Budget airlines no less safe than others

A child looks on at a viewing gallery overlooking AirAsia planes on the tarmac at Changi Airport in Singapore Dec 29, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

The AirAsia flight QZ8501 incident, for obvious reasons, should raise concerns over airlines' safety, but it is absurd to say budget airlines or flights are more vulnerable simply because their tickets cost less than those of normal carriers. It is also important to remember that as a no-frills carrier, AirAsia has had a perfect safety record until now.

Both international and domestic laws set high and strict standards to make air travel safe and secure. Budget airlines do cut some overhead costs, but laws do not allow them to compromise flight safety standards.

Like many other businesses, budget airlines have flourished by saving unnecessary costs and increasing revenues. One of their major business strategies is to buy the same model of planes - hardly does a budget airline buy different types or models of planes. By using the same plane models, no-frills carriers can afford to buy fewer components for maintenance and repair, and train maintenance personnel more easily and at lower costs.

Budget airlines also eliminate some services they deem unnecessary, such as free meals, which reduces the need for air stewards. As a result, they employ fewer air stewards. The reduction in labor and overhead costs helps budget airlines to make profit despite offering cheaper tickets.

No-frills airlines also save money in other ways. For example, AirAsia and some other budget airlines don't have an office at many of the airports they operate out of. Instead, they have desks which are manned by one or a couple employees.

But none of them dare compromise on maintenance, which is key to flight safety.

Besides, many budget airlines increase the average flying time of their planes to make more money, which has been widely blamed for making flights unsafe. For example, the average daily flying time of a US-based Southwest Airlines' plane is over 10 hours, much more than those of most other American carriers.