Cheapest Airlines in the World 2011

Results from our cheap flights study are in, so without further ado, here you have the 50 airlines operating the cheapest short-haul flights in the world, according to millions of eDreams bookings during 2011. Congratulations to Vietnamese airline Jetstar Pacific (BL) who offers the cheapest flights worldwide. UK contender Monarch (ZB) came in 2nd, with Romania’s Blue Air in 3rd.

We compiled data from several million flight bookings made through us in 2011. Focusing on short-haul flights, we only included bookings for flights of under 1000 miles. To get the 50 rankings, we summed up the miles flown by all customers on a given airline, before adding up all the individual prices paid for the flights. The total amount paid (all inclusive) was then divided by the total distance flown to get a price per 100 miles.

Price per 100 Miles is an alternative way to compare airlines by price. Consider that different airlines fly different routes, which makes direct comparisons difficult. However, this is an indicator of the overall pricing policy of the airline and is an objective value that allows for comparison and ranking.

The table below details the individual rankings. Take a look to find out how cheap your favourite airline really is:

	Code	Airline	Country	Price (Euros) Per 100 Miles
#1	BL	Jetstar Pacific	Vietnam	8.55
#2	ZB	Monarch	UK	9.61
#3	0B	Blue Air	Romania	10.43
#4	G9	Air Arabia	UAE	10.71
#5	3K	Jetstar Asia	Singapore	10.91
#6	FR	Ryanair	Ireland	10.95
#7	JE	Mango	South Africa	11.01
#8	BY	Thomson Airways	UK	11.67
#9	X3	TUIfly	Germany	11.77
#10	3O	Air Arabia Maroc	Marroco	11.92
#11	TR	Tiger Airways	Australia	12.02
#12	HV	Transavia	Netherlands	12.25
#13	W6	Wizzair	Hungary	12.78
#14	8J	Jet4You	Morocco	13.04
#15	E3	Eagles Airlines	Italy	13.35
#16	KU	Kuwait Airways	Kuwait	13.37
#17	JQ	Jetstar Airways	Australia	13.48
#18	U2	Easyjet	UK	13.49
#19	DY	Norwegian	Norway	14.63
#20	AP	Air One	Italy	14.84
#21	S4	Sata International	Portugal	14.91
#22	QS	Smart Wings	Czech Republic	15.00
#23	F9	Frontier Airlines	US	15.24
#24	ZI	Aigle Azur	France	15.48
#25	TP	TAP Portugal	Portugal	15.52
#26	MN	Comair	South Afrika	15.75
#27	IV	Wind Jet	Italy	15.76
#28	VY	Vueling	Spain	16.25
#29	HG	Niki	Austria	16.66
#30	LA	LAN	Chile	16.70
#31	LS	Jet2	UK	17.08
#32	XW	Sky Express	Russia	17.28
#33	EI	Aer Lingus	Ireland	17.41
#34	U6	Ural Airlines	Russia	17.44
#35	SE	XL Airways	France	17.48
#36	FB	Bulgaria Air	Bulgaria	17.53
#37	PZ	TAM	Paraguay	17.76
#38	WW	Bmibaby	UK	17.77
#39	KL	KLM	Netherlands	17.97
#40	S2	Jet Lite	India	18.19
#41	PC	Pegasus Airlines	Turkey	18.30
#42	SN	Brussels Airlines	Belgium	18.42
#43	KF	Blue1	Finland	18.43
#44	JK	Spanair	Spain	18.46
#45	UX	Air Europa	Spain	18.51
#46	IB	Iberia	Spain	18.57
#47	LV	Albanian Airlines	Albania	18.62
#48	AT	Royal Air Maroc	Morocco	18.79
#49	UN	Transaero Airlines	Russia	18.88
#50	OK	Czech Airlines	Czech Republic	19.00

Note:

• Short Haul flights are defined as a total distance of 1000 nautical miles or less. Flights of greater distances are excluded from this study.

