Low Cost airlines

[radeng]

I flew FlyBaboo again this week. How is it they can survive offering low fares, big seat distances, free water, free canapes and tiramisu - something I gather Ryanair and easyjet don't do? Very clean aircraft, friendly multi lingual crew (English, Italian and French at least). I would recommend them to anyone going to fly on a route they serve.

[powerstall]

Could be a lot of factors to consider.

1. Lots of cargo to and from their destinations
2. Low maintenance costs
3. Low crew costs
4. Tax free fuel or low priced fuel at that
5. Low operating costs
6. Expecting losses initially, introducing themselves to the market..... then jack it up once they have a fair share... :E hehehe

... just my two cents worth :ok:

[Wannabe Flyer]

FlyBaboo

You kidding me that is a name of an airline???? Well after all Yahoo made money too!!! :p

[radeng]

Yes, they fly out of Geneva to places like Nice, Venice, Bordeaux, Bucharest and so on. Not a big show, but they seem pretty good the times I've flown them. Strange name, though. They also do some Air France regional flights, but then they are standard Air France.

[boardingpass]

Doesn't seem lowcost to me. Milan Malpensa to Geneva for 142 Euros in December 3 months away... But then if their main customers are Swiss...

[radeng]

Nice to Geneva last September was €39, Venice to Geneva last week was €67

I suspect they charge what the route can bear....Venice to Geneva with anybody else is routing via Frankfurt or Zurich or Paris or somewhere at much greater cost. At least they fly from Venice to Geneva, and not from somewhere in the vague vicinity of Venice to somewhere in the vague vicinity of Geneva!

[jeanyqua]

Just priced them for Geneva...well cheap.
Thanks Radeng..hadn't heard of this airline before.
Gee i love Pprune..:)

[Capetonian]

This was sent to me from a French travel site. I've run it through Google - their translation is probably better than mine, and it's still piss poor!

Low cost: in the end, how you back your ticket?

10, 20 or 50 euros per flight, their prices are unbeatable. Yet the low cost airlines are not always a good plan. Management fees, checked baggage, meals, the price can quickly escalate. Overview of options pay to avoid the pitfalls.
Unbeatable prices but a clear motto: "Free is not".
The low cost airlines set the tone: their passengers pay only 10, 20 or 50 euros their ticket but if they want more than just the flight, they must leave the new card.
And in some cases, the bill can quickly extend. Management fees, baggage hold, meals ... everything is paying a few dollars to several tens of euros.
From booking the flight, here is an overview of all tips to know what is paid. Or not.
On booking a multitude of mandatory fees
No escape, now, many costs are added to the price of flight sec. They are mandatory.
With Ryanair, what are the fees for registration and online payment fees that are adding to the bill. Count 5 euros for the former and 5 euros per passenger per flight for the latter. The booking fees are only 4 euros for tickets purchased on easyJet.com.
Only solution to escape: to pay with a Visa Electron card and Carte Bleue. By using the reservations become free. But only on domestic transactions for customers of easyJet. For those of Ryanair, is more complicated, the offer is valid only at certain times of the year.
In addition to fresh records, there are eternal airport taxes. In most cases, they double the price of the trip. But are they also required.
And only a reduced share of the company can escape. The board followed the news promotion.
Baggage: The bunker is paid
With the low cost, it is better to travel light. Otherwise, he must pay more. For most companies, only carry-on baggage are not charged.
But even for this kind of baggage, conditions exist.
"The handbag or laptop count as one piece of hand baggage of its own and thus no other luggage will be accepted in the cabin, provides easyJet on its website. Better to be aware.
To bring more business, only solution: pay additional fees. They range from 6 euros from 22 euros to Germanwings for esayJet, from 10 euros with Ryanair.
If you pay at the same time as your tickets, you limit the damage. Otherwise, it will add an extra few euros to double the original price when payments to the airport. Take care and calculate well.
To avoid fees, then opt for cabin baggage. Know that their weight is generally limited to 10 kg per person. This is enough for a getaway weekend. But no more.


The free snacks are not
The low-cost airlines are clear on this point: meals or snacks offered during the flight do not exist on their routes.
The reason given by easyJet: "The free meals are adding costs to the amount of the ticket. We believe that our passengers prefer to dispense with a meal tray in plastic and save the price of their ticket.

Also, prices on board are very variable. Atlas Blue claims to offer its passengers "a selection of sandwiches, snacks and drinks at reasonable prices. But the Moroccan airline has still put up free snacks on its Paris-Marrakech.
Germanwings has a map with several options including coffee and croissant at 3.80 euros. Other companies are on the same niche.


