Almost three quarters of travellers would be prepared to sacrifice extras received with traditional airlines to fly long haul with a budget carrier.
The survey of more than 1,800 travellers found that of those willing to fly low cost long haul, 48% would forfeit their personal space and endure limited legroom for anything up to nine hours to reach their destination.
Nearly one in three (30%) would be prepared to sit out a 10-hour journey, equivalent of a flight from London to Singapore, in basic conditions.
But 22% would only accept basic levels of comfort offered by budget airlines for a relatively modest flying time of four to six hours.
The study by travel search site Skyscanner also questioned travellers on the “extras” they would most need in order to persuade them to fly low cost long haul.
With most budget airlines offering an average seat pitch of just 29 inches, the survey reveals that more than a third (35%) of travellers required an extra two inches of legroom to travel long haul with a no-frills airline. They would prioritise legroom over in-flight entertainment (14%) or food and refreshments (9%) for the duration of the long
haul journey. Eighteen per cent wanted free hold baggage included.
Skyscanner travel editor Sam Baldwin said: “The results of this survey show there is a definite demand for low cost airlines to operate long haul routes – it appears people are more than happy to surrender some level of comfort in order to satisfy their taste for travel, as long as the price is right.
“In recent years, low cost airlines have started to introduce more mid haul routes, including flights from the UK to Egypt and Jordan, so it is not unfeasible that long haul routes could be next to be added.
“This would not be a first for the aviation industry, as back in 1971 Sir Freddie Laker launched ‘Skytrain’, the first ever long-haul no-frills carrier where passengers were required to bring their own food on board for the duration of the flight from London to New York.”