Have big dreams of flying across the world, but air ticket prices got you down? We have all been there! A lot of you frequent flyers are usually either loyal to one or few airlines, or you just pick the ones that offer cheaper tickets.
Often regarded as low-cost airlines or low-cost carriers, to acquire the best deals on cheapest airline ticket, your best bet would be to travel by these low-cost carriers.
There are plenty of excellent Low-Cost Carrier Flights and Airlines which function and offer the comforts of a Luxury Airline. Many of the Low-Cost Airlines have a domestic as well as an international appeal.
Despite the additional costs like Check-In Services, Baggage and so on, some airlines are affordable in terms of cheap airfare than the others.
In fact, as long as you are able to snag the perfect list of low-cost carriers which offer cheap airline tickets, you would not have to worry about your flight tickets woes.
The things these airlines have in common is the fact that they are low-cost carriers who function to bring a more affordable and comfortable flight experience for travelers.
Here’s a comprehensive list of the Best Low-Cost Carriers where you can book Cheap Airline Tickets and make the most of your travel indulgences.
A low-cost carrier (also known as a no-frills, discount or budget airline) is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services.
Not surprisingly, many travelers are skeptical about some of these budget airlines, associating rock bottom prices to poor service or safety issues.
However, most of these airline offer a decent product and adhere to the strictest standards. In most cases, they are able to offer lower prices by operating a single aircraft type which minimizes staff training and maintenance costs.
To make up for revenue lost in decreased ticket prices, these airlines may charge extra fees for “extras” like baggage, assigned seats, and meals.
In the last decades, budget airlines have grown vastly across the world, often becoming larger than the legacy carriers that once dwarfed them in size.
Budget carriers are often part of my travel plans, particularly on short-haul flights. Here’s my breakdown of the ten best budget international airlines.
Have you ever flown with a low-cost carrier? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.
The World’s Top 10 Low-Cost Airlines
JetBlue
JetBlue is the 6th largest airline in the USA, with its main base at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The company was founded in 1999 by Brazilian-American entrepreneur David Neeleman and based on the success formula of Southwest Airlines.
Although Jetblue tried to distinguish itself by offering a superior inflight entertainment system and more leg room in couch.
Jetblue is now a leading carrier in:
- Boston,
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood,
- Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and
- San Juan, and
Carries more than 38 million customers a year to over 100 cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with a fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 and Embaer E190 planes.
Much more than a low-cost carrier, JetBlue offers seatback screens at every seat, free brand-name snacks and drinks, free onboard WiFi, live TV and an excellent Business Class product (called ‘Mint’).
Jet Blue can be considered by travelers the best mixture between both worlds (low cost and full-legacy).
They offer affordable prices, while at the same time offering a modern in-flight entertainment system with:
- Seatback screens in every Seat,
- Free on-onboard Wi-Fi,
- Free snacks and drinks under the brand name and
- For those looking for a more luxurious experience the, re are also the possibility to fly on business class.
Another vital aspect mentioned by many travelers is the legroom in economy class. The airline also focused on smaller aircraft to reach destinations where the competitors such as Southwest and Frontier didn’t have any presence. The airline has not ceased its expansion plans during the pandemic, and it has opened 62 new routes.
AirAsia
The airline offers around 160 destinations across Asia, Australia, Middle East, and the US.
The airline has won for 11 consecutive years the Skytrax best low-cost airline and for eight years in a row the World Travel Awards as World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline.
One of the most mentioned characteristics is the readable in-flight food.
As AirAsia provides these services at reasonable costs, as-cost carriers charge for drinks, snacks, and meals, Aie modern fleet also provides a sense of safety and comfort to travelers.
The main objective of the airline is to allow those who once believed impossible to fly to reach their dream under their concept #EveryoneCanFlyNow.
AirAsia started as a low-cost carrier with operations in:
- Malaysia,
- Indonesia,
- Thailand,
- The Philippines and
- India, and
Has carried more than 600 million guests to over 160 destinations in its network across:
- Asia,
- Australia,
- The Middle East and the US.
The carrier offers simple, cheap air travel at its absolute finest. If you prefer to travel in a bit more comfort, there is an option for premium economy as well.
Recognized for its excellent service, the airline has been named Skytrax World’s Best Low-Cost Airline 11 years in a row from 2009 to 2019 and World Travel Awards World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline for eight consecutive years from 2013 to 2020.
Since 2018, AirAsia has embarked on a transformation journey to become more than just an airline, with the inclusion of hotels, holidays, activities, online shopping and more.
Norwegian
The Norwegian story began in 1993 although the airline only started operating as a low-cost carrier with bigger Boeing 737 aircraft in 2002.
