Fly from Malaga in Spain at discount fares to Oslo, Stockhom, Copenhaguen, Bergen, Stavanger, Gothenburg and Billund.

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Some of us working at Andina are pilots, and thus, we are somewhat qualified to give an opinion about what air travel means.We believe that in Europe, excepting low cost and charter airlines, air fares are highly overvalued and exaggerated. Air travel offers many advantages, but it seems that for many in the old continent, this form of transportation looks more like a privilege than anything else.

Maybe you ask yourself sometimes how it is possible that charter and low cost airlines have prices which are significantly lower than those found in the case of established companies offering regular flights, and the first thing that comes to mind is that such a difference may have to do with maintenance and safety. In broad terms, we can tell you that safety requirements are similar in all cases and all companies must meet a set of minimum requirements in order to be authorized to fly each airplane.

Thus, while it is true that you can actually save on maintenance, there is a threshold that no company, be it regular, charter, cargo or low-cost may trespass. Aircraft, for example, must undergo periodic revisions and items must be replaced according to government and manufacturers' requirements; this does not depend on the will of the airline. So in this sense, the maintenance programs and procedures that you will find in any kind of low-cost airline operating in jurisdictions where laws are enforced, is quite similar to those found at the rest of the companies.

Fuel has the same cost for all aircraft, per litre, and these fly in the same way, according to physics. But you can fly an aircraft to make it go faster, or somewhat slower, albeit saving a lot of fuel. There are power and altitude settings for different conditions; so, charter companies may tell their pilots to use settings that may prolong a little each flight, but save a lot on fuel.Onboard service plays a role too, as well as flight schedules; airlines pay fees for using airports, and in most cases, there is a large difference in cost, depending on the hour of the day, the location of the boarding gate you intend to use within the airport, etc. so by managing this, you can actually save a lot of money too.

The number of seats in each plane makes a difference too: in flights that offer extensive onboard services, a lot of space and usable weight must be reserved for kitchen alleys, trolleys and carts, and the tools that will be needed to prepare and serve meals. If the company does not plan on offering those services, they may take some of those things away and use the remaining space to put more seats, so that the flight becomes suddenly more profitable.

Makes and models of aircraft also play a role: some of these have been designed in such a way that they can carry a lot of cargo, and even if they carry no passengers, what they get paid for transporting that cargo will make them at least break-even their operational costs; now, take this concept to the level and scale of a whole fleet of aircraft, and you save quite a bit of money as well.

And last but not least, there are administrative issues to consider too: the jurisdiction under which the carrier operates, applicable taxes and such things may also influence costs; besides, new and small companies tend to be flexible and adaptable, while big ones with an established base of infrastructure, may not be ready to change rapidly.

Low-cost and charter airlines are best suited for short to medium distance flights; we think that many people will get tired flying in such an environment over four hours or so, but for shorter distances, like those found in Europe most of the time, these kind of companies offer the best value for your money.