South Africa has really developed recently and is setting the standard for the rest of Africa. One of the main growth areas has of course been in the airline industry. In the 1990’s South Africa only really had airline and this was the national carrier called SAA, i.e. South African Airways. Due to the monopoly, prices were kept high and very few people could afford to fly. Service levels were also quite low, as with no competition, people had no choice but to fly with them. However this all changed when the first low-cost airline entered South Africa.
Although low cost (no frills) airlines have been operating for some time in the US and the UK, South Africa only got it’s first in 2001, and it was called Kulula. Kulula ia actually an African word and means ‘it is easy/simple’. Kulula is completed owned by Comair, which is a subsidiary of British Airways.
Kulula offered an alternative to SAA, and they were much cheaper. The main difference being that you were not provided with food or beverages while en route, however being that most domestic flights in South Africa take less than 3 hours, this was very agreeable with consumers. As such the popularity of Kulula began to grow. Another interesting fact was the way that they promoted the airline and its staff. Taking a leaf from South West Airlines, they positioned themselves as the fun and light-hearted airline. Not only were adverts funny, but the staff themselves actually told jokes and interacted with clients on the flights. This made them very popular as well as helped with word of mouth, as most people who flew them would talk favourably.
Kulula have continued to grow, despite increasing competition, and have actually branched out into other related ventures. It is now possible to hire a car through them, book a hotel, and they even have their own loyalty card.