Get the low-down on the best flight deals around, from one of the editors of Mr and Mrs Smith guidebooks

We all know that EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) offers bargain-basement flights from 12 UK airports to destinations all over Europe from Amsterdam to Zurich. But this orange-winged wonder is just one of many airlines that whisk you away cheaply, each with variable amenities like assigned seats, food and drink, and flexibility on changes. Surf the websites below for next-to-nothing specials, and you might find yourself flying to some of Europe's hotspots for less than the bus fare to your local leisure centre (minus taxes, charges and airport fees, of course). These are listed in order from practically nothing to merely cheap.

Tip: When booking flights, enter your flight requirements into www.skyscanner.net to search all airlines at once (including budget ones), to get a range of prices.

£ - some flights £10 or less
£ £ - one-way flights £20 or less
£ £ £ - return £40 or above

£ - some flights £10 or less

Ryanair (www.ryanair.com; 0871 246 0000)
Destinations: From 18 airports in the UK and six in Ireland to airports in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Latvia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden
Seating available: One class, no seat numbers
Rates: From £Free
Food: Snacks and drinks available to purchase
Flexibility: Flight dates, times and routes are changeable for a fee of £15 on their website or £20 on the phone, plus any difference in flight cost, up to 12 hours prior to departure on the internet or three hours on the phone

Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com; +48 22 500 9499)
Destinations: London Luton to Poland and Hungary (and from there to major European cities including London, Rome, Paris, Athens, Copenhagen)
Seating available: One class; there are no seat numbers
Rates: They have 100,000 seats up for grabs for € 1, lots more at € 19,99 (not including taxes, fees or charges); but an average one-way fare from London to Warsaw and Budapest is about € 40 (£27)
Food: Snacks and drinks available to purchase
Flexibility: There's a charge of € 25 to change the date of your flight, which can be done up to three hours before the flight

£ £ - one-way flights £20 or less

Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com; 0870 738 8880)
Destinations: London, Manchester and Southampton to Austria, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey
Seating available: Only one class. You can reserve your seats for a charge of £8, otherwise they are allocated at check-in
Rates: Deals start at £19 (including taxes and fees) to destinations including Majorca, then many fares start at £32, including Barcelona
Food: Depending on the length of the flight or time of day, cold or hot meals are served
Flexibility: There's a charge of € 25 to change your flight, up to one day before

Basiqair (www.basiqair.com/en; 020 7365 4997)
Destinations: London Stansted to Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Faro, Girona, Madrid, Malaga, Milan, Naples, Nice, Oslo, Pisa, Stockholm, Venice, Verona
Seating available: Allocated seating at check-in
Rates: One-way flights (excluding tax and charges) start at € 29,99 (£20).
Food: Snacks and drinks available to purchase
Flexibility: You can change up to one hour prior to departure, by phone (€ 25) or on the Internet (€ 20)

BMI Baby (www.bmibaby.com; 0870 264 2229)
Destinations: London Gatwick and Stansted, Teeside, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Ireland, Scotland to Alicante, Amsterdam, Bordeaux, Faro, Geneva, Ibiza, Jersey, Malaga, Murcia, Nice, Palma, Paris, Prague, Toulouse
Seating available: One class; seats can be allocated at time of booking
Rates: Fares start at £14.99 one way (includes taxes and charges) from Birmingham
Food: Snacks and drinks available to purchase
Flexibility: Change your travel plans up to three hours before you fly, for £15 (£17.50 through call centre) and any difference in fare. Name changes can only be made on the phone, and cost £30 per change

EU Jet (www.eujet.com; 0870 414 1414)
Destinations: Kent International Airport to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Girona, Glasgow, Jersey, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Milan, Murcia, Nice, Palma, Prague, Salzburg, Toulouse, Turin, Zurich
Seating available: Choose where you sit when you book online
Rates: Returns from € 39 (£27; including taxes)
Food: Snacks and drinks available to purchase
Flexibility: £15 per change up to two hours before flying

FlyBe (www.flybe.com; 0871 700 0535)
Destinations: Birmingham to Salzburg, Toulouse, Jersey, Guernsey Perpignan; Bristol to Bergerac, Bordeaux, Toulouse; Exeter to Alicante, Bergerac, Malaga; Southampton to Alicante, Bergerac, Chambery, Geneva, La Rochelle, Malaga, Murcia, Prague, Toulouse - all airports fly throughout the UK and to Channel Islands
Seating available: Economy and Economy Plus (unlimited changes for free)
Rates: Flights start at £38 return (including taxes)
Food: Snacks and drinks available to purchase
Flexibility: € 25 per change, plus any difference in fare

JET2.COM (www.jet2.com; 0871 2261737)
Destinations: Leeds and Bradford to Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Faro, Geneva, Malaga, Murcia, Nice, Palma, Prague and Venice
Seating available: One class; seat allocation is on a first come, first served basis
Rates: Special offers start online at £38 return (including taxes)
Food: Snacks and drinks available to purchase
Flexibility: Change the date or passenger name, up to three hours before for a fee of £15 plus any difference in fare; destination changes are not permitted

My Travel Lite (www.mytravellite.com; 08701 564 564)
Destinations: Birmingham to Alicante, Barcelona, Almeria, Barcelona, Dublin, Faro, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Knock, Lanzarote, Mahon, Malaga, Murica, Palma, Tenerife
Seating available: Seats allocated at check-in
Rates: They regularly have flight offers to sunspots starting from £29 (including taxes)
Food: Order a meal from www.alphadlish.com 36 hours before departure and it is delivered to your seat
Flexibility: Change names or date, not destination, up to three hours before departure for £25

£ £ £ - return £40 or above

FlyGlobespan (www.flyglobespan.com; 0131 312 2402)
Destinations: From Edinburgh and Glasgow to Barcelona, Nice, Prague, Rome, Venice
Seating available: One class; seats allocated at check-in
Rates: Flights from about £35 one-way (including taxes)
Food: Snacks and drinks available to purchase
Flexibility: You can change dates up to 30 days prior to departure for £15, and names up to two days before, for £15

Monarch (www.flymonarch.com; 08700 406300)
Destinations: Luton, Gatwick and Manchester to Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Gibralter, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Malaga, Menorca, Palma, Tenerife
Seating available: One class; seats allocated at check-in
Rates: Saver fares (lowest prices available for fixed travel arrangements) and Flexible fares (unlimited changes); occasionally promotional fares called Supersavers are available. Saver offers tend to start at £32, one-way (excluding taxes)
Food: Traditional set meal, plus the option of buying a hot meal, salad or full English breakfast and drinks
Flexibility: Change your flight for a charge of £10 per person, plus any difference in fare

Prices and details were correct at time of publication