Norwegian is now the fourth largest low-cost carrier in Europe behind Wizz Air, easyJet and Ryanair.
The airline is known for its distinctive livery of white with a red nose, with portraits of high achievers on the tail fins of its aircraft.
Norwegian has also become part of the fabric of Nordic culture and takes great pride in exporting our Nordic values across the world.
It was also the first airline in the world to join the UN Climate Secretariat’s climate action-initiative in 2019, pledging to work systematically to become carbon neutral by 2050.
In the last decade, Norwegian entered the long-haul sector with a fleet of B787 planes serving the USA, Asia and South America; unfortunately, the carrier had to end these flights due to the pandemic.
The first airline to join the UN Climate Secretariat’s climate action initiative in 2019, with the expectation of becoming carbon neutral in the long run.
The airline is working on its new strategy for the post-pandemic time, focusing on the Nordic market operating to main cities within Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.
Before the pandemic, the airline had an excellent reputation within the European market for friendly staff, free Wi-Fi, flexible hand luggage rules, and very creative marketing campaigns.
JetStar Airways
Jetstar Airways is a low cost carrier and a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas.
Jetstar Airways launched Australian operations in 2004, New Zealand trans-Tasman operations in 2005, and New Zealand domestic operations in 2009.
The carrier also serves short and long-haul overseas destinations. The brand also operates in a Singapore JV (as Jetstar Asia) and a Japanese JV (Jetstar Japan).
Whilst retaining its user-pays model where passengers may purchase food and beverages on board from the Jetstar Café, Jetstar Airways has also introduced products and services that are normally only associated with full-service carriers such as code-sharing, frequent flyer programs and a Business Class offering.
The carrier offers short and long-haul destinations, offering a hybrid business model such as Eurowings and WestJet by offering a Business Class and Frequent Flyer Program.
During the pandemic, the airline has implemented the concept of flying with all the flex you need to support passengers whose travel plans have been affected due to border restrictions by providing multiple options not to lose the booking.
In addition, to inform the passengers about the safety conditions and constantly informing passengers about travel restrictions. They have set a JetStar COVID-19 Help Hub with a virtual assistant to answer all travelers’ questions regarding their trip and the pandemic.
WestJet
Offers the lowest airfare in Canada.
It has become the second biggest Canadian airline with an increasing international presence introducing Boeing Dreamliner’s to their fleet, competing directly with the Full Legacy carrier Air Canada.
The airline’s friendly staff is one of its main assets. In addition, they offer complimentary beverages and snacks for flights longer than 4 hours (meals are available for purchase).
In Long-haul flights, the passengers receive a two-meal service.
In 1996, Clive Beddoe and a team of like-minded partners started the Canadian airline WestJet with three aircraft, five destinations and 220 employees.
22 years later, WestJet has three different aircraft types and fly to more than 100 destinations in North America, Central America, The Caribbean and Europe.
Over 14,000 WestJet employees are dedicated to flying more than 22 million guests a year, on over 700 flights per day, with a fleet of over 150 aircraft.
Over the past decades, the carrier has established a reputation for flair, humor and community engagement.
WestJet is currently going through a transition phase to becoming a full premium carrier as it has introduced an excellent Business Class hard product on its Boeing 787 routes to London, Dublin and Paris.
EasyJet
Founded in 1995, easyJet is a successful example of a European no frills airline.
Headquartered at London Luton Airport, the carrier flies over 1,000 routes in more than 30 countries.
EasyJet focuses on developing strong positions in Europe’s leading airports – flying between airports people want to travel to with optimized frequency.
Its principal competitors at these leading airports are the legacy airlines and charter carriers. EasyJet’s structural cost advantage relative to these airlines allows it to offer passengers more affordable fares.
This cost advantage is created through a combination of factors including aircraft configuration enabling a higher number of seats per aircraft.
Higher load factor and aircraft utilization driven by its point-to-point model; and a younger fleet with lower maintenance costs.
One of the main advantages of EasyJet is its presence in main airports.
Travelers usually fear that they will arrive at a remote airport far away from their actual destination by booking a low-cost airline ticket.
However, this is not the case with EasyJet. Additionally, airlines are becoming more restrictive with baggage policies even on board.
However, in EasyJet, there’s no weight limit even though there are size restrictions.
Azul Brazilian Airlines
Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras is a Brazilian carrier based in Sao Paulo, providing affordable air service to markets in South America, Portugal and the USA.
The company was named Azul (“Blue” in Portuguese) after a naming contest in 2008, where “Samba” was the other popular name.
