How airlines make money: why profit is just one seat away
Where does the money we pay for a plane ticket actually go? An airline faces many fixed and variable costs, and what remains is often just a few euros per passenger. This means that a single empty seat, a delay, or an unexpected diversion can be enough to turn a flight into a loss.So how can a β¬19 ticket keep an airline alive? Below is a clear, structured explanation of where an airlineβs money goes, based on typical European short- and medium-haul operations.