Copy their formula for success. That is how Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge, chairman of British Airways, believes that traditional, full-service airlines must deal with the no-frills, low-cost airline phenomenon.
But Lord Marshall, who has been at the helm of BA for the past 21 years, 11 of those as the carrier's chairman - he retires in July in favour of Martin Broughton, chairman and chief executive of British American Tobacco - adds a caveat.
'We have no intention of being other than a full-service carrier. That is our strategy and we intend to maintain [it],' he told the South China Morning Post yesterday.
'[But] you've got to look at what the competitive situation is today. There are more and more of these so-called no-frills carriers coming into the scene.
'They're only just now appearing in Asia. In the UK, we've been at it for a number of years with these carriers. And we have to go on reducing our cost base to enable us to be relatively competitive against them.'
BA's strategy for its European network has been to reduce operating costs to the point where the airline is able to profitably operate full-service flights - providing the drinks, meals and in-flight entertainment - at fares competitive to its no-frills competitors.