Overview - Smart Wings

Smart Wings: Seeking a workable network mix

Smart Wings is the first entrant into the LCC arena from the Czech Republic. Commencing operations in May-04 with two B737s serving four Western European destinations, the carrier is a branch of the country’s leading charter company, Travel Servis.

Currently operating ten B737s and connecting Prague with 11 destinations in Western Europe, with an emphasis on Mediterranean vacation spots, the carrier has entered and exited several routes, especially those to business destinations, such as Zurich and London.
Smart Wings’ service to London Gatwick was a long shot to begin, as Prague is heavily served to all three London airports by easyJet and Czech flag carrier, CSA. The inability to make inroads into this market denied SmartWings a key source of relatively high-yielding budget passengers, as London is the key destination for most fledgling Continental Europe LCCs.

The carrier has tried several different tacks to gain traffic, from relying on an expensive travel agent-based distribution platform to offering passengers free snacks. Most recently, it announced in May-06 that it will establish a base in Budapest.

Perhaps recognising the LCC saturation of Prague (which increased in Feb-06 when SkyEurope announced it would base two B737-700s there to serve seven cities, including twice-daily to Paris, one of Smart Wings’ best performing routes), it needed to establish a base in another market. But Budapest, from where it will serve Prague, as well as Paris, Milan and Rome, is a difficult choice to support. The city is already a base for continental Europe’s two largest LCCs, Wizz Air and SkyEurope.

Focus Required

It is tough to see much of a future for Smart Wings, whose business appears to lack focus and mass or an unexploited niche.

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