Boeing 737-700 of UK low cost carrier easyJet waiting for take off at Bristol

A low-cost carrier or low cost airline (also known as a no-frills or discount carrier / airline) is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services. The concept originated in the United States before spreading to Europe in the early 1990s and subsequently to much of the rest of the world. The term originated within the airline industry referring to airlines with a low - or lower - operating cost structure than their competitors. Through popular media the term has since come to define any carrier with low ticket prices and limited services regardless of their operating costs. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1095, 609 KB) Boeing 737-700 of UK low cost carrier easyJet waiting for take off at Bristol International Airport, England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1095, 609 KB) Boeing 737-700 of UK low cost carrier easyJet waiting for take off at Bristol International Airport, England. ... easyJet is a low cost airline officially known as easyJet Airline Company Limited, based at London Luton Airport. ... Bristol International Airport (IATA: BRS, ICAO: EGGD) is the main commercial airport serving the city of Bristol and the surrounding area in England, UK. // History In 1927 a group of local businessmen raised £6,000 through public subscription to inaugurate a flying club at Filton Aerodrome. ... Southwest Airlines is not to be confused with Southwest Air Lines, a former Japanese airline that is now known as Japan Transocean Air; or Air Southwest, a low-cost British airline. ... Oakland International Airport (IATA: OAK, ICAO: KOAK), also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is an airport located 4 miles (6 km) south of downtown Oakland in Alameda County, California. ... No-frills or no frills is the term used to describe any service or product for which the non-essential features (or frills) have been removed. ... Discounts and allowances are modifications to the basic price. ... A Boeing 747-400 of Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the UKs largest airlines. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ...

Business model

Typical low-cost carrier business model practices include: The term business model is relatively recent. ...

• a single passenger class
• a single type of airplane, commonly the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 (reducing training and servicing costs) except for Song (airline) Boeing 757 and Kingfisher Airlines order of the A380.
• a simple fare scheme (typically fares increase as the plane fills up, which rewards early reservations)
• unreserved seating (encouraging passengers to board early and quickly)
• flying to cheaper, less congested secondary airports (avoiding air traffic delays and taking advantage of lower landing fees)
• short flights and fast turnaround times (allowing maximum utilization of planes)
• simplified routes, emphasizing point-to-point transit instead of transfers at hubs (again enhancing aircraft utilization and eliminating disruption due to delayed passengers or luggage missing connecting flights)
• emphasis on direct sales of tickets, especially over the Internet (avoiding fees and commissions paid to travel agents and Computer Reservations Systems)
• employees working in multiple roles, for instance flight attendants also cleaning the aircraft or working as gate agents (limiting personnel costs)
• "Free" in-flight catering and other "complimentary" services are eliminated, and replaced by optional paid-for in-flight food and drink (which represent an additional profit source for the airline).
• Aggressive fuel hedging programs.
• "Unbundling" of ancillary charges (showing airport fees, taxes as separate charges rather than as part of the advertised fare) to make the "headline fare" appear lower.
• Low or lower operating costs relative to their competitors.

Not every low-cost carrier implements all of the above points (for example, some try to differentiate themselves with allocated seating, while others operate more than one aircraft type, still others will have relatively high operating costs but lower fares). Nonetheless these are general characteristics, most of which apply to any given low-cost carrier. An Air France Boeing 777, a modern passenger jet. ... The Airbus A320 is a short-to-medium range commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by Airbus. ... The Boeing 737 is the worlds most popular medium range - narrow body commercial passenger jet aircraft. ... Song was a low-cost airline brand owned and operated by Delta Air Lines. ... American Airlines Boeing 757 Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 at LAX in August 2003. ... Kingfisher Airlines is a new airline based in Bangalore, India. ... The Airbus A380 manufactured by Airbus S.A.S. is a double-decker, four engined airliner capable of flying 800 passengers in a high density format or 555 passengers in a typical three-class configuration. ... A travel agency is a store where individuals or families go to buy travel packages. ... A computer reservations system, or CRS, is a computerized system used to store and retrieve information and conduct transactions related to travel. ...

