| Forget broadband telecoms, boutique investment
banks and branded restaurant chains. The trendiest
business opportunity of the moment is spartan,
ascetic and charges customers Ј3.95 for a
sandwich. A budget airline is this year's
surefire way to make a million.
Swept along in the tailwind of EasyJet
and Ryanair, everybody wants a no-frills
carrier. Holiday company MyTravel is limbering
up for a low-cost launch. Ciao Fly, which
runs daily flights to Italy, made its debut
at Luton this month.
British European has just rebranded with
the no-frills monicker Flybe.com, while
BMI British Midland is opening a second
base at Cardiff for its budget carrier bmibaby.
It has never been easier to set up an airline
- traditional barriers to entry have come
tumbling down.
With valleys full of mothballed planes
in the Californian desert, aircraft are
available on ten-a-penny leases. Brussels
has cut through red tape on European routes,
allowing liberal access to airport slots.
Meanwhile, the internet means rock-bottom
marketing costs - no more vast call centres
or networks of fussy travel agents.
There are thousands of entrepreneurs who
dream of being Stelios Haji-Ioannou. With
a little imagination, the sky is no limit.
The Guardian presents a step-by-step guide
to starting your own budget airline:
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