The negative aspects of LCC's

[PAXboy]

Hotel Tango

... coach travel has become progressively more comfortable over the years.

These conveyances are only superficially similar. In these points 'vehicle' means a coach or aircraft:

1. Construction cost of vehicles is rather different.
2. Cost of insuring the vehicle is rather different.
3. Cost of fuel per passenger mile.
4. One vehicle runs on roads built by the state and which are paid for by fuel duty and toll taxes. The other uses dedicated pathways that are charged to the owner and include ATC.
5. Cost of maintenance.
6. Cost of overnight parking differs between a coach park and an airport.
7. Not sure if coach stations charge per arrival and per departure, or a flat fee?
8. Cost of safety legislation placed on owner of vehicle differs.
9. Cost of driver due to legislation of duty/rest hours differs.
10. Cost of vehicle standing idle for a week differs.
11. Etcetera.

So the aircraft had the benefit of speed and the coach lost. They had to respond by providing something different, one of which turned out to be comfort.

Once LCCs started, the coach owners were really in trouble because they can never beat the speed. Since 99.99% of pax have shown (across the world) that price is the only point - the comfort of coaches is still going to have a hard job to win. However, since their overheads are so much less, they can give more leg room and so on.