Will you give up on legroom if airfare is cut?

What all can you compromise on if you were given a cheaper air ticket? Would you do without food, in-flight entertainment system, sit cramped in a seat that does not have a reclining position or even forego the use of the smelly bathroom onboard.

If you are a cost conscious passenger, you may be willing to do all or most of these things to reduce your airfare. This was revealed by a new survey, titled, Expedia 2014 LCC Airline Index. The survey asked respondents in Germany, France, Ireland and Spain on frills that they were willing to tradeoff for lower fares.

The biggest frill that flyers don’t mind foregoing is in-flight entertainment, something that 65 per cent of respondents picked out as option they could do without.

The list also includes pillows and blankets (63 per cent), snacks and beverages (51 per cent) and the ability to choose seats in advance (45 percent).

Free checked luggage (17 per cent) and legroom (16 per cent) were the features respondents said they would be least likely to give up.

Passengers in the UAE are no different from those in Europe and many believe in budget travel. These categories of customers, who will count their last dirham, are ones willing to forgo services to reduce there are ticket bills. And, it’s for this simple reason that budget flying has become popular.

The unbundled pricing policy employed by low cost carriers (LCC) in the country and the region is what entices the passengers and has led to their remarkable growth.

The LLC business model was first introduced in the Middle East in 2003 and since then the region’s operators have succeeded in capturing a sizeable portion of the short and medium-haul traffic.

“The LCCs are gaining popularity primarily because of their relatively cheaper tickets, point-to-point service, rapid turnaround, strong value proposition, and simplified networks. As a result, the LCC segment in the Middle East saw a robust average annual growth of 52 per cent in the last decade, compared to the 7 per cent growth of the traditional FSCs (full cost carriers) during the same period, in terms of scheduled capacity. The budget carriers now enjoy a significant market share on the GCC’s important routes including Dubai-Doha, Dubai-Kuwait, Dubai-Riyadh, and Jeddah-Riyadh,” says a Alpen Capital report.

On the other hand of the spectrum are those who live lavish and fly just the same way. For such passengers there are FSCs who can pamper their customers.

Some UAE’s airlines are akin to 5-star facilities in the sky with spa, nannies on board and butler service even at high altitudes. These services cater to those passengers who believe in ultimate luxury service and are not willing to compromise on their comfort level. For them limited legroom would only be a ghastly thing to do.

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