Particular characteristics of the United States market

The principal area of competition tends to be the full-coach or "walk-up" fare. Advance purchase fares tend to be competitive with major carriers but not significantly lower. Most successful LCCs try to offer a modicum of additional benefits, such as better on-time performance or more leg room. AirTran Airways has been very successful with its low-fare Business Class, while Frontier and JetBlue offer live in-flight television. Major carrier is a designation given by the United States Department of Transportation to U.S.-based airlines that post more than $1 billion in revenue during a fiscal year. ... AirTran Airways (IATA: FL, ICAO: TRS, and Callsign: Citrus) is a low-cost airline based in Orlando, Florida, USA and is a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings. ... Frontier Airlines NASDAQ: FRNT is a low-cost airline based at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado, USA. It operates flights throughout the United States and Mexico. ... jetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU) is an American low-cost airline. ...

History

The first successful low-cost carrier was Pacific Southwest Airlines in the United States, which pioneered the concept when their first flight took place on May 6, 1949. Often, this credit has been incorrectly given to Southwest Airlines which began service in 1971 and has been profitable every year since 1973. With the advent of aviation deregulation the model spread to Europe as well, the most notable successes being Ireland's Ryanair, which began low-fares operations in 1991, and easyJet, formed in 1995. Low cost carriers developed in Asia and Oceania from 2000 led by operators such as Malaysia's Air Asia, and Australia's Virgin Blue. The low-cost carrier model is applicable worldwide, although deregulated markets are most suited for its rapid spread. In 2006, new LCCs were announced in Saudi Arabia and Mexico. Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was an airline based in San Diego, California, and one of the first large discount airlines in the United States. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Southwest Airlines is not to be confused with Southwest Air Lines, a former Japanese airline that is now known as Japan Transocean Air; or Air Southwest, a low-cost British airline. ... Deregulation is the process by which governments remove restrictions on business in order to (in theory) encourage the efficient operation of markets. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... Ryanair ISEQ: RYA LSE: RYA NASDAQ: RYAAY is an Irish airline headquartered in Dublin, although its biggest operational base is at London Stansted Airport. ... easyJet is a low cost airline officially known as easyJet Airline Company Limited, based at London Luton Airport. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Oceania is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands but sometimes including Australia—in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. ... AirAsia is a low-cost airline based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ... Virgin Blue is an Australian low-cost airline founded by the British businessman Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group. ...

Low-cost carriers pose a serious threat to traditional "full service" airlines, since the high cost structure of full-service carriers prevents them from competing effectively on price - the most important factor among most consumers when selecting a carrier. From 2001 to 2003, when the aviation industry was rocked by terrorism, war and SARS, the large majority of traditional airlines suffered heavy losses while low-cost carriers generally stayed profitable. This article is becoming very long. ... The United States detonated an atomic bomb over Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. ... Sars may refer to any of the following: Severe acute respiratory syndrome, commonly abbreviated as SARS Michael Sars, a Norwegian biologist, father of Georg Sars Georg Sars, a Norwegian biologist, son of Michael Sars Special Administrative Regions, commonly abbreviated as SARs Sars, Perm Krai, an urban settlement in Perm Krai...

Many carriers opted to launch their own no-frills airlines, such as KLM's Buzz, British Airways' Go, and United's Ted, but have found it difficult to avoid cannibalizing their core business. Exceptions to this have been bmi's bmibaby, Scandinavian Airlines System's Snowflake, germanwings which is controlled 49% by Lufthansa and Qantas's Jetstar all of which successfully operate alongside their full-service counterparts. KLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before its (agreed) take-over by Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands. ... buzz BAe 146-300 buzz was a low-cost airline based at London Stansted operating services to Europe. ... British Airways (LSE: BAY, NYSE: BAB) is the largest airline of the United Kingdom. ... Go Fly Boeing 737 Go Fly was the registered name of a British airline, usually trading as Go, now merged into easyJet. ... Various United Airlines tails United Airlines, the primary subsidiary of the UAL Corporation, is a major airline of the United States headquartered in unincorporated Elk Grove Township, Illinois, near Chicagos OHare International Airport, the airlines largest traffic hub. ... A Ted A-320 in December 2005 Ted is a low-cost airline operating in the United States, a subsidiary of United Airlines. ... The correct title of this article is bmi. ... The correct title of this article is bmibaby. ... Scandinavian Airlines System is a multi-national airline for Norway, Denmark and Sweden, and the leading carrier in the Nordic countries. ... Germanwings Airbus A319 at Dortmund Airport Germanwing Airbus A319 Germanwings is a low fares airline based in Cologne, Germany. ... Lufthansa (Deutsche Lufthansa AG) is the largest German airline. ... Qantas (pronounced ) is the name and callsign of the worlds second oldest continuously running independent airline behind KLM. Qantas is an acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service. ... For the aircraft, see Lockheed JetStar. ...

