Budget airline model is restricting consumer choice

07.10.2009
People taking ferries to destinations such as France are avoiding an aviation market which is suffering from restricted consumer choice, according to one expert who said budget airlines are limiting competition.

James Fremantle, industry affairs manager for the Air Transport Users Council, said that big airlines such as British Airways are being forced to follow the lead of budget flyers like Ryanair just to be able to compete.

He said: "I think consumer choice is being restricted, particularly in the European market."

The expert added that travellers should consider the full range of options open to them before booking with any company.

In other news, British Airway"s recent Traffic and Capacity Statistics showed that its total number of passengers in September 2009 was 2,923,000, down from 2,973,000 in 2008.

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