Even booking changes are resolved
No changes without charge. Whatever the company's low cost, all require their customers to pay additional charges if rebooking or change of name of passenger.
Travelers on Atlas Blue must pay a surcharge of 50 euros per passenger. Ryanair, it takes 35 euros for a simple change of time or date and 100 euros for the name. The costs are lower in Germanwings 26 euros and 35 euros.
But each time, customers must also pay the difference between the price of one originally planned and again if the difference exists.
The advice: before you book, plan your trip well.
A total count of over 50%
With all these options pay the bill climbs, climbs. On average, it takes more than 50% compared to prices of tickets dried.
Example: taking a fl at esayJet, from Marseilles to London, return tickets at 64 euros. By adding a baggage and cargo insurance. Not to mention the cost of treatment. The total eventually reached the 101 euros. Or 56% increase.
So beware and do not hesitate - when you book online - to uncheck the luggage and other insurance, if you do not need. Because the boxes are checked automatically.
Other good news: those little pay land options in traditional companies. They represent a gain far too important to be neglected!

Tourmagazine : journal tourisme grand public - croisière touristique (http://www.tourmagazine.fr)


Low cost : au final, à combien vous revient votre billet d'avion ?

10, 20 ou 50 euros le vol, leurs prix sont imbattables. Pourtant les compagnies aériennes low cost ne sont pas toujours un bon plan. Frais de gestion, bagages en soute, repas, la facture peut rapidement grimper. Tour d'horizon des options payantes pour éviter les pièges.
Des prix imbattables mais une devise claire : "La gratuité n'existe pas".
Les compagnies aériennes low cost donnent le ton : leurs passagers paient seulement 10, 20 ou 50 euros leur billet d'avion mais s'ils veulent plus que le simple vol, ils doivent sortir de nouveau la carte bleue.
Et dans certains cas, la facture peut rapidement se rallonger. Frais de gestion, bagage en soute, repas... tout est payant de quelques euros à plusieurs dizaines d'euros.
De la réservation au vol, voici un tour d'horizon de toutes les astuces pour savoir ce qui est payant. Ou pas.
A la réservation : une multitude de frais obligatoires
Pas d'échappatoire, à la réservation, de multiples frais viennent s'ajoutent au prix du vol sec. Ils sont obligatoires.
Chez Ryanair, ce sont les frais d'enregistrement en ligne et les frais de paiement qui viennent alourdir la facture. Comptez 5 euros pour les premiers et 5 euros par passager et par vol pour les seconds. Les frais de réservations ne sont que de 4 euros pour les billets achetés sur easyJet.com.
Seule solution pour y échapper : payer avec une carte bancaire Visa électron et Carte Bleue. En les utilisant, les réservations deviennent gratuites. Mais uniquement sur les transactions nationales pour les clients d'easyJet. Pour ceux de Ryanair, c'est plus compliqué, l'offre est valable qu'à certaines périodes de l'année.
Outre les frais de dossiers, il y a les éternelles taxes d'aéroports. Dans la plupart des cas, elles doublent le prix du voyage. Mais elles sont, elles aussi, obligatoires.
Et seule une réduction de la part de la compagnie permet d'y échapper. Le conseil : suivre l'actualité promotionnelle.
Bagages : la soute se paie
Avec les low cost, il est préférable de voyager léger. Sinon, il faut payer davantage. Pour la plupart des compagnies, seuls les bagages cabine ne sont pas facturés.
Mais même pour ce type de bagages, des conditions existent.
"Le sac à main ou l’ordinateur portable comptent comme une pièce de bagage à main à part entière et de ce fait aucun autre bagage ne sera accepté en cabine", assure easyJet sur son site Internet. Mieux vaut donc en être informé.
Pour emmener plus d'affaires, seule solution : régler des frais supplémentaires. Ils vont de 6 euros chez Germanwings à 22 euros pour esayJet, en passant par 10 euros chez Ryanair.
Si vous les payez en même temps que vos billets, vous limitez les dégâts. Sinon, il faudra ajouter un supplément de quelques euros au double du prix initial en cas de règlement à l'aéroport. Prenez garde et calculez bien.
Pour éviter les frais, optez alors pour les bagages cabines. Sachez que leur poids est, généralement, limité à 10 kg par personne. Ce qui suffit pour une escapade d'un week-end. Mais pas plus.


Les encas gratuits n'existent pas
Les compagnies à bas prix sont claires sur ce point : les repas ou encas offerts pendant le vol n'existent pas sur leurs liaisons.
La raison invoquée par easyJet : "Les repas gratuits ajoutent des frais au montant du billet. Nous pensons que nos passagers préfèrent se passer d'un plateau de repas en plastique et économiser sur le prix de leur billet".

Aussi, les prix pratiqués à bord sont très variables. Atlas Blue prétend proposer à ses voyageurs "une sélection de sandwiches, snacks et boissons à prix raisonnables". Mais la compagnie aérienne marocaine a tout de même mis en place des encas gratuits sur sa liaison Paris-Marrakech.
Germanwings présente une carte avec plusieurs formules dont le café-croissant à 3,80 euros. Les autres compagnies sont sur le même créneau.


