When looking for cheap air tickets online one of the most common questions that has definitely crossed your mind is the difference between ordinary and discount airlines. You've definitely seen the offers from both types of airlines and wondered why the latter tend to offer really cheap air tickets and why the former can charge triple the price of a discount flight. The confusion can get even more pronounced when comparing similar routes where only a single type of companies is present - the prices there can be ridiculously different. In order to understand why that is so, we first have to look deeper into the primary goals each company type has in their business strategy.

Traditional airlines are all about profit and they will try to make it out of everything. That's a normal business approach and they've been doing this for almost a century. Of course, there are certain basic costs they have to cover such as fuel, labor, taxes and so on. But through the years the big airlines have realized that comfort and convenience is another factor that determines which company the customer will choose. If they can pay the same price for a mediocre level of comfort in an old plane and improved comfort in a new spacy plane, they will certainly choose the latter because flying with comfort is what most people want. So, when there were only large airline companies on the market their competition boiled down to offering better planes and extras, while the tickets themselves were overpriced since travelers had no other choice. But things have drastically changed when discounter airlines have entered the market.

Many people mistake discount or low-cost airlines with every operator that actually offers lower ticket prices. This isn't correct, because discount airlines distinct themselves first and foremost by employing a business model that is different from that of traditional airlines. This business model is aimed primarily at cutting down all costs by all means necessary. As a result, the aircrafts used by discounters are cheaper with no extra features, there's only one class of seats, all reservations are made online, all extra services such as baggage, meals and even pillows come at an additional price, and the flights are usually made between secondary airports and during off-hours to reduce fees and traffic problems. This always results in lower operational costs and cheap air tickets but it comes at the expense of basic comfort that is default with traditional airlines. Some legacy carriers actually tend to employ the same business model or at least some of its aspects, but there's always a pronounced difference between the level of comfort offered by discounters and legacy carriers.

The two types of carriers usually tend to avoid direct competition, servicing the same routes through different airports and hubs. But when there's actually a discount airline present on the market, traditional carriers tend to offer cheap air tickets as well, although they will rarely drop the prices to the level of discounter tickets. Still, it's always a question of personal comfort you are ready to sacrifice in order to get cheap air tickets. With discount carriers you can easily save a lot of money on your trip but only if you are able to refuse from such basic services as meals, blankets or drinks during the flight. If not, the cost of your flight will end up being the same if not more expensive than with a traditional carrier. So there's always a price to pay if you want to get cheap air tickets.