No-frills airlines flying high
Go and easyJet have followed Ryanair by reporting massive jumps in passenger numbers.
Go’s passenger numbers leaped by 89% during May compared to the same month a year earlier to 531,160 compared to 280, 975 during the same period in 2001. It also improved its load factor – increasing from 65.2% in May 2001 to 75.9% last month.
Meanwhile easyJet – which is to take over Go to form Europe’s biggest budget airline – reported a 43% increase in passenger numbers to 898,080.
Yesterday Ryanair reported a 44% increase in annual profits and revealed that its passenger numbers are up 38% on a year ago. In stark contrast BA has announced that its passengers were down 10.2% in May.
See our previous stories:
16 May 2002: EasyJet buys Go for GBP 374 million
8-May-2002: EasyJet takes option to buy BA’s German airline
7-May-2002: No-frills consolidation is ‘inevitable’ says analyst
18 Apr 2002: EasyJet chairman to resign
19-Feb-2002 Report says BA was wrong to sell Go
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Storm Lilian travel chaos as bank holiday flights cancelled