A Civil Aviation Authority report has exposed as a myth the belief that no-frills carriers’ low fares have dramatically increased air traffic and opened the skies to the working classes.
The report, No-frills Carriers: Revolution or Evolution, reveals that in recent years year-on-year traffic figures have grown at similar rates as before the 1990s explosion of no-frills carriers.
No-frills carriers, which make up almost half of all short-haul traffic figures, are shown to have taken traffic away from scheduled and charter carriers rather than expand the market.
CAA economic regulation group director Dr Harry Bush said: “Their [the no-frills carriers] main effect has been to provide further opportunities for those in middle and higher income groups to fly more often.”
The report did concede no-frills carriers have increased flying from regional airports.