BA to offer budget 'no-frills' flights

British Airways is set to up the competition for budget airlines, by offering 'no-frills' flights at a discounted rate. Passengers with only hand luggage can take advantage of a discount of £10 on the cost of short haul flights to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paris, Rome, Rotterdam and Stockholm.

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The airline introduced the policy on some of its short haul flights from Gatwick earlier this year, but flights from Heathrow and London City airport are also now included. And the 'hand luggage only' discount means that a customer travelling from Heathrow to Edinburgh will pay as little as £37.

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According to The Independent, Robin Glover-Faure, BA's head of short haul, explained that the policy had been extended following great success at Gatwick.
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The £10 discount is in line with easyJet's charge for checking in baggage, while Ryanair's charge for passengers with hold luggage is £5 more expensive. Furthermore, the airline faces much less competition from budget airlines at Heathrow and City airports.

Aviation consultant John Strickland told The Independent: "BA, more than any other traditional 'legacy' carriers, has taken on board many of the successes of low-cost carriers.

"They've tested this idea at Gatwick and found that it works."

What do you think? Would you rather take advantage of BA's discount than fly with a budget airline? Leave your comments below...