Originally Posted by
RexBanner
Norwegian’s customer base is the low hanging fruit. They’ve pinned virtually their entire business model on it. Exactly the same customer base that is the first to suffer and stop travelling in any downturn and the same people that all the legacies have to do to pilfer is to unbundle their product and they can thus match if not beat Norwegian on price and they’re still coining it in from their premium cabins.
The low hanging fruit you mention is young people who haven't yet the wealth of the older generation.
Sitting waiting to pick up a friend at Gatwick today i met 2 people travelling to Chicago with Norwegian, both late 20's and neither have ever flown BA with no plans to. 25 years ago the opposite would be the case as would be hard pushed to find people then who hadn't flown BA.
Now people will fly Norwegian / Easyjet / Ryanair because of cost but will stick with it because they are brands they know and have delivered consistently.
In 20 years time the older BA fliers will be dead or stopped flying, the current users of Norwegian (assume still around) will still be flying and have added another generation used to flying Norwegian / Easy / Ryanair. The recession it was people with money who stopped flying and couldn't justify X thousand on a seat.