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| easyJet suspends three weekly Rome - Belgrade flights |
Low cost airline easyJet will cancel its three weekly flights from Rome to Belgrade this winter season due to poor ticket sales. The suspension comes only a few months after the route was initially launched, on March 31. easyJet faces stiff opposition on the route, competing against Alitalia and Air Serbia, both of which have a codeshare partnership agreement in place on each others’ flights. In a statement, easyJet said it is continually evaluating the market while focusing on profitability and efficiency. The budget airline will continue serving Belgrade this winter with two weekly flights from Geneva and three weekly services from Milan.
easyJet is not the first low cost airline to suspend flights between Rome and Belgrade. In 2012, Wizz Air cancelled the same route citing high seasonality. Wizz originally intended to operate the flights on a seasonal basis but ultimately suspended the service altogether. easyJet will operate its final flight between Rome and the Serbian capital on October 25. The news will be welcomed by Alitalia and Air Serbia, both of which run double daily flights between the two cities. The two carriers are now both part of Etihad Airways’ equity alliance, after the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates purchased a 49% stake in Alitalia earlier this month, subject to regulatory approval.
Alitalia has been most successful out of the trio on the Rome - Belgrade route. During the first six months of 2014, the Italian airline more than doubled its operations to Belgrade compared to the same period last year. With two equity alliance partners now holding a duopoly on the route, it remains to be seen how passengers will be affected by easyJet’s departure. The low cost airline has a respectable presence in the EX-YU region with flights to Belgrade, Ljubljana, Pristina and Zagreb. Services to the Croatian capital will be suspended this winter, however, the airline continues to operate flights to the country’s coast during the summer season.
This will happen more and more at BEG
ReplyDeleteYou mean the same way Air Serbia is reducing Rome from double daily to just daily?
DeleteAlso, funny how a few months ago, all of you predicted that JU won't survive and that the Arabs will pull out. Today you are predicting how they will massacre all of their competition. Funny.
Rome is season lay route - 5 flights a day are waaaay to much...
Delete@AnonymousAugust 22, 2014 at 9:26 AM
DeleteWhat is your prediction based on?
Because Air Serbia has a very clear strategy. It started off with dumping prices on many routes where it had competition. Passengers migrated on JU and these airlines now can't compete. Not sure if people have noticed, but JU has started increasing ticket prices and their "happy friday" promotions have fewer and fewer destinations each week. Their idea is to increase yields now which you can do easily when you have little or no competition.
DeleteI think we have gone back to the days of pre-open sky policy. Yes, new airlines can start flying to BEG but only if they get the approval of the Directorate which asks for the approval of Air Serbia. That's why airlines like TAP and Vueling got approval, because they present no threat to Air Serbia. My two cents.
Delete"few months ago, all of you predicted that JU won't survive and that the Arabs will pull out"
DeleteThat is not true. Who predicted that, and where did you read that on this blog?
Sta vam smeta BEG jel vam zao sto ima porast od 30% .
DeleteNece niko da da iz BEG dzabe placete.
INN
In the begining of the ASL days people commented on the low yields and the competition that ASL faced as it increased routes, aircraft, rotations, changed name etc. It was obvious from the begining that fare dumping had to be done in able to bring out the brand recognition of Air Serbia after the damaging reputation left from Jat Airways - ASL needed people to try Jat, the new Jat, the Air Serbia that is now, and to regain customer confidence that it has changed dramatically. As ASL has experienced a massive increase of over 70%, the next phase kicks in, and that is to increase yields.
DeleteIn the mean time, the airlines who jumped into BEG after the liberation of Serbian skies while Jat was doing poorly nearing shutting operations, have began to pull put as Jat became ASL. Wizz never had a proper stratergy in BEG. Most destinations followed JU with hardly any new market opened (Spain, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine...). Germanwings pulled one of its destinations while JU was in the worst state, now its pulls STR where is has to really compete. LH pulled out DUS-BEG when JU was at its worst. Same as Niki. EU carriers have open skies and can come and go as they please. If they see profit, they will operate. Serbian O&D pax are not high yielding which everyone seems to forget. Serbia is no Switzerland.
