1time is still flying high after four years
Cape Town - Low-cost airline 1time, which many people in the industry forecast would not survive, celebrated its fourth anniversary this week.
It started with one route - between Cape Town and Johannesburg - in February 2004 and now has seven routes. It will add a new route between Johannesburg and George next month.
Rodney James, the marketing and operations director for 1time, said this week that it had found an increasing number of business travellers were using its flights. It also was attracting people who had not flown before.
It was difficult to quantify them because, although the airline had corporate deals with some large companies, in many cases people travelling on business just booked on line like leisure travellers.
James said: "Although they [the business people] may be carrying laptops, many of them don't wear suits any more."
But some were regular customers who travelled more frequently than leisure travellers and made use of 1time's car hire and accommodation partnerships with Avis and the City Lodge group.
Avis and City Lodge offered facilities for discounted booking on 1time's website for passengers who had booked flights.
"I believe some senior executives set an example by flying with us themselves, not only encouraging people lower down in the company to do so.
"Domestic flights in this country are so short that there is an increasing realisation that it is unnecessary to pay so much more to fly business class on a full-service airline."
1time had not been affected by SAA's low-cost airline, Mango, which seemed to be "doing all right with passenger numbers", he said. 1time's passenger loads averaged 80 percent. It had reached its budgeted target for February well before the end of the month.
1time now has a fleet of five MD-80s and two DC-9s.
It has expanded its route network to fly from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth. It also flies from Cape Town to Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London.
Article from http://www.busrep.co.za/
South Africa Car Hire offers vehicle in Cape Town, Durban , Port Elizabeth, East London and lots more
It started with one route - between Cape Town and Johannesburg - in February 2004 and now has seven routes. It will add a new route between Johannesburg and George next month.
Rodney James, the marketing and operations director for 1time, said this week that it had found an increasing number of business travellers were using its flights. It also was attracting people who had not flown before.
It was difficult to quantify them because, although the airline had corporate deals with some large companies, in many cases people travelling on business just booked on line like leisure travellers.
James said: "Although they [the business people] may be carrying laptops, many of them don't wear suits any more."
But some were regular customers who travelled more frequently than leisure travellers and made use of 1time's car hire and accommodation partnerships with Avis and the City Lodge group.
Avis and City Lodge offered facilities for discounted booking on 1time's website for passengers who had booked flights.
"I believe some senior executives set an example by flying with us themselves, not only encouraging people lower down in the company to do so.
"Domestic flights in this country are so short that there is an increasing realisation that it is unnecessary to pay so much more to fly business class on a full-service airline."
1time had not been affected by SAA's low-cost airline, Mango, which seemed to be "doing all right with passenger numbers", he said. 1time's passenger loads averaged 80 percent. It had reached its budgeted target for February well before the end of the month.
1time now has a fleet of five MD-80s and two DC-9s.
It has expanded its route network to fly from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth. It also flies from Cape Town to Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London.
Article from http://www.busrep.co.za/
South Africa Car Hire offers vehicle in Cape Town, Durban , Port Elizabeth, East London and lots more
Labels: South Africa - Airlines
