The airline industry has been severely affected by the coronavirus crisis. And while controversies emerged from CEOs still receiving bonuses and companies getting bailouts, the government is starting to focus on something else: making sure airline tickets don’t sell for (too) cheap a price.
A way for airlines to get back on track is for them to sell plane tickets very cheaply. D66 and ChristenUnie, however, want a minimum price of €34 for plane tickets, reports NOS.
The concern in the House of Representatives is that there will be a major competitive battle at Schiphol Airport for the preservation of air rights.
According to D66 MP Jan Paternotte, “There is a good chance that after the crisis, companies will try to stick to routes. To fill those planes, they are going to stunt with tickets. They are going to dump them way below cost. Flying a lot, especially at short distances, has major environmental consequences.”
Similar plane ticket limit in Austria
The proposal for a minimum limit for plane tickets has a chance to succeed, as it has support from the majority of Dutch leftist parties. GroenLinks previously argued for the minimum ticket price, after a similar policy was introduced in Austria, where the minimum was set at 40 euros.
Frank Oostdam, director of ANVR (Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators) considers the proposal by D66 and ChristianUnie exciting. Nevertheless, he noted that “I would prefer it if it were part of a wider plan to make aviation more sustainable, then we agree. Now it is mainly a Marxist proposal, an individual test balloon.”
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Image: Abuzer Van Leeuwen/Supplied