British Carrier FLYBE Pays Passengers To Fly
Flybe, a British LCC (low cost carrier), has taken the unprecedented step of hiring 172 people to fly back and forth across England and the Irish Sea.
This shocking tactic was used in order for the carrier to achieve a "target" of delivering at least 15,000 passengers on the Dublin-Norwich route in the 12 months ending on Monday. At stake was a rebate of over half a million dollars from the airport.
The airline was narrowly falling short of the required number of passengers, and the airport rejected a request for a partial rebate for almost hitting the target. End of story? Not so fast - Flybe hired 172 temps for 30-40 pounds each, plus a free bar and in-flight entertainment!
In a joint interview on Irish public broadcaster RTE, airport managing director Richard Jenner called the British carrier's move "ludicrous" and said the target had to be met by regular fare-paying passengers. Flybe Chief Commercial Officer Mike Rutter replied "The ludicrousness is on the Norwich side who in essence have tried to hold us to ransom, putting at risk routes into Norwich".
And in case you were wondering, this is NOT an April Fool's Day joke!