October 16, 2006

DO YOU CALL THEM ENTREPENEURS WHEN THEIR BUSINESS MODEL IS SO OBVIOUSLY INSANE? (via jp):

German Entrepreneur Proposes Airline Just for Smokers (AP, October 13, 2006)

A German entrepreneur wants to create a nostalgic smokers' haven above the clouds by starting a nicotine-friendly airline offering Cuban cigars, caviar and flight attendants in designer uniforms — as well as smoking allowed in every seat.

Alexander Schoppmann, a 55-year-old former stockbroker, has come up with a business plan for Smoker's International Airways, or Smintair, which he says will offer flights between his home town of Duesseldorf in western Germany and Tokyo. [...]

"We are on the same price level with Lufthansa, British Airways and other airlines that operate on similar routes," he said. "Frankfurt-Tokyo and back costs $12,500 with Lufthansa for the first class and $8,125 for business class both ways. And those are exactly our prices."


Posted by Orrin Judd at October 16, 2006 2:59 PM
Comments

I'm not sure this would not work. A few months ago I flew nonstop from Atlanta to Maui (about 14 hours with delays) with continuation to the Big Island. We had about 1 hour on the ground at Maui, but weren't allowed to leave the plane. There was a near riot by about a dozen passengers because they weren't allowed to get off to smoke.

I wouldn't fly Smintair if the tickets were free, but there may be enough stressed out smokers for it to succeed.

Posted by: David Rothman at October 16, 2006 3:28 PM

Sounds good to me. Even oj can't complain if we smokers poison no one but ourselves. By the bye, isn't the death figure in the Lancet study, (civilian Iraqui deaths) the exact same figure claimed by advocacy groups for Iraqui children deaths caused by the UN embargo (championed by the Great Satan)?

Posted by: ed at October 16, 2006 4:18 PM

take a scratch pad and figure out how much you'd have to charge that dozen if they were the only ones on board.

Posted by: oj at October 16, 2006 4:24 PM

Considering how many jumbo jets fly to Hawaii every day, I'm sure you could fill one or more of them with only smokers. You can make good money catering to niche markets if you can reach them economically.

You might even kill 500 birds with one stone if you pack them in an Airbus A380 (just joking).

Posted by: David Rothman at October 16, 2006 4:43 PM

It's a very sane proposal. Niche market for smokers.

Posted by: ic at October 16, 2006 5:23 PM

Pass out high octane reefer from the Dutch boutiques on those 12 hour flights and I'm on board.

Posted by: iRi at October 16, 2006 5:26 PM

The market obviously isn't smokers.

Posted by: oj at October 16, 2006 7:23 PM

I work for Marriott hotels and most of our North American properties are officially nonsmoking as of this morning. About 25 years ago, half of our rooms were for smokers, and now virtually none of them are.

My prediction: This airline will not, ahem, be taking off.

Posted by: Matt Murphy at October 16, 2006 8:47 PM

I agree with Matt. Even many smokers have been banished to the outdoors for several years now and retch with the best of them in closed spaces.

But an airline dedicated to accommodating oversized butts could be a big winner and might save Airbus.

Posted by: Peter B at October 17, 2006 12:01 PM
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