FlySafair connects Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban with new routes
FlySafair has stolen the limelight from other low cost airlines this month with the announcement of their new routes due to open up in November 2017. FlySafair will be doing what other low cost airlines have failed to do before, and that’s to connect Port Elizabeth and East London with Durban, at prices that are affordable to all.
Budget travellers are eagerly awaiting the launch of the new routes, the first flight of which is set to take to the skies on the 27th of November 2017.
FlySafair has wasted no time in starting their advertising for the new routes. In fact, you can already find and book a flight on either of these routes by using our online flight search feature. With cheap domestic flights already on offer to most regional destinations in South Africa, we’re excited to be able to bring you the new East London – Durban and Port Elizabeth – Durban routes from FlySafair.
New Affordable Domestic Flights in South Africa Compliments of FlySafair
Before FlySafair settled on its new routes, the airline carried out a lengthy market research survey where over 29 000 travellers were invited to vote on which new routes they felt were most needed to complement existing FlySafair routings. The results of the survey were rather interesting.
Out of the 7 suggested route options, the Cape Town – Nelspruit route finished in the lead with 57% of the votes. However, the Durban- East London (with 15% of the votes) and Durban – Port Elizabeth (with 12% of the votes), in second and third places respectively, were chosen as the official new routes. Other route suggestions offered included Lanseria – Port Elizabeth (6% of votes), Durban – George (6% of votes), Cape Town – Bloemfontein (4% of votes) and Lanseria – Bloemfontein (2% of votes).
According to Kirby Gordon, the Head of Sales and Distribution for FlySafair, new routes need to be offered at low prices and in a manner that ensures customer service excellence and passenger safety. The factors that affected their decision making process were as follows:
- Available Flying Hours for Crew and Aircraft
Aircraft and crew members are only allowed to fly a certain amount of hours per day. In order for the Cape Town – Nelspruit route to be viable, the crew members and aircraft could find themselves extending their hours beyond the daily allowance. The right movement patterns are required for maximising on flying hours and the KZN – Eastern Cape routes made this more possible. - Available Aircraft and Capacity
In order for a route to be viable to an airline, it needs to turn a profit. With the company flying Boeing 737-400s and Boeing 737-800s, the capacity of each flight is 165 passengers and 189 passengers respectively. It is estimated that each flight must have a minimum of 140 passengers in order for a route to be viable. If that’s not possible, it’s better for smaller airlines with smaller aircraft to service the route. - Scheduling of Take Offs and Landings
All airports have scheduled take-off and landing times for flights, which puts a demand on certain time slots. This also means that airlines cannot simply decide on new flight times without taking the scheduled airport take-off and landing times into consideration. The O.R. Tambo International airport handles around 50 flight movements per hour! Factoring in these existing scheduled slots, it was clear to FlySafair that the KZN – Eastern Cape routes just made better sense for business.
What Does this Mean for Future Cape Town – Nelspruit Routes?
Passengers who took part in the survey, and others that are wondering about the potential for a Nelspruit – Cape Town route in the future, can rest assured that FlySafair has heard their requests and needs. While the airline was unable to introduce the route in 2017, it is certainly on their radar for potential future routes.
For now though, the undertakings of FlySafair to connect KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape are well underway. Although flights only take off on the 27th of November, there is positive evidence that these new and affordable routes will be an undeniable success. It’s a win for low cost airlines in South Africa!
Now you can book flights with FlySafair Durban to East London or FlySafair Durban to Port Elizabeth with the greatest of ease. Simply make use of our easy to use flight search feature and book the flights that best suit your travel needs and budget.