Maybe BEG is slowly starting to overgrow the lowcosters.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAny chance of Vueling starting year long flights to BEG? I think they were doing well this summer but like with Rome flights to Spain are very seasonal
ReplyDeleteVueling is already adding a few flights during the Christmas season.
DeleteGood to hear. Didn't know that. Thanks.
Deletelet me correct you: coastal spain IS seasonal, but bcn is really for daily yearround!!!!
DeleteCould the EU limit the number of flights Alitalia and Air Serbia operate on the same route because they have the same owner? Or does that apply only to EU member states?
ReplyDeleteGovernment of Serbia is not owner of Alitalia. :) :)
DeleteSame part owner obviously - Etihad
DeleteNo because of the open skies agreement. Thats the whole idea of open skies.
Deleteit's going to be happening more and more and I'm happy about that because I want my airline to be number one, and you are taking care of other people's airlines, many of you I was sorry, go and weep for the old Jat. AirSrbia no 1 !!!
ReplyDeleteAlitalia are flying the Embraer 175, only an 80 seater so the demand can't be that big.
ReplyDeletemany times alitalia was flying a320 and a321 this summer.. also morning lufthansa to fra was using a321, aeroflot too. so this means that beg is going to grow in the future and im happy about it. cant wait flights to new york and chicago!!! belgrade is beautiful and there is so many foreigners, tourists who enjoy this city. not to talk about business people who are coming here for work etc etc..
ReplyDeleteOT: looks like that (Aerodrom Ljubljana - LJU) is going to be sold til the end of next week - FRAPORT will be the new owner.
ReplyDeleteLJU Airport is alreday sold to Fraport. Contract will be sing on monday.
DeleteThe other day we flew into Beirut and only about 20/150 passengers got their bags. What happened? Anyone have more information?
ReplyDeleteThe rest were transit pax, so their baggage had to be scanned, one by one before further flight. Every luggage needs 3 min for scanning. This is an Airport rule, nothing to do with ASL.
DeleteNo, these guys had to contact the lost and found service at Beirut airport. Their luggage did not arrive at all. :/
DeleteBecause there isnt enough people working that shift in BEG to sort out the luggage. The ones that do work seem to be those with 'special needs' as they cant get a simple thing like sorting luggage tagged in bold capital letters done properly. Its an ongoing problem that JU cant help.
DeleteHello. A friend told me that a few days ago workers refuse to work so 700 bags did not go with the aircraft. Is this true?
DeleteSounds like its made up. 700 bags is roughly 5 flights. Im sure they didnt stop working for 15 minutes :D
DeleteKarsten Benz odlazi iz Austriana u Lufthansu steta bas je bio dobar covek =D
ReplyDeleteOT Fraport bids BEG. If they happen to buy BEG, it will become a large airport with three terminals, each of them being much larger than the existing Terminal Two.One of the terminals would serve Air Serbia and etihad Group, the second one would serve Star Alliance, while the third would serve all others, and have two concourses - one with jetways for legacy carriers and another one for busses to remote positions to be used by LCCs.
ReplyDeleteFraport is looking to bid for BEG but they havent announced any other plans or your three terminal idea anywhere
DeleteNo Fraport will not bid BEG as it will buy LJU next week. BEG was plan B if LJU failed
DeleteI don't think they think like that. Both LJU and BEG are different kinds of airports and they are not that close to each other.
Delete@An. 7:24 pm
DeleteAnd what happens when you wake up?
When the Germans take over they don't build they destroy. They swallow anything of value and spit out the pieces. Asset strippers. Belgrade Nikola Tesla deserves better partners.
DeleteOT: According to unofficial but reliable source Aerodrom Ljubljana was sold today. The buyer is a German company Fraport. Fraport payed for Aerodrom Ljubljana about 240 million euros. This is 2,5 times more as SDH wanted for LJU.
ReplyDelete