Battle of the budget airlines becomes a war of attrition

SkyEurope will offer 111,000 tickets for flights to European capitals at a net price of zł.0.01, reaching a new low in the war of low cost airlines. The offer is a response to last week's move by rival airline WizzAir, which offered 100,000 tickets for €1. Both SkyEurope, as well as WizzAir's prices do not include airport fees. "We are a budget airline so we sell low priced tickets. This way we want to strengthen our position as the largest carrier of this type in Central Europe," said SkyEurope president Christian Mandl. SkyEurope's offer covers the period from October 31 to March 26, when there are generally fewer flights in Europe. Some analysts believe, that with such stiff competition, after next spring there could be just two or three low-cost airlines left on the Polish market. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 14) T.J.