Comments on: Allegiant Airlines: Is there a market for a European Allegiant?

By: Alex Robertson Textor

Alex Robertson Textor — Fri, 07 May 2010 02:22:29 +0000

Nicky, thanks for your comment. Indeed, there is a common strategy shared by Allegiant and the European carriers you mention, most of which—correct me if I’m wrong—link a “home” market (with Monarch and Thomson, for example, the UK) with “holiday” destinations. My review of Allegiant made me think of a potential European airline that might link multiple national markets to “holiday” destinations, an airline model that I believe does not currently exist in Europe. But point well taken, especially given the fact that Allegiant modeled itself on a European charter airline template. I didn’t know that, and it certainly makes sense.

Alex

By: Nicky Gardner

Nicky Gardner — Wed, 05 May 2010 08:31:38 +0000

Really good point, Alex, though I would say that Europe already has precisely this kind of airline. Pegasus, Thomson and Monarch all hold places in the top 40 list of European airlines, yet they are carriers which are perhaps little known outside the particular markets in which they operate – and those markets tend to be rather similar to the Allegiant model. Indeed, when WestJet Express (as it then was) rebranded as Allegiant, the company quite specifically said it wanted to pursue a European holiday charter style route development model.

Examples of Thomson routes include Norwich to Corfu, Exeter to Lanzerote or Paphos, Aberdeen or Durham Tees Valley to Majorca. Pegasus routes include Billund to Izmir and Erfurt to Antalya. Monarch routes include Luton to Bodrum, Dalaman and Larnaca. So thus linking lesser known (or cheaper-to-use) north European airports with holiday sunspots in southern Europe, the Canaries or Turkey.

All three airlines sell a good proportion of their seats as part of all inclusive flop-and-drop packages, in just the same way that Allegiant carries many passengers who are traveling as part of a package sold through Allegiant Vacations.

We should not underestimate the market power of these niche airlines. In terms of weekly scheduled seat capacity at European airports for the current summer 2010 timetables, Pegasus outranks British Midland (bmi), Olympic, LOT, Delta, Emirates and many other airlines that we might think of as having a more established position in European markets.

Nicky Gardner
co-editor
hidden europe magazine

By: Missouri to Baden-Baden

Missouri to Baden-Baden — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:55:28 +0000

Is it refreshing or frightening that an airline’s entire 2011 business plan can be summed up in sentence? Thanks for clearing the air(lines) again, Alex Robertson Textor!