Tried a weird trick for cheap flights to Lisbon and it actually worked

I was looking at flights from Chicago to Lisbon for a trip next month and everything was over $900. On a whim, I searched for a one-way to Madrid instead, which was only $280. Then I booked a separate $45 Ryanair hop from Madrid to Lisbon. Total cost was $325, saving me almost $600. I learned that breaking a trip into two separate bookings with a budget airline for the last leg can be way cheaper. Has anyone else found a good city to use as a cheap jumping-off point in Europe?

2 comments

2 Comments

luna55017d ago

That trick with the separate budget airline hop... I've had some rough experiences trying that. Last time I booked a separate ticket on a different airline, my first flight was delayed and I missed the second one completely. They wouldn't refund me or put me on the next flight because it was a separate booking. I lost the whole cost of the Ryanair ticket and had to buy a new last-minute fare. The savings can disappear fast if anything goes wrong.

lucas20617d ago

Ugh, that's the worst part about split tickets. A travel blogger I follow did a whole breakdown on this. They called it "self-connecting" and said you need a huge buffer, like six hours minimum between flights. Even then, they stressed buying travel insurance that specifically covers missed connections on separate tickets. It's a gamble for sure.