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Low Cost Carriers

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Low Cost Carriers
An analysis of the Low Cost Carriers and its model with implications for the future of the industry segment.

2/23/2014
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Low Cost Carriers
Has there been too much hype about the Low Cost Carrier concept? Characterize the LCC business model, assess their reasons for success and failure, is it a sustainable business model, or is it in transition? Can you provide an outlook for the future of this industry?
Before delving into the topic, it is necessary to explain what Low Cost Carriers actually entail and what the underlying concept behind it is. There are different names for the low cost carriers which include budget airlines, discount airlines and even no-frill airlines. The concept behind LCC is to present the customer with a low cost air travel but with fewer benefits (Dresner and Lin, 1996). Since the ticket price is low, the airlines puts a price tag for extras in the flight in order to generate more revenue for the revenue lost through decreased prices on tickets. The airline companies are able to generate a low cost operating structure which allows them to charge a lower price and hence maintain a reasonable amount of profitability.
In order to analyze the topic, it will be needed to trace the history of the pioneering Low Cost Carriers in the world and how their model started off and how it has evolved over time to accommodate the changing market trends. Various case studies will be looked upon related to different low cost airlines which have survived – such as South-West in USA (Morrell, 2005) and RyanAir in the UK to understand the strategies adopted by them to engage their customers and maintain their profitability in the process (Franke, 2006).
According to Airline Leader statistics, the competition between low cost carriers in European countries is fiercely increasing (Figure 1, Appendix).
The

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