Comparison on a Global Scale

You may be surprised to see that traditionally ‘expensive’ countries don’t necessarily produce the most costly airlines. For example, the UK can boast the presence of two airlines in the top 10, including Monarch (ZB) in second place at €9.61 per 100 miles and Thomson Airways (BY) in 8th at €11.67 per 100 miles. Germany’s TUIfly (X3) also occupied a place in the top 10.

On the other hand, it is notable that the top 50 is heavily occupied by Middle Eastern and North African airlines. The UAE’s Air Arabia (G9) came fourth for cheap flights at just €10.71 per 100 miles, plus Morocco’s Air Arabia Maroc (3O), Jet4U (8J), and Kuwait Airways (KU) also scored high. Eastern Europe has a tendency to produce bargain airlines, with Blue Air (0B) coming in third, plus Transavia Airlines C.V. (HV) and Wizz Air Hungary (W6) occupying prominent positions.

‘Low Cost’ in High Places

For those travellers who book with ‘low cost’ airlines wondering if their flights really are the cheapest, or for those who wonder if the sacrifices they make in service really translate into savings, here’s the proof that ‘low cost’ airlines really are just that. The top 14 positions in our list are occupied by 'low cost' flight operators, a comforting confirmation for customers.

With this list we aim to give customers a valuable tool in their flight search, so that they can make an informed decision about which airline to book with.

NEW ZEALAND urged to expand Halal trade beyond meat

(Source: NZ Herald News) 

By Ben Chapman-Smith

New Zealand exporters need to realise there is far more to the global Halal economy than just food, with other major sectors ripe for the picking, says the New Zealand Asia Institute.

While food is definitely top of the Halal agenda for Kiwi businesses, exports like Halal-certified beef are only part of the picture, says the Institute, which is part of the University of Auckland Business School.

The opportunities presented by a booming US$2.3 trillion global Halal market are the focus of the Business School's inaugural Asia Dialogue conference in two weeks.

Kiwi businesses are concentrating too much on food exports and ignoring other avenues worth billions of dollars, such as in IT products, finance services, travel, and tourism, says Business School Dean Professor Greg Whittred.

"It is important that Halal is recognised as more than just a commodities-based economy but validated as a much larger and broader entity that includes lifestyle, culture and politics," says Whittred.

International Business lecturer Zaidah Mustaffa says according to Islam, Halal means 'what is permissible' or 'what is allowed'.

In the Islamic finance sector, there is no concept of interest being applied to loans. Instead, businesses make profit-sharing agreements, she said.

"In terms of investment, ideally banks or investment companies should be investing in products that are good for the economy."

Investing in casinos or alcohol companies is a "no-no", Mustaffa says.

Halal tourist packages would offer visitors the chance to see New Zealand while also being allowed to visit mosques, pray or eat at restaurants serving Halal food, she said.

New Zealand's largest Halal exports are lamb, beef, dairy products and financial services concentrated in China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea.

However, markets like Malaysia, Indonesia and Kazakhstan are under-utilised and could unlock billions of dollars of future trade, says Whittaker.

Southeast and South Asia have high proportions of Muslim citizens which are expected to increase to more than 30 per cent in the next decade, he says.

"New Zealand needs to urgently recognise the implications of being a neighbour of Southeast and South Asia, and to understand the growing networks of trade, investment and information exchange that are developing throughout Muslim Asia and that could be extended to New Zealand."

Halal meat

That is not to overlook the value of the Halal meat market. In the year to June 2011, New Zealand exports of Halal-certified meat to Muslim markets were worth almost $490 million to the economy.

Waikato-based Greenlea Meats turned over $240 million last year, about $30 million of which came through its Halal meat trade.

To comply with Halal rules, slaughter men at Greenlea Meats face animals towards Mecca using an arrow on the ceiling above the killing cradle.

