Apparus aux Etats Unis suite à l'abolitions des règles limitant la concurrence en 1978 (Airline dérégulation act), le Low Cost permet de proposer des voyages en avions, en limitant ou supprimant ou facturant certains services, que ce soit au sol ou en vol.
L'Union Européenne à suivi au début des années 90, ouvrant la porte à Ryanair (1991), EasyJet (1995), et d'autre.
En 2009, le trafic Low cost à transporté plus de 177000 passagers juste en Europe. Pour ce continent, 3 compagnie majeures se partagent 80% du trafic Low cost: EasyJet (66000 passagers), Ryanair (48000 passagers) et Air Berlin (28000 passagers).
Dans le monde, d'autres compagnie surfent sur le même principe, comme Air Asia, Virgin Blue, Transavia...
Malgré un contexte économique compliqué dans les années 2000, ces compagnies ont enregistrées sur le vieux continent des croissances records, souvent à deux chiffre...
Par quel miracle, alors que les compagnies traditionnelles se battent péniblement pour leur survie, ces compagnies arrivent à enregistrer chaque années de plus en plus de voyageurs?
La recette tient en 12 points.
- Un seul type d'avion est utilisé (contre 19 pour Air France, par exemple). Ryanair, n'utilise que des Boeing 737, là ou EasyJet n'utilise que des Airbus A319. En plus de permettre une maintenance plus facile, cela réduit de façon drastique les couts de formation du personnel, et des infrastructures au sol.- Des escales rapides, de seulement 20 à 30 minutes, rendues possible par le transport point à point des passagers. Les low cost ne s'encombrent pas des correspondances, donc pas non plus des frais de transfert de bagages... L'avantage est de diminuer le temps d'immobilisation de l'avion, ce qui augmente sa rentabilité, et diminue les charges aéroportuaires.
- Les employés remplissent plusieurs fonctions. Le PNC (Personnel Navigant Commercial = stewards et hôtesses) s'occupe de la sécurité des passagers, mais aussi des ventes additionnelles dans l'avions, et du nettoyage de celui ci durant les escales.
- Peu de budget marketing. C'est flagrant avec Ryanair par exemple qui ne fait aucune pub directe. Michael O'Leary, son PDG, se charge de régulièrement faire de la publicité gratuite pour sa compagnie en faisant des annoncent (comme par exemple les toilettes payantes) qui si elles n'aboutissent pas permettent de faire parler de la compagnie. A l'inverse, dans l'avion, vous serez inondé de publicité, qui elle, rapporte à la compagnie...
- Des prestations payantes. Tout devient payant à bord d'un avion Low Cost. Le privilège de monter dans l'avion en priorité, une collation, la réservation d'un taxi ou d'un hôtel sur le lieu d'arrivée... Tout est possible... Et cher...
- La classe unique. Pas de classe affaire dans un Low Cost. Tous les sièges sont les même, ce qui permet à la compagnie d'augmenter la capacité de l'avion de 10%.
- Limitation et facturation du nombre de bagage. Chaque bagage à enregistrer en soute est facturé en plus. Et le poids autorisé par bagage est très peu élevé par rapport à ce qui se fait sur les autres compagnies.
- Procédures d'enregistrement simplifiées, sans attribution de sièges. En plus d'accélérer considérablement le remplissage de l'avion pendant l'escale, cela permet de facturer la priorité à l'embarquement...
- Utilisation d'aéroports secondaires (Comme Ryanair qui dessert Saint Etienne ou Grenoble pour aller à Lyon), ou utilisation de terminaux secondaires et sans confort (comme EasyJet).
- Vente de ticket en directe, et en ligne. Pas de frais d'intermédiaires, pas de frais de bureau ou de personnel.
- Remplissage des avions assuré le plus longtemps possible avant le vol. En fixant des prix très bas si commande du billet à l'avance, et très haut en dernière minute, et en facturant au prix fort l'échange du billet, les compagnies s'assurent une bonne visibilité sur le remplissage de leurs avions.
- Couts d'exploitation réduits au minimum. Le nombre d'employés est réduit au strict minimum, et les contrat de travail sont négocié dans avec les conventions des pays ou les lois du travail sont le moins contraignantes pour eux.
- Enfin, les avions sont remplacés régulièrement, afin de garantir d'avoir toujours un appareil qui à besoins d'un minimum de maintenance, tout en gardant une performance idéale (consommation de carburant).
