May 17th, 2012
Velvet Sky has recently undergone liquidation, fuel prices are soaring and most airlines are struggling to make any sort of bottom-line profit. At this point we shouldn't even mention Santaco Airlines which is struggling to get off the ground - yet plans are in the pipeline to launch another budget airline aimed at low-income earners.
According to SouthAfrica.to, Danie Coetzee has approached parliament to request funds to start the new public airline.
Standby Travel is a fledgling business which wants to capitalise on possible lower prices for people willing to travel at the last-minute (lower airline, bus & hotel prices), in the hopes of servicing less frequent airports in the country.
It would operate on two models
- A "virtual" system in which customers would apply to book for flights, but only be informed if their booking had been successful 48 hours before the flight.
- Passengers would use Standby's aircraft to travel to areas not covered by commercial airlines.
According to the Stand By Travel website, Coetzee founded the company which currently offers buses and taxi services, in 2005.
The site also details ways to get involved in what it describes as an "exciting new venture" with a Standby Travel Card detailing the following
benefits:
- Be eligible to purchase shares in Standby Travel Ltd
- Be able to book and travel on our low-cost airline to be launched soon
- Have immediate access to IMB banking , a low-cost banking platform
- Be part of a dedicated loyalty reward program giving you various rewards
Whether it will be a success remains to be seen.
