Feel Air

Feel Air was a Norwegian low-cost airline venture announced in 2009 with the intention of operating intercontinental passenger services from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and Stockholm Arlanda Airport. The proposed carrier was designed around a low-cost, long-haul model aimed primarily at leisure travelers. Its planned network would have connected Scandinavia with New York and Bangkok, using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The project was publicly launched on 2 October 2009. Its proposed launch date was spring 2011, although the airline did not ultimately begin flying. The initial network concept comprised services from both Oslo and Stockholm to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Feel Air intended to adjust its capacity seasonally, emphasizing New York during the summer and Thailand during the winter in response to anticipated leisure-travel demand. The business plan combined elements drawn from several established airline models. Management described the expected cost structure as similar to Ryanair's, while associating the operational and commercial model with AirAsia X and the employment and branding philosophy with Virgin Atlantic. This positioning placed Feel Air within the then-emerging long-haul low-cost segment, in which airlines sought to apply simplified operations, high aircraft utilization, and comparatively low fares to intercontinental routes. The venture reportedly planned to employ approximately 160 people at start-up and proposed share capital of NOK 240 million, with the capital-raising process handled by DNB Markets. Its forecasts assumed a substantial improvement in load factor, from 49% to 76%, and aircraft utilization of 16.7 hours per day. The plan also projected EBITA of NOK 48 million for the following year, based on an assumed yield of USD 0.05. These figures were planning assumptions rather than reported operating results, since the airline never entered commercial service. Feel Air was led by Kai Holmberg and Otto Lagarhus and was based in Ramstad, Bærum. The project remained in development while seeking to establish its financing, fleet, and operating structure. By late 2011, the company abandoned the proposed airline plan. Because no independent passenger operation was launched, Feel Air's history is primarily that of an announced but unrealized airline venture rather than an active carrier.

Feel Air emerged in Norway as a proposed low-cost long-haul airline. The venture was formally launched on 2 October 2009 and focused on the possibility of connecting Scandinavia with major long-distance leisure destinations. Its planned bases were Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and Stockholm Arlanda Airport, giving the project a cross-border Scandinavian footprint rather than a solely Norwegian one. The proposed carrier intended to operate Airbus A330-200 aircraft on intercontinental routes. The initial destinations named in the plan were John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, with flights planned from both Oslo and Stockholm. Feel Air expected the seasonal pattern of leisure travel to shape its schedule: New York would receive greater emphasis during the summer, while Thailand would be prioritized during the winter. The business concept was explicitly modeled on existing low-cost and long-haul airline examples. Management compared its intended cost base with Ryanair and described AirAsia X as an important reference for the operating and business model. The employment and branding approach was associated with Virgin Atlantic. Together, these influences suggested a hybrid proposition: low fares and cost discipline, long-haul aircraft and routes, and a more distinctive employee-facing and customer-facing brand. Feel Air's financial and staffing plans remained prospective. The company planned to begin with around 160 employees and sought NOK 240 million in share capital, with DNB Markets involved in the capital-raising process. Its forecasts assumed a load factor increasing from 49% to 76%, aircraft utilization of 16.7 hours per day, and EBITA of NOK 48 million in the year following the forecast period. The airline also based its planning on a yield assumption of USD 0.05. Because the venture never commenced scheduled passenger flights, these values were projections rather than operating performance. The venture was led by Kai Holmberg and Otto Lagarhus and was based at Ramstad in Bærum, Norway. Its announced operating date was spring 2011, but the project did not reach that stage. In late 2011, Feel Air abandoned the complete airline plan. As a result, the brand remained a planned carrier with announced routes, fleet intentions, and a defined business model, but without an operational fleet, commercial passenger service, or established route network.

• 2011

  Planned spring start date passes without operations

  [1]Feel Airen.wikipedia.org

  The proposed spring 2011 commencement date was not achieved, and Feel Air did not begin commercial passenger service.

• 2011

  Airline plan abandoned

  [1]Feel Airen.wikipedia.org

  Late in 2011, Feel Air dropped its proposed airline project.

• 2009

  Public launch of the airline project

  [1]Feel Airen.wikipedia.org

  Feel Air launched plans for a Norwegian low-cost intercontinental airline on 2 October, proposing operations from Oslo and Stockholm.

A proposed low-cost, long-haul airline focused on leisure travelers and seasonal demand between Scandinavia, New York, and Thailand.

• Passenger airline services

  Planned intercontinental passenger services

  Feel Air planned to offer scheduled, low-cost long-haul passenger flights from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and Stockholm Arlanda. The proposed network was aimed at leisure travelers and centered on New York and Bangkok. No services were actually launched, so this offering remained a business-plan concept rather than a commercially available product.

• Aircraft-based service platform

  Planned Airbus A330-200 operation

  The proposed airline intended to use Airbus A330-200 aircraft for its intercontinental network. The aircraft type was consistent with the venture's long-haul, high-utilization strategy, but Feel Air did not establish an operating fleet before the project was abandoned.

• 2011

  Abandon the proposed airline launchOther

  Background

  The announced spring 2011 start date passed without the carrier entering service.

  Action taken

  In late 2011, Feel Air dropped the entire airline plan.

  Aftermath

  Feel Air did not become an operating passenger airline and its proposed routes and fleet plan were not implemented.

  Source

• 2009

  Adopt a low-cost long-haul leisure modelStrategy

  Background

  Feel Air sought to enter the developing long-haul low-cost segment by combining a Ryanair-like cost structure with operational ideas associated with AirAsia X and branding and employment concepts linked to Virgin Atlantic.

  Action taken

  The company announced a network from Oslo and Stockholm to New York and Bangkok, with seasonal emphasis on New York in summer and Thailand in winter.

  Aftermath

  The strategy remained at the planning stage because the airline never began operations.

  Source

1. 1Feel Airen.wikipedia.org