Business booming at Go, easyJet
GO FLY and easyJet have posted another strong jump in business, providing fresh evidence of how budget airlines are thriving at the expense of larger carriers such as BA.
Passenger numbers surged 74% in February at Go, the airline BA set up and then sold to management last year. The Stansted-based carrier said passengers totalled 358,626, from 205,954 in the same month a year earlier. 'Our figures reflect the trend of business travellers switching permanently from high cost airlines to low cost airlines,' said chief executive Barbara Cassani.
EasyJet reported 36% growth in passenger numbers, to 721,642 passengers. The firm is advertising to attract more corporate travellers.
Rival Ryanair earlier this week said its numbers rose 40% to 886,000. BA, meanwhile, posted a 2.5% drop in February traffic.
Full-service airlines which have high overheads and thin margins are being hurt by the low-cost carriers in Europe and the drop in demand on long-haul routes caused by the economic slowdown and the 11 September attacks on the US.
The carriers differ markedly on load factor - an indicator of how full aircraft are and of the fleets' efficiency. The load factor at Ryanair was 82%, Go rose 3.8% to 74%, while easyJet's climbed to 87.2% from 82.3% in February 2001.
