New SA airline to take to skies next month

23 August 2015 - 20:30 By RDM News Wire
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Fly Blue Crane will travel to smaller cities like Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Nelspruit.
Fly Blue Crane will travel to smaller cities like Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Nelspruit.
Image: Supplied

The country’s newest airline‚ Fly Blue Crane‚ which promises to offer travellers the best in both affordability and premium quality‚ will launch its inaugural flights from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to Bloemfontein‚ Kimberley and Nelspruit from September 1‚ the air carrier announced on Sunday.

Bookings for flights on the new airline open this Tuesday.

“Fly Blue Crane has anticipated and is positioned to deliver on what customers want: the enhanced convenience of frequent flights through high on-time performance‚ commitment to consistent service excellence‚ advanced online technologies that will make the booking and travel process fuss-free‚ and of course highly competitive fares‚” said Fly Blue Crane CEO Siza Mzimela.

The COO of Fly Blue Crane‚ Theunis Potgieter‚ said the airline was poised to become an African aviation innovator by responding to market needs and implementing invaluable insights from global travellers who have revealed that customer value is not based on low pricing alone‚ but also in areas such as consistency‚ frequency‚ professionalism and reliability‚ as well as softer touch-points which include complimentary quality meals and the level of attention to detail paid to customers’ special needs when flying.

“Fly Blue Crane’s customers can look forward to such a fresh approach to air travel‚ which blends the best of both worlds without compromising on premium service‚” he said.

“By using what we have learned over the years about international airline best practice‚ we have also created a cost structure which allows us to offer competitive fares without cutting any corners on quality‚ safety and reliability‚” explained GM Commercial‚ Jerome Simelane.

During its launch phase‚ Fly Blue Crane will operate modern and fuel-efficient 50-seater Embraer Regional Jet 145 (ERJ) aircraft in a single class configuration. The use of a single aircraft type will allow for quick aircraft turnaround times and maximum crew synergies.

“We aim to make our mark serving the increasingly commercially significant provincial and regional capitals. Our aim in the coming years is to make air travel an altogether better and more rewarding experience in Southern Africa‚” Mzimela said.

During its initial launch phase‚ Fly Blue Crane will have five flights a day to Bloemfontein during the week‚ with two flights on Saturdays and three on Sundays. There will be three flights a day during the week to Kimberley‚ one flight on Saturdays and two to the city on Sundays. The airline will service Nelspruit twice daily from Mondays to Fridays‚ with one flight on Saturday and one on Sunday.

RDM News Wire.

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