The commecial aviation industry as we once knew it faces a dire situation. And none of the recent data offers much of the way in optimism for the coming months.
Ryanair
Austria to implement minimum fares, short flight surcharges
Prices flying in and out of Austria are set to rise. And at least one airline is happy with the news, though expect lawsuits aplenty before the matter is fully settled.
Optimism on the horizon: The Weekly Wrap 15 May 2020
Is it time to start getting excited about a travel rebound? It appears the market finally hit rock bottom so everything that happens is good news, though maybe not too much of it too quickly.
Inflight social distancing will kill short-haul LCC travel: IATA
Blocking middle seats or even sitting passengers every other row is not a problem when load factors hover in the mid-teens, occasionally peaking at 30% for an especially busy flight. But if social distancing rules remain in place IATA executives believe the LCC market could collapse as a financially unsustainable endeavor.
Swoop: A marketing machine that happens to fly planes
Canadian upstart Swoop, the ULCC arm of WestJet, aims to succeed as an airline mostly by not really acting like an airline. Sure, there are airplanes and pilots and such, but CEO Steven Greenway is adamant that change come quickly. And he’s keen to dramatically upset the North American aviation market along the way.
Sky-high dreams or firmly grounded: The business of connected aircraft maintenance remains in question
“Inflight connectivity doesn’t just create revenue, it could save the airline industry US$15bn a year.”
That’s a bold claim from Inmarsat and the research it commissioned from the London School of Economics (LSE). Much of the savings comes from better weather forecasting and the associated effects: reducing delays and fuel burn. Part of the forecast savings comes from predictive maintenance opportunities, allowing the plane to track its own performance and use on-board connectivity solutions to report back to headquarters when operations are less than nominal. The so-called Internet of Things for Aviation (IoT/A) has long been held up as the financial savior of the connectivity platforms, delivering the necessary financial support to justify installations. What will it take to realize the $3-46bn in annual savings the research revealed? A lot of work, and it is unclear which connectivity vendors are truly committed to that effort.
LEVEL to launch short-haul operations at Vienna next month
Starting an airline is a long, complicated process. It takes months or even years to pull off. Or maybe you just whip something together in a few weeks and join the LCC fray in Europe. Welcome LEVEL short-haul to the party.
Beyond sound bites: Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary on Inflight Connectivity
Not a chance. You’ll never see inflight connectivity on a Ryanair plane. Unless, of course, it is free and passengers’ buying patterns shift. Michael O’Leary leaves the door open to some interesting possibilities.
Entertainment and connectivity coming to Ryanair this summer
Want in-flight entertainment on your next Ryanair flight? The idea might not be so far-fetched. The notoriously no-frills airline will trial a streaming solution this summer. And it will be free to passengers.