Scheduled ? Charter ? Lo-Cost ?

[QWERTY9]

Are there officially 3 passenger airline types ? Yes, they could be broken down into International, Domestic, Regional etc, but that's not what I'm looking for.

Does anyone have a precise and official definition of these types of airline ? What does make an airline a scheduled, charter or lo-cost ? Some airlines repute to be lo-cost, but are they really ?

Would a lo-cost airline be classed as a scheduled airline, charter or neither ?

Very curious !

[VS-LHRCSA]

The line between charter and scheduled has blurred over the years with relaxation of many of the various regulations, treaties and agreements that hindered many airlines from flying certain routes unless under the guise of a charter. A pure charter airline does not operate its own schedule but will fly routes on behalf of a customer, whether they be a tour company, a sporting team, the military or another airline. For example, First Choice will not just decide to fly to Puerto Plata. A tour operator will approach First Choice to fly for them.

Broadly speaking, an airline that has a published schedule is a scheduled airline, whether they be low cost of full service, the definition is still the same as far as route licensing is concerned. For example, both easyJet and BA are sheduled airlines and fly to a schedule.

[The SSK]

The terms 'low cost', 'low fare' and 'no frills' mean whatever you choose them to mean. There are no official definitions.

Scheduled - 'Flights scheduled and performed for remuneration according to a published timetable, or so regular or frequent as to constitute a recognisably systematic series, which are open to direct booking by members of the public'

In the mass leisure market most 'charter services' operate to a recognisably systematic schedule but as VS-LHRCSA says, the capacity is sold en bloc to tour operators who market it in a package including accommodation.

Since European deregulation in 1993, any airline is free to market its services any way it likes, so many 'charter' airlines publish their schedules and sell seats - those not taken up by the package-tour groups - to the general public.