pounds from east midlands to Belfast (int'l) and then one for 15 from Belfast to Glasgow. I guess my question is...are ryanair and BMI reliable? or is it best to pay the 70 and avoid any hassle? any advice would be great. <BR>thank you<BR>S

OK Sarah, I'm a little confused - BA doesn't serve E. Midlands airport. <BR><BR>Where will you be leaving from? I would use the airport which is most convenient for you to reach.<BR><BR>Both BMI (part of Star Alliance with Lufthansa, United etc.) and Ryanair are fine. However, Ryanair tends to serve more &quot;out of the way&quot; airports than BA or BMI.<BR><BR>Hope this helps,<BR>Andre

I should also add that Ryanair and BMIbaby, which operates the BMI flights on the E. Midlands to Belfast route - are &quot;no-frills&quot; airlines with no seat assignments or free food.<BR><BR>Ryanair lands at Glasgow Prestwick airport, 22 miles from town, whereas BA serves Glasgow's main airport, only 8 miles out. All carriers use the same airport at Belfast.<BR><BR>Again, I think convenience is key.<BR><BR>Hope this helps,<BR>Andre

sorry..the BA flight would be out of Manchester. sorry. : ) thanks for your help

HOw are the train services from the Glasgow Prestwick airport? I am not actually planning to spend any time in Glasgow--just landing and then taking off and heading North West. <BR>: )<BR>merci

After seeing BMI mentioned a couple times on this website as a &quot;cheap&quot; airline, I played around at their website. God!!! RT London-Frankfurt is only 68 pounds, but add another 33 pounds tax!!! That's no bargain my friends.

The &pound;33 tax &amp; charges isn't determined by BMI amd will be the same for any airline flying between Heathrow &amp; Frankfurt.<BR><BR>I believe the charges associated with flhying from Hahn, the Frankfurt airport that Ryanair uses are lower - but the downside is you are 1 hour 45 minute bus ride from Frankfurt!

Sarah77-take the cheaper flights, unless the airport locations make a big difference. Belfast City airport is much closer to the city (naturally) than Belfast International (also known as Aldergrove). But there's bus service from both into the city center.

Oops! My turn to apologize! Ann41 is right - Ryanair and BMIbaby serve Belfast International, while BA uses Belfast City... sorry for the confusion.<BR><BR>So basically, your itinerary would involve different airports at each destination depending on which option you choose.<BR><BR>The only one of these I know is East Midlands which is nice and small. Can't help with the others though.<BR><BR>Andre

THank you all for your help. One final question (yeah right). Does anyone know the cost to travel by bus from Belfast Int'l and Glasgow Prestwick into the main city centres? THank you so much.

Take a train from Prestwick to the Central station in Glasgow, it'll take about 45 minutes... Standard day single will cost about &pound;5.<BR><BR>Bus from Belfast International to the city centre runs every 30mins, Mon to Sat, every 30 or 60 on Sun, between 0545 and 2320. Costs about &pound;5.