Originally Posted by
andrasz
So let me get this right... The business model involved giving 75% of the target market free seats ? No wonder the investors did not buy it...
Most of them would buy at least 10 return trips per year, more if you include family travel, and the offer was for only 2 per year. It was seen at the time as making it an attractive investment. It's the equivalent of share-holders perks in other companies, some of which are extremely valuable. Don't forget that seats that would otherwise be empty have no value, so you're not giving much away. It's the fundamental basis of inter-airline staff travel, freebies for travel agents, and so on..