Major Survey on Budget Airlines: Passengers Most Willing to Pay Extra for Luggage

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Budget airlines have risen in popularity in recent years, and two domestic low-cost carriers in Taiwan have also been established one after another. Their cheap airfares have successfully caught the attention of travelers. Accordingto global travel search engine Skyscannerin a survey on issues related to budget airlines, the main reason people choose budget airlines is their affordability. It's worth mentioning that among the various paid services offered by budget airlines, passengers are most willing to pay extra for additional luggage, followed by purchasing more comfortable seats with extra legroom.

▲ In recent years, more and more people are flying with budget airlines. (Photo / Provided by Tigerair Taiwan)

A budget airline (also known as a low-cost airline), primarily sells itself on the basis of cheap airfares, but in return simplifies many related services such as checked baggage, in-flight meals, and seat selection. In short, apart from getting you — and your carry-on — from point A to point B, any other service that traditional airlines usually provide comes at an extra cost. However, “affordability” is precisely the main reason passengers opt for budget flights.

Global travel search engine Skyscannerconducted a survey on the topic of budget airlines. When asked about their favorite advantage of budget airlines, nearly 90% of respondents chose “low cost,” with other options including “no hidden fees” (4%), “suitable flight times” (4%), “convenience for layovers” (1%), “excellent service quality” (1%), and others (1%).

Although most people fly with budget airlines for the cheap tickets, nearly half of the respondents (48%) are still willing to pay extra to check in baggage, and 23% are willing to pay for more comfortable seats with extra legroom (standard budget airline seats are small, but some seats — such as those in the front row with more space — can be selected for an additional fee). In addition, 14% are willing to buy in-flight meals, 11% will pay for seat selection, while only 1% are willing to pay for in-flight entertainment.

To offer cheap airfares, budget airlines go to great lengths to reduce operational costs, one of which is not allowing ticket cancellations, changes, or refunds after booking. Any changes to your itinerary incur extra charges, and most budget airlines do not offer a “refund” service. Therefore, when asked “what do you dislike most about budget airlines?” over half of the respondents cited “inability to cancel bookings or make changes” (54%), followed by “no free drinking water” (17%). So, when asked what improvements could be made to budget airlines, the top answer was “cancellation or change policies” (32%), followed by “flight times” (19%), and “layover convenience” (14%).

As for how much cheaper budget airline tickets need to be compared to traditional airlines before people are willing to choose them? The survey showed that half of the people believe budget airlines become most attractive when they are 30%–50% cheaper than regular airlines. Meanwhile, 43% of respondents said they take a budget airline about once a year on average, 24% take them twice a year, meaning roughly 67% of people take a budget airline 1–2 times per year. As for ideal flight duration, 38% of respondents think 2–3 hours is perfect for budget flights, while 25% say 3–4 hours — meaning most believe short-haul trips are best suited for budget airlines.

Interestingly, 32% of respondents said they choose budget airlines when traveling with a spouse or partner, perhaps because when traveling with a loved one, other concerns become less important? For leisure and business travel, 28% opt for budget airlines, while only 10% would choose them when traveling with children.

As for what reward features frequent flyers of budget airlines would like to see in their mileage programs? 37% said more flight discounts, 27% wanted higher checked baggage allowances, and 17% mentioned free in-flight meals. Overall, price remains the most important factor.


For more details, please click        [How Much Do You Know About Budget Airlines?] Survey Results Revealed