Vanilla Air to give owner ANA a presence in abandoned markets while offering a hybrid model
All Nippon Airways chose the name "Vanilla Air" for its LCC in part for Vanilla Air's popularity, simplicity and inoffensive connotation. Those characteristics will be the initial theme for Vanilla Air's route network, as the carrier largely sticks to the network created by AirAsia Japan, the JV that will end operations in Oct-2013 before re-branding to Vanilla Air in Nov-2013.
Vanilla Air's initial route network from its Tokyo Narita hub will include Okinawa, Sapporo, Seoul Incheon and Taipei Taoyuan. Vanilla intends to later launch services to beach markets like Guam and Saipan. ANA ended Guam services in 2009 and has not served Saipan in recent history.
A later phase could see Vanilla Air serve Indonesia and other points within eight hours' flying, which will presumably require an aircraft other than the A320 Vanilla plans to launch with. Vanilla has flagged that A330 operations could be a possibility in the future. This raises concern as Vanilla Air will already be challenged to achieve a strict cost base and have efficient operations. With plans to offer free checked luggage to all passengers, Vanilla Air may be morphing from a low-cost carrier to a hybrid leisure carrier. But, unless a clear vision is specified from the start, erosion of low cost objectives will be inevitable.
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