Founded in 2008 by Brazilian-born David Neeleman (founder of American low-cost airline JetBlue), the airline is now the largest low-cost operator in Latin America with a fleet of 123 aircraft and more than 11,000 crew members.
Onboard service includes:
- Individual entertainment screens incorporating free live TV at every seat on virtually all Embraer 195 jets,
- Extensive legroom with a pitch of 30 inches (76 cm) or more,
- Complimentary beverage and snacks, and
- Free bus service to key airports.
Latin America has been one of the most impacted regions by the pandemic, including the financial aspect.
Especially Brazil with the new COVID-19 mutation.
However, to incentivize travelers to continue with travel plans and not worry about their finances, they offer a unique business paying model under Uplift’s concept: Travel Now.
Pay Over Time, where travelers can pay for their flights at monthly rates. Of course, these benefits are subject to certain conditions.
However, these payment methods open the window of opportunity for more travelers to retake their plans sooner than expected.
Additionally, the airline is known for its free in-flight entertainment system, ample legroom, complimentary beverages and snacks, and a free bus service to key airports.
Southwest Airlines
Considered the US’s largest domestic airline and the world’s largest low-cost carrier, it offers a point-to-point, non-stop route network for leisure and business travelers.
Like IndiGo and Eurowings, Southwest doesn’t charge fees for flight rebooking, a critical aspect for passengers during COVID-19 times.
Another advantage of Southwest, especially in comparison to all other low-cost airlines, is that the first two checked bags are free of charge. One final characteristic of this airline is punctuality.
Founded more than 50 years ago, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is the USA’s largest domestic airline and the world’s largest low-cost carrier.
With nearly 60,000 employees, Southwest Airlines offers a robust point-to-point, non-stop route network, with a strong presence in top leisure and business markets.
In the peak travel seasons of 2019, the carrier operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101 destinations in the USA and 10 additional countries.
Southwest operates an exclusive fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, making it the largest operator of the Boeing 737 worldwide, with over 700 in service, each averaging six flights per day.
Its highly successful business plan was what inspired Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary to grow his airline to what it is today.
Eurowings
Eurowings is the low-cost airline of Lufthansa and, as such, part of one of the world’s largest aviation groups.
Eurowings (previously known as Germanwings) has a current fleet of 139 aircraft and specializes in low-cost direct flights within Europe.
The German airline currently offers more than 210 destinations in over 60 countries, making it the third-largest European point-to-point carrier.
Prior to the pandemic, the airline flew more than 40 million passengers per year and its workforce grew to around 9,000 employees.
The low-cost airline has 13 locations in Germany as well as in other European countries and is the market leader at six airports.
Eurowings offers basic, smart, best and business class booking fares, catering to both business and leisure travelers.
The large number of destinations covered by Eurowings allows the passengers to have a vast network in more than 210 destinations around more than 60 different countries.
The airline has a hybrid model where they can offer from the essential services of a low-cost carrier to the business class services from a full-legacy adjusting the fares to every passenger target need.
Currently, IndiGo focuses on showing reliability to their customers by allowing flight changes free of charge and constantly providing information about their flight schedule in case cancellations occur.
IndiGo
IndiGo is India’s largest passenger airline with a market share of 53% as of December, 2020.
The carrier primarily operates in India’s domestic air travel market as a low-cost carrier but is also expanding its international destinations (e.g. Bangkok, Dubai, Istanbul, etc …).
The airline has a focus on three pillars: offering low fares, delivering a courteous and hassle-free experience, and being on-time.
Since its launch in August 2006, Indigo has grown from a carrier with one plane to a major airline with a fleet of 284 aircraft.
Indigo is so popular that it placed an mammoth order for 300 Airbus A320neo family jets (one of the biggest ever orders from a single carrier).
This will take IndiGo’s total A320neo family aircraft orders to 730, making it the world’s biggest customer for these planes.
Despite the current situation in India regarding COVID-19, the airline had a market share in India of 53% as of December 2020.
The market focus is domestic, although it covers some international destinations such as Amsterdam, Paris, Singapore, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, etc.
The airline offers three main aspects: low fares, hassle-free experience, and punctuality. We can link the last two pillars to three of the KPIs we mentioned in our previous post, reliability, regularity, and punctuality.
They offer the possibility to do unlimited changes free of charge to their travelers due to the current situation. Furthermore, the ‘Plan B’ policy allows the passenger to cancel or reschedule without additional cost if the airline modifies the flight.
On the other hand, punctuality remains a crucial aspect for this airline, which with the appropriate tools, could be tracked by passengers in real-time or through ex-post behavior.
