| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 24/07/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 51 |
| Copyright: Other |
Up-and-coming destinations
Up-and-coming destinations
Low-cost airlines fuel demand for off-beat routes
New trend emerges
While the rise of low-cost airlines has worried some operators, they have established a trend for new and off-beat destinations.Though often seen as a double-edged sword – taking away revenue on flights but boosting sales of accommodation-only packagesÊ- no-frills airlines undoubtedly raise the profile of smaller, lesser known cities.
And with routes launched earlier this year by Go and Buzz to Reykjavik and Helsinki, the traditionally expensive Scandinavian region has been made more accessible to those travelling on a budget.
Though prices on the ground in Iceland are not cheap but Go’s £120 lead in – rising to £240 – does bring the land of the hot springs closer to those without deep pockets.
An airline spokesman said that Go’s highest flexible fare to Reykjavik was at least 50% cheaper than the usual economy fare charged by the only alternative, Icelandair.
The service is aimed not only at those flying to the capital but also independent travellers spending summer holidays in Iceland.
“Outside Reykjavik there is lots of hiking and camping and it is really a fantastic country to visit,” added the spokesman.
Although Go claims a high proportion of passengers on many of its routes are business travellers, the new four-times-a-week Reykjavik flights are aimed primarily at leisure travellers.
“About a third of passengers on some of our higher frequency routes are business travellers, but there would be fewer than this on the Reykjavik service,” added the spokesman.
The latest route to Helsinki, operated by KLM’s low-cost subsidiary Buzz, offers a £95 return to the Finnish capital, rising to £280. Until the launch of the Buzz flights, Finnair – the only other carrier on the route – was charging more than £600 for a mid-week flight.
An airline spokeswoman said savings offered on the route by Buzz were higher than to almost any other destination in its network.
Although the airline is using its low fares to try to tempt more British holidaymakers to travel to Finland, the majority of its passengers so far have originated in Helsinki – only about 30% of seats on the twice-daily flights were sold in the UK.
The Buzz spokeswoman added this was in spite of the fact that Helsinki offers a range of attractions for the British holidaymaker, especially this year following its designations as one of the European Cultural Capitals. The city’s tourist chiefs have spent £30m promoting its status as such.
Hot spot: a Reykjavik blue lagoon