Do budget airlines show up in my flight search results or only the big full service airlines?

Yes, budget airlines normally show up alongside the full service carriers, though not every single one of them will appear for every agency. Flight content reaches a booking portal through more than one kind of connection. The traditional airlines are mostly reached through the global distribution systems, while many low cost carriers are reached through separate direct connections to each airline. Which low cost airlines you actually see depends on the suppliers switched on for your account and on your plan, so the list is not identical for everyone.

There are also a small number of airlines that have chosen to sell only on their own website and through their own agent programme. If an airline has made that decision, no booking system can pull its fares in, and it will not appear in your results whichever provider you work with. That is a choice made by the airline, not a limitation we can remove for you.

When you do book a low cost carrier, expect it to behave differently from a normal airline ticket. Fares are usually priced as separate one way journeys, cabin bags, checked bags, seats and meals are nearly always paid extras rather than included, and most of these fares are non refundable or refundable only as airline credit. Changes follow the airline's own fee rules, and your confirmation often comes as the airline's booking reference rather than a traditional ticket number, so your customer manages the trip on the airline's own site.

The simplest next step is to run a few test searches on the routes your customers fly most and see which carriers come back, then ask us to confirm which low cost airlines are live on your account before you promise a fare to anyone.