Flying for free (but paying for luggage and taxes)

Last night I booked a flight from Dublin to London Heathrow with Aer Lingus, departing two weeks from now. The flight was free. As you can see, all Aer Lingus flights from Dublin to London are free, all that week. I paid for taxes (just under 23 pounds sterling, or $40 at today's exchange rate). And, I paid 8 pounds to check a bag ($14).



Just to show this is not an Aer Lingus only thing, Ryanair does the same thing. Take a look at the front page of their site.



Cheap flights are something I really miss from living in Europe. Let's say you live in Dublin and want a quick break to London (or France, or Spain). You can do that with Aer Lingus or Ryanair. But, living in Boston and thinking "how about a break to New York City sometime in the next few weeks", there simply are no flight options as cheap as this. And, further afield, what about a really cheap break to Quebec or Florida? Not as cheap as the European equivalent, no matter how early you book (unless I am missing something?....)