We thought they were poles apart. In fact, we are discovering that cohabitation is possible, even to the point of envisaging close cooperation. The low-cost airlines have not only revolutionised point-to-point air transport. They are now moving into the field of long-haul with their own flights, and through partnership agreements with traditional or premium carriers.
Over the last few years we have seen the emergence of cooperation agreements between low-cost and premium airlines for the transfer of long-haul passengers to short-haul routes operated by low-cost carriers. A champion in this field is easyJet - which has long made no secret of its ambitions in the business travel market - launched in September 2017 "Worldwide by easyJet. The airline has teamed up with Canadian low-cost carrier Westjet and Icelandair to connect its European routes to the flights of the two carriers from London Gatwick.
integrate additional airlines into Worldwide by easyJet in 2019 and expand to other key airports
A year later, in a financial report, easyJet indicated that it was working in partnership with 10 airlines, including Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, but also CorsairNEOS, Norwegian or The Company. And the announcement of Cathay's integration into the platform came on 22 January. " We are very pleased to welcome Cathay Pacific and are sure they will be much appreciated by our customers looking for a simple and integrated way to connect the Far East and beyond from Europe. "says Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJetwhich warns: " We plan to add more airlines to Worldwide by easyJet in 2019 and expand to other key airports for easyJet in Europe. ". For the time being, eleven airports offer connections, but only London Gatwick, Berlin Tegel, Milan Malpensa and Venice offer free access to all easyJet flights. There are, however, limited connecting opportunities at other hubs, such as Paris Orly for flights in partnership with Corsair or La Compagnie.
The advantage of the system is allow reservations to be made in one go on the easyJet website. The airline guarantees transfers, so if you miss your connection, you can catch the next flight at no extra cost. Transfer services ticket-breaker and luggage transfer are available at certain airports. According to easyJet's report on the first nine months of 2018, the number of missed connections was very low: less than 0.5%.
According to Easyjet, Chicago is the most popular connecting destination on Worldwide by easyjet, with the low-cost airline reporting that more than 5,000 connecting journeys have already been booked since the service was launched.
But easyJet is not the only airline working on such a scheme. Even better than its European counterpart, the Canadian low-cost carrier Westjet has signed code-sharing agreements with 17 airlinesall in the 'Premium' category. You'll find Air France Hainan Airlines, Japan Airlines and Korean Air as well as Latam and Delta Air Lines. The latest partner is Australia's Qantas.
The Canadian carrier also has interline agreements with 25 other traditional companies allowing passengers to check in their baggage from end to end and receive all their boarding passes at once. Westjet's strength lies in the fact that it is increasingly focusing on a "one-stop shop". hybrid company model with a long-haul offer similar to that of traditional airlines. The brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which the airline has just taken delivery of, offers three classes of service, including Premium Economy and Business Class. The aircraft will be launched from April on the Calgary-London Gatwick and Calgary-Business Class routes.Paris.
Another model of successful synergy between low-cost and traditional airlines is the Emirates/Flydubai tandem allows Dubai airlines to cement their share of the flagships departing from the Emirate. Launched in October 2017, this partnership has benefited both airlines, which now coordinate their services and schedules. According to Emirates, in 2018, the two airlines carried on code share flights almost 3.3 million passengers to 84 destinations combining both business destinations such as Bucharest, and leisure destinations such as Zanzibar. The partnership has enabled Emirates to display its code on 67 Flydubai destinations, while Flydubai appears on 115 Emirates destinations.
According to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group and Chairman of flydubai, the agreement has enabled the two carriers to rationalise their offer, avoiding duplication of schedules and allowing passengers to check in from end to end without any disruption. This year, the code share will be extended to Budapest and Naples. Some of FlyDubai's flights now take off from Emirates' Terminal 3 in Dubai.
We should also mention the excellent partnership between Brazil's GOL and Air France/KLM which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary. Born as a pure low-cost carrier, GOL became Brazil's largest airline following the demise of Varig. The partnership between the two entities has led to the launch of flights to Fortaleza, positioned as a hub for Brazil, with flights to some fifty destinations connecting with the arrival of Air France flights. GOL also has partnership agreements with Delta Airlines, Aeromexico and Aerolineas Argentinas, among others...
Connections aside, can business passengers find their way around this hybrid offer?
The advantage of partnering with a low-cost carrier lies above all in the possibility of landing in destinations that only low-cost carriers now serve, with the major carriers concentrating on their hubs and profitable routes. So, connections aside, is the business passenger happy with this hybrid offer?
Admittedly, long-haul travellers may look a little downcast when they find themselves in a cabin with the more rudimentary comforts typical of low-cost airlines. The airlines concerned will argue that passengers are in fact aware that they are being transferred from a premium airline to a low-cost carrier. Nevertheless, for a business traveller flying business on a long-haul route, the difference in treatment can be significant. Except on Westjet, which has a long-haul business class, and GOL, which offers its Premium Economy passengers a seat with more legroom and access to a lounge at its main airports. At travel managers to make it clear to their customers which airline will be used for a connection, to avoid any disappointment.