Même les modifications de réservation se règlent
Pas de changements sans frais. Quelle que soit la compagnie low cost, toutes demandent à leurs clients de régler des frais supplémentaires en cas de modification de réservation ou de changement de nom du passager.
Les voyageurs sur Atlas Blue doivent s’acquitter d’une surcharge de 50 euros par passager. Chez Ryanair, il faut compter 35 euros pour une simple modification d'horaire ou de date et 100 euros pour le nom. Les frais sont moindre chez Germanwings, 26 euros et 35 euros.
Mais à chaque fois, les clients doivent aussi régler la différence entre le tarif de celui initialement prévu et le nouveau, si la différence existe.
Le conseil : avant de réserver, planifiez bien votre voyage.
Au total, comptez 50 % de plus
Avec toutes ces options payantes, la facture grimpe, grimpe. En moyenne, il faut compter plus de 50 % par rapport aux prix des billets secs.
Exemple : en prenant un vol A/R chez esayJet, de Marseille à Londres, les billets reviennent à 64 euros. En ajoutant un bagage en soute et une assurance. Sans oublier les frais de traitement. Le total atteint finalement les 101 euros. Soit 56 % d'augmentation.
Alors méfiez vous et n'hésitez pas - au moment de votre réservation en ligne - à décocher les bagages et autres assurances, si vous n'en avez pas besoin. Car les cases sont cochées automatiquement.
Autre bonne nouvelle : ces petites options payantes débarquent chez les compagnies traditionnelles. Elles représentent un gain bien trop important pour être négligées !
Tourmagazine : journal tourisme grand public - croisière touristique (http://www.tourmagazine.fr)

[davidjohnson6]

Capetonina - apologies if this is a little blunt - but I'm not sure I understand the point you're trying to make with reference to the article. Are you saying that LCCs unbundle everything and anything like baggage or food/drink onboard needs to be paid for ? Alternatively, is there something more subtle which you're trying to express ?

[Capetonian]

I'm not trying to make any point.

I just thought that it might be of slight interest to some Forum Users. I realise that there is nothing in it that most of us don't know, but one never knows what someone else might find useful or interesting! I suspect that posting it may have been a waste of time, but as I said, one never knows.

[radeng]

This was what puzzled me about FlyBaboo. They seem much closer to a full service airline when you are on them than your usual low cost model, and yet on the routes I have used them on, they were asking significantly cheap fares. The 'extras' weren't there as extra cost - they just came. The CC walked round handing out the free bottles of water, then came round with the free canape tray, then some sweet cakes, then tiramisu in little pots. No charge for checked baggage, either. Big seats too - nearly as much room as BA Club Europe.

You don't always get what you pay for, but this ailine seems very good value in what you do get for what you pay - but I suspect, it's route dependent.

[Gibon2]

Hi Radeng, glad to find I'm not the only Baboo fan on PPRuNe. As you say, comfortable seating with generous legroom, nice free snacks, excellent crew, and generally pretty low prices (although certainly not always). I like the friendly atmosphere, and the way they do things a bit differently, with a bit of style and flair (e.g. help yourself to a selection of canapes offered from a tray, rather than having a shrink-wrapped package plonked on your table).

I'd also wondered about the economics of the thing. I think the answer is probably mainly in the size of the operation: it's a very small outfit. When they started, they had a "fleet" of two Dash-8s. Now I think they've got a couple of Embraer 190s as well, and one or two more Dash-8s, but still only 6-7 aircraft total. So it's simple and (relatively) cheap, with a pretty small crew roster to manage. The catering, although a refreshing change from the usual, is also simple and cheap: bottles of water (they don't offer/carry anything else) and the canapes/tiramisu type of thing. Minimum variation, minimum wastage. They seem to pick their routes carefully, looking for the niches missed by the bigger fish, and they certainly work the aircraft hard.

So their philosophy would seem to be keep it simple, do it well, and offer something a bit different. Seems to be working so far. On the downside, the small fleet and heavy schedule leads to big problems when things go wrong - I've seen (but thankfully not yet experienced) some severe delays.

[radeng]

Gibon,

I quite like Geneva, too! Generally, I stick to BA, but getting to Geneva from some places makes Baboo the best choice. Back to Heathrow on BA on friday though.....

[airman13]

they were flybaboo, now they are simply baboo, operating new embraers and q 400.....

[Dan B.]

Now I think they've got a couple of Embraer 190s as well, and one or two more Dash-8s, but still only 6-7 aircraft total. So it's simple and (relatively) cheap, with a pretty small crew roster to manage. The catering, although a refreshing change from the usual, is also simple and cheap: bottles of water (they don't offer/carry anything else) and the canapes/tiramisu type of thing.

Actually we operate 5 aircraft (2 Q400 and 3 E190). And on the Embraer routes we carry other things than water (sodas, fruit juice, wine, and a complimentary bottle of POP Champagne for our Smart (Baboo name for Business Class) customers).

Despite the common thoughts, Baboo is not a low-cost airline and doesn't want to be (neither appear like) one. We have fairly low fares, but operate as a "standard" airline, with no extra-costs at all. One you've bought your ticket it's all included.

To be honest, it's the only airine I know (and I know a few) where customers deplane with systematic praises and thanks to the crew. Amazing :D

We open new routes as of 25th October, including London City. Experience us, you'll see :ok: