LCC's in Europe

[46Driver]

I was trying to get some information on Low Cost Carriers in Europe. I have heard of GermanWings, EasyJet, and RyanAir. Information on any others would be greatly appreciated.

[despegue]

*Virgin-Express, based in Brussels
* Air Berlin, Europes third biggest LCC, based all around Germany (45 B737's)
*Jet 2, BMIBaby, BE, all based in the UK
* VolareWeb, based in Italy
* SkyEurope, based in Bratislava, Budapest, Warschaw
* Smartwings, the new LCC of Czech-airlines/ Travelservice, based Budapest
* WizzAir, based Budapest and Poland
* FlyGlobespan, I thing scandinavian based
* Snowflake, the LCC of SAS
* FlyEco, a planned startup base
* Germania Express, Hapag-Lloyd Express based in Germany
* Air Polonia, based Poland
* Basiq Air, the LCC of Transavia/ KLM
* more for sure!

[46Driver]

In my best Elvis voice, "Thank You, Thank You Very Much!"

[asterix4816]

Very comprehensive lists, just one small alteration FlyGlobespan is a Scottish airline based at GLA and EDI.

[Devils Advocate]

Err, could somebody please define 'Low Cost' ?

[moist]

Low Cost is what it costs someone else always, when you come to book there aren't any cheapies left.

[Kalium Chloride]

* Norwegian, out of Oslo.

* Niki, the former Aero Lloyd Austria and soon-to-be LCC

* DBA, another German entry.

* FlyMe, new LCC out of Sweden

* Nordic Airlink, the Finnair-driven LCC in Stockholm

[Musket90]

Iceland Express

[Frosty Hoar]

British Airways:D


......well they were cheaper than the LOCO alternatives when I last booked a flight, good on em...

[OverRun]

Low cost airlines - the biggest list is:
http://www.etn.nl/lcosteur.htm

They have 60 LCCs for Europe, and another 27 which hit the skids.

And there is a great country-by-country guide at:
http://www.attitudetravel.com/lowcostairlines/europe/bycountry.html#bycountry

Definition of LCC? Thomas C. Lawton in a 1999 article in Long Range Planning put together the best:

1. Secondary airports (lower charges and less congestion means airline can increase punctuality rates and gate turnaround times).
2. Standardised fleet (lower training costs and cheaper parts and equipment supplies).
3. Point-to-point services (direct, non-stop routes; through-service with no waiting on baggage transfers).
4. Maximise aircraft utilisation (fewer aircraft used to generate higher revenue; leads to higher passenger capacity and greater staff productivity).
5. Cheaper product design (no assigned or multi-class seating; no free food or drink).
6. No frequent flyer programme (costs money to manage and to implement).
7. Non-participation in alliances (code sharing and baggage transfer services lowers punctuality and aircraft utilisation rates and raises handling costs).
8. Minimise aircraft capital outlay (purchase used aircraft of a single type)
9. Minimise personnel costs (increase staff-passenger ratio; employee compensation linked to productivity-based pay incentives).
10. Customer service costs (outsource capital intensive activities, e.g. passenger and aircraft handling; increase direct sales through telephone reservation system).
11. Lower travel agent fees (reduce associated travel agent commission - 9 to 7.5%)

[The SSK]

According to an A.T.Kearney report, the biggest single cost advantage enjoyed by the lo-co's (but not their passengers) is seating density.

[B737NG]

What you want to do in a LCC???

[dusk2dawn]

What kind of infos are you seeking ? Anyway, try Low Cost Carriers in the European Aviation Single Market (http://www.eca-cockpit.com/content/view/128/160/) by the ECA.

[OverRun]

Thanks for the reference dusk2dawn – a good source.

desk jockey – I haven't read the report you talk of, and I agree that seat density can help, but I do feel that taking seat density on its own can be misleading. Worse then that – it lets the fundamental LCC differences be overlooked and distorts the concept of what an LCC is.

It has taken me several years to get a handle on these LCCs (probably I'm a slow learner). I found that each time I did their operating economics, there was no obvious reason (such as seat density) why they were consistently much cheaper and yet when I converted their operating costs through to fares, I was surprised each time by how cheap the fares could be.

Maybe I'm not alone in being surprised; I interviewed (for a specialist trade magazine) a Commercial GM for a large national airline who had adapted most of their domestic operation to the principles of LCC. He was completely surprised at the [great] results, which had cut their fleet need from 31 to 24 for the same network. From the way he told it, his airline management as a whole were also surprised. Maybe they learn at the speed I do. Anyway, as we worked through what had lead to the change, the biggest thing for them turned out to be - not seat density - not pilot's pay, but aircraft utilisation plus a whole raft of catering and cabin service changes.

Eventually I got to the understanding that Lawton's 11 points listed above are the ones that really make a difference. I'm still not sure that I understand the LCC model to the point where it is intuitive, but I can sure sympathise with the many managers of the full service airlines who started their own LCC only to find it fail after a short time. It's not easy to keep true to the LCC principles, and hats off to WN, FR and DJ who lead the LCC crowd.

[The SSK]

OverRun

This is the presentation I was referring to
http://www.pecc.org/community/papers/airportroundtable/ravindran.ppt
The relevant slide is no 11

I haven't seen the original A.T.Kearney report.

According to their figures, the advantage from higher aircraft utilisation is much smaller by comparison

[EasyBaby]

High density can sound worse than it is though, but after flying with many non LCC im surprised by the lack of space on airlines, such as a recent flight with Monarch and Air Tours. EasyJet's leg room very much surprised me (flying with them before i was tangoed!!). I had visions of been squashed in like a sardine and having my knees imbedded in the seat infront, but alas i didn't!!

Do the premier cabins on the airlines such as Monarch etc take up more room thus squeezing in the economy seats giving less leg room?

Also airlines that have low cost divisions, ie Ted/United BMI/bmibaby what would happen if the parent company failed, would they go under too, or are they a seperate enough entity to escape the parents downfall?

i think i've asked enough!!


EB;)