by Aakash Srivastava
Indian billionaire and stalwart of stock market Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, recently announced that he will launch an ultra-low cost carrier airline, Akasa by investing $35 million and would own 40 percent stake in it.
An ultra-low cost carrier, also known as ultra-low cost airline or abbreviated to ULCC, is an airline that operates with a low cost business model, meaning customers get tickets at a much lower cost.
Till now, the Indian Market is dominated (80 percent) by Low Cost Carrier Model arilines. However, the ULCC model will certainly be a new beginning for the India aviation market and will provide new hope for the industry, which is battered by the pandemic, and witnessing steady growth.
The ULCC model is well adopted by the global market and American carriers have pioneered this trick of luring travellers and competing with rivals, as reported.
IAD&B has listed below some of the best ultra-low-cost airlines in the world. The list are as follows-:
Spirit Airline
Spirit Airlines is an American ultra-low-cost carrier headquartered in Miramar, Florida. The airline has two major operating hubs: Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) and Detroit Airport (DTW).
Spirit Airlines began a transition in 2007 to re-brand themselves as an ultra low-cost carrier, with the new slogan ‘Less Money, More Go’. The ‘ultra low-cost’ is reflected in the low cost of the tickets. Passengers are given the ability to choose what extras and additional options they require, such as baggage allowance, on-board refreshments, and seat selection, to add on to the base fare.
Ryanair
Ryanair DAC is an Irish ultra-low-cost carrier founded in 1984. Its business model is to offer cheap air transportation to fare-conscious customers. The company focuses mostly on inter-European, short-haul flights. Ryanair’s operating model disrupted many common industry practices and allowed the company to outperform all of its competitors on costs per seat and per passenger. Ryanair flies to small secondary airports, which are sometimes located further away from the city centers. Analysts suggest that, the business decision to stop offering free checked-in luggage was not expected to create a revenue stream. It was a way to shift customer behavior into carrying less luggage and simplify Ryanair’s operations.
Allegiant
Allegiant Air is a US low-cost airline that flies numerous domestic routes across the country. The airline is known for its ultra-low-cost fares and simple service that gets passengers from A to B. Allegiant is one of the major carriers in the US and well-known from state to state. Allegiant launched in 1997. It was originally named WestJet Express but rebranded a year after it was established.Sun Country Airlines, or Sun Airlines, is an American low-cost airline, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States and flies to over 50 destinations within the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Sun Country Airlines
Sun Country Airlines, or Sun Airlines, is an American low-cost airline, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States and flies to over 50 destinations within the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.The airline operates an extensive network of domestic flights within the US. The airline is best known for connecting the Upper Midwest of America with sunnier, warmer weather states, including California and Florida.
Swoop
Swoop is a Canadian low-cost airline and a subsidiary of WestJet. Swoop is the first-ever ultra-low-cost Canadian airline to offer international flights. The airline launched its first international flights to several destinations within the US in mid-2018. The airline currently flies to over 20 destinations with nine Boeing 737-800NG aircraft (as of March 2020). As an ultra-low-cost airline, Swoop doesn’t give its passengers free carry-on baggage or checked baggage allowance, except for a small personal item. Any baggage other than the small personal item must be purchased in advance online or at the airport.
