Nowadays cheap air travel is increasingly popular in the world. To what extent do you think its advantages outweigh its disadvantages?
Band 7
There was a time when air travel was only for the wealthy people and out of reach of the majority of citizens. But now low-cost flights are available in many countries. I believe this is, overall, a positive development.
The most obvious advantage of low-cost flights is their affordability. Nowadays some airline tickets are so cheap that they cost even less than the airport tax. This change can certainly give more people affordable access to air travel and help them to save money.
Low-cost air travel also contributes to the growth of tourism because it provides more tourists with the chance to travel by air. Time is valuable for them and most of them hope to spend more time in their destinations. Compared with a journey by train or by coach, low-cost flights save tourists a great deal of time. This means that they can have more time and energy to enjoy the attractions that they wish to visit.
Some people are worried that low-budget air travel may be less comfortable than regular flights. In fact, most low-cost flights provide the same seats as the seats offered to economy-class passengers on regular flights. Even if we feel unhappy with the seats, we can always get a better seat at a bit of extra cost.
Some other people may complain that cheap air travel consumes more fuel and causes more pollution. However, cheap air travel is not more damaging to the environment than car rides and coach tours because passenger planes can carry far more people than cars and coaches do.
In conclusion, not only can cheap air travel offer us affordable flights, it can also give us greater convenience and more options, on which we cannot put a price tag.
