Pragusa, airline for long-haul flights with only premium economy seats is born
Some time ago we told you about La Compagnie, the world's first and only airline with only Business seats. But [...]
Some time ago we told you about La Compagnie, the world's first and only airline with only Business seats. But what if we told you that there is also its Premium Economy counterpart?
In this article:
Pragusa, whose name comes from the merger of Prague and Dubrovnik (now Dubrovnik), is a start-up that aims to bridge a gap: Provide long-haul flights in premium economy class only. A goal that the company, holding an EU flight certificate based in Croatia, intends to pursue by purchasing four A350s. Where will Pragusa fly to? The idea, at least initially, is to focus on New York, Beijing, Tokyo, Chengde, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Johannesburg and Los Angeles, with departure from Prague or Dubrovnik.
Ph. press office
Do premium economy flights work?
Actually, Pragusa Will not be a simple airline. It will be a kind of tour operator, which will propose 7- or 14-day trips for mid-to-high budget tourists from June 2021.
Instead of having multiple cabins, with different classes, Pragusa planes will have a single class consisting of 251 Premium Economy seats (For comparison, just think that on Air France's A350s there are only 24 premium economy seats).
A real challenge, since routes based solely on high-spending travelers are difficult to maintain. Qatar Airways long ago decided to fit only Business seats on an A319 operating between Doha and London, only to give up due to lack of bookings, while BA due to covid has permanently suspended its BA1 flight, a business-only aircraft connecting London with New York. Indeed, experts question whether the gap identified by Pragusa is large enough to justify such an operation.
Pragusa, however, does not just sell nonstop flights in premium economy: it offers its clients the following flight+stay travel packages. Tours far from low budget, while having as destinations two cities (Prague and Dubrovnik) very popular with low-cost travelers.
Pragusa's idea: premium economy flights and European tours
The first phase of the Pragusa project targets overseas travelers. You go up to New York (or Beijing, Chengde, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, etc.) and arrive in Dubrovnik. From there, you go on to discover real European jewelry: Dubrovnik itself, and then Split (Croatia), Plitvice with its extraordinary parks, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Bled, Graz, Vienna, Bratislava, Cesky Krumlov, Ceske Budejovice, Plzen, Prague. And, from there, the return flight. An idea that really appeals to the Chinese market.
In 2018, more than 6 million Chinese tourists came to Europe. And, as many as 36.3% of them visited cities in the East. Growth of 20% annually for cities such as Prague and Ljubljana, for Croatian resorts and those in the Czech Republic, which also increasingly appeal to Americans (with 4.1 million tourists in 2018). In the first half of 2019, the top 10 most popular destinations in Europe were Russia, theItaly, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Greece, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and in Portugal. And if theand destinations "traditional" tourists continue to receive tourists thanks to group tours, Central and Eastern Europe is growing in popularity. Hence, the idea of Pragusa: Bringing tourists to Europe with premium economy flights and "tailor-made" tours.
