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Monday, March 24, 2014

Flight Ticket Booking in Low-Cost Carriers – A Boon For Budget Fliers

The demand for cheap air tickets domestic as well as international has significantly increased in the last few decades. This can be attributed to the fact that flying has become a more feasible and easier option to travel long distances in a short span of time. Due to their fast lifestyle and lack of free time, people opt for travelling by air even for short distances across cities today. This has led to an increase in the demand for cheap tickets paving the way for the rise of low-cost carriers (LCCs). If travellers are not looking for premium travelling experience while flying, then opting for these carriers might be the best solution. They generally offer cheapest rates, and opting for them helps to might cut down on travel expenses by a significant margin.

LCCs are also known as budget, no-frills or discount carriers as they focus on providing mandatory quality services. They usually charge separately for facilities like food, seat allocation, priority boarding and baggage during the trip. Travellers who do not want to spend excess money on flying can consider flight ticket booking with a budget airline. There are a number of advantages of these carriers, both for fliers and the owning company.

Advantages of Operating LCCs

Budget airlines are not only convenient options for travellers, but they are also equally advantageous for operators. To begin with, low-cost flights have short stoppages at airports that increase the use of fleet that cuts down on expenses on demurrage (period for which the aircraft stays at the airport). Besides, operators of such airlines do not have to worry about additional services like free goodies, food and entertainment. This not only avoids the complexity of services, but also reduces ancillary costs. Additionally, this factor invites extra revenue that is charged for catering and extra baggage. Moreover, owners of these carriers have to pay less landing and other airport fees because their flights generally land on secondary and regional terminals. Moreover, they have standardised fleet – mostly only one type of aircraft with higher seating density. This results in lower maintenance costs, easier exchange of on-board crew and increased usage of aircraft.

Impact of LCCs on Tourism

Budget airlines fly across cities, states and sometimes across several nations. The advent of low-cost carriers has rendered positive impacts on the tourism industry of most countries. These airlines play a significant role in the development of weekend and short-break tourism, and in bringing about a radical expansion of potential destinations. They are extending the frequency of travel for leisure through various travel portals, where travellers can not only buy a flight ticket, but can also book hotels and hire cars. Cheap airlines target a wide range of overlapping niche markets, ranging from cultural tourism to pensioners wintering abroad.

Discount airlines have assorted perks for all – travellers, operators and the tourism industry. It is fast developing and being considered to thrive further in the coming decades.

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