Budget airlines no less safe than others

The AirAsia flight QZ8501 incident, for obvious reasons, should raise concerns over airlines' safety, but it is absurd to say budget airlines or flights are more vulnerable simply because their tickets cost less than those of normal carriers. It is also important to remember that as a no-frills carrier, AirAsia has had a perfect safety record until now.

Both international and domestic laws set high and strict standards to make air travel safe and secure. Budget airlines do cut some overhead costs, but laws do not allow them to compromise flight safety standards.

Like many other businesses, budget airlines have flourished by saving unnecessary costs and increasing revenues. One of their major business strategies is to buy the same model of planes - hardly does a budget airline buy different types or models of planes. By using the same plane models, no-frills carriers can afford to buy fewer components for maintenance and repair, and train maintenance personnel more easily and at lower costs.