For holiday destinations, low cost airlines also compete with seat-only charter sales. However, the inflexibility of charters (particularly as regards length of stay) makes them unpopular with many travellers.

The entry of new nations into the European Union from Eastern Europe and moves towards compliance with EU legislation by those who have not yet joined, has led to an extension of open skies arrangements. This has led to the establishment of low-cost routes by existing and new operators such as Wizz Air. From 2004 to 2006 routes have been established into Bulgaria, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Low cost airlines are also now starting to fly into Turkey. The definition of continental subregions in use by the United Nations. ... The Open Skies system is an integrated web-enabled reservation and inventory system suite that includes Internet, call center, airport departure control functionality and more. ... Wizz Air is a Polish/Hungarian low-cost airline focusing on the markets of Central Europe. ...

In Canada, Air Canada has found it difficult to compete with new low-cost rivals such as Westjet, Canjet, and Jetsgo despite its previously dominant position in the market: Air Canada entered a period of bankruptcy protection in 2003, but emerged from protection in September 2004. Air Canada operated two low-fare subsidiaries, Tango and Zip, but both were discontinued. (Jetsgo itself ceased operations on March 11, 2005.) Air Canada, Canadas largest airline and flag carrier, has its corporate headquarters in Montreal, Quebec and was founded in 1937. ... WestJet TSX: WJA is a Canadian low-cost carrier based in Calgary, Alberta that flies to most major cities in Canada and now 11 cities in the United States. ... For the airport located in Cajamarca, Cajamarca, Peru see My. ... Jetsgo (IATA: SG, ICAO: JGO, and Callsign: Jetsgo) was a Canadian low-cost carrier based in Montreal, which served 19 destinations across Canada, 10 destinations in the United States, and 12 scheduled weekend-charter destinations in the Caribbean. ... Air Canada, Canadas largest airline and flag carrier, has its corporate headquarters in Montreal, Quebec and was founded in 1937. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Air Canada Tango was a discount airline launched by Air Canada in 2001 to offer no-frills service on some of Air Canadas routes and to reduce operating costs at the struggling Air Canada. ... Zip (IATA: 3J, ICAO: WZP, and Callsign: Zipper) was a Canadian discount airline based in Calgary, Alberta launched by Air Canada as a no-frills subsidiary in September 2002. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

India's first low-cost airline, Air Deccan started service on August 25, 2003. The airline's fares for the Delhi-Bangalore route were 30% less than those offered by its rivals such as Indian Airlines, Air Sahara and Jet Airways on the same route. The success of Air Deccan has spurred the entry of more than a dozen low-cost airlines in India. Air Deccan now faces stiff competition from other low-cost Indian carriers such as Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet, GoAir and Paramount Airways. IndiGo Airlines recently placed an order for 100 Airbus A320s worth 6 billion USD during the Paris Air Show, the highest by any Asian domestic carrier. Air Deccan is an airline based in Bangalore, India. ... August 25 is the 237th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (238th in leap years), with 128 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that National Capital Territory of Delhi be merged into this article or section. ... Bangalore (Kannada: ; in Kannada and // in English) is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. ... New A319 OF Indian Airlines rebranded as Indian Indian Airlines (Hindi: इंडियन एयरलाइन्स) is Indias state owned primarily domestic airline, under the federal Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and based in New Delhi. ... Air Sahara is an airline based in New Delhi, India. ... Jet Airways is an airline based in India, serving domestic and international routes. ... Kingfisher Airlines is a new airline based in Bangalore, India. ... SpiceJet is an airline based in New Delhi in India. ... GO AIR GO AIR is a low cost carrier promoted by the Wadia group,which was launched on Dec 12, 2005 ... Paramount Airways is a low-cost airline operating in India and has its headquarters at Coimbatore, in Southern India // History The airline was launched on 19 October 2005 by the Paramount Group, a leading Indian textile manufacturer based in Madurai. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... The Airbus A320 is a short-to-medium range commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by Airbus. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... The Paris Air Show (Salon International de lAéronautique et de lEspace, Paris-Le Bourget) is an international trade fair for the aerospace business. ...

