Airports around the country this weekend were thrown into turmoil after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) was forced to ground two carriers regarding safety concerns. Local low-cost carrier, FlySafair, is one of the few airlines left to accommodate those stranded by last-minute cancellations.
Also read: Kulula and British Airways grounded by Aviation Authority, all flights cancelled
“This weekend’s groundings meant that almost four in every ten passengers due to travel were left stranded,” says Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair.
The airline rallied to add as many additional flights as it could in an attempt to cater for those in need. “Our fleet was fully deployed on the published schedule, so it was challenging to add more capacity because we simply didn’t have spare aircraft or crew to mobilise at this time,” he explains.
The low-cost airline model was established in the early 1950s and a key characteristic has always been the most efficient possible aircraft utilisation. While carriers like FlySafair can sometimes activate a spare aircraft, it’s generally not expected that they would be able to add many more flights when their fleet is being properly used. However, this is exactly what FlySafair did in order to add an additional ten flights this weekend.
Customers left stranded without warning:
“Our airport teams have witnessed first-hand the number of people who’ve been stranded by these developments,” says Gordon, who adds, “What makes the situation worse is that these folks are all trying to secure the last seats on available flights, which are generally the most expensive ones.”
Gordon explains that the first seats to sell on a low-cost carrier are usually sold at a loss. As the aircraft fills up, the seats become incrementally more expensive and it’s the last seats that command the highest prices – therefore fares over holiday periods and other periods of high demand are usually higher.
Gordon said that not a single FlySafair seat was left empty on Sunday 13 March.
Prices on the rise:
While customers complained about the high prices this weekend, FlySafair cautions that generally higher fares may be on the horizon for all airlines. “We’re all aware of how the oil price has shot up recently due to international developments, and this obviously has a massive impact on the price of jet fuel, which accounts for almost 40% of our cost base,” says Gordon.
The big question on everyone’s lips is whether airlines will be looking to pass these additional costs on to consumers. “Airlines, especially low-cost carriers who operate on high-frequency routes like us, are generally considered to be what economists call price-takers, which means that the fares we can achieve are set by market forces of supply and demand. It’s not really within our power to simply pass costs on to consumers, but the viability threshold of our business does rise and so there comes a price point where it’s no longer economically viable,” he comments.
Current circumstances adversely affect the market:
Gordon adds that the situation at play is not good for the aviation market at all.
“Many believe that we’d be happy with circumstances like these where we are able to fill our aircraft, but the truth is that it’s bad for the market. Selling those last few seats is good but it doesn’t offset the cost of the long-term damage to the industry. South Africa needs healthy competition amongst airlines and customers need to know that they can rely on their carrier of choice. Unfortunately, situations like this one are not good for anyone in the long run.”
Meanwhile, Comair planned to have flights off the ground on Sunday at midday, which did not end up happening.
For those affected by the ban:
For customers on British Airways (operated by Comair) flights, British Airways’ booking with confidence policy will apply. Details can be found here. Customers may also contact the Contact Centre on [email protected].
Kulula.com customers can rebook with no change penalties, subject to availability of the same fare class. Customers wishing to rebook should e-mail [email protected].
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