A scatter plot of European airlines showing cost per available seat kilometre (CASK) against average trip length reveals much about their relative competitive positioning.
Even after many years of convergence (‘hybridisation’ used to be the buzzword), such analysis highlights ongoing differences between business models and reconfirms a few truisms.
Low cost carriers (LCCs) really do have lower unit costs than full service carriers (FSCs), while ultra-low cost carriers (ULCCs) have even lower unit costs.
