Originally Posted by
CabinCrewe
Are the existing VIE flights full? Is 4x weekly on two carriers sustainable?
It’s difficult to be absolutely sure about load factors because with the loss of the BRS Mayfly it’s not easy (no pun) to keep track of the aircraft types, but a considerable majority on the Vienna route appear to be 156-seat A319s. If that is the case the monthly load factors this summer (ie since April) would have been comfortably into the 90% zone.
easyJet began the route in 2015 and it has operated year-round at 2 x weekly since then although, as I said previously, it’s being increased to 3 x weekly for much of the coming winter and through the first part of next summer which with Lauda would give a 5 x weekly service next summer.
easyJet and Ryanair compete on 13 routes at BRS, some seasonal. Not all the competed routes are obvious sun routes.
For example easyJet and Ryanair go head to head year-round on Krakow (up to 9 x weekly between the two airlines), Seville (up to 5 x weekly), Venice Marco Polo (up to 12 x weekly) and Milan Malpensa (up to 6 x weekly) with Ryanair also offering Bergamo year-round at 3 x weekly.
Given that Ryanair will know the BRS market well, having had a base there for 12 years and flown in from other bases before that, one can only presume that they think Lauda will work on VIE alongside easyJet, at least in the summer.