By Jessica Plautz 2015-03-16 16:26:57 UTC
Ryanair, the notorious low-cost airline based in Ireland, may soon be an option for ultra-cheap transatlantic travel.
The airline announced a plan Monday to fly routes between as many as 14 European and U.S. cities within the next five years, with fares potentially as low as £14 ($21) one way. (Most fares would be higher.)
Destinations would include New York City, Boston, Chicago and Miami, from London Stansted, Dublin and Berlin, according to the statement.
“European consumers want lower-cost travel to the USA and the same for Americans coming to Europe," the statement said. "We see it as a logical development in the European market."
One big challenge to launching the routes is securing long haul aircraft: Ryanair currently operates only Boeing 737-800s. which have a shorter range compared to craft often used to fly transatlantic routes, like the 767. The airline is already speaking with aircraft manufacturers, according to the Irish Independent .
Ryanair has previously announced its intentions to start transatlantic service, however the need for longhaul aircraft has always put the timeline indefinitely in the future.
The transatlantic plan is part of a five-year growth strategy approved by the Ryanair 's board. Transatlantic flights are some of the most profitable for carriers, according to the Guardian . however established airlines like British Airways and American currently have a hold on the market.
In recent years, several budget airlines have attempted to start cheap transatlantic service, but have hit hurdles along the way.
“We’ve seen what others have done, we’ve listened and observed what’s gone on in the past 12 months and now have a better view on how we’d like to launch it and market it,” Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair's head of marketing, told the Financial Times .
The carrier also announced Monday its new winter schedule. with more than 1,600 routes across Europe.
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La compañía europea de "low cost" está dispuesta a ofertar vuelos por algo más de 15 euros a destinos de Estados Unidos. La compañía prevé poder hacerlo en un periodo de cinco años.
Un avión de la compañía irlandesa Ryanair. | Foto: Archivo
Agencias | Madrid | Actualizado el 17/03/2015 a las 09:42 horas
La directiva de la aerolínea irlandesa de bajo coste Ryanair ha aprobado un plan de expansión para los próximos cinco años que prevé la apertura de rutas transatlánticas con vuelos a Estados Unidos por unos 15 euros. Según explicó la compañía en un comunicado, el servicio transatlántico, que podría estar listo en cuatro o cinco años. ofrecería destinos "entre unas 12 ó 14 ciudades europeas y 12 ó 14 ciudades estadounidenses".
Tiene que llegar a un acuerdo de compra con Airbus o Boeing
Parte del éxito de esta iniciativa pasa por que la aerolínea líder en Europa del sector 'low cost' logre cerrar un acuerdo económico para adquirir una flota de aviones de largo recorrido, posiblemente con los fabricantes Airbus o Boeing. "Estamos hablando con fabricantes sobre aviones de largo recorrido, pero no diremos más al respecto. El consumidor europeo quiere viajes de bajo coste a EEUU y, por su parte, los estadounidenses que vienen a Europa quieren lo mismo.
De momento, solo la aerolínea noruega de vuelos económicos Air Shuttle, con base de operaciones en Oslo, ofrece desde hace dos años billetes de ida desde el aeropuerto londinense de Gatwick a New York por 149 libras esterlinas (208 euros).
Los expertos sostienen que Ryanair, cuya actual flota está compuesta por aviones Boeing, podría continuar su relación comercial con el fabricante estadounidense con los nuevos 787 Dreamliner. si bien debería inscribirse en la lista de espera para adquirir un lote de estos aviones de largo recorrido, lo que podría tardar varios años. Lo mismo sucede con el fabricante europeo Airbus y su aeronave A350. que también tiene una larga cartera de pedidos.
El director general de mercadotecnia de Ryanair, Kenny Jacobs, ha declarado al diario "Financial Times" (FT) que la compañía ha estudiado la situación en los últimos doce meses y ha analizado "lo que han hecho otros" en este segmento de la aviación. Por tanto, "tenemos una buena idea sobre cómo queremos presentarlo y lanzarlo", manifestó.
En este sentido, el directivo indicó que el caso de Ryanair es diferente al de Air Shuttle, ya que la aerolínea radicada en Dublín "representa un negocio y una marca más grande", capaz de transportar a 82 millones de pasajeros al año, frente a los 24 millones de la compañía noruega. Según Jacobs, algunos billetes de ida podrían llegar a costar 10 libras (14 euros), mientras que el precio de otros se situaría en las 99 libras (138 euros) o más.
Aunque los detalles son aún escasos, Ryanair prevé que los vuelos transatlánticos podrían partir desde bases de operaciones europeas localizadas en aeropuertos como el de Londres. Dublín (Irlanda), Colonia y Berlín (Alemania) y otras instalaciones de España. Italia y Escandinavia. Entre los destinos estadounidenses, según el FT, figuran aeropuertos en Boston, Chicago, Florida, Miami, Nueva York y Washington .
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Ryanair’s board has approved plans to start flying to the United States, bringing the budget airline’s long-awaited foray into long-haul flights a step closer.
The Irish carrier said it is talking to manufacturers about buying planes to serve new routes between various European airports and 12 to 14 American cities. However, the waiting lists for new planes mean the transatlantic service will not be possible for several years.
"European consumers want lower cost travel to the USA and the same for Americans coming to Europe. We see it as a logical development in the European market," the company said in a statement. "The business plan is there but it's dependent on attaining viable long haul aircraft and we estimate that's four to five years away."
The company agreed to buy up to 200 planes in 2013, though the first of its new Boeing 737s will not be delivered until 2019, illustrating the large backlog of orders across the industry.
The airline has made no secret of its desire to eventually fly to America, with chief executive Michael O’Leary claiming repeatedly that the firm could offer flights for as little as €10.
Ryanair executives have previously said that a transatlantic carrier would likely operate under a different brand name to the short-haul operations.
The plan follows in the contrails of several airlines that struggled to make money from rock-bottom fares to the States.
Freddie Laker launched low-cost flights to the US in 1977, only for Laker Airways to go bust five years later. Norwegian Airlines started offering budget tickets between London and New York last summer, though the achievement was marred by the carrier falling to an annual loss for the first time in eight years.
Others to have tried cheap flights to the States include Zoom Airlines, which ceased operations in 2008, and Icelandic carrier Wow Air, which will later this year launch £99 tickets from London Gatwick to two US cities with a stopover in Reykjavik.
“We’ve seen what others have done, we’ve listened and observed what’s gone on in the past 12 months and now have a better view on how we’d like to launch it and market it, and what the product would look like," Ryanair's marketing director Kenny Jacobs told the Financial Times.
Ryanair is already Europe's largest budget carrier with 86.4m passengers last year, and it has embarked on an ambitious plan to increase its traffic to 150m passengers by 2024.
Mr O'Leary said last year that the airline's bottom line had benefited from a new friendly approach to customer service - in contrast to a previous policy that he admitted "did p--- people off".
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