Budget airlines depart 2009 on a high

This past year will live long in the memories of many people in the airline industry as it has been possibly the worst on record for losses. Some of the major players in the industry lost bad at the end of the financial year, British Airways had a record breaking £401 million loss, while others have been hit harder and have closed up shop altogether. FlyGlobeSpan were the latest in a long list to cease operations this year when they left their customers stranded overseas.

One of the better stories though was the relative success of low-cost carriers across the globe. Everyone who flies must familiar with European based airlines of Easyjet and Ryanair, who between the two have come to the rescue of many stranded passengers this as the result of other airlines going bust. They have had a good year and are sure to carry on that trend in 2010. If you travel to South East Asia you could well have come across a little Malaysian airline called Air Asia.

Air Asia are one of this year’s true winners in the air travel market and offer flights to Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, China and many other destinations in the area. As well as taking a large proportion of the Asian market the carrier has extended it routes to include London, England and Abu Dhabi. They have plans to offer routes all over the world and all at the traditional budget prices they already offer. The following year is sure to be a testing one for air market, but it seems we are all switching to cheaper modes of transport.