The Marvel of European Budget Airlines: How They Keep Prices So Low

Flying from London to Italy for less than £15 might sound like a fantasy, but thanks to European budget airlines like Ryanair, WizzAir, and EasyJet, it’s a reality. These airlines have revolutionized travel across Europe, offering rock-bottom prices that make it easier than ever to explore the continent. But have you ever wondered how they manage to keep their prices so low while still turning a profit? During my travels, I’ve often marveled at the sheer efficiency of these budget airlines, and I decided to dig a little deeper into how they operate. Here’s what I found out.

A Peek Behind the Curtain: The Budget Airline Model

To understand how budget airlines can afford to offer such cheap flights, it’s essential to look at the core of their business model. Ryanair, for example, reported an impressive €13.44 billion in revenue from March 2023 to March 2024, with a net income of €1.92 billion. These airlines aren’t just scraping by—they’re thriving. The secret lies in three key strategies:

1. stripping back the user experience

2. minimizing operational costs, and

3. building a shrewd network of routes and schedules.

Stripping Back the User Experience: Less is More

One of the first things you notice when flying with a budget airline is that the experience is, well, basic. From check-in to landing, everything is designed to keep costs low. For starters, many budget airlines encourage passengers to check in via an app, with boarding passes generated digitally or printed at home. If you prefer in-person check-in, be prepared to pay extra. This approach significantly reduces the number of staff needed at the airport and eliminates the cost of printed boarding passes.

Extra baggage? That’ll cost you. More baggage means more weight, which in turn requires more fuel, so it makes sense that airlines charge for it.

You can also pay for priority boarding, which isn’t just about boarding first—it’s really about securing space for your cabin baggage. By getting those with extra bags on board first, the airline avoids delays and ensures a smooth boarding process.

When it’s time to board, don’t expect the luxury of a jet bridge. Instead, you’ll likely be boarding via stairs directly onto the runway. Budget airlines typically split passengers into two groups—one boarding from the front and the other from the back—to speed up the process.

Once on board, you’ll notice that the seats don’t recline, and legroom is limited. This isn’t just about comfort; it’s about packing as many passengers as possible onto each flight. If you want to choose your seat, that’ll cost extra too—no Business Class upgrades here.

Food and drink onboard are also a far cry from the complimentary meals you might find on full-service airlines. On a budget flight, you’ll be paying for everything, and the options are usually pre-packaged and easy to serve, which means the cabin crew doesn’t need expensive hospitality training. Ryanair, for example, doesn’t just stop at snacks—they sell perfume, alcohol, tobacco, and even scratch cards on board. Every opportunity to make a little extra cash is seized.

The overall aim is simple: carry as many passengers as possible, at the lowest possible cost, while maximizing opportunities to earn additional revenue. It’s a business model that works incredibly well, as evidenced by the strong financial performance of these airlines.

Reducing Operating Costs: Streamlining for Success

Beyond the user experience, budget airlines are masters at minimizing operating costs. One of the ways they do this is by standardizing their fleets. While many airlines operate a variety of aircraft models, budget carriers like Ryanair stick to just a few variations—in Ryanair’s case, three versions of the Boeing 737. This streamlining means that pilots and crew only need to be trained on a limited number of aircraft setups, reducing training costs and complexity.

Standardization also simplifies maintenance and repairs. By operating a uniform fleet, budget airlines can bulk-buy parts and have them on hand for quick repairs, further reducing downtime and costs. This efficiency allows them to keep planes in the air as much as possible, which is crucial to their profitability.

Staffing is another area where budget airlines make significant savings. Unlike full-service airlines, where staff roles are often specialized, budget airline staff are more versatile. The same person who checks you in at the counter might also help with boarding and then serve as part of the flight crew. This multi-tasking approach reduces the need for large teams and helps keep staffing costs low. Additionally, many budget airlines do not allow their staff to unionize, avoiding the risk of large-scale labor disputes that could disrupt operations.

Building Smart Networks: The Art of Efficiency

The final piece of the puzzle is the way budget airlines build their networks and schedules. A key tactic is the fast turnaround time between flights. Ryanair, for instance, prides itself on a ‘25-minute turnaround.’ This means they aim to have passengers off the plane, new passengers on board, and the plane back in the air within just 25 minutes. The quicker the turnaround, the more flights each plane can operate per day, maximizing revenue from each aircraft.

When it comes to choosing airports, budget airlines typically avoid the major international hubs like London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Instead, they opt for smaller, less crowded airports like London Luton or Paris Beauvais. These airports charge lower fees, which translates to cheaper tickets for passengers. Even when they do fly to major airports, budget airlines often choose unsociable flight times—early mornings or late nights—when demand for runway slots is lower and fees are cheaper.

Budget airlines also tend to avoid the traditional ‘hub and spoke’ model used by many full-service carriers. Instead of routing passengers through a central hub, they operate point-to-point flights directly between smaller airports.

This reduces the need for costly transfers and minimizes the risk of delays, as there’s no need to coordinate multiple connecting flights. By creating new routes that connect major cities with lesser-known destinations, budget airlines can even generate demand where there wasn’t any before. Ryanair’s expansion into cities in Croatia, for example, has helped to turn them into popular tourist spots almost overnight.

The Bigger Picture: Making Travel Accessible

At every turn, budget airlines are focused on reducing costs, increasing efficiency, and offering the lowest possible prices to consumers. This business model has made air travel accessible to millions of people who might not otherwise be able to afford it. It’s a shining example of consumer choice in action, and it’s fundamentally changed the way Europeans—and the world—travel.

For me, there’s something awe-inspiring about how these airlines operate. They’ve taken the complex business of air travel and stripped it down to its most essential elements, making it affordable and accessible without sacrificing too much in the way of convenience. So the next time you book a cheap flight across Europe, take a moment to appreciate the marvel of modern aviation—and the brilliant minds behind the budget airline model that makes it all possible.