Estonia's national carrier Estonian Air will from the beginning of May introduce several changes in pre-flight and in-flight services which concern the number of fare types and onboard food selection, to be followed by a change in check-in procedures in August.
The airline embarked in January on an extensive restructuring to become a cost-efficient and competitive regional carrier providing flights to destinations that are essential for Estonia and where the demand is constantly high.
"In the first three months we focused on adapting our network to the real economic demand and reducing costs in proportion with new flight capacities. We have switched to a network of ten core destinations and in connection with this reviewed all the activities and cost items related to our services," chief commercial officer Rauno Parras said.
From May 1 Estonian Air will reduce the number of fare types from the current five to three. The three basic fare groups are Eco, Flex and Business. The Light fare family, meant for travelers with hand luggage only, will remain as a campaign product, which has a lower price but less flexible terms than other fare types.
On board all passengers will be offered a common selection of food and beverages. Passengers with Flex and Business tickets will be served complimentary food and beverages. Passengers holding Eco tickets can buy food and beverages on board. The possibility of pre-ordering meals through Estonian Air homepage also will be preserved.
Beginning from August check-in at the airline's desk at the airport will cost 10 euros for holders of Eco tickets. The self-service check-in through the Estonian Air website, mobile phone SMS-service and check-in kiosks at the airport will be free of charge.
Parras said the purpose of this change is cost saving on one hand and the wish to prompt travelers to make more use of the internet and mobile phone for check-in, on the other. "However, the free check-in at the airport remains and our employees will be there to help passengers use check-in kiosks during the first weeks of the change," he added.
Estonian Air's network of core destinations includes Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Oslo, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Vilnius and Trondheim. From June to August the airline will additionally fly to Paris and from May to September, to Nice.