European Flight Index study shows LCC fares one-third lower than full service carriers

Kelkoo published details of its European Flight Index study, investigating the relative benefits of European LCCs compared with European full service carriers (breakingtravelnews.com, 18-Apr-2011). The study compared 5000 airfares from 20 different airlines at 192 airports. Key findings include:

• LCCs offer fare savings of 33% on average fares compared with full service counterparts, increasing to 39% cheaper if purchased up to nine weeks in advance;
• LCC fares are on average 41% cheaper on international flights and 20% on domestic flights compared with full service airlines;
• Fare difference between budget and conventional airlines can vary by as much as -56% if additional charges are not taken into account;
• On average, 37% of the total LCC fare is accounted for by ancillary revenues and extra charges, compared to 4% of the average full service carrier fare;
• Highest amount of extras are levied in Italy (45%) and the UK (38%), and the lowest in Spain (32%) and Germany (31%);
• German, Italian and French fares offer the greatest difference between LCCs and full-service carriers.