1 - Introduction – Low-cost aviation: society, culture, and environment

Abstract

Low-cost carriers have dramatically increased their presence in the aviation industry. In this introductory chapter, we argue that the low-cost carriers (LCCs) model should not be seen as simply enabling a new way of running airlines, but also as a new mode of travel that actively feeds the (re)making and (re)organization of contemporary life—both in the air and on the ground. “Flying on the cheap” has far-reaching impacts on social practices, cultural identities, and environmental responses. This volume delves into the intricate reasons and bases on which LCCs have come to be so popular and integral to people's modern mobilities. The chapter thus calls for greater sensitivity to the emergent modalities of low-cost aeromobilities that have both democratized and splintered the way people move and become global citizens. It delineates how the various chapters of this volume work to unpack the profound shifts that “flying on the cheap” is heralding.