At Corfu Airport, vacationers board the Eurowings plane: soon, however, it will probably no longer be at an absolute bargain price. Image: IMAGO / Rupert Oberhäuser Analyse

In the Vacation As of this summer, flying is no longer just a pleasure. Chaos at the airports due to a lack of staff, lost suitcases and delayed or even canceled flights. It's also set to become significantly more expensive in the near future: last week, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary announced the new pricing strategy of his airline Ryanair, which has grown up with extremely cheap flights, some of which cost EUR 0.99.

Farewell to bargain flights

'There is no doubt that our really cheap special tariffs – the one euro tariffs, the 99 cent tariffs and even the 9.99 euro tariffs – will no longer be found in the next few years will be,' said the 61-year-old in one Interview with the BBC. He cited inflation and rising fuel costs as reasons for this. The cheapest flight prices will therefore probably increase in the near future on average from around 40 euros last year to around 50 euros in the next five years.

In an interview with watson, the largest German provider of cheap holiday flights, the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings, and Berlin-Brandenburg Airport explained where they see the aviation industry going.

For 99 cents to Mallorca? That used to be

No question that environment and the Climate it's good if most people no longer be able to just jet off to Barcelona for the weekend. With the range of cheap flights in recent decades, so has the The number of flights has increased massively – by almost 10 million continuously from 2014 (36.9 million) to 2019 (46.8 million). (Those: Statesman ). More and more people have taken a short holiday abroad in addition to their annual leave. Airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet, Vueling and Wizz Air have competed fiercely to offer low-cost, no-frills fares.

'From our point of view, the era of ultra-cheap tickets is clearly over.' Florian Gränzdörffer, Head of Media Relations at Eurowings

Fewer flights, less CO2 emissions

Air traffic is responsible for around 2.8 percent of CO2 emissions worldwide , in Germany the value for international and domestic flights is three percent (Source: Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry) .

bild: www.bdl.aero

That doesn't sound like much, especially compared to the CO2 emissions that are generated worldwide due to electricity and heat as well as industry. This still accounts for a lion's share of over 60 percent. Ryanair founder O'Leary said the focus on reducing emissions from aviation was 'out of place'. After all, road traffic and shipping together have a much larger share of CO2 emissions.

bild: www.bdl.aero

But the pressure on the industry is growing, people should increasingly switch to the train in the interests of the energy transition, at least for shorter distances.

'Flying is becoming more expensive and must also become more expensive.' Eurowings spokesman Florian Gränzdörffer

Nevertheless, especially in times of rising living costs and high inflation, the availability of cheap flights also decides for many people whether they decide to go Travel can still afford to go abroad.

Flying should remain affordable

Eurowings spokesman Florian Gränzdörffer sees the price curve at his airline clearly on the way up, but this is not only the case with Eurowings. He says in conversation with watson: ' From our point of view, the time of ultra-cheap tickets is clearly over . Flying is becoming more expensive and must also become more expensive - just look at the record oil price above the 100 dollar mark.' Eurowings has cost increases amounting to a three-digit million amount.

Accordingly, the 'Value Airline' Eurowings, as a provider of inexpensive flights, will have to adjust the tariffs, which are already around ten percent more expensive than in 2019, by at least another ten percent. ' There is no other way to shoulder the burden of the oil price shock. This applies to the entire Eurowings route network - including Mallorca.'

Flight trend should remain despite higher prices

Gränzdörffer's look ahead: Even if the catch-up effects when traveling after the Corona years weaken somewhat in 2023 and consumers spend significantly more for Energy and spend food, Eurowings assumes that in the coming year there will also be a strong need to decide on a holiday flight and to discover foreign countries and cultures. He says:

'Eurowings, as the leading German holiday airline, will therefore continue to stand for affordable flying, but with all these burdens it can no longer remain as cheap as it was last time. In this context, it made little sense economically and ecologically for aggressive competitors to offer airfares at the value of a cinema tickets have painted a completely wrong picture of our industry.'

End of cheap flights no danger for airports

Not only the passengers, but also airports could be affected by a change in the pricing strategy of some airlines. The capital's airport Berlin-Brandenburg (BER) Willy Brandt only has a single-digit number of long-haul flights on offer and is increasingly relying on domestic and European short-haul flights. Low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet, which serve these connections, have fleet bases at Berlin Airport and therefore a wide range of flights.

Less cheap flights, fewer passengers: This could apply to Berlin Airport BER. bild: iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus

When asked by watson, Jan-Peter Haack, press spokesman for BER, cannot yet say anything about whether the end of the cheap flight era will have consequences for Berlin Airport: 'Whether and what effects this will have on Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport could have, cannot be said immediately after the statement on the BBC.'

After all, the BER can use a new cheap long-distance direct connection to the deer attend: The Norwegian airline Norse will start low-cost long-distance connections to Los Angeles and New York from BER in August. Press spokesman Haack is pleased that 'Norse Atlantic Airways has opted for Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport with its modern aircraft and attractive destinations.'

In the future, Berlin Airport may be able to offer its passengers more long-haul routes instead of cheap flights. image: Norse / Malcolm Nason

Haack sees the new range of routes as a good addition to various providers, not as a substitute for future losses due to lost bargains. 'In the meantime, Norse Atlantic Airways has also entered into a cooperation with Easyjet. This means that passengers can book cheap feeder and connecting flights in combination with the transatlantic connections via one provider,' he explains.

This calculation could work out if one believes Ryanair boss O'Leary's prophecy: 'We think people will continue to fly frequently. But I think people will become much more price sensitive.'

Source: watson.de