Pacific Southwest Airlines
Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was a low-cost US airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1988. It was the first substantial scheduled discount airline. PSA called itself "The World's Friendliest Airline" and painted a smile on the nose of its airplanes, the PSA Grinningbirds. The Los Angeles Times called PSA "practically the unofficial flag carrier airline of California for almost forty years."
PSA 1953 logo
Lockheed L-188 Electra of PSA around 1959
Boeing 727-100 in 1971
PSA flight attendants
A low-cost carrier (LCC) or low-cost airline, also called no-frills, budget or discount carrier or airline, is an airline that is operated with an emphasis on minimizing operating costs. It sacrifices certain traditional airline luxuries, for cheaper fares. To make up for revenue lost in decreased ticket prices, the airline may charge extra fees such as for carry-on baggage. As of April 2020, the world's largest low-cost carrier is Southwest Airlines, which operates primarily in the United States, as well as in some surrounding areas.
Southwest Airlines is the world's largest low-cost carrier.
Ryanair and Wizz Air airplanes at Glasgow Prestwick Airport. The airlines are two competing low-cost carriers in the European market.
A SunExpress Boeing 737-800 at Zurich Airport
Passengers boarding a Spring Airlines aircraft via passenger boarding stairs at Shanghai Pudong International Airport