And suddenly, they put on their rubber gloves.Tara and Mohammad, hostess and steward on Paris-Biarritz de Transavia, barely finished chaining around sixty "thank you, goodbye, good day" to passengers landing in the Basque city that they muteIn Express household pros!Splice of breakfast crumbs, recushed belts, checked safety boxes ... The reflexes are linked to the 189 green seats of 737-800."This saves money on cleaning and especially to leave in less than thirty-five minutes to Paris", breathes Mohammad.
That day, Paris-Biarritz will be their only round trip.Usually, they continue on a Paris-Barcelona, Marrakech or Faro.And their schedule is not about to calm down.Because Transavia is on a launch pad.Ben Smith, the boss of Air France-KLM, decided to propel this "middle-cost" combining quality of service and prices approximately 40% lower than those of Air France.Only way in his eyes to try to save the profitability of the group.The results of the third quarter of 2021 agreed to him.Transavia alone achieved 105 of the 132 million euros in current operating profit of the Franco-Dutch company."As soon as the request is there, we find the path of profitability", proclaims the CEO of Transavia, Nathalie Stubler, who welcomes having doubled Vueling in France this year to spend second behind Easyjet, on a par with Ryanair.
It must be said that the craze for its flights to Mediterranean countries was strong this summer.No sooner had Emmanuel Macron gave the green light to travel in April than reservations took off."The average filling rate has gone from 10 to 80% in three months.Never seen !Usually, our planes are slowly filling up 40% to 90% over the last three months before a departure, "said Deputy Director General Commercial and Marketing of Transavia, Nicolas Henin.Of course, the Covid crisis has, as in others, bother the devices.But, more surprising, she also gave a boost to the French low cost.
To understand, a little story is essential.Transavia France was born in 2007 on the model of her big sister Transavia Hollande, with, in particular, a status of the pilots that are less than that of Air France.Unacceptable for the SNPL, the powerful corporation of the pilots, who suddenly obliged Transavia to quota her fleet at 14 planes.The first relaxation to this absurd quota only intervened in 2015 when the pilots realized that, by remaining on the Air France alone, they would soon be assailed by the new low cost crocodiles."To fight too much, we were going to finish like the Marseille Dockers", sums up their current representative, Guillaume Gestas, more conciliatory than his predecessor.Its central committee then authorized a first jump to 40 planes, which had the effect of passing the accounts in the green in 2017, then a second jump in 2019, this time without limit.The fleet, spent at 48 planes in 2020, will have more than 60 next summer, and even 80 in 2025."Thanks to the COVVID, which imposed a halt on all low cost, Transavia was thus able to leave on an equal footing with its competitors, or even with a step ahead, given the ambition of Ben Smith", explains Didier Bréchemier, partner at Roland Berger.Because icing on the cake, in 2020, the SNPL also authorized the company to fly on French domestic destinations, so far reserved for Air France and its little sister hop.Obviously, the negotiations were hard.And transavia pilots are now detached from Air France, with the same wage conditions as in the parent company.However, they fly a hundred more hours per year, with more flexibility.
However, Transavia offers Paris-minorque flights from 44 euros or Nantes-Ajaccio from 34 euros.How does she do it to be profitable with such prices?She first checks many boxes of the low cost model!Its fleet is for example composed of strictly identical aircraft.So far they were Boeing 737-800.In the coming months, it will switch to Airbus A320s, less polluting 15% and cheaper.The advantages of this monoflotte are numerous: purchase or group rental price, saving on maintenance costs or on the stock of spare parts.Not to mention the savings made on the formation of 500 pilots: to have the qualifications on a new device, they must train three months and for around 50.Euros.
Another strong point, unlike Air France, which works mainly in hub with planes that expect each other to embark passengers in transit, sometimes for more than an hour, the 737 of Transavia only fly from point topoint.From 6 am, they leave from Orly or one of the three regional bases and carry out an average of three rotations during the day and twelve and a half hours of flight!The same plane, for example, performs two Paris-Montpellier before chaining on a Paris-Lisbonne.Ideal for optimizing the daily rental price.
Of course, all salary costs are fired downwards.The 1.500 PNC (commercial navigious staff) are paid in the minimum wage and only on a worked time.They easily chain 65 hours a week, or even come close to 90 hours in summer (with 12 days of restful rest per month), when back and forth to Ibiza or Marrakech are overheating.And in addition to playing the Logis Fairies with each U-turn, these rather young hostesses and stewards must also be formidable commercials since they are interested in the level of 2.5% on each sale of catering products orduty free."We sell a lot of cigarettes on the Maghreb, perfumes and Porto to Portugal and a lot of alcohol on Ibiza, details Mohammad.We must have the chat but we can make our ends of more than 200 euros thanks to this."Another advantage for the company, more than 35% of the workforce is in seasonal contracts or in fixed -term contracts, which ensures greater flexibility, very useful in time of COVI.In total, Transavia saves, according to our information, almost 40% on PNC compared to Air France.And it achieves roughly the same gain on ground staff, subcontracted 100% both in France and in the destination countries, where the workforce is less well paid.
Finally, everything is simplified and millimeter to save every penny.Both on the plane and at the airport.For example, there is neither waiting room nor commercial office.It is also sometimes the same personnel who ensure your recording then your boarding.If you are asked to arrive more than two hours before a domestic flight at the airport, it is not only for safety!
Result of all this well -oiled machinery, the cost, calculated in the air by "siege per kilometer offered", amounts to around 6 cents at Transavia.Is much less than the 9 Cents of Air France or the more than 13 of Hop.But it is more than the 5.5 of Easyjet, its first competitor in France, and more than the 3 cents of Ryanair or Wizz Air, which, themselves, flirt with illegality on social conditions and rogue on everything until'at the bone.
