Budget Airlines Compete Head to Head in UK

British Airways owner IAG has announced new short-haul routes from its budget airline Level.

The low-cost carrier will rival easyJet and Ryanair who offer some of the cheapest flights on the market in the UK when traveling to Europe.

Level was launched last year in a bid to target fellow low-cost airline Norwegian, Express.co.uk reported.

The first new flights will launch on 17 July to Vienna from Gatwick Airport. Other destinations will include Barcelona, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Milan Malpensa and Dubrovnik as some of the 14 new routes. The announcement has shocked the aviation industry, with the first scheduled flights just weeks away.

Flights will start from just £22 one way, although passengers will need to pay additional charges for extras. Cabin bags, meals and seat reservations are all extra on top of the flight ticket.

The next destinations will launch four weeks after the first route to Vienna.

  Pricing Battle

It could start a price war between many of the budget airlines in the UK. Independent's Simon Calder warned it would be a "massive fares war".

Willie Walsh, IAG's chief executive, said, "We are launching this new short-haul subsidiary to provide Austrian consumers with more flight choices across Europe."

Ryanair's Kenny Jacobs told Express.co.uk in response, "We welcome competition and anything that brings more choice for consumers, however, Ryanair will continue to offer the lowest fares in every market, with an average fare of just €39 that no one else can match."

Until recently, Level was primarily a long-haul service flying to the US and the Caribbean.

The changes to the industry reflect the way people are choosing to travel as more prefer cheap flights without the frills.

This comes at a price, with many airlines adding fees that quickly make the ticket much more expensive.

Earlier this year, Ryanair announced changes to their hand luggage policy which meant only Priority boarders were allowed their suitcases in the cabin, costing £5.

Wizz Air recently followed suit, with standard ticket passengers being forced to put their bags into the hold.