FlySafair

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F E A T U R E

Building Progress www.flysafair.co.za

Head in the clouds?

Meet South Africa’s newest passenger airline, FlySafair.

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www.flysafair.co.za

W

hatever you do, don’t call FlySafair a low-cost airline - they prefer “high value airline.” And the new kid on the block, founded by Safair, has certainly been ruffling a few feathers, finally taking to the skies with flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg in October last year. Flights to and from Port Elizabeth and George followed soon after.

“Our aim has always been to not only bring affordable fares to the market, but to also allow new flyers to experience the love of flying,” says Lorna Terblanche , VP of Passenger Services for FlySafair, which has cracked the Mango (South African Airways) and Kulula (Comair) duopoly. “We’ve certainly received a warm welcome from the South African flying public,” she continues.

FlySafair offers passengers a base one-way ticket between Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, George and Cape Town for around R499 and R399 between Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and George, including taxes. The fare secures your seat and allows you to board with two pieces of hand luggage, provided they don’t weigh more than a combined 7kgs. Any extras, like a seat with more leg room, additional luggage, onboard catering, etc., is charged for separately and FlySafair says it is this – an unbundling which is common among low-cost carriers in Europe but a new concept in South Africa – that “gives passengers the freedom to determine the price of their ticket”.

“We have seen a significant number of first-time flyers join us onboard thanks in large part, we believe, to our value fares 2

and the ability to tailor make your ticket,” says Terblanche. “Our aim has always been to not only bring affordable fares to the market, but also allow new flyers to experience the love of flying… we believe that we are opening up the opportunity to fly to many more people.”

What’s great about FlySafair is that it offers affordability on routes that were previously dominated by high prices-and it is all part of its commitment to keeping ticket prices as low as possible.

“FlySafair’s entry into the domestic market offers passengers a welcome alternative to the previously high prices for air travel. At FlySafair we believe in offering our

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passengers affordable value by allowing them to tailor make their flight experiences,” explains Dave Andrew, CEO of FlySafair.

Although a new entrant into South Africa’s commercial market, the airline is backed by nearly 50 years of aviation experience from Safair.

“We welcome the opportunity to prove that as a proudly South African and true lowcost carrier, our brand is synonymous with safety, affordability, quality, and of course, choice,” says Andrew.

And the airline will need all of that experience: South Africa is a difficult market with three other budget airlines–

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Velvet Sky, 1Time and Nationwide–all closing their doors in recent years. But then FlySafair hasn’t had to buy or lease new aircraft, one of the major market obstacles for newcomers, and its major costs are fuel and maintenance, which all airlines have.

And it is very much looking forward to 2015. FlySafair initially planned to launch in October 2013 but a last minute interdict brought by direct competitors Kulula and Skywise Airline, which is itself planning to enter the market, saw the business grounded for the best part of a year.

It quickly resolved ownership issues by giving South African employees a 25.14% stake in the airline following a shareholding restructuring exercise, and its licence was reissued in March-they waited until the warmer months to launch, however. Now, the future is bright.

“Our model is based on international lowcost best practice and is one we believe 5

Our aim has always been to not only bring affordable fares to the market, but to also allow new flyers to experience the love of flying

that the South African market can truly benefit from,” says Terblanche.

With huge interest from business travellers, FlySafair is confident that passenger numbers will continue to grow; its aim is to hold the same market share that the nowdefunct 1Time airline had.

Euromonitor International says demand for air travel in South Africa is “expected to remain fairly high”–music no doubt to FlySafair ears. But as Skywise prepares to launch there is a risk the South Africa domestic market could quickly swing back to overcapacity. And remember, fastjet is also eyeing South Africa’s dynamic domestic market. Consumers will obviously benefit and we look forward to seeing how this one plays out. For now we’ll let FlySafair have the last word. “We like to think of ourselves as South Africa’s oldest newest airline,” it says. “Because we’ve

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been around for over four and a half decades, we’ve got a certain old-world quality you won’t find on other low cost airlines. We think the kind of person who will fly with us at FlySafair is someone who appreciates quality, good old-fashioned values and attention to detail.”

For further information or to book your ticket visit www.flysafair.co.za.

Source: Flysafair.

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Contact Details Contact our office in South Africa Head Office Northern Perimeter Road, Bonaero Park, 1619, South Africa.

Postal Address P.O. Box 938, Kempton Park, 1620, South Africa.

Central Reservations: 087-135-135-1 Email: help@flysafair.co.za

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