A Budget Airline Needs More Than a Cheap Seat
By Fiona van Iersel
Minerva Empowerment
Marketing Strategy and Planning
28 March 2025

A budget airline’s audience is easy to describe too broadly: people who want to travel cheaply. That is a starting point, but it does not explain why a family planning a holiday and a frequent city traveller might choose the same flight for very different reasons.

I would look beyond age and income to the job the journey needs to do. Is the customer buying flexibility, a convenient departure, a short escape, a straightforward family trip or a way to stretch a tight budget? The answers should change the message and the offer.

Holiday bundles, priority options and app-based communication are useful only when the customer understands what they solve. Where does the message appear? What does it promise? Does the experience after booking support it?

Positioning also needs a reference point. A simple map of perceived price and service could help show how travellers compare alternatives. It should be based on customer perceptions rather than the airline declaring its own preferred position.

My next experiment would be modest: test more relevant app messages or a clearer offer for one identifiable travel need, then assess whether it improves understanding and choice. A strategy earns its wings when segmentation, targeting and service design point in the same direction.