Loganair

7th December 2010

Scotland’s airline Loganair has announced a series of changes to its services which will come into effect in January.

The Flybe franchise carrier, which operates over 500 flights a week on 26 routes around the Highlands and Islands, will be introducing a below-inflation increase of an average of 2% for all ticket sales made on or after Saturday 1^st January 2011.

The increase is lower than similar price rises announced by other trans-Scotland transport providers including ferry and rail operators.

Passengers will still have the opportunity to beat the increase by taking the opportunity to book flights at the current price up to and including Friday 31^st December.

Further changes will be introduced on Monday 10^th January with a revision to in-flight services. Passengers will continue to be offered complimentary tea, coffee, water and orange juice on all flights of 45 minutes or longer, along with cereal bars on early flights and biscuits on mid-morning services. However, the airline has decided to stop offering complimentary alcohol and soft drinks to passengers.

Loganair’s Commercial Director Jonathan Hinkles said: “In making this decision, we had to choose between continuing to provide free alcohol for a minority of our customers at a significant cost or cutting the service and keeping our fare increases below inflation for the benefit of all who choose to fly with us. We believe we have made the right decision, which offers the fairest outcome and will benefit the largest number of our passengers.”

 

“The rise in costs for new bookings from 1^st January has, unfortunately, been unavoidable. We have continued to experience inflation-based increases in costs, such as Highlands & Islands Airports’ landing and passenger charges, and 2011 will see a further 20% rise in the cost of air traffic control provision at major airports, including Aberdeen.

“However, we have done everything in our power to keep the increases below the rate of inflation to minimise increases and keep air travel with Loganair as affordable and convenient as ever.”

 

The airline is also altering its terms and conditions to make it easier and cheaper for passengers who arrive at airports ahead of time to take an earlier flight to their destination.

 

Provided that seats are available and the addition of an extra passenger will not delay the plane’s departure, fliers can choose to take the earlier service for a flat fee of £32.50 instead of paying a fee plus the difference in fare as at present. The difference can sometimes be substantial and can discourage passengers from choosing to take earlier flights.

 

These changes can only be made in person on arrival at the airport to avoid the possibility of passengers missing their earlier flight after rebooking. Passengers with Economy Plus tickets can still change their tickets on the day of departure without charge, provided that the change is made prior to their original intended time of departure.

 

As part of its programme to maintain the highest standards of punctuality, Loganair has focused on ensuring that check-in for its flights closes promptly at 30 minutes before scheduled departure time to enable all passengers to pass through security procedures and for pre-flight fuelling and paperwork to be completed to assure an on-time departure. 

 

Where passengers arrive at the airport after the 30 minute check-in deadline but before the aircraft physically departs, Loganair will also now offer customers the option to travel on the next available flight to their destination upon payment of the £32.50 change fee, rather than requiring them to buy a full replacement ticket as at present.     

 

Hinkles added: “Our aim is to make it simpler and more affordable for people to hop on an earlier flight, which will be of great benefit to passengers on our busier routes, such as Aberdeen to Kirkwall and Sumburgh and from Glasgow and Inverness to Stornoway.

 

“The new policy will also help those passengers who miss flights by a narrow margin to rearrange their travel plans without incurring significant cost. We’re pleased that our passengers will be able to enjoy a marked improvement in the flexibility of our services.”

 

Notes:

 

1.    For the purposes of changes at the airport on the day of travel, earlier or later flights to Glasgow or Edinburgh (from those airports which have service to both cities) are interchangeable, so if you arrive at the airport early for a Sumburgh-Edinburgh flight and wish to travel on a Sumburgh-Glasgow flight which departs before it, you can do so provided that seats are available and upon payment of the new lower £32.50 fee.  

 

2.   Should any passenger who misses their flight arrive after the aircraft has departed or if the passenger elects not to take up the option of travelling on the next available flight, there remains no entitlement to a refund or to make retrospective changes to a reservation held on any flight after it has departed.

 

3.   The policies relating to on-the-day reservation changes and missed flights are applicable only on services operated by Loganair Ltd, which carry flight numbers in the BE6770-6999 range.    Separate policies will apply on those flights operated by Flybe and its codeshare and alliance partners, even if those flights form part of an itinerary including connecting flights with Loganair.

 

4.   From January 2011, in-flight service will no longer be offered on the 40-minute flight between Inverness and Stornoway.   This brings the short flight into line with other services of the same duration – such as Glasgow-Islay and Kirkwall-Sumburgh – on which no cabin service is available.   The move has been taken in view of increasing difficulties for crew members to deliver a full service to every passenger on peak flights within the very limited time available between their safety-related duties.

 

5.   The published fare increases will not apply at this time to those services operated as Public Service Obligation routes, namely flights between Glasgow, Barra, Benbecula and Tiree; flights within the Western Isles linking Benbecula, Stornoway and Barra; and Orkney inter-island air services.

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