Transavia continues to take over the domestic airlines formerly operated by Air France.
After Orly / Biarritz at the beginning of November, the low-cost company will operate from the end of March the connections to Toulon and Brest from Paris-Orly.
However, the resumption of lines between Orly and Montpellier or Perpignan is long overdue, due to the lack of an agreement with local and regional authorities.
The subject is sensitive in Occitania, the region is the furthest from Paris by train, very dependent on air travel.
While waiting for the problem to be resolved, Transavia is launching its offensive on the transverse lines that connect the French regions.
From Montpellier, the two lines that had been tested during the end of year celebrations to Brest and Rennes are now regular.
From Nantes, we open a line to Toulon.
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But it is from Brest that Transavia is most established, by inaugurating connections to Nice, Marseille, Toulouse and Toulon, which will initially be operated twice a week.
“
We will be able to increase the frequency if demand is confirmed,
” says Nicolas Henin, Commercial Director of Transavia.
The company also keeps Corsica in its sights, where it intends to counter the expansionist aims of low-cost foreigners.
Ajaccio, Bastia and Calvi will thus be served from Nantes, Montpellier and Brest.
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In addition, the company is pleased with the improved profitability of these very short-haul routes, since the same plane can make more flights there on the same day.
The latest
French
low-cost
is thus taking advantage of the almost total shutdown of Volotea, Ryanair or easyJet operations and thus asserts itself as a serious competitor.
In its offensive, however, Transavia neglects the Grand Est region where it remains absent.
Two flights a week ... to start
Finally, some regret that Transavia has only scheduled two flights per week at the start of its new lines.
But this is to forget that, in the crisis in the airline sector, the recovery is still following the same cycle - as observers have noted after the attacks of September 11, 2001. "
VFR
"
traffic
(acronym Anglo-Saxon which means “
Visiting Friends and relative
”), that is to say visits to relatives and friends, takes up the first, followed in a second time by leisure traffic for short stays.
Two very price sensitive customer segments.
"
As soon as the possibility of traveling opens up, the demand is there
" continues the manager of Transavia.
“
Business travel
” traffic
only resumes last.
A clientele who need more frequency but who pay less attention.
Read also: Transavia settles in Montpellier and unveils its new lines
The whole problem for the national company therefore consists in playing on the complementarity between the flights operated by Air France and those operated by Transavia.
Both in terms of correspondence and mix: going on Transavia from Orly and returning with Air France to Charles-de-Gaulle, for example, because the timetables are more suitable.
The only thing is: the devil is in the details, and this complementarity is extremely complex to set up.
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First, because of the very different tariff structures of the two companies.
Transavia only sells one-way trips, while Air France favors return trips.
From Biarritz for example, Transavia normally operates three flights per day to Orly compared to two flights for Air France to Charles-de-Gaulle.
That's five flights a day.
A great offer, provided you can combine the two… which is currently impossible.
And for good reason, Air France's one-way fares are subject to such restrictions and are set at such prohibitive prices that one wonders if the national company really wants to encourage passengers to combine both. company.
Cabin baggage Air France 12kg, Transavia 10kg
And then there is the problem of the harmonization of baggage standards, already mentioned here, and on which no effort has been made.
As a reminder, Transavia allows up to 10 kg for cabin baggage, while Air France goes up to 12 kg.
Ditto for hold baggage: 20 kg at Transavia and 23 kg at Air France.
Read also: Cabin baggage: these things to know to avoid disappointment at the airport
And what about connecting passengers?
To try to resolve this problem, Transavia calls on an external service provider, called Dohop.
“
Dohop connect is the technology and service that allows you to find and book convenient and economical flight combinations for your self-connecting journey
,” says Transavia.
To assess this new service, we wanted to know what combination the Transavia site offered us from Biarritz to Saint-Denis-de-la-Réunion.
As a result, the site offers flights but with… 20 hours of waiting at Orly, without ever including the stopover at Charles de Gaulle with Air France, which nevertheless represents the simplest solution.
Indeed, by doing the same search on Air France on the same dates, the price is 20% lower and the journey time shortened by 15 hours.
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If the Transavia site warns that your luggage cannot be the same throughout the journey, it does not offer a solution.
Dohop is in fact a kind of insurance in case of flight delay but with draconian conditions.
In the event of an extended postponement, you are entitled to a hotel room at a price of up to € 60 per night per passenger, a rate that is difficult to find near Orly.
And if you have to wait another day, the meal allowance for 24 hours is… 15 euros.
In the event of an irregularity, it is up to the passengers to notify the dedicated number (+33 18 288 1450), with a switchboard located abroad.
This external organization "
will try to find solutions
" told us a teleoperator.
A service priced at € 33 for a return trip.
In short, on this chapter, the two companies can do better ...