C'est avec ces recettes simples que ces compagnies on su se faire leurs place. Mais maintenant qu'elles sont installées, leur croissance Cost s'essouffle.
Les trois leader prennent chacun trois chemins différents pour continuer de progresser, et optimiser au mieux leur rentabilité.
Air Berlin, pour commencer, profite de ces acquis sur le low Cost (productivité record pour le faible cout d'exploitation) pour augmenter ces services, tout en gardant une cible large.
Ryanair, de son coté, pari sur le voyage de loisir et tourisme, ouvrant de nouvelles routes, créant le besoin par des offres plancher, et poussant le concept du LowCost à ces limites (avec par exemple l'annonce en cette fin d'années de l'augmentation de 25% du prix de l'enregistrement des bagages en soute).
Enfin, EasyJet cible plus les voyages professionnels (en gardant toutefois une part plus que majoritaire pour le tourisme), en gardant le service des grands hubs et en introduisant une plus grande flexibilité dans sa billetterie.
Appeared in the United States following the removal of regulations restricting competition in 1978 (Airline Deregulation Act), the Low Cost Airlines offer low prices for air travel, limiting or eliminating certain services or invoice, whether in ground or in flight .
The European Union has followed in the early 90's, opening the door to Ryanair (1991), EasyJet (1995), and on the other.
In 2009, Low cost traffic carried over 177,000 passengers just in Europe. On the old continent, three major Low cost airline share 80% of the low cost traffic: EasyJet (66,000 passengers), Ryanair (48 000 passengers) and Air Berlin (28,000 passengers).
Worldwide, other company surf on the same principle as Air Asia, Virgin Blue, Transavia ...
Despite a difficult economic environment in the 2000s, these companies have registered on the old world record of growth, often at double-digit ...
By what miracle, while traditional companies struggle painfully for survival, these companies manage to save each year more and more travelers?
The recipe is in 12 points.
- Only one type of aircraft is used (as against 19 for Air France, for example). Ryanair uses only Boeing 737, or EasyJet only use Airbus A319. In addition to allowing easier maintenance, it reduces drastically the costs of staff training, and infrastructure on the ground.
- Stops are reduced to minimum, only 20 to 30 minutes, made possible by point to point transport of passengers. The low cost Unencumbered with passengers transferts, so no transfer fee of luggage ...
The advantage is to reduce the downtime of the aircraft, increasing profitability, and reduce airport charges.
- Employees perform several functions. The PNC (cabin crew , in french Personnel Naviagant Commercial = stewards and stewardesses) is responsible for passenger safety, but also additional sales in the aircraft, and cleaning this one during the stopovers.
- Low marketing budget. This is evident with Ryanair, for example, which makes no direct pub. Michael O'Leary, CEO, is responsible for regularly advertise for free making his company by announced new thing sometimes crazy (such as pay toilets on the airplanes) that permise to made talk free about the compagny. Conversely, in the plane, you will be inundated with advertising, whose permite to the compagny to earn money...
- All services need to be paid. Everything is to be paid on a Low Cost airline. The privilege of boarding the plane as a priority, a snack, booking a taxi or a hotel on the place of arrival ... Everything is possible ... And expensive ...
- The single class. No business class in a Low Cost. All seats are the same, allowing the company to increase the capacity of the aircraft by 10%.
- Limiting and facturation of fee for luggage. Each record in the hold baggage is charged in addition. And weight allowed per piece is very small compared to what is allowed on other airlines.
- Simplified registration procedure, without allocation of seats. In addition to greatly accelerate the aircraft filling during the stopover, it permite to invoice the priority boarding ...
- Use of secondary airports (As Ryanair serving Saint Etienne and Grenoble to go to Lyon), or use of secondary and uncomfortable terminals (like EasyJet).
- Direct and online ticket sales. No intermediary fees, no office or staff expenses.
- Filling of planes assured as long as possible before the flight. By setting very low prices when ordering the ticket a long time in advance, and very high in the last minute, and by charging a high price for the ticket exchange, companies ensure a good view of their planes filling rate.
- Operating costs to a minimum. The number of employees is reduced to a minimum, and employment contracts are negotiated in agreements with countries where labor laws are less restrictive for the compagny.
- Finally, the aircraft are replaced regularly to ensure to always have a airplane that requires minimal maintenance, while keeping an ideal performance (fuel consumption).
It's with these simple recipes that these companies are able to take their place. But now that they are installed, theire growth slows down.
