An important trend in the growing world of tourism is the use of low-cost carriers (LCCs). Low-cost airlines have significantly changed the way we travel while allowing large sections of the population to travel, thus contributing to the development of tourism, especially for those areas with poor interconnectivity such as Islands.
The main features of low-cost airlines are as follows:
• The provision of simple services focusing on transportation as well as the removal of all “decorative elements / frills” (such as free baggage transportation, free of charge meals in the aircraft, specific seat reservation according customer preference) or imposing additional charges on the above items
• making short-distance, point-to-point routes and emphasizing the immediate transition
• use of secondary airports with lower airport charges, greater slots availability, and lower traffic congestion
• high aircraft utilization achieved through shorter turn times, longer runs and higher flight frequencies
• use of new aircraft with better energy efficiency
• Low online distribution costs
Since 2000, the LCCs market has been booming, with their networks to expand continuously in the international market. The increase of the middle-class bourgeoisie and thus the upward trend in travel worldwide contributed to the growth of the LCCs sector by an average of 7.1% over the last decade.
According to official records from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in 2016 low-cost carriers accounted for about 28% of the world’s total flights, reaching 1,000,000,000 passengers. Europe has a leading position in which 32% of tourists have voted in favor of low-cost air travel, while Asia-Pacific and North America have been ranked second and third with 31% and 25% respectively.
In Europe, the increased demand for leisure travel and the increased tendency of Europeans to travel have contributed to the greater penetration of low-cost carriers in particular in the countries of the Eastern, Central and Southern Europe. Leaders in the LCCs market in Europe are Ryanair and Easyjet.

Market share of the LCCs per country against legacy and regional carriers, 2016

Sources: www.worldbank.org, www.airlineprofiler.eu, www.rdcaviation.com.