Low-cost airline, from the English. low-cost - a low price, these are air carrier companies, whose plane tickets are much lower than the prices for ordinary companies. There are more than 40 such air discounters operating both domestic and international flights in Europe alone.
Instructions
Step 1
The first company to fly low-cost short-haul flights to the Southwest United States in 1971 is called Southwest Airlines. It appeared after the state requirements for airlines were somewhat reduced. The low cost of tickets was due to the use of a unique business model, which significantly reduced the costs of the airline itself for the delivery of air passengers. The flights were organized according to the point-to-point system, which excluded the use of central airports. In addition, Southwest Airlines' seats were not subdivided into classes, which reduced service time and, consequently, the time that the company's aircraft spent in airport stands, which also reduced costs and increased the number of flights.
Step 2
This business model turned out to be surprisingly profitable, despite the fact that the cost of tickets, especially purchased in advance, could be several times lower than on regular flights of other companies. In some cases, participants in the shares could fly from continent to continent for literally a few dollars. After introducing some additional economic solutions to further increase productivity and lower ticket prices, new low-cost airlines have emerged, of which there are more than 40 in Europe alone.
Step 3
Substantial savings are achieved through the use of secondary airports located close to destinations, which are significantly less congested, as well as the cost of servicing aircraft at a standstill. As a rule, the time of flights on the planes of low-cost airlines is not very convenient - early morning or late evening. The general features of flights also include the absence of seats indicated in the boarding pass during check-in; paid baggage, for which you must pay money at the stage of booking, since if you pay directly at the airport, the cost of its transportation can double. In addition, food and drinks must be paid separately when booking. Buying tickets and checking in for a flight via the Internet will be cheaper than buying tickets at the box office and checking in at the airport.
Step 4
The main advantages of low-cost airlines are a high degree of flight safety and accurate adherence to the schedule. For all the time of their existence, these companies have not had a single case associated with human casualties. The use of technology, the age of which does not exceed 3 years, allows not only to increase flight safety, but also to reduce the time for maintenance and repair. The disadvantages of low-cost airlines include the impossibility of exchanging tickets and rather strict conditions for their return.
Step 5
Until recently, there were also two air carriers in Russia - Avianova and Sky Express, which operated as low-cost airlines using this business model. But in Russian realities, it turned out to be not very viable, since there are almost no secondary airports in the country. In addition, the average age of the aircraft used by these companies was approaching 20 years. Recently, under the auspices of Aeroflot, the new Russian low-cost airline Dobrolet, a low-cost airline operating from Moscow to Simferopol, Volgograd and Perm, began flights. They promise that soon the company's planes will start flying to the most popular destinations in the European part of Russia, including Krasnodar, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Makhachkala, etc. By mid-2015, it is planned to make the fourth Moscow airport "Ramenskoye" a base for low-cost airlines.
Step 6
Currently, some European discounters fly to Russia, in particular: German companies Air Berlin and Germanwings, Austrian Niki, Italian Air One, English EasyJet, Norwegian Norwegian, Spanish Vueling and Turkish Pegasus Airlines.
