AFRICA - AN EASY JUMP IN RYAN'S WORLD
28 February 2007

Not long ago, low-cost airlines flew mainly to non-jazzy destinations like, off the beaten track, literally. Good for the local economy, less good for the traveller schlepping luggage on trains or/and busses in order to reach the far-away airport. That is part of the package and shouldn't be complained about in my opinion. Say what you want about Ryanair's air host/esses and their sometimes plastic smiles - which shouln't come as surprise to any wise traveller - given their 20 minute turn around times - but low cost airlines have opened up the skies to everyone.

The 0,99 Pound + taxes phenomenon is somehow one thing when buying a ticket from London Stansted to Göteborg City, or Glasgow Prestwick to Brussels Charleroi - rather unexotic destinations for a north European like me.

Buying a Ryanair ticket for under a tenner plus taxes to Marrakech or Fez, is very different. You'll fly the on same Boeing with the same pilots and host/esses, same inflight magazine, "deals" and scratchcards, but flying to a very different world. Morocco is just across the Strait of Gibraltar but somehow the extended Ryan-arm makes it feel closer to Europe.

My dilemma is if I think this is good. For Morocco it's healthy - more visitors bring more dirhams and hopefully it creates some jobs too. But what I'm struggling with is the sensation that there is a direct correlation between the easy access and cheap price and that the world starts feeling too accessible, too small. There is something romantic about planning a complicated trip on an unfamiliar airline...where you can taste your detination even before arriving... Somehow it should be a bit more difficult to plan a trip to a different continent.