It's definitely trendy these days for airlines to do a bit of merging. The latest one's taking place over the Spanish skies, and we highly approve because it's bringing together two low cost carriers that we actually like.
Spanish LCCs Clickair and Vueling Airlines have agreed to shack up together--with Vueling taking the top bunk. (Sadly, that means Clickair's cool name will disappear.) The two airlines have been negotiating details of the merger for months but just this week agreed that it's the best way to deal with rising costs.
The deal's not a sure thing quite yet: The Spanish authorities have to decide whether this merger goes against competition guidelines. We say go for it, in the hope that we'll get the perfect LCC with on-time flights and luxury leg room.
Here's a nice exercise in friendly cooperation: European low cost carriers Clickair and Germanwings have made an agreement to promote each other's (non-competing) flights.
That means, for example, if you're looking at Clickair flights from Barcelona to Germany, their own destinations of Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich will pop up, but so will Germanwings routes to Stuttgart and Cologne. If you then choose a flight from Germanwings, Clickair will redirect you over to that booking site.
We'll be interested to see if this new trend expands--and perhaps one day the whole of Europe will be covered by one mega-low-cost-carrier. Or they'll all collapse and we'll be taking the train.
With its impressive-sounding name, the World Low Cost Airlines Congress wound up in London last week, and ended with the awarding of the not-so-impressive sounding Budgie$. Ryanair came home with the prize for best low cost carrier.
The awards, despite sounding like those tiny tweeting birds, are in fact industry awards given to the best low cost carriers. Reps from 130 different airlines waited to hear if they'd got a gong, but only 11 major awards were given out, so plenty went home empty-handed.
So who were the winners on the night? Well, the award for the Best Newcomer is one we agree with, going to Spanish LCC ClickAir, and the best LCC website went to the niche airline Iceland Express (the site sure does have some pretty pictures).
And as we mentioned, the big award for Best Low Cost Carrier went to Ryanair, despite its inclination to charge passengers for virtually anything. There's no accounting for taste.
Last week we told you about Clickair's attempt to recreate the Running of the Bulls by challenging its passengers to a mad dash for their seats.
This week we decided to take a look at why this budget Barcelona-based airline, which flies to 40 European destinations, has become one of the Spaniards’ favorite carriers.
Here’s a hint: It’s got something to do with cost and service.
Passengers say this no-frills carrier with no in-flight entertainment offers nothing special when it comes to leg room, seat comfort, or the standard for-purchase airline food.
What it does offer is on time flights and no surprises when it comes to final charges.
One of Clickair’s passengers—a regular commuter between London and Velencia--had this to say about his experience with the two-year-old carrier:
Its good to have another choice on this route beside Easy and Ryan...Prices competitive with Ryan and Easy although high summer prices were not, but I like the fact the price advertised are what you pay (unlike the Ryan booking system)…I will continue to play the field with the other two airlines but due to flight times only if they offer a much cheaper price. Service staff smart and friendly.
One quick tip? Those in the know head straight for the mid-window rows, which have the greatest amount of that much-coveted legroom.
For travelers who missed the Running of the Bulls, Barcelona-based airline clickair is now offering its passengers a second chance at the action.
But this time, instead of running from the bulls, ticket holders are running for their seats.
Part scavenger hunt, part free-for-all, passengers say this no-frills airline is all headache. Ticket counters aren't clearly marked, and once past the security checkpoint, passengers are lucky to avoid getting gored. Clickair's boarding system is a mad dash, since the budget airline doesn't assign seats.
And while it's cushions may be comfy and fares may be cheap, passengers will want to pack their own DVDs and magazines since this no-frills carrier also offers no in-flight entertainment.
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by amandak