In Finland the competition went in a different direction, as the national carrier Finnair lowered prices so that the low-cost competitor Flying Finn was forced to cease its operations. Three months after Flying Finn's bankruptcy, the other operator Blue1 began flights to three of Flying Finn's most profitable destinations. Finnair Airbus A320-200 Finnair MD-11 Finnair is Finlands biggest airline and the national flag carrier. ... OH-LMR in Helsinki-Vantaa November 2003 Flying Finn was a low cost airline, based at Helsinki-Vantaa airport, Finland. ... Blue1 is an airline based in Helsinki, Finland. ...

In Norway the first low cost carrier was ColorAir in 1998. Their low prices were matched by competitors SAS and Braathens, and Color Air folded in 1999. The next low cost carrier, Norwegian Air Shuttle (or Norwegian), starting their Boeing 737 operations in September 2002, provided tougher competition for the merged Norwegian part of SAS and Braathens. Although Norwegian started with domestic routes, today their international operations are larger than their domestic service. By launching nonstop flights from cities like Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim in addition to Oslo, they soon became very popular. Norwegians are amongst the most frequent fliers in the world, mostly due to the geography of the country but also due to the high level of income. Scandinavian Airlines System is a multi-national airline for Norway, Denmark and Sweden, and the leading carrier in the Nordic countries. ... Braathens airline , until 1997 known as Braathens S.A.F.E or Braathens South American and Far East Air Transport A/S merged with the Norwegian part of Scandinavian Airlines to become SAS Braathens in 2004. ... Color Air was the first Norwegian low-cost airline, operating from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen between 1998 and 1999. ... Norwegian Boeing 737-300 LN-KKP Kirsten Flagstad Norwegian Air Shuttle is a Norwegian airline, with headquarters at Fornebu outside the countrys capital Oslo and its main base at Gardermoen (Oslo Airport) . Norwegian Air Shuttle is also referred to as Norwegian, which is the companys commercial brand. ... The Boeing 737 is the worlds most popular medium range - narrow body commercial passenger jet aircraft. ... County Rogaland District Jæren Municipality NO-1103 Administrative centre Stavanger Mayor (2005) Leif Johan Sevland Official language form BokmÃ¥l Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 406 71 km² 68 km² 0. ... County Hordaland District Midhordland Municipality NO-1201 Administrative centre Bergen Mayor (2004) Herman Friele (H) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 215 465 km² 445 km² 0. ... County Sør-Trøndelag District Municipality NO-1601 Administrative centre Trondheim Mayor (2005) Rita Ottervik (A) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 258 342 km² 322 km² 0. ... County Oslo NO-03 District Viken Municipality NO-0301 Administrative centre Oslo Mayor (2004) Per Ditlev-Simonsen (H) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 224 454 km² {{{arealand}}} km² 0. ...

Australia's first low cost airline was Compass which launched operations in 1990 but was short lived. In 2000 Impulse and Virgin Blue commenced low cost operations bringing fierce competition to Australian cities. Virgin Blue has become the nation's second largest airline, whilst Qantas purchased Impulse and operated it in a 'wet leasing' arrangement before transforming it into its new low cost carrier Jetstar. Qantas has launched two low cost carriers: JetStar competes with Virgin Blue in the Australian domestic market, while Australian Airlines operated internationally to Asian destinations. In 2006 Qantas began operating the Australian Airlines operation in a 'wet leasing' arrangement which essentially means Australian Airlines crew and aircraft operate services under the Qantas brand. As at 2006, Qantas intends to continue developing a sole low-cost brand around Jetstar which will include international destinations. The name,Compass Airlines, operated in Australia for two brief periods in the early 1990s. ... Impulse Airlines was an airline that serviced the eastern seaboard of Australia. ... Virgin Blue is an Australian low-cost airline founded by the British businessman Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group. ... Qantas (pronounced ) is the name and callsign of the worlds second oldest continuously running independent airline behind KLM. Qantas is an acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service. ... A wet lease is any leasing arrangement whereby a company agrees to provide an aircraft and at least one pilot to another company. ... Jetstar Boeing 717 at Townsville Airport}, The first inaugural Jetstar flight to Townsville (30 October 2005) Jetstar Airways is an Australian domestic low-cost airline which launched in 2004. ... Qantas (pronounced ) is the name and callsign of the worlds second oldest continuously running independent airline behind KLM. Qantas is an acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service. ... Virgin Blue is an Australian low-cost airline founded by the British businessman Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group. ... {{Infobox_Airline | airline=Australian Airlines| logo=AO_Logo. ...

