F E A T U R E

www.flysafair.co.za

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Head in the clouds?

Meet South Africa’s newest passenger airline, FlySafair.

Head in the clouds?

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www.flysafair.co.za

Whatever you do, don’t call

FlySafair a low-cost airline - they

prefer “high value airline.” And

the new kid on the block, founded by

Safair, has certainly been ruffling a few

feathers, finally taking to the skies with

flights between Cape Town and

Johannesburg in October last year. Flights

to and from Port Elizabeth and George

followed soon after.

“Our aim has always been to not only bring

affordable fares to the market, but to also

allow new flyers to experience the love of

flying,” says Lorna Terblanche , VP of

Passenger Services for FlySafair, which has

cracked the Mango (South African Airways)

and Kulula (Comair) duopoly. “We’ve

certainly received a warm welcome from

the South African flying public,” she

continues.

FlySafair offers passengers a base one-way

ticket between Johannesburg, Port

Elizabeth, George and Cape Town for

around R499 and R399 between Cape

Town, Port Elizabeth and George, including

taxes. The fare secures your seat and

allows you to board with two pieces of

hand luggage, provided they don’t weigh

more than a combined 7kgs. Any extras,

like a seat with more leg room, additional

luggage, onboard catering, etc., is charged

for separately and FlySafair says it is this –

an unbundling which is common among

low-cost carriers in Europe but a new

concept in South Africa – that “gives

passengers the freedom to determine the

price of their ticket”.

“We have seen a significant number of

first-time flyers join us onboard thanks in

large part, we believe, to our value fares 2

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and the ability to tailor make your ticket,”

says Terblanche. “Our aim has always been

to not only bring affordable fares to the

market, but also allow new flyers to

experience the love of flying… we believe

that we are opening up the opportunity to

fly to many more people.”

What’s great about FlySafair is that it offers

affordability on routes that were previously

dominated by high prices-and it is all part

of its commitment to keeping ticket prices

as low as possible.

“FlySafair’s entry into the domestic market

offers passengers a welcome alternative to

the previously high prices for air travel. At

FlySafair we believe in offering our

passengers affordable value by allowing

them to tailor make their flight

experiences,” explains Dave Andrew, CEO

of FlySafair.

Although a new entrant into South Africa’s

commercial market, the airline is backed by

nearly 50 years of aviation experience from

Safair.

“We welcome the opportunity to prove that

as a proudly South African and true low-

cost carrier, our brand is synonymous with

safety, affordability, quality, and of course,

choice,” says Andrew.

And the airline will need all of that

experience: South Africa is a difficult

market with three other budget airlines–

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“ Our aim has always been to not only bring affordable fares to the market, but to also allow new flyers to experience the love of flying

“

Velvet Sky, 1Time and Nationwide–all

closing their doors in recent years. But then

FlySafair hasn’t had to buy or lease new

aircraft, one of the major market obstacles

for newcomers, and its major costs are fuel

and maintenance, which all airlines have.

And it is very much looking forward to

2015. FlySafair initially planned to launch

in October 2013 but a last minute interdict

brought by direct competitors Kulula and

Skywise Airline, which is itself planning to

enter the market, saw the business

grounded for the best part of a year.

It quickly resolved ownership issues by

giving South African employees a 25.14%

stake in the airline following a

shareholding restructuring exercise, and its

licence was reissued in March-they waited

until the warmer months to launch,

however. Now, the future is bright.

“Our model is based on international low-

cost best practice and is one we believe

that the South African market can truly

benefit from,” .says Terblanche

With huge interest from business travellers,

FlySafair is confident that passenger

numbers will continue to grow; its aim is to

hold the same market share that the now-

defunct 1Time airline had.

Euromonitor International says demand for

air travel in South Africa is “expected to

remain fairly high”–music no doubt to

FlySafair ears. But as Skywise prepares to

launch there is a risk the South Africa

domestic market could quickly swing back

to overcapacity. And remember, fastjet is

also eyeing South Africa’s dynamic

domestic market. Consumers will obviously

benefit and we look forward to seeing how

this one plays out. For now we’ll let

FlySafair have the last word. “We like to

think of ourselves as South Africa’s oldest

newest airline,” it says. “Because we’ve

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been around for over four and a half

decades, we’ve got a certain old-world

quality you won’t find on other low cost

airlines. We think the kind of person who

will fly with us at FlySafair is someone who

appreciates quality, good old-fashioned

values and attention to detail.”

For further information or to book your

ticket visit www.flysafair.co.za.

Source: Flysafair.

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Head Office

Northern Perimeter Road,

Bonaero Park, 1619,

South Africa.

Postal Address

P.O. Box 938, Kempton Park, 1620,

South Africa.

087-135-135-1 Central Reservations:

help@flysafair.co.zaEmail:

Contact our office in South Africa

Contact Details

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