Several weeks ago it was announced from one day to the next that Niki, the Austrian low cost carrier, would cease operations. Niki was a wholly owned subsidiary of airberlin, and airberlin ceased operations in October, after Etihad withdrew their financial support. Despite that, Niki had continued to operate as usual. That’s because they received…
Continue reading: Niki Won’t Be Bought By IAG After All
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While I could understand IAG not being allowed to take over another Northern European airline such as FlyBe or Finnair, (or perhaps TAP) on competition grounds, I can't understand them not being allowed to take over an Austrian one, especially in light of Lufthansa's far-reaching, icy grip over Central Europe which doesn't seemed to have faced such hurdles…
This seems like the best outcome for both passengers and employees. As consumers, the more independent airlines we have to choose from the better, and by all accounts Niki Lauda is a very conscientious airline owner, so I expect the employees are breathing a sign of relief too.
Given that Lauda has succeeded in launching and then selling at a profit not one, but two, airlines (Niki and the earlier LaudaAir), this might prove to be an excellent outcome for all parties.
This is such a good thing for passengers and employees alike! Niki always prided itself on doing things differently and providing good customer service. This would not have been the case if Vueling had taken over. The worst airline in Europe is not in fact Ryanair, but the gruesome twosome that is Vueling and WizzAir. I have a particular distaste for Vueling as I think it gets away unfairly without much criticism, the only reason Ryanair bothers IAG so much is they didn't do it first and they have proven themselves to be a 100 times worse when implementing the same business model. Truly awful company, so a win for Austrian consumers.
the deal with IAG did not fall thru because of regulatory concerns but simply because the creditors in Austria got a better deal from Lauda
Thomas Cook already confirmed that they are on board. They'll be doing aircraft maintance, crew management and booking seats on Niki. That's according to a variety of German media earlier today.
Quite happy to read this.
Niki Lauda understands how to run a small airline at a profit (let alone a F1 racing team, and all the other business interests he has). I have no doubt they will do well, and he will sell again in a few years with a substantial profit.