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Over several days, from the 3rd till the 5th of November, ‘Mountain ski exhibition-2005’ was held in Moscow to discuss the prospects of the coming season. Of particular note were new trends in the Austrian destination.
The innovation compared to the previous season was the possible pool between operators. Presumably this pool will be formed by players of ‘Alp Alliance’ who previously worked together in France.(see news as of 09.09.2004 and 17.08.2005). It concerns such companies as ‘Ertsog’, ‘PAC group’, ‘Capital tour’, ‘Vertical world’ and ‘Adrenalin’. However the exact number of participants is not yet defined. ‘Such an alliance allows its members to save money on transportation, on work with accepting companies, organization of transfers’, - says Ilia Guralnik, director of the department of ski mountain tours of ‘Capital tour’. It is most likely that players will organise a united charter to Saltzburg together although flight plans are still being negotiated.
On the other hand, members of another alliance that was competing last year with ‘Alp alliance’ on the French destination are also thinking about creating a pool for the flight to Saltzburg and for co-operation in the Austrian destination. This alliance has ‘Ascent travel’, ‘Jet travel’, UTE Megapolus group, ‘VKO Travel’, ‘Lanta-tour voyage’ and ‘Oduvanchik tour’. Yet it is still unknown whether the currect alliance will have the same members. While ‘Alp Alliance’ players announced their plans for cooperation, the other pool is not in a hurry to speak out about their plans. ‘I would not speak of a coalition. Those who enters the union are just long-term partners’, says Boris Buryikin, general director of ‘Ascent travel’ to BANKO. Mr. Buryikin said in the coming year from the beginning of January there will be two flights to Saltzburg instead of one B-767 of ‘Transaero’ airlines.
There is also a possibility that apart from the above-mentioned charters to Saltzburg, ‘Ascent travel’ will organize flights to Innsburg by B-737 with ‘KD avia’. Other market players are still discussing the charter plans. However the market players are already actively discussing increased flights. In addition to regular flights of ‘Aeroflot’, Lufthansa, ‘German Express’ and ‘Sibir’ organized last year, from the 30th of December there will be ‘Austrian airlines’ flights to Insbrook. Together with charters the amount of air transport may exceed the norm by up to three times. The situation will be clearer by the middle of November.
