press comparisons

[mjenkinsblackdog]

Its quite bizarre how the press are comparing low cost airlines with major european national flag carriers.
Low cost airlines are mainly european point to point operations with a low cost base.
Major nationals fly worldwide and are well established.
The press should be comparing like for like.
:cool:

[Ace Rimmer]

But they are comparing like with like low cost or major they both are in the business of shifting people and cargo from point a to point b via means of aerial conveyances

Low cost base eh? Let's look at that assertion, a low cost carrier operating a 733 has to pay the the same in en route charges the same or maybe even a little more for fuel as a major operating the route with a 733. OK they pay their crews less but as we've heard on this forum that's not a major factor.

So where do they reduce costs then? Lower marketing and sales costs (Ryanair reckon they get 95% of their booking via the web) so much reduced travel agent commissions then. They charge for refreshments (5.50 or thereabouts for a sarnie and a cup of joe gotta be some serious profit in that). Oh yeah, and the biggie, higher aircraft utilisation equating to an average 1 to 2 more sectors a day per a/c bet THAT makes a difference to the sums!
Would it work on longhaul? Hard to say, nobody's really tried it since Sir Freddie and the markets changed since then. Some say the SLF won't hack the cramped seating over long haul sectors... wanna bet? check out the charters heading to Fl etc. Same stack 'em if you have to seat pitch arrangements. and the SLF reaction?...Come on down ...the price is RIGHT!!
Interesting idea though...anybody know where I can get some...hmmmm... let's see... I KNOW..(roll of drums)..TRISTARS...(look out Guv moment that's the second one in less than a month guess I better go and seek help or sedation or something)
:eek:

[mjenkinsblackdog]

Ace sadly you missed the point.

[Ace Rimmer]

Ok maybe so. But what, pray tell, was your point?

[sgt.culpepper]

The "Press" is no different than any other business (with the odd honourable exception).
They are selling a product to a finely defined and segmented market. They will package their product and aim it at a specific audience which has been market researched to the endth degree.They know what their readers like and they keep giving them more of the same. If that means shaping the news to fit the readership profile then so be it.This "policy" you can spot in any newspaper. However what is more difficult to spot is the "policy" of news management by omission, or to give it it's proper name, CENSORSHIP.This is a word media claim to hate ,yet it is practiced every day by newspapers in a very deliberate way.So don't expect comparisons between apples it's mutch more interesting to give apples a bad name by comparing them with plums.

[Gaza]

You get what you pay for.

In the early days of EZY I flew a lot EDI-LTN. I put up with cancellations and delays? Why? Because LTN is about 1 mile from my (then) office. It made no sense to fly (KLMuk) to STN or BA/BD to LHR.

For my parents the route is a godsend. My brother and family live about 20 minutes from LTN so Granny and Grandad get to see the grandchildren a lot more then they would if EZY didn't exist.

Where the full service airlines still have an upper edge is in the areas of through transfer. If I want to fly EDI-BCN with EZY, I have to collect my luggage and then queue again at another check-in. Depending on whether the flight is on schedule or not, I may be prevented from checking due to the "30 minute" rule employed by EZY. I also may end up with boarding card number 150 which means I'm last on and get the priveledge of a middle seat beside the bogs!

Do I want this? No. Am I prepared to pay a bit more for through check-in and allocated seats? Absolutely.

Another major plus for full service airlines is full service airports. If I want to go to Frankfurt, I want to go to Frankfurt-Main where I can get fast convenient onward links. I don't want to end up in Hahn, absolutely miles away from my destination.

Who will survive? Low cost or full service? IMHO Both. The full service guys will change and will play to the point to point corporate and through connection travellers. The low costs will continue to grow, but once cities stop paying for them to land there, their costs will creep up.

Will low fare work on long-haul? Doubt it. Yes, the charter operators with their DVT inducing legroom make a success of holiday routes to the US, Maldives, Goa, etc, but that is aimed at a certain market and at a certain price bracket. Low fare operators would struggle to fill the flights as charter operators do.

There is still a market for business and premium economy prodcuts in the long-haul market. I am lucky, I can afford to fly Business Class when flying for pleasure. I hasten to add I don't purchase my tickets in the UK but in other European countries whare the prices are 50% less than in the UK! How do I get to the European City? EaZY!