Because if it saves on everything that cannot be seen, Transavia, on the other hand, refuses to compromise on the quality of service."This is what allows us to differentiate ourselves," says Marketing Director Nicolas Henin.This explains the prices often 30% higher than those of a Ryanair.Upon booking, the site's ergonomics are fluid, there is no untimely commercial pop-up-up dozens of pages to open before being able to finalize its reservation "It is one of the best airline sites",recognizes Axel Guidicelli, the CEO of the Ulysses ticket sales site.Of course, as with competitors, the options that aim to increase the final price exist, in particular a great graduality of the baggage supplement in the hold according to its weight.But, while competitors are full of hidden costs-Ryanair is paying his Paris-Beauvais by round trip 34 euros, Easyjet no longer offers the cabin suitcase, etc..-, at Transavia, the price of the ticket, an average of 100 euros according to our estimates, only increases by 20 euros all options combined, including catering on board.
Inside, the rows of green seats leave little room for the big legs but the welcome is warm."I have the freedom to offer a coffee to an unsatisfied or faithful passenger," explains an air hostess."The global atmosphere is much better than at Air France, in particular because the majority of our customers go on vacation", breathes a pilot who has just chosen Transavia after twelve years at Air France.Unsurprisingly, the "net promoter score" reaches 8.9 /10 for customer service, which increases the low cost on the first step of the podium of the main charts.
Customers are also reassured by the deposit of the parent company.When an airplane encounters a technical problem, they sometimes have the good surprise to board an Air France plane.During the Covid crisis, they were all reimbursed in time, which was not often not the case with other low cost.With this support and authorization to fly on the domestic network, Transavia multiplies interior flights from Orly but also transversals like Nantes-Toulon or Brest-Ajaccio.What to seduce a new business clientele."Professionals occupy around 20% of our domestic flights, which themselves weigh 15% of our traffic," explains Nathalie Stubler.For them, the Plus prices and Max offer not only miles, but also experience points, the famous XP, to develop their Flying Blue Card."These are the only ones to offer the same commercial program as their parent company, a real plus!" Observes Yan Derocles, analyst at Oddo.Especially since Transavia has also just entered Air France contracts reserved for large companies."Clever because the frame satisfied with her daily shuttle thinks of Transavia for her weekend in Rome," said Didier Bréchemier.
Another seduction asset for a CSP+clientele, Transavia has stormed the Orly fortress.It is the biggest point market at point in France, which drains the richest Parisians in the south and west.But this airport is caped at 250.000 movements per year.Difficult to obtain takeoff and landing slots there.But Transavia has just recovered around twenty round trips to Hop and 14 at Aigle Azur.It is thus around 25% of the airport alone.It can therefore multiply destinations - 95 from Orly this year on 160 of its catalog - but also offer new services such as the Smart Connect.Thanks to this option of around twenty euros, a businessman or a family can travel from Toulon to Tunis via Orly with full care (hotel, restaurant, new flight) in the event of a failed connection."Our partner Dohop manages this insurance and we gain in customer satisfaction and in number of flights sold" welcomes Nicolas Henin.
Still you have to know how to adjust permanently on demand.And Transavia has been a lot of agility.In terms of price of course.Azores, via Ponta Delgada, will be reachable for only 77 euros next summer because it is a line opening and you have to attract new customers.Conversely, a return from Greece on August 31 risks climbing beyond 400 euros.Its agility is even more important in terms of flight programming.Currently, the dozen programmers on the first floor of the Orly headquarters are not idle.They already changed the destinations according to the seasons.Now they try to anticipate the crazy fluctuations linked to COVVID.Two weeks before the Ascension weekend, for example, they chartered eight flights instead of three in the Toulon-Orly."We saw that the Parisians dreamed of escaping after confinement and, Bingo, we filled everything," says Nicolas Henin.During the summer they redirected with the same success many flights to the Maghreb, where the health situation was uncertain, to the islands and the destinations of the beach.The fifth wave comes to hit them again.In December, the brutal closure of Morocco was a blow.But, all specialists are convinced, as soon as the green light from the authorities is given again, the company will quickly benefit from its new assets.Tara and Mohammad have not finished putting on their gloves.
On the ground and on board, everything is thought to save money
Boarding is anticipated.The passengers are directed as close as possible to the plane, even if it is not ready, so as not to lose a minute and to ensure its three rotations during the day.
New antigaspi software is in testing to optimize sandwiches, madeleines and fresh products.It should reduce losses by more than 50%.
The hold is older.No need for electrical upholstery, luggage can be loaded by hand.Practical in Mediterranean countries, where the workforce, subcontracted on site, is cheap.The new Fleet of Airbus A320 will consume 15% less kerosene.
The landing of the 737-800, a rather "robust" plane according to the expression of the pilots, is possible on all types of tracks, of those, immense, of Istanbul or Tel Aviv, to those, tiny, from Kalamataor mykonos.
All seats are identical.There is no business class.And the rare advantages are paid dear: 21 euros for the first row, 14 euros to have a little more leg space, etc..
The carpet was lightened, from 153 to 90 kilos.One less weight that saves 6.9 liters of fuel on each flight, more than 300.000 liters per year!
A most successful ticket booking site
Buying a discount ticket on a low cost company is often an event.This is particularly the case with Ryanair, the most radical of all, whose site is full of aggressive commercial and pop-up offers.Transavia has taken the exact counterfeit with an airbnb ergonomics, very didactic, so that the customer experience is as fluid as possible."This is one of the clearest among all the companies we have studied to design our simplified booking site," says the CEO of the start-up Ulysse, Axel Guidicelli.
