IAG's Vueling sees record capacity on off-peak travel, flexible working

IAG's Spanish low-cost airline Vueling is benefiting from off-peak season travel, helping it to break its own record last year of having airplanes full at 91% of their capacity as remote working changes travel habits. The airline's chief commercial, customer and strategy and network officer, Carolyn Prowse, said in an interview this month that the rise of flexible working has blurred the difference between business and leisure travel, with some people starting a long weekend trip as early as a Wednesday. "I think the big question is: What's the new normal? What we see from consumers is that not being able to travel made them perhaps realise how much they value it, and combined with remote working, it means that it's still a healthy demand environment," she said. Vueling said its load factor, which measures the percentage of available seats filled, increased over the winter, reaching numbers above 90%, and particularly improving on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On a Tuesday, it had an average load factor of around 90%, while before the pandemic it would be below 80%, according to data provided by the airline to Reuters. As part of its increasing push on off-peak season travel, Vueling said it currently offers 20% more seats in the summer season compared to winter. Before the pandemic the airline used to be more seasonal, offering nearly 50% more seats in summers.<br/>