The three leading airlines each take three different way to continue to grow, and optimize them profits.
Air Berlin, to begin, taking advantage of these advantage earned on the low cost (productivity record for the low cost of ownership) to increase these services, while keeping a large target.
Ryanair, for its part, bet on the leisure travel and tourism, opening new airway, creating the need by offering floor and pushing the low cost concept to the limits (for example with the announcement at the end of the year of 25% increase in the hold baggage registration price).
Finally, EasyJet targets more business travel (keeping, however, a more than a majority for tourism), keeping the service of major hubs and introducing greater flexibility in its offer.
The European Union has followed in the early 90's, opening the door to Ryanair (1991), EasyJet (1995), and on the other.
In 2009, Low cost traffic carried over 177,000 passengers just in Europe. On the old continent, three major Low cost airline share 80% of the low cost traffic: EasyJet (66,000 passengers), Ryanair (48 000 passengers) and Air Berlin (28,000 passengers).Worldwide, other company surf on the same principle as Air Asia, Virgin Blue, Transavia ...
Despite a difficult economic environment in the 2000s, these companies have registered on the old world record of growth, often at double-digit ...
By what miracle, while traditional companies struggle painfully for survival, these companies manage to save each year more and more travelers?
The recipe is in 12 points.
- Only one type of aircraft is used (as against 19 for Air France, for example). Ryanair uses only Boeing 737, or EasyJet only use Airbus A319. In addition to allowing easier maintenance, it reduces drastically the costs of staff training, and infrastructure on the ground.
- Stops are reduced to minimum, only 20 to 30 minutes, made possible by point to point transport of passengers. The low cost Unencumbered with passengers transferts, so no transfer fee of luggage ...
The advantage is to reduce the downtime of the aircraft, increasing profitability, and reduce airport charges.
- Employees perform several functions. The PNC (cabin crew , in french Personnel Naviagant Commercial = stewards and stewardesses) is responsible for passenger safety, but also additional sales in the aircraft, and cleaning this one during the stopovers.
- Low marketing budget. This is evident with Ryanair, for example, which makes no direct pub. Michael O'Leary, CEO, is responsible for regularly advertise for free making his company by announced new thing sometimes crazy (such as pay toilets on the airplanes) that permise to made talk free about the compagny. Conversely, in the plane, you will be inundated with advertising, whose permite to the compagny to earn money...
- All services need to be paid. Everything is to be paid on a Low Cost airline. The privilege of boarding the plane as a priority, a snack, booking a taxi or a hotel on the place of arrival ... Everything is possible ... And expensive ...
- The single class. No business class in a Low Cost. All seats are the same, allowing the company to increase the capacity of the aircraft by 10%.
- Limiting and facturation of fee for luggage. Each record in the hold baggage is charged in addition. And weight allowed per piece is very small compared to what is allowed on other airlines.
- Simplified registration procedure, without allocation of seats. In addition to greatly accelerate the aircraft filling during the stopover, it permite to invoice the priority boarding ...
- Use of secondary airports (As Ryanair serving Saint Etienne and Grenoble to go to Lyon), or use of secondary and uncomfortable terminals (like EasyJet).
- Direct and online ticket sales. No intermediary fees, no office or staff expenses.
- Filling of planes assured as long as possible before the flight. By setting very low prices when ordering the ticket a long time in advance, and very high in the last minute, and by charging a high price for the ticket exchange, companies ensure a good view of their planes filling rate.
- Operating costs to a minimum. The number of employees is reduced to a minimum, and employment contracts are negotiated in agreements with countries where labor laws are less restrictive for the compagny.
- Finally, the aircraft are replaced regularly to ensure to always have a airplane that requires minimal maintenance, while keeping an ideal performance (fuel consumption).
It's with these simple recipes that these companies are able to take their place. But now that they are installed, theire growth slows down.
The three leading airlines each take three different way to continue to grow, and optimize them profits.
Air Berlin, to begin, taking advantage of these advantage earned on the low cost (productivity record for the low cost of ownership) to increase these services, while keeping a large target.
Ryanair, for its part, bet on the leisure travel and tourism, opening new airway, creating the need by offering floor and pushing the low cost concept to the limits (for example with the announcement at the end of the year of 25% increase in the hold baggage registration price).
Finally, EasyJet targets more business travel (keeping, however, a more than a majority for tourism), keeping the service of major hubs and introducing greater flexibility in its offer.
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