What is LCC? Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier (LCC) is an airline that competes on low base fares, usually sells mainly through its own website or API, and charges separately for services such as bags and seats.
LCCs keep costs down through high aircraft utilisation, simplified fleets and unbundled pricing. Many historically avoided GDS distribution because of per-segment costs, preferring direct sales.
Integrating LCC content
For a travel platform, LCC content typically arrives through the airline’s own API, through an aggregator, or through a GDS that has added LCC content. The integration challenges are different from full-service carriers: fare and ancillary rules vary by airline, payment is often taken immediately, and there is usually no ticket in the traditional sense — just a confirmed booking.
Combining LCC content with GDS and NDC sources requires normalising baggage, change rules and fare conditions so customers can compare like with like.