Simple Flying is delighted to invite you to join us for our next Future Flying webinar. Next Tuesday at 11:00 London, we'll sit down with the founder and CEO of a rather interesting airline. Lift has become the newest entrant into the South African domestic market, focused on taking the pain points out of travel and putting the customer first. Jonathan Ayache will join our managing editor Joanna Bailey in conversation as we get under the skin of the airline that wants to do things differently.
Pandemic startups
If there was a pandemic trend we didn’t expect in aviation, it’s the sheer number of startups we’ve seen. On every continent, new airlines have sprung up on the back of one of the worst crises the industry has ever endured, capitalizing on the lower leasing rates for aircraft, availability of talent, and the gaps in the market left by struggling legacy airlines.
One such airline was Lift - a South African carrier founded in December 2020. A joint venture between the former Kulula CEO and an Uber executive, the airline set out to break into the domestic South African market, but with a rather different strategy.
Many of the pandemic startups have focused on flying unserved and underserved routes, finding their own niche in the networks. But for Lift, its business plan was to operate on one of the busiest routes in the world - Cape Town to Johannesburg. Pre-pandemic, almost five million passengers per year traveled on this route, served by, at the time, five or more airlines at any given time. So how was Lift planning to secure its share of the traffic?
A fresh approach
The success of the airline has come down to its founders’ fresh approach to the passenger experience. Lift prices its fares competitively, but offers an all-in ticket. There are no extra fees for baggage or seat selection, and everyone gets onboard food and drink included. Attention to detail is key, from serving excellent coffee to a promise to eradicate change fees from all tickets. Passengers can expect to be surprised and delighted on their trip too, with silent discos and impromptu games of bingo a regular occurrence on this airline.
While Lift has survived numerous challenges over its first 18 months - pandemic variants, soaring jet fuel prices, fuel shortages at its home airport - it continues to win praise from its customers. Now, it has its sights set on expansion, with a new route launching before the end of this month, and more aircraft coming for the peak South African summer season.
We're excited to find out more about the future of this interesting airline and its unique selling points. Join us as we chat with Jonathan Ayache, Founder and CEO of Lift, next Tuesday, October 11th, at 11:00 London. The session is streamed live on YouTube and everyone is welcome to join. Click the bell to be notified when we're about to start!