The Illusion of Cheap Travel
Then you have the airlines themselves. Budget carriers compete almost entirely on ticket price, meaning their margins are inherently brittle. When fuel costs soar, they face an agonising choice between absorbing heavy losses or pricing themselves out of relevance entirely.
Legacy carriers operate in a different reality altogether. Airlines like Delta and United serve a broader mix of business travellers and premium loyalty programme members who are decidedly less sensitive to price hikes. Because of this, they possess something budget airlines simply do not.
They have genuine pricing power.
During a sudden fuel shock, dominant legacy players could raise fares without immediately alienating their customer base. They can flex their structural muscle to protect their bottom lines, watching calmly while their budget rivals scramble to survive.