Les compagnies « low cost » face au ralentissement économique mondial. La robustesse du modèle économique et des choix de desserte à l'épreuve. (« Low-Cost Airlines » and the global economic slowdown. Testing the strength of an economic model and the route choices.)

Abstract

After a decade of uninterrupted growth in markets they largely contributed to create, low-cost airlines are, as their established competitors, confronted to a serious economic crisis which was preceded by a petroleum crisis. It is therefore interesting to examine the effects of these crises on their financial results as well as on their network development strategy, by comparing their fate to traditional airlines which have globally suffered even more. We must recognize that the heterogeneity of the « low-cost » airline sector and of its strategic choices has some bearing on the effects of the crisis : airlines that have been able to grow rapidly from the start and stabilize on a healthy economic model (Easyjet and Ryanair come to mind) have only marginally slowed down, continuing to open a large number of routes and focus airports. Smaller or more recent companies have met more contrasted fates, some have disappeared (Sterling or Sky Europe), others have merged or linked with traditional airlines. Overall, airlines operating on the North American market, of any type, had poorer results than their European counterparts.