It seems that Ryanair is more and more targetting Brussels Airlines' destinations. Competition at its best! Let the best one win!
If one may call it competition...
Maybe, but aren't they in totally different markets now? FR for pure low cost flying while SN will have to reshuffle operations to become a full service carrier again, relying on Star Alliance?
There is still alot of overlap in leisure and business markets. CRL is seeing more and more ties and costumes.
Many customers who are travelling with FR could have travelled with SN.
For instance FCO-BRU is in close competition with CRL-CIA. FR snaps away many VFR and leisure customers while creating new demand for people who did not initially intend to fly. Many people form Wallonia who had to travel all the way up to BRU for a flight can now simply travel to CRL to take their cheaper flight.
If CRL manages to secure a direct train link Brugge-Gent-Brussels-CRL, Antwerp-Brussels-CRL, Liege-Namur-CRL and Lille-Kortrijk-CRL, FR would not have enough even with 20 based aircraft.
FR has revolutionised the way people travel in Europe. The routine family visit at the local museum during the school holidays has become a citytrip to Madrid or Rome... without much compromise for the wallet.
Erasmus students can afford to see their families during weekends.
But to say the whole truth, FR's expansion at CRL is also induced by the fact that they have an overcapacity of aircraft. In the actual crisis they can't find buyers who'd pay an interesting enough price to sell their B738's and they're still taking deliveries. Instead of letting their aircraft sit on the ground, FR is therefore expanding at many cities. They have also been pulling out of several cities recently, CRL is a stable and good base so definitely a good place to pull in excess capacity.
Good news for jobs, good news for the consumer, we'll see how it plays out long term.
A
due to the crisis, and forget it from his