<\/a><\/p>\n In this series of posts we’re looking at the all the different types of passenger airlines that operate in the world, and narrowing that list down\u00a0to the most basic\u00a0types. After doing some research and analysis, we have determined that there are six fundamental airline types. In this post we look at the definition of The World Carrier<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a>Virgin Atlantic LHR<\/p>\n Similar to new era carriers, World Carriers<\/em> are relatively new comers to the passenger airliner market. As the name suggests a world carrier transports passengers to far flung\u00a0international destinations around the globe. They are not legacy carriers with international operations. A legacy carrier is an old line airline with BOTH domestic and international traffic. A world\u00a0carrier does not have a significant (and most times non-existent) domestic\u00a0short haul\u00a0passenger flow, and the majority of a world carrier’s traffic is\u00a0international medium, long, and ultra-long haul.<\/p>\n City states or island nations are naturals for the world carrier. In these circumstances there was never a need for domestic traffic; but there was, and is, a large demand for international destinations. All the big three Middle East carriers are world\u00a0carriers – Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. Virgin Atlantic is a world carrier. Singapore Airlines,\u00a0Cathay Pacific, EVA Air\u00a0are\u00a0mostly\u00a0world carriers.<\/p>\n <\/a>Cathay Pacific based in Hong Kong<\/p>\n <\/a>Etihad route structure – one big hub and set of spokes<\/p>\n The world carriers are certainly the big boys of international travel. Even though\u00a0the majority of them are relatively recent new comers to the aviation market they have significantly large operations. Depending on how you\u00a0define your measurement criteria world carriers rank high, usually within the top 30 airlines in the\u00a0world. Emirates\u00a0is the largest of the bunch, and will carrying over 50 million passengers by the end of 2016. Although being of large size they are not the largest type of airline in the world. That title goes to the legacy carriers, followed by the low cost carriers. In defining a world carrier –<\/p>\n World\u00a0carriers have the following characteristics:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The backbone of the world carrier is the wide-body aircraft. Some world carriers ONLY have a wide-body fleet including Emirates and Virgin Atlantic. A number of world carriers operate the Airbus 380, the largest passenger aircraft built to date. Emirates itself operates 74 of the A380 aircraft with 66 more on order, and they’re largest operator of this aircraft. The A380’s cost efficiency in transporting large passenger loads on long and ultra-long hauls is an integral part of Emirates competitive strategy. Whether\u00a0this strategy bears out over time is still to be determined and it should also be noted that Emirates is also investing considerably in the Boeing 777X, a third generation long range passenger aircraft.<\/p>\n World carriers also have a comprehensive range of product offering, and frequently configure 3 cabins and sometimes 4 on their wide body jets. The\u00a0product in the business and first class cabins is ultra-premium in nature and includes extras such as fine dining, private enclosed suites, bars and on some Emirates and Etihad aircraft shower suites. This also extends into the economy section of the cabin where world carriers advertise the premium nature of the food, entertainment and service offered to the passengers.<\/p>\nIntroduction: Defining the Six Fundamental Types of Airlines<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n
Type 1. The Legacy Carrier<\/a>
\nType 2. The Regional Carrier<\/a><\/strong><\/em>
\n Type 3. The Low Cost Carrier (LLC)<\/strong><\/em><\/a>
\n Type 4. The New Era Carrier (NEC)<\/strong><\/em><\/a>
\n Type 5. The World Carrier<\/strong><\/em><\/a>
\n Type 6. The All Business Class Airline (ABC)<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\nAdditional Notes on the six fundamental airline types.<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n
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