Laut Felix Eichhorn könnte es bald ein Servicerestaurant auf allen Schiffen geben :
“We can fill the new capacity”
Germany’s leading cruise operator Aida Cruises is confident it can fill its forthcoming new capacity with stable prices and has no plans to copy rivals by introducing all-inclusive packages, recently-appointed president Felix Eichhorn told fvw in an exclusive interview.
December 22, 2015
The 35-year-old former sales & marketing director, who took over as head of the company with some 7,000 employees in September, said he wanted to try to keep the ‘SME spirit’ of Aida even though it is part of a large group (Carnival Corporation).
Asked whether Aida would be able to fill the extensive new capacity from its forthcoming four new ships in the next four years, Eichhorn emphasised that he sees “plenty of potential” with the arrival of the Aida Prima, which would be a 15% capacity increase. “So far the market has grown at the rate at which new capacity has been introduced. That will result in high growth rates in the next two years when many new ships will come on to the market,” he forecast.
Addressing pricing trends, he added: “I don’t believe there will be pressure on prices from the new cabins. Our task is rather to attract more customers to the ships who never thought about a cruise in the past.” For example, individual holidaymakers who normally book holiday homes are a key target group for the new one-week cruises from Hamburg, he explained.
Following the delayed delivery of the new flagship, the Aida Prima, which was originally due to go into service this year, Eichhorn reiterated that the first cruise will start on April 30 next year. “After the cancelled Prima cruises, we’re not taking any risks. Our aim for 2016 is to bring Prima into service.”
Outlining the main tasks on the German market, Eichhorn said the company wanted to maintain the ‘Aida feeling’ on the ships, formerly marketed as ‘club ships’ with their ‘lifestyle character and communicative atmosphere’. “But we have recognised that some guests want to withdraw to a table for two where they are served. We will implement this trend not only on the new ships.”
Eichhorn insisted that Aida will not follow TUI Cruises (and others such as NCL) by introducing all-inclusive pricing. “Our experience is that customers want to decide for themselves what they consume. If everything is in the price, then you have to ask whether is worth it for every guest. We offer different packages. So there won’t be any all-inclusive on Aida.”
