What is a low-cost airline? This word can often be heard on television and found in the press. However, its true meaning is not familiar to all people, and may not be known at all.
In this article we will tell you what the term "low-cost" means and in what situations it is appropriate to use it.
What does low-cost airline mean
Translated from English, the expression "low cost" means - "low price". Low-cost is a budget-friendly way to fly from one destination to another. In simple terms, a low-cost airline is an airline that offers extremely low fares in exchange for canceling most of the traditional passenger services.
Today the low-cost airline is very popular all over the world. Low-cost airlines use various cost-cutting schemes. At the same time, they all focus on the client, finding out what is more important to him.
As practice shows, for the overwhelming majority of passengers, the price of the ticket is important, and not the comfort during the flight. Low-cost airlines, or discounters as they are also called, strive to reduce all possible costs, saving on personnel, service and other components.
Low-cost airlines usually use one type of aircraft, which allows them to reduce the costs of personnel training and equipment maintenance. That is, the need to train pilots to fly on new ships disappears, as well as to purchase new equipment for maintenance.
Low-cost airlines focus on short, direct routes. Unlike more expensive airlines, discounters are abandoning a number of traditional services for passengers, and also making their staff universal:
- in addition to their direct duties, the aircraft crew checks tickets and is responsible for the cleanliness of the cabin;
- air tickets are sold on the Internet, and not from cashiers;
- seats are not indicated on the tickets, which contributes to quick boarding;
- more budgetary airports are used;
- takeoff takes place early in the morning or late in the evening, when discounts apply;
- there are no entertainment and vows on board (all additional services are paid separately);
- the distance between the seats is reduced, thereby increasing the passenger capacity.
These are far from all the components of a low-cost airline, which reduce the comfort during the flight, but allow passengers to save a lot of money.