Temporary Low Cost Travel Cafe

[uksing]

Hi all, happy holidays.

Low cost Air Berlin will be starting flights from Dusseldorf to Beijing and Shanghai, five flights per week respectively. Air Berlin fly from Stansted. I checked their prices, return is about 500 Euros (£370 inclusive) from Dusseldorf to Shanghai. Cheapest promo from Standsted to Dusseldorf is £46 RTN Inclusive. Total: £416 RTN Inclusive Standsted to Shanghai.

From what I gather, the lowest return price I from airline-network.co.uk, is around £350 (london to Shanghai) off peak, and during peak period, the price is around £400 and above. These are full service airlines.

Don't know if Air Berlin will be a better choice that oasishongkong.com from Gatwick to Hong Kong where the lowest price is £275 (normally £320), and a flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai £110 Rtn inclusive with dragonair.com. Total: (£385 - £440) RTN Inclusive Gatwick to Shanghai.

Thats my 50p worth of knowlage.

Cheers
uksing



Ref: http://www.holidayextras.co.uk/news/hx-travel/air-berlin-launches-long-haul-flights-in-2008-11199.html

[attitudetravel]

Given that Air Berlin has consumed the German charter / holiday operator, LTU, we are now seeing the former trying to integrate the latter's long-haul routes into its single-brand network.

At EUR 289 (or GBP 215), the cheapest tax-inclusive, one-way fares from Dusseldorf to Shanghai seem competitive compared to what the flag-carriers can offer, but, sadly, they don't quite compete with the lowest available tax-inclusive, one-way fares on Oasis - GBP 170 (or EUR 228 ) - and certainly not with the record-breaking fares Air Asia X is promising to introduce.

I think Air Berlin needs to work a little bit on its long-haul low cost strategy rather than just integrating LTU's routes into its network wholesale and hoping for the best. Otherwise, in the long term - especially if its fares go up - it will end up looking like a second-rate transcontinental low cost carrier compared to other long-haul low cost pioneers.

That said, it appears that in 2008, Oasis and Air Asia X will now have some competition they weren't planning for.
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Alan Lansdowne
Editor, attitudetravel.com