In 1995, Air New Zealand established a low-fare subsidiary, Freedom Air, in response to the commencement of discount trans-tasman services by the upstart Kiwi Airlines. Fierce competition on trans-Tasman routes lead to the collapse of Kiwi Airlines in 1996. Freedom Air continues to provide discount services between Australia and New Zealand. Wholly owned Qantas subsidiary Jetconnect was set up as a low cost New Zealand arm of Qantas, with Jetconnect operating all New Zealand domestic services and several trans tasman services in a 'wet leasing' arrangement, using the Qantas brand. Qantas has also launched trans-Tasman Jetstar flights . Air New Zealand (IATA: NZ, ICAO: ANZ, and Callsign: New Zealand) ASX: AIZ NZX: AIR is a major scheduled passenger airline based in Auckland, New Zealand. ... Freedom Air is a low-cost airline based in Auckland, New Zealand. ... Map of the Tasman Sea Satellite photo of the Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, some 2000 kilometres (1250 miles) across. ... For the airline operating in the United States with a similar name see Kiwi International Airlines. ... JetConnect is the New Zealand subsidiary of the Australian airline Qantas. ...

On May 5, 2004, Singapore's first low-cost carrier, Valuair was launched, prompting dominant carrier Singapore Airlines to invest in a new low-cost startup, Tiger Airways, to beat the competition. Not to be outdone, Singapore Changi Airport's second most dominant carrier, Qantas Airways, also started its Asian offshoot, Jetstar Asia Airways based in Singapore and commencing operations on December 13, 2004. Malaysia's Air Asia made repeated attempts to set up a Singaporean operation, but its insistence in using Seletar Airport, in addition to other demands to cut airport usage charges, delayed its abilities in gaining the relevant permits from the authorities in Singapore. This set-back may block Air Asia's Singapore expansion ambitions. In July 2005, the owners of Jetstar Asia took over Valuair and are merging the two carriers. In contrast with Air Asia, none of the Singaporean low-cost carriers are yet profitable. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Valuair Limited (Chinese: 惠旅航空; Thai: แวลูแอร์) is a Singapore-based budget airline. ... Singapore Airlines Limited (Abbreviated: SIA; Chinese: 新加坡航空公司; Pinyin: XÄ«njÄ«apō Hángkōng GōngsÄ«; abbreviated 新航) (IATA: SQ, ICAO: SIA, and Callsign: Singapore) SGX: S55 is the national airline of Singapore, and the worlds second-biggest carrier by market value. ... Tiger Airways Private Limited is a low-cost airline based in Singapore. ... Singapore Changi International Airport (Chinese: ; pinyin: XÄ«njiāpō Zhāngyí JÄ«chÇŽng; Malay: Lapangan Terbang Changi Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் சாங்கி விமானநிலையம்) or simply Changi Airport (IATA: SIN, ICAO: WSSS) is a major aviation hub in Asia. ... Qantas is Australias oldest and largest airline, and the worlds second oldest airline (after KLM). ... Jetstar Asia Airways Private Limited (Chinese: 捷星亚洲航空公司) is an airline based in Singapore. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... AirAsia is a low-cost airline based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ... Seletar Airport (Chinese: 实里达机场 (IATA code: XSP; ICAO code: WSSL)) in Singapore was the islands first international airport and was completed in 1929. ...

As the number of low-cost carriers has grown, these airlines have begun to compete with one another in addition to the traditional carriers. In the US, airlines have responded by introducing variations to the model. America West Airlines, now a part of the US Airways Group, offers a first class product, for example, while JetBlue Airways advertises satellite television. In Europe, the emphasis has remained on reducing costs and no-frills service. In 2004, Ryanair announced proposals to eliminate reclining seats, window blinds, seat headrest covers, and seat pockets from its aircraft.^{[citation needed]} America West Airlines (IATA: HP, ICAO: AWE, and Callsign: Cactus), operating as US Airways, is one of the United States ten major airlines. ... US Airways Group Inc. ... JetBlue Airways is an American low-cost airline owned by JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ: JBLU). ...

