How Budget Airlines Work

Budget airlines focus on the biggest expense: airplanes. They buy new, fuel-efficient planes in bulk to get huge discounts and save on fuel costs. For example, after 9/11, when plane prices dropped, Ryanair bought 150 airplanes. They also stick to one type of plane: Ryanair uses only Boeing 737s, while EasyJet flies only Airbus A320s. This standardization reduces maintenance costs and simplifies training for pilots and crew.

These airlines use seats that don’t recline and don’t have pockets, which are cheaper to buy, easier to maintain, and quicker to clean. Every little saving adds up.

Flight attendants on budget airlines do it all. They check passengers in, handle boarding, and sell snacks during the flight. Snacks are definitely not free, and every service is an opportunity to make extra revenue.

Big airports like London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle have high landing fees. Budget airlines use smaller, less busy airports where they can negotiate better deals. This helps keep ticket prices low.

Budget airlines maximize plane usage by flying all day with minimal turnaround times. They aim for 30-minute turnarounds with first-come, first-serve seating, so passengers board quickly. They also use buses instead of expensive jetways to move passengers to and from the plane.

To avoid the cost and complexity of transferring bags and rebooking delayed flights, budget airlines don’t offer connecting flights. Passengers book each leg of their journey separately.

All these cost-saving measures mean budget airlines often have higher profit margins than traditional airlines. They cut costs wherever possible and find additional revenue streams, like charging for snacks, extra legroom, and priority boarding.

By focusing on efficiency, cutting unnecessary costs, and finding new ways to generate revenue, budget airlines can offer incredibly low fares. The next time you book a cheap flight, you’ll know exactly how they manage to keep prices so low while still turning a profit.

Would you fly with a budget airline?

Stay tuned,

BREEFX ✨

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