While US airlines have bumped prices so sharply that some frequent fliers are turning to the bus, a European airline is getting ready to sell you a ticket to London that costs less than an entree at the Olive Garden.

Low-cost Irish monster Ryanair announced that it plans to begin flying from Europe to the US, with economy tickets starting at 10 Euros, or around $13.00. Ryanair expects to make money on the flights by sticking to its wildly successful European business model of charging passengers for almost everything but the air they breathe, and by offering a more traditional business cabin in the front of the plane.

Ryanair's plan is to offer flights between its base at Stansted, an outlying London airport that is popular with the budget crowd, and New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and cities in Florida. Ryanair doesn't have the planes to get started right away, but the airline's outspoken CEO Michael O'Leary says that with the recession sure to put dents in the order books of Boeing and Airbus, there are deals to be made.

If a $15 flight to Europe sounds too good to be true, that's because it is.

In Europe, Ryanair often gives tickets away, with passengers responsible for only taxes and fees. And it's the fees where the airline makes its money, collecting buckets of cash by charging for everything from mandatory travel insurance and credit card processing to the privilege of using a telephone or ticket counter to communicate with the airline. Another profit center for Ryanair is its QVC-in-the-sky approach to in-flight service, with cabin crews hawking everything from sandwiches and sodas to jewelery, perfume, lottery tickets, and cell phone minutes.

It's a model that has worked well in Europe, where Ryanair has spread like a fungus, flying 65 million passengers a year to

145 cities, and leaving its Irish competitor Aer Lingus in the dirt. But the airline hasn't been immune to the

financial pressure facing the industry – expansion has slowed and it recently announced a 50 percent drop in profits.

And cheap fares alone won't guarantee success. I'm all about finding a bargain, but I appreciate a plane with seat back pockets, window shades, and reclining seats, especially on a nine hour flight to Europe. If my fellow travelers feel the same way, then Ryanair's transatlantic strategy may not fly.

Photo by Flickr user Jon Gos