Lat the end of an era. Speaking on a BBC radio channel, Michael O’Leary, the boss of Ryanair, Europe’s leading low-cost airline, announced that tickets on sale at 10 euros will disappear for “several years” due to the rise the price of fuel.
Over the next five years, the average price of a flight on the Irish company will increase to around 50 euros, compared to 40 last year. “There’s no doubt that our really cheap promotional fares the 0.99 euro fares and even the 9.99 euro fares, you won’t see them in the next few years,” the executive said during the emission Today from BBC Radio 4.
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In question, the rise in energy prices which eats into the margins of air carriers, kerosene representing more than a third of the cost of a flight. These marketing offers at 10 euros, however, only concerned about ten seats per flight on a 180-seat aircraft. And it was not uncommon for supplements (hold baggage, reserved seat, “fast track” line for security checks, etc.) to be added to the call price, bringing the bill to 70 euros…
Rampant inflation
To a lesser extent, the other low-cost companies (easyJet, Vueling, Volotea, Transavia, etc.) practice these discounted call prices, particularly when starting up new routes which also benefit from preferential rates for fees and airport. For example, Lyon-Las Palmas this winter is displayed at 30 euros with Transavia.
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However, Michael O’Leary remains optimistic and believes that, despite the difficult economic situation, Europeans will continue to want to travel. Given the galloping inflation, which is eating away at their purchasing power, they will necessarily be on the lookout for good deals allowing them to leave at a lower cost.
“We think people will continue to fly frequently. But I think consumers are going to become a lot more price sensitive and they’re going to scale back their travel budget,” he explains. According to O’Leary, passengers will therefore choose low-cost companies rather than traditional ones.