What's the best route to the beach?

OUR summer holidays used to start with a charter flight to Faro or Malaga and end with one back a week or two later. But now the low- cost airlines are straying into chartered waters - of easyJet's 17 routes, four are now to traditional charter destinations - and travellers have a wider choice than ever.

easyJet chief executive Ray Webster says: "Passengers are increasingly looking to do it themselves, as opposed to buying a package, as it's now cheaper that way."

What's more, you can stay for eight, nine or 10 days instead of seven or 14.

However, holidaymakers booked on a no-frills carrier during last week's strikes might have wished they had bought a seat-only flight with a charter operator. Wednesday's protests by air-traffic controllers in France, Portugal, Italy and Greece, followed by Thursday's general strike in Spain, meant the easiest thing for low- cost airlines was to pull the flights.

Passengers still in England had the task of battling for space on another flight in a busy period, while those stuck abroad had to fork out for extra accommodation.

By contrast, tour operators turned up trumps. While Ryanair left the onus on passengers to discover if their flights had been cancelled and then rebook them, MyTravel (formerly Airtours) called its customers, rescheduled flights and offered hotel accommodation.

"In a situation like this, you are better off with a charter airline, which has a responsibility to get you from A to B," says Simon Evans, chief executive of the Air Transport Users Council. "This is where you find out the quid pro quo for cheap tickets on no- frills carriers."

While the rise of the no-frills airlines made charters seem outdated, travel companies are fighting back and taking on the low- cost carriers at their own game.

Thomson, for instance, is making meals optional from summer 2003 on its Britannia airline, while MyTravel plans to launch its own no- frills airline this autumn.

Before you squeeze into the last plane seat to the Med, here's what you need to know.

Pros and cons of charter v low-cost

Passenger obligations. Travel operators are not only obliged to get you to your destination, they adhere to guidelines laid down by the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) stating that delayed passengers must be offered "light refreshment" after three hours, food after six hours and accommodation after 12 hours. Ryanair has said it will provide none of these.

Price. It can be cheaper to take a charter to popular destinations than a so-called low-cost flight. In our table (see left), there was little evidence of very cheap fares on no-frills airlines, bar the fares to Palma, and only charters to the lesscommon destination of Verona were markedly more expensive than the no-frills equivalent. "Although 'no-frills' fares generally go up nearer departure date, charter flight-only prices can often be cheaper then," says Avro MD Stephen Rhodes.

Charters were even competitive on midweek departures and those booked well in advance.

Flexibility. Charters on popular routes now allow travel on most days of the week, and it's possible to fly into, say, Malaga, and out of Alicante.

Says Thomson MD Chris Mottershead: "Singles or returns can be bought, so people aren't restricted to seven or 14 nights."

Service. Most charters (not MyTravel) still include meals and some have inflight entertainment. Avro sometimes has charters on BA planes, so you get BA service for a charter price; you can see which planes are BA charters when you book. Because travel companies have representatives at airports, there is someone to sort out anything that goes wrong.

Financial protection. Charter companies are obliged to hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence (Atol), guaranteeing a refund if the company goes bust. If a no-frills airline collapses (although unlikely), you don't get your money back.

Special prices for kids. Under-12s get reduced rates on charters - JMC gives an average pounds 40 reduction - while no-frills airlines charge full price for children older than two.

Payment. You only pay a deposit on charter flights booked more than eight weeks before departure.

Secondary airports. No-frills airlines often use secondary airports - Ryanair flies into Brescia, 40 minutes by train from Verona.

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