Israeli travel agency Daka 90 launched Monday a new app loco.mobi for low-cost flights. The app gathers data from 130 low-cost carriers in the region and sends a daily notification of the best prices of the day.
The application effectively acts as a travel agency, meaning that users that purchase flights through the app and wish to cancel up to 14 days before take-off will receive a refund from Daka 90 as it is bound by Israeli legislation, unlike the low-cost carriers.
"We will operate according to the Consumer Protection Law in the app as well," said Daka 90 VP Dana Lavie, who added that the company plans to expand the app to complementary services hotels, airport transfers, concerts, and more.
Since the Open Skies agreement was signed in 2013, flight services have increased by 9.5%. The market share taken by low-cost flights reached 9% in 2014 and grew even further in 2015. According to Civil Aviation Authority figures previously published in "Globes", there was an increase of 115% in low-cost passenger volume in 2013-2014.
A survey conducted recently by New Wave Research on behalf of Daka 90 showed that a vast majority of Israelis 86% are aware of the low-cost carriers, and that close to a quarter of Israelis have already flown on them.
Secular Israelis, academics, and those with higher-than-average income were among the early adopters, with their use rates significantly outpacing the general population at 63-74% compared to 24%.
The survey further shows that most Israelis will consider low-cost carriers for their next flight with two of every three travelers saying they will include it as a possibility. Additionally, the satisfaction levels for passengers of low-cost carriers was rated highly, with 90% noting they would likely fly low-cost again.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 17, 2015
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