The advantage of low cost carriers

The LCCs were experimenting with all means of reducing cost and increasing operational efficiency and it helped the industry as a whole. Many of the established practices in flight operations were challenged by these operators. In an effort to reduce the cost of sales, they established booking engines on their websites to overcome the dependency on GDS systems. This opened the inventory of flights and other services to the public and the emerging tech-savvy generation enjoyed the freedom of making their bookings on their own laptops.

By making meal service optional, for those who prefer to purchase their meals on board the flight, the ground time of the aircraft in loading and unloading meal trays was reduced. This led to very short turnaround time and brought down the airport cost and improved aircraft utilization. Another innovation was to try to develop less used airports instead of clamouring for flight slots at the busy airports. This step reduced the cost for parking charges, congestions problems and also made the trip to the airport shorter for many passengers. They appreciated this move and began boarding flights from airports closer home.

Online travel sites – the ease of comparison

Travel portals that were growing in number and clout also found the emergence of low cost carriers a boon to their business.  By integrating the website of the LCC to their own air booking site, they made it easier for the passengers to compare the price and timings of various airlines operating on the same route in one click. This ease of making comparison before making the purchase is preferred by the experienced traveller instead of visiting so many websites for the same piece of information.

When some of the low cost carriers started sans due planning by the adventurous did not succeed, there was a pessimistic view that bubble of the LCC boom will soon burst.  If you look at the total picture, it is obvious that the Low cost carriers are here to stay and prosper as the tourism industry is rapidly growing around the world.  In fact, in many areas the LCCs are going to lead the way and others follow it, learning new lessons from this experiment.

Low Cost Carriers

Low cost airline operation is a recent phenomenon in the world of Travel & Tourism.  Yet, it has caught the imagination of the traveling public around the world and gained a lot of admirers and supporters.  It is appealing since the luxurious world of air travel is now affordable to more passengers and the low cost carriers have opened up destinations in remote places, hitherto skirted by the established carriers.

When the low cost airlines began appearing in the aviation horizon, many considered it a threat to the established “full service” carriers, eating into their customer base.  However, it became obvious before long that the LCCs have created a niche for themselves by catching the fancy of the emerging travellers and the middle-income group.  This group of passengers, once they were bitten by the air travel bug, is prepared to test the “full service” option, albeit at a higher cost.  Thus, the LCCs have enlisted more travellers to the growing list of tourists, instead of diminishing the customer base of the legacy carriers. 

International Air Transport Association

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered.
IATA's mission is to represent, lead, and serve the airline industry. IATA represents some 230 airlines comprising 93% of scheduled international air traffic. The Director General and Chief Executive Officer is Giovanni Bisignani. Currently, IATA is present in over 150 countries covered through 101 offices around the globe.

The IATA Head Office are located at 800 Place Victoria (Montreal Stock Exchange Tower) in Montreal since 1977 (having been located at Central Station (Montreal) since its founding) and the executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in Switzerland.

Aviation Studies

The internationally recognized IATA Diploma in Aviation Studies is tailored to airlines and airports.
Certificate courses span both the vocational and professional training spheres, offering a wide range of specialized content to achieve your professional goals in a flexible and cost-effective way – whether you're starting a career in aviation or seeking advanced management training at the executive level.

Sabre Course

Sabre is a computer reservations system/global distribution system (GDS) used by airlines, railways, hotels, travel agents and other travel companies. Sabre GDS is a unit of Sabre Holdings' Sabre Travel Network division. Current North American hosted carriers include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, WestJet, Cape Air, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Mesa Airlines, and Midwest Airlines. Its current IATA code is 1S. However some internal areas are still under 1W.

The Sabre datacenter is in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was subject to the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System II and is intended to be part of the predecor Secure Flight program for the selection of passengers with a risk profile, sometime in 2008-10.

Travel and Tourism Courses

Over 200 million people work in the travel and tourism industry worldwide. IATA's international travel & tourism training programme is designed to give you the skills and knowledge to maximise your career opportunities in this rapidly expanding industry. Courses are available for all responsibility levels, from entry-level to executives. 

Each course leads to an IATA / UFTAA diploma or certificate, recognised worldwide by employers in the travel industry. 

Courses are offered in over 200 IATA Authorised Training Centres (ATCs) around the world, as well as in self-study format.

Over 200 million people work in the travel & tourism industry worldwide. IATA's International Travel & Tourism Training programme will give you the skills and knowledge to become one of these travel professionals. IATA's travel & tourism diplomas and certificates are recognized worldwide by employers in the travel industry.