Cheap airplane tickets as well as cheap vacation packages proved to be a major draw in Europe last year as budget airlines increased their passenger count by 13 million even in the face of an overall decline in the number of people flying in Europe.
The total number of travelers flying inside of Europe last year fell by 5 percent. The largest airlines were the hardest hit. According to the Association of European Airlines, its members saw a decline in passenger traffic in 09 of 20 million that they blamed on the recession.
The major carriers passenger traffic was down almost 6 percent, flying 330 million passengers.
The European Low Fares Airline Association, which includes Ryanair and EasyJet, reported that its airlines flew almost 163 million passengers in 09, which amounted to one third of all scheduled flights within Europe.
Ryanair, an Irish based airline, is the largest of the low fare airlines, flying over 65 million people last year. EasyJet carried over 46 million, making it the second biggest low cost carrier.
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