As a consequence of the capital intensive nature of being a Full service carrier, there has been a
consolidation in this part of the airline industry in recent years representing a few large players in
Europe, e.g. Lufthansa, Air France and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). At the same time, the
number of European LCCs has increased and the competition is consequently intensified. The
effect of the contemporary travel behavior among business and leisure travelers - favoring price,
swiftness and simplicity over exclusive loyalty programs and preferential treatment - has been the
major initiator of this development in aviation. A great deal of the explanation is the general
change in the perception of airline traveling towards flying being a means of transportation,
rather than being a vital criteria for the success of the entire vacation