Are budget airlines less safe?

Tazzy (China)

Yes. Some budget airlines have been accused of restricting the amount of fuel they carry in an attempt to cut costs, which posed great dangers to passengers' safety. Besides, while both kinds of airlines comply with safety standards, the bigger operators give themselves more of a buffer zone. When everybody is allegedly operating to the same standards that regulatory agencies impose, there's definitely a difference between minimum compliance and best practice. I think the budget airlines achieve minimum compliance and they won't go beyond that.

This photo shows rescuers at the crash site of a plane of Lion Air, a budget airline, in Bali, Indonesia on Saturday, April 13, 2013. The plane carrying more than 100 passengers and crew overshot a runway on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Saturday and crashed into the sea, injuring nearly two dozen people. [Photo/IC]