Skift Take
While Asia and the Middle East's low-cost carriers are seeing rocket ship growth, in Europe and North America these carriers will have to think about diversifying beyond budget base. JetBlue in the U.S., and EasyJet in the UK are now trying to attract business travelers.
The latest research from global travel distribution system Amadeus, based on passenger demand data, points to strong growth from low-cost carriers in Asia. The budget low-cost carriers (LCC) had an overall global increase in seat capacity of 6.8 percent in the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. An infographic, below, shows the trend lines for 2013 so far.
Asia and the Middle East are growing fast, as is to be expected, while the rate of growth in North America and Europe is slowing down. Carriers operating in Asia increased the number of LCC seats by 28.7%, significantly outpacing the global picture: LCC seats grew by 6.8% worldwide across the same period.
London remains the global hub and pioneer in the low cost model, with 15 million LCC seats in first half of 2013. Jakarta is the fastest growing, with 44 percent rise in LCC seat capacity. The remaining four cities in a list of the top 5 fastest growing are also in Asia: Bangkok, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore
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Tags: amadeus, infographic, low-cost carriers