CLAIMING to be Africa’s first “true”
low-cost carrier, flyafrica.com –
which guarantees low fares and
“no fuel surcharges ever” – has opened
flights for sale.
The airline’s website, which carries
the tagline ‘It’s a revolution’, is now
live, selling tickets between Zimbabwe
and Johannesburg from as little as
R99. Fares are quoted on a oneway
basis and exclude airport and
government taxes of R570. “Flyafrica.
com will never apply fuel surcharges,”
says ceo, Adrian Hamilton-Manns.
The first flight from Vic Falls to
Johannesburg will be on July 16.
For the first four weeks, flights will
be operated three days a week on
Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays,
after which the airline will expand
operations.
The low-fare airline, which is based
on Asian LCC models such as Tiger
Airways and AirAsia, will operate
scheduled regional flights in Africa
from various hubs. “This is not a
South African airline. We will be
launching from multiple bases in Africa,
first from Vic Falls, Zimbabwe, and
rolling out other destinations at a later
stage. Details on these destinations
will be revealed in coming weeks,”
Adrian told TNW.
Flyafrica.com offers a turnkey solution
for airlines and start-ups by partnering
with local investors and operators
to assist with installing distribution
operating systems, safety
systems and requirements,
staff training, marketing
initiatives, and more.
Adrian, who has many years’
experience working with LCCs,
including Mandala Airlines,
Tigerair Indonesia, Pacific
Blue, and IndiGo Airlines,
believes the time is now right
in Africa to launch a “true lowfare
airline”, as the continent
continues major infrastructure
developments at main
airports.
“Flyafrica.com is set to
revolutionise the travel
industry in Africa, with fares
more than 60% less than our
competitors and a unique
business model that enables
passengers to tailor-make
their travel requirements,” he
says.
“We believe each passenger
should only pay for what
they want. That’s why we
have separated our fares
and products for maximum
transparency and flexibility.
Economy fares do not include
customised travel products
(CTPs), which customers can
elect to pay for. These include
baggage (up to 30kg), a
second carry-on bag, priority
baggage, seat selection, and
access to airport lounges.
Business class includes some
CTPs, such as lounge access,
priority baggage and Q-Jump.
But how can the airline
sustain such low fares in
the current tough economic
climate? Adrian says the
company will spread its
costs over multiple bases.
It will also save on costs by
removing certain services that
Adrian says are unnecessary,
such as check-in. Passengers
will be checked in using the
information provided when
booking their ticket. They will
be emailed their boarding
pass and there will be no
need to check in at the
airport. There will be a desk
where they can drop their
luggage should they have any,
but no boarding passes will be
issued at the airport, Adrian
says.
Each aircraft will be branded
with the flyafrica.com logo. The
airline will initially launch with
a fleet of five B737s, offering
12 business-class seats and
102 seats in economy. Every
airline will be put through the
Iosa certification process to
ensure safety of the highest
standard, Adrian says. “We
expect our Zimbabwean airline
to be certified within six
months of the launch.”
How to book
“African airlines do not have
proper distribution, as they
can’t afford to join the GDS.
As a result, they can’t sell their
product effectively. Flyafrica.
com flights are displayed on all
GDSs in partnership with Hahn
Air,” Adrian says. Payment is
processed via normal BSP
channels.
Agents can also visit the
website and register with
the group to get unique login
details to the agent site
along with a unique bank
identification reference to track
payments. “Website bookings
require either a positive
account balance or credit
card. As an incentive for using
the agency account option,
we will add 5% to any funds
you place in your account,”
Adrian says. Flyafrica.com
provides a reporting system
to allow agencies to view all
transactions on their account.
A call centre is also available
24/7 for bookings, with a
local number 010 100 3540.
Customer services desks
are available at all airports
flyafrica.com flies to where
last-minute payments and
changes can be made. A
service fee will apply for these
transactions.
