New Breed of Long-Haul Discounter Here To Stay, IATA Chief Says

  • Network carriers must adapt to enduring challenge: de Juniac
  • Digital technology has been key in leveling playing field
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Low-cost airlines targeting inter-continental routes have come and gone since the days of U.K. entrepreneur Freddie Laker’s trans-Atlantic Skytrain service in the 1970s.

But a new generation of discounters equipped with more-efficient jets and using the Internet to tap markets closed to their forerunners is set to endure, challenging the long-haul dominance of network carriers, International Air Travel Association Chief Executive Officer Alexandre de Juniac said Tuesday.