Local low-cost carrier FlySafair has added additional flights after passengers were left stranded over the weekend. South Africa’s civil aviation regulator grounded Comair's planes indefinitely.
“This weekend’s groundings meant that almost four in every 10 passengers due to travel were left stranded,” said Kirby Gordon, the chief marketing officer at FlySafair.
The airline rallied to add as many additional flights as it could in an attempt to cater for those in need.
“Our fleet was fully deployed on the published schedule, so it was challenging to add more capacity because we simply didn’t have spare aircraft or crew to mobilise at this time,” Gordon said.
FlySafair added an additional 10 flights this weekend.
“Our airport teams have witnessed first-hand the number of people who’ve been stranded by these developments,” said Gordon.
“What makes the situation worse is that these folks are all trying to secure the last seats on available flights, which are generally the most expensive ones.”
Gordon said the first seats to sell on a low-cost carrier were usually sold at a loss.
As the aircraft filled, the seats became incrementally more expensive. The last-available seats commanded the highest prices and, therefore, fares over holidays and other periods of high demand were usually higher.
Prices on the rise
While customers complained about the high prices this weekend, FlySafair cautioned that generally higher fares may be on the horizon for all airlines.
“We’re all aware of how the oil price has shot up recently, due to international developments, and this obviously has a massive impact on the price of jet fuel, which accounts for almost 40 percent of our cost base.”