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Low cost carriers have rapidly expanded their share of the global air travel market over the last decade or so; in 2020, low-cost carriers accounted for ** percent of the world’s total seat capacity.

Low-cost carrier market

Low cost carriers are different from full service carriers in how they are able to offer passengers lower ticket prices, primarily through two mechanisms. The first is to charge additional fees for services usually included by full service providers, such as checked luggage and in-flight food and beverages. Second, low cost carriers often (although not always) operate from secondary airports, which generally are cheaper for airlines to use.

Leading low-cost carriers

While the largest low cost carrier market is Europe, the leading low cost carrier both in terms of the number of seats offered and revenue generated is the U.S. carrier Southwest Airlines. Ryanair, the Irish carrier ranked second on both metrics, is growing at a faster rate though, meaning this gap may narrow over time.