Strategia połączeń niskokosztowych i hybrydowych linii lotniczych: czy Ryanair jest wyjątkowy?

The paper analyses network strategies of eleven European low cost and hybrid(ized) airlines between 2009 and 2014 focusing on spatial (geographical) attributes. Two-dimensional description of airline network evolution identified three of four possible spatial network strategies which were followed by the airlines — expansion, contraction and condensation; revealing expansion as a prevailing one. Ryanair as an expanding airline increased transnational nature of its network (confirmed by geographical spread indices), however out of the EEA region Ryanair expanded least within the expanding airlines. Against the compared expanding counterparts, the only Ryanair increased exploitation of its network connectivity potential. Ryanair had the lowest levels of network concentration what coincides with an assumption about deconcentrated network typical for pure (ultra) low cost carrier. Our findings support the statement that economies generated by spatial connectivity of airline networks play a crucial role in competition of airlines as their business is in principle spatially determined.