An observer, casual or otherwise, could be forgiven for feeling a certain sense of déjà vu when it comes to the new advent of longhaul, low-cost carriers (snappily termed ‘LHLCC’). In some cases, these airlines are expanding their pre-Covid propositions in familiar parts of the world, while in others they are entirely new airlines, sometimes with an entirely new proposition in new markets. 

With the substantial effects these airlines have had on the industry — and especially the passenger experience — since their arrival some 15-20 years ago, there are extrapolations about the potential passenger experience impacts of this new expansion wave.

Let’s start with the expanding operations of known quantities. This segment would include Norse Atlantic, the airline that insists it definitely isn’t the Norwegian longhaul operation, despite using the same planes in the same configuration from the same airports on the same routes with the same operating model with the same people in charge.

Expansions this year to Paris, Rome and London, as well as winter destinations in Jamaica, Barbados and Thailand, won’t diminish the Norwegian comparisons, but there are reasonable operational arguments why a second time around might work better. Norwegian had terrible luck with Dreamliner delays, groundings, quality, engine issues, and Covid. And overall, from a passenger experience perspective: Norse’s 787s are pretty average in economy and above-average in premium economy thanks to their 43” seat pitch.

One of the key impacts that the arrival of an LHLCC has is to pressure existing carriers on the price-sensitive end of the market. This can have marked consequences, especially on the passenger experience. British Airways’ competitive responses over the last ten years’ worth of challenges to its longhaul leisure operations out of London Gatwick in competition with Norwegian — and now Norse — are instructive here.

Across the channel, French bee, previously French Blue, is also seeing the US as a growth point within the last year or so, adding Newark, LAX and Miami since the pandemic to its Paris-SFO-Papeete hops and regular twice daily shuttles to the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion. 

From a passenger experience perspective, French bee is the first regular operator of the ten-abreast A350 cabin (even pre-NPS) into the US, so it has been informative to watch a new generation of flyers report back about their experiences on TikTok this summer travel season, which has been generally positive. By and large a generation inoculated against expectations by the likes of Frontier and Spirit find the experience good value for money.

Across the Pacific, meanwhile, come a new set of propositions in the form of Seoul-based Air Premia, JAL’s Zipair Tokyo, and ANA’s forthcoming Air Japan LHLCC operations, all using 787s. Each has a different model: Air Premia is a hybrid fully-featured experience in premium economy plus an impressive 35”-pitch economy with seatback IFE, Zipair offers Jamco Venture business seats and Recaro CL3710 in economy but no seatback IFE in either class, while Air Japan will offer all-economy Safran Z110i seats, also without seatback IFE, when it launches this coming year. 

Notably, Air Japan will start operating between Tokyo and Bangkok, a 7h20 route that will presumably be joined by something longer haul as a scissor network to achieve the kind of utilisation that LHLCCs typically require.

While these operations remain in their infancy, it will be interesting to observe how passengers — and competing airlines — react. Air Premia’s impact on the new Korean Air, having swallowed Asiana, is likely to be minimal. Air Japan seems aimed at the home market to begin with, while both it and Zipair operate from the second-choice Tokyo region airport at Narita, where Japanese LCCs have focused since the reopening of city-centre Haneda airport to international flights in 2010 and its expansion in 2014. Being part of the wider NAA and JAL groups, respectively, suggests that competitive overlap will be relatively minimal.

Globally, LHLCCs make a persuasive offer to many flyers, expecially in markets where passenger experience has not been a priority and notionally full-service carriers offer a disconnect between expectations, advertising and onboard reality. There are real opportunities for innovation here, and clear enthusiasm from passengers for a keenly priced experience that matches the expectations set by the airline during flight shopping.

Related Articles:

• Eurowings Discover becomes Discover Airlines in compelling rebrand
• Air Japan sets early 2024 launch for Narita-Bangkok service
• Japanese modernity by Acumen for ANA’s Air Japan all-economy 787-8
• Zip Air debuts 787 cabin: is this really a LCC or JAL Lite?
• Norse Atlantic Airways loads launch routes, introductory fares

Featured image credited to Zipair Tokyo