Germanwings

[Using Rsv fuel]

I'm looking for some information about Germanwings, their salaries, rosters, expansion plans...
What do you think about their chances of success against hlx, ryanair etc.
Any info is welcome!

thanks.

[downgreen]

Hi there,

Germanwings is actually Eurowings Flug with 5 A319 and 1 A320 from Lufthansa!
Salary is not really attractive as Eurowings GmbH and Eurowings Flug do not really make that much money.
Reason for the low cost segment entry is that their fleet was grounded anyway as the recent contract with TUI was cancelled!

best regards,

downgreen

[FlyingIrishman]

There are certainly interesting times ahead in the low fares market and there are bound to be a few casualties before too long.

As far as I'm concerned the low fares market will develop similarly to that of the USA. Ryanair (equivalent to Southwest) will continue to be the market leader due to its low cost base and the lowest fares. Competitors going for the business end of the market such as German Wings and HLX (equivalent to JetBlue) will not all survive but as far as who the casualties will be remains to be seen.

I predict that only 1 or 2 of the CGN based low fares airlines will survive.

[slim_slag]

flyingirishman

I always smile when I hear people say Ryanair are the 'equivalent' to Southwest. If you look at their product they don't have that much in common - well they both fly airplanes I guess :)

Why do leisure and especially business travellers fly Southwest?

1) Extremely regular and reliable service between major airports in major population centres.
2) Transparant, simple and understandable fare structure.
3) No financial penalties to me when I miss or cancel a flight as I commonly do when on business. I may have to upgrade to full fare, but see (2), and I don't lose money in the process.
4) Integrated system, none of this point to point stuff and disclaimers.
5) Excellent customer service when Southwest rarely screws up.
6) Excellent customer service when I commonly screw up (and last time that happened I didn't have to pay extra)

Note nowhere did I say they are the cheapest, because they often are not. Low cost (to the pax) is a marketing term.

What do they have in common? Well, they have both changed the aviation market in their respective environments for the benefit of the consumer. They are both feared by the established major players in their respective environments, and this has benefited the consumer. They are both the way of the future in their respective environments, which is also a good thing for the consumer.

I don't think Ryanair in their current format would thrive in the US like they do in Europe, it's a different environment, and Ryanair's T&C would not be very popular over here. But in current day Europe they will do well, and they should be admired and supported for that.

So this is not a Ryanair bash, in fact its supposed to be complimentary. People who try to change things tend to be unpopular in established circles, which is probably why Ryanair gets such bad press for turning the established aviation world upside down. What I do find interesting is MOL and HK have totally different public faces, which probably also says more about the different environments. Horses for courses I guess.

Regards.

[FlyingIrishman]

slim_slag:

Thanks for this info - certainly a lot there that I didn't know before and / or misinterpreted. You are right, they are totally different markets and Ryanair is more focused on cost control than Southwest.

However, I do believe that Ryanair is the strongest and best positioned European player and will take a role like Southwest's.

[slim_slag]

flyingirishman

I read an recent article written by the new President of Southwest who said that keeping costs down was always a priority, and especially now. She also said that external costs over which she had no control was a big issue. Sounds similar to you guys.

I was talking to a Southwest pilot the other day who said Southwest were never afraid of the majors because their high costs always kept them uncompetitive. He said the only thing Southwest were scared of were the RJs, as they allowed the new short haul carriers to be very cost effective. So things are always changing all the time.

You will delighted to hear that Ryanair won 'Best Airline in the World' award from the Arizona Tribune last week. The travel editor obviously based this upon a single flight taken during his vast world travels which took him to a massive six countries and a massive ten US states (and he was strangely proud of this). Anyway, the word is getting out!