11/08/2019 16:37

Flight Plan

[IMG=18905-4573] At the moment tour operating companies are actively negotiating with air carriage companies regarding summer flight schedule. Commenting on this experts point out two important tendencies. Firstly, airlines have increased prices for flights at 10-35% depending on destination. ‘It is necessary to avoid dumping prices for charter flights’, said General Director Deputy of VIM-avia, Mokhail Gribkov. ‘Considering the current situation on the fuel market, we have to fight for the profitability of every flight’, explained Commercial Director of Continental Airlines, Nadejda Savina. Tour operating companies divide opinion concerning the initiative of air companies. Mikhail Shamanov, the head of consolidating company Megapolus-Aviacharter, stated the following: ‘clients will be shocked by such increase in prices for flights. They have got accustomed to absolutely different tariffs. I do not accept the tariff pressing of large air companies. Therefore at the moment I am looking for alternatives that meet clients’ expectations’. However, many experts are less categorical: ‘In fact, we are also not interested in low prices. We need them to be competitive. If air companies had approximately the same level of prices, clients would react adequately on price growth’. Meanwhile, air companies offer different rates for different customers that negatively affect the situation on the travel market. Secondly, changes are made to contracts between some air companies and their customers change. For example, VIM-avia denied the practice of through seasonal deposits. Instead they suggested that tour-operating companies should credit it. This variant does not suggest any discounts but travel companies have to accept it as VIM-avia loyalty is of extreme importance for them.