When searching for fares on budget airlines though, be aware of the fees.
All this illustrates how the business models of big carriers and budget airlines are converging.
The European sky used to offer a stark choice between full-service and budget airlines.
RyanAir and easyJet, two of Europe's leading budget airlines, learned many of their tricks from Southwest.
Management claim they will be offering cheap fares having learned lessons from budget airlines.
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On top of that, it enjoys a highly competitive network of budget airlines serving its main cities.
Budget airlines work by providing bare bones service as cheaply and efficiently as possible and then charging for any and all extras.
Built in 1991, Stansted's main traffic is provided by budget airlines such as Easyjet and Ryan Air flying to Europe.
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Industrial unrest, spiralling costs and competition from budget airlines have combined to force Alitalia to the brink in recent years.
Like many legacy carriers, PAL struggles to cope with a bloated payroll, high fuel costs and fierce competition from budget airlines.
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AirAsia X seeks to tap investor demand for airline stocks at a time when air travel, especially on budget airlines, is growing rapidly across the region.
The budget airlines allow only 25 minutes between flights to offload one set of passengers and load another, less than half the time of its scheduled full-fare rivals.
One of Asia's most profitable budget airlines, AirAsia is also considered one of the most aggressive in terms of offering cheaper fares, ordering new planes as well expanding its operations.
Indeed, by encouraging budget airlines to dominate these airports, and only half-heartedly promoting improvements to rail links and runway capacity, it made it difficult for a new hub to emerge.
Air Polonia will be the first local rival of state-owned LOT airline, which last month joined the Lufthansa-led Star Alliance to strengthen its position ahead of an expected battle with budget airlines.
Guernsey and Jersey used to be popular destinations for Britons during the summer, but with low-budget airlines now available to ferry them to more exotic locations, the islands have lost some of their allure.
Second, the budget airlines may struggle to make similar profits to their lucrative low-cost counterparts in other countries because, despite deregulation, airport costs and fuel taxes in Japan remain among the highest in the world.
BAA, its owner, reckons that since domestic British air-passenger numbers have dropped by about 5%, the increase comes entirely from European sightseers taking advantage of 20 new international routes added since January, mainly by budget airlines.
If, for example, your desired route is served by one or more budget airlines, such as Southwest or AirAsia X, that is a significant consideration for mega-airlines, such as United or British Airways, which are forced to reduce their prices for at least some economy fares in order to compete.
The market seemed receptive: Morgan Stanley (nyse: MS - news - people ) was expecting a pack of budget airlines--including EasyJet , Ryanair (nasdaq: RYAAY - news - people ), Go and Buzz --to triple their share of European air travel, to 28%, by 2010.
Although the sustainability of these alternative biofuels makes it an environmentally friendly option for progressive airlines, widespread adoption of recycled cooking oil requires that usage spreads, making the fuel more affordable for budget-strapped airlines.
He may be a fan of low-budget carrier Spirit Airlines, which made headlines this spring when it announced that it was installing "pre-reclined" seats on some of its planes as a space- and cost-saving measure.
Of India's three listed airlines, a budget carrier, Spicejet, was the only one to turn a profit in the most recent quarter.
It comes a day after Australia approved Virgin's deal to purchase a controlling stake in Singapore Airlines' associate budget carrier Tiger Airways Australia.
But there is little sympathy for traditional airlines from the head of budget operator Ryanair.
Spring Airlines, the country's budget airline, will offer around 100 scenic flights from September 26 to 28.
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Australia's Qantas Group and China Eastern Airlines have agreed to launch a new budget carrier for the Chinese market.
Some airlines are introducing amenities and getting creative with seat design to lure budget-minded travelers like Sharpe.
Congressional leaders, responding to the airlines, are demanding that airlines either hold the money in trust for the government pending a budget resolution or pass along the savings to travelers.
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