Johannesburg - Low-cost carrier FlySafair has implemented a flexi route model to better meet seasonal demand so that it can continue to offer its passengers the lowest airfares.
This approach has been successfully implemented in international markets to control costs and maintain healthy competition in the industry.
A flexi model allows FlySafair to adjust its route schedule to better accommodate seasonal demand. This means it is able to increase flights on busy routes during peak holiday seasons to ensure as many passengers as possible benefit from its low fares. It also means that it may not make business sense to fly certain routes during low seasons and may therefore reduce frequency ori temporarily withdraw from these routes.
Cape Town to George will be affected during the current seasonal period. FlySafair will temporarily withdraw from this route from 23 August 2015 and will resume services on 10 December 2015 in time for the busy holiday season. However, it will increase frequency on other routes to meet high demand and allow more people to fly for less.
“The plan is to work against historical trends to adjust the route frequency. Obviously we aim to avoid cancelling scheduled flights at all costs, but regrettably in implementing this approach we will need to release some flights between George and Cape Town. We regret the inconvenience this may cause to passengers who have already booked to fly between George and Cape Town during our withdrawal period, and would like to sincerely apologise to them,” says Elmar Conradie, CEO of FlySafair.
Flights between George and Cape Town are very popular during summer months. The first six months of FlySafair’s operations on those routes saw an increase in demand in excess of 130 percent.
Demand has unfortunately decreased dramatically during the winter months. “It does not make business sense for us to continue operations during the winter months if we want to manage our costs and continue to provide our passengers with the lowest fares in the market,” adds Conradie.
“We will be in touch with affected customers via email and SMS in the next few days to arrange refunds and to personally apologise for the inconvenience. Demand for domestic travel differs from route to route depending on the reasons people need to travel. If our aircraft are only half full, we start to operate at a loss, which prevents us from maintaining our low fares that start at just R499. Adjusting route frequency is a strategic business decision that allows us to continue to offer low fares to all South Africans. Rest assured this is not a permanent move and that we will be in the skies again in time for the end-of-year holidays,” says Conradie.
By the end of the year, FlySafair will have increased its fleet from five to eight operating aircraft serving six destinations. This will allow it to increase frequency on busy summer routes, such as those from Johannesburg to coastal destinations. It is also in the process of upgrading its fleet of Boeing 737-400s to Boeing 737-800s, and will have three of these in the skies in time for the December holidays.
For more information on FlySafair’s flexi route model visit www.flysafair.co.za.
Adapted from a press release for IOL