How are budget airlines able to offer substantially cheaper fares? They have a number of competitive advantages, including lower labor costs, newer planes that are more fuel-efficient and require less maintenance, lower operating costs, fewer expensive legacy costs like outdated computer systems, fleet consistency so they only need pilots and crew

... See more

The cheapest tickets on a route often include requirements like a minimum 7-day trip or an overnight Saturday stay at the destination before taking the return flight. In doing so, airlines are trying to ensure that business travelers with big budgets aren’t getting the cheap fares intended for leisure travelers. (This is also why many one-way

... See more