20 years of budget airlines: Once the underdogs of commercial aviation, now a force to reckon with

Norazman Sapiie's family was worried when he started working as cabin crew on budget carrier Jetstar Asia 20 years ago. After all, budget airlines had just burst onto the scene then, and floating around was a general misconception that they didn't have the same safety standards as a full-service carrier. Norazman, now 56, in fact went through training that included firefighting, emergency procedures and first aid – the same skills a crew member with a full-service carrier would be expected to have. Indeed, it was a common misperception that low cost equalled poor safety, said Scoot associate management pilot Keagan Pang. The 42-year-old began flying with Tiger Airways in 2013, before its rebranding as Tigerair and subsequent merger with Scoot. Today, fewer questions are being asked of safety standards as more people have become accustomed to budget travel, both Norazman and Pang said. “Think of it as a plate of Michelin-starred chicken rice,” said Pang. “One is served in a restaurant versus one in a food court. “You get the same ... but the price point is different, simply because the setting is slightly different.” Since Singapore's first locally-operated budget flight took off from Changi Airport in 2004, the low-cost carrier industry has seen several ups and downs on its way to becoming a household name. Story has more.<br/>