Overseas travel has been revolutionised by the rise of low cost airlines, which have forced more established carriers to play catch up, the International Airline Passengers Association (IAPA) has revealed.
The importance of cheap and convenient travel has increased significantly, with statistics for 2005 showing that 90 per cent of air passengers at UK airports travelled internationally.
Spokesman for the IAPA, Jonathan French, said that established airlines such as BA were forced to adapt, due to the simplicity and bargain prices offered by budget airline carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair .
"Their running costs are far, far lower because their aircraft only sits for 25 minutes in between flights and passengers get to throw their own rubbish in a bag and all that kind of stuff that cuts down the time," he said.
"Those things combined has really totally revolutionised the market and the flag carriers are desperately trying to catch up."
He added that previous pricing models used by major players in the aviation industry were ludicrously structured, with profit maximisation in mind. This led to customer dissatisfaction and a swift reaction from low cost airlines, who now lead the way, while the flag carriers have had to adapt in order to catch up.
Ryanair recently announced a £2 fee for airport check-ins would be introduced as an attempt to encourage more passengers to check-in via the internet
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