the.com/legacy carrier
an airline old enough to remember when flying was glamorous and prices weren't.
means a full-service, traditionally established airline (like Delta, Lufthansa, or British Airways) that predates budget carriers and still charges accordingly.
from the term rose alongside low-cost airlines in the 1990s-2000s to distinguish the flag-carrying, hub-and-spoke incumbents from the no-frills upstarts undercutting them.
often government-bornmany started as state-owned national flag carriers.
hub obsessedbuilt around connecting hubs, not point-to-point routes.
loyalty heavyfrequent-flyer programs exist partly to fight budget rivals.