No-frills long-haul flights

The first airline offering no-frills transatlantic service was Freddie Laker's Laker Airways, which operated its famous "Skytrain" service between London and New York City during the late 1970s. The service was suspended after Laker's competitors, British Airways and Pan Am, were able to price Skytrain out of the market. Sir Frederick Alfred Laker (August 6, 1922 – February 9, 2006), better known as Sir Freddie Laker, was a British airline entrepreneur. ... Laker Airways was an airline founded by Sir Freddie Laker and his first son, Kevin, in 1966 as a Charter airline flying passengers and cargo all over the world and eventually was transformed into a low-cost carrier flying trans Atlantic and European flights. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ... British Airways (LSE: BAY, NYSE: BAB) is the largest airline of the United Kingdom. ... Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal international airline of the United States from the 1930s until its collapse in 1991. ...

In 2004 the Irish company Aer Lingus lowered its prices to compete with companies such as Ryanair and also started offering no-frills transatlantic flights for just above €100. Late in 2004 the Canadian airline Zoom Airlines also started selling transatlantic flights between Glasgow, UK; Manchester, UK; and Canada for £89. Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland. ... Ryanair ISEQ: RYA LSE: RYA NASDAQ: RYAAY is an Irish airline headquartered in Dublin, although its biggest operational base is at London Stansted Airport. ... Transatlantic flight is any flight of an aircraft, whether airplane, balloon or other device, which involves crossing the Atlantic Ocean -- with a starting point in North America or South America and ending in Europe or Africa, or vice versa. ... Zoom Airlines is a Canadian scheduled airline based in Ottawa, Ontario. ...

It has been suggested that an extended version of the Airbus A380, able to hold up to 780 passengers [1], would enable true low-cost long-haul service. While the per-seat costs of such an aircraft would be lower than the competition, there are fewer cost savings possible in a long-haul operation and therefore a long-haul low-cost operator would find it harder to differentiate itself from a conventional airline. In particular, low-cost carriers typically fly their aircraft for more hours and flights each day, scheduling the first departure early in the morning and the last arrival late at night. However, long-haul aircraft scheduling is more determined by timezone constraints (e.g. leaving the US East Coast in the evening and arriving in Europe the following morning), and the longer flight times mean there is less scope to increase aircraft utilization by adding one or two more short flights each day. Airbus S.A.S., based in Toulouse, France, is a leading aircraft manufacturer. ... The Airbus A380 manufactured by Airbus S.A.S. is a double-decker, four engined airliner capable of flying 800 passengers in a high density format or 555 passengers in a typical three-class configuration. ...

The industry magazine Airline Business recently analysed the potential for low-cost long-haul service [2] and concluded that a number of Asian carriers are closest to making such a model work.

In August 2006, Zoom Airlines announced that it was to establish a UK subsidiary, probably based at Gatwick Airport, to offer low-cost long-haul flights to the USA and India. Zoom Airlines is a Canadian scheduled airline based in Ottawa, Ontario. ... Gatwick Airport (IATA Airport Code: LGW, ICAO Airport Code: EGKK) is Londons second airport and the second largest airport in the UK after Heathrow. ...

Environmental impact

Air transport has been accused of contributing to global warming through the high carbon emissions of aircraft. Although the airline industry accounts for a relatively low percentage of emissions, this is growing rapidly, and in Europe at least, this growth is principally due to the expansion of the low-cost carriers' operations. There has been discussion of the possibility of imposing additional taxes on airline tickets or on aviation fuel[3], something which would particularly impact low-cost carriers' more price-sensitive customer bases and could severely impair their business model[4]. It should be noted that in most countries, and in accordance with the provisions of the Chicago Convention, aviation turbine fuel is not taxed. The Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations charged with coordinating and regulating international air travel. ...

See also

• List of airlines
• List of low-cost airlines
• Travel search
• Major Budget and Business Class Airlines of the World

This is a list of airlines in operation (by continents and country). ... . ... Travel search engines (also known as meta search engines) focus specifically on the travel vertical. ...

External links

• Discount airlines travel guide from Wikitravel
• "Budget Long Haul": a nearly round-the-world itinerary using only budget airlines
• "German and European Discount Airline information"