The company has two Muslim workers on each shift, as well as a Muslim supervisor, who pray in Arabic over each animal before it is stunned, then killed.

Tony Egan, managing director of Greenlea, says New Zealand has established itself as a world leader in the Halal meat market over the last 10 to 15 years.

"It's a big market for New Zealand meat. Eighty per cent of our country's meat processing plants are Halal-certified," he said.

There are 48 certified processing plants in New Zealand, employing more than 200 qualified Halal meat workers.

Egan says he is increasingly exporting beef into markets closer to home, such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

"About 15 years ago we realised that the secret to unlocking the potential of these new customers was to visit them, listen to them and ensure that we met their product and service standards.

"It's meant understanding a new customer and aligning ourselves with their specific requirements."

Together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), the industry was able to establish a Halal protocol for meat processing in 2010.

Egan said a significant step for New Zealand was coming up with the method of slaughter, which involves stunning livestock so they cannot feel pain before being slaughtered.

"It means we can comply with Halal requirements but still meet MAF's strict welfare requirements."

MAF was last year named best service provider at the World Halal Forum for its Animal Products Notice, the first time a non-Muslim country had won the accolade.

Organised by the Business School and the New Zealand Asia Institute, the Asia Dialogue conference will cover topics including the scope of the Halal market, opportunities for businesses with stringent Halal standards, and bringing together religion, science and innovation.

Malaysian business leader Tan Sri Halim Saad will lead the line-up of international and New Zealand speakers.

Business School development manager Brad Weekly says several presenters from the 2012 World Halal Forum would be speaking at the Asia Dialogue conference.

"Their perspective on opportunities in the global Halal economy will add enormously to the value for attendees,” he says.

Malaysia looks for Kiwi halal partners

19 June 2012

Asia Dialogue convener Tan Sri Halim Saad

Malaysia has positioned itself as a leader in the global halal economy and fresh opportunities are emerging for New Zealand companies to be part of that success story, says the convener of the Business School-hosted Asia Dialogue conference, Malaysian business leader Tan Sri Halim Saad.
At present Malaysia exports more than US$10 billion worth of halal food and the global market, currently valued at US$660 billion, is expected to increase 20 per cent by 2020, says Halim Saad. Islamic finance was established in Malaysia in 1983 and is now worth US$145 billion – representing a fifth of all banking activity – and in 2011 the country issued 73 per cent of the US$26.5 billion worth of sukuk (Islamic bonds) worldwide.
"Through the Halal Industry Development Corporation, Malaysia is very active in establishing the standards for the halal economy. We are not only looking into technical halal processes and Islamic finance, but we are quite advanced in setting up the standards for halalan toyyiban or "end-to-end" halal, whereby we ensure the halalness at every level of production, including handling, logistics, ports, animal feeds and distribution."
The system, which is rigorous and extensive, also encompasses the ingredients used to produce feed for livestock, including crops, genetically modified organisms, vaccines and medications, innovative production methods and technologies to ensure animal welfare within the Islamic context.
"These represent significant opportunities for New Zealand, Malaysia and other countries to work together in the future."
Halim, who is an Honorary Professor at the Business School, says the inaugural Asia Dialogue conference will be of particular interest to New Zealand food exporters and to investors looking to invest in food security – especially for halal products.
"I am keen to talk with potential investors from New Zealand about setting up an alliance between New Zealand, Malaysia, Kazakhstan and any other regions or business activities to invest in the food industry. Interested parties and investors could expect additional funding to come from ASEAN or the Gulf States. The Gulf States' investors might also want to invest in New Zealand."
At present there are no globally agreed halal certification processes or standards and Halim admits that the technical aspects, which differ from country to country, can be endlessly debated. However, Halim says that he is more interested in the bigger picture of assimilation between the animal welfare movement in Western countries (including New Zealand) and halal standards.
"This is a much more interesting area to explore. The end result would be products acceptable anywhere in the world."