Hapag-Lloyd Express
Defunct budget airline of Germany (2002–2007)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hapag-Lloyd Express GmbH (previously also marketed as HLX.com) was a no-frills, high-frequency, express airline based in Langenhagen, Germany. It played a significant role in the European aviation landscape during its operational years from 2002 to 2007.
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| Founded | 3 December 2002 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 15 January 2007 (merged with Hapag-Lloyd Flug to become TUI fly Deutschland) | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 16 | ||||||
| Destinations | See TUIfly | ||||||
| Parent company | TUI Group | ||||||
| Headquarters | Langenhagen, Lower Saxony, Germany | ||||||
| Key people | Roland Keppler | ||||||
| Website | HLX.com | ||||||
On 15 January 2007, it combined its operations with those of Hapag-Lloyd Flug to become TUIfly.[1] While Hapag-Lloyd Flug operated all TUIfly flights, Hapag-Lloyd Express marketed them until TUIfly got its own licence.
History
Hapag-Lloyd Express was established in 2002 and began operations in December 2002 – two months after Germanwings, its direct German competitor at Cologne Bonn. Despite starting its service later and serving fewer routes, HLX gained a higher name recognition and a better reputation through its category-defining campaign "Fly for the price of a taxi", as well as higher load factors. A digital-first strategy resulted in more absolute website traffic and a higher share of online sales than any other airline in Germany within the first year of operation. The airline subsequently won the "Effie" efficiency awards in Germany and Europe recognizing its more effective branding, marketing, and sales strategy.[2]
Its main competitors were more established no-frills carriers such as Ryanair and EasyJet, as well as other low-cost startups such as Germanwings or Transavia.com, consequently being constantly engaged in a price war with these carriers. In an attempt to win this price war, it expanded rapidly in the first half of 2004, announcing many new routes that it viewed as underserved by other airlines. Examples of such routes include Dublin to Hamburg and Stuttgart, both of which are no longer in operation.
Hapag-Lloyd Express (HLX) accelerated the adoption of low-cost air travel in Germany by combining bold branding and marketing with an early hybrid LCC model, demonstrating both the demand potential and the structural limits of subscale, tour-operator-backed entrants in a consolidating European market. In January 2007, Hapag-Lloyd Express and Hapag-Lloyd Flug were merged into the cooperation TUIfly in an attempt to reorganize TUI's airline portfolio.
HLX adopted the IATA code of the now defunct Russian Baikal Airlines.
Services
Hapag-Lloyd Express offered no-frills services to destinations in Germany and Europe. Most of them are now operated by TUIfly.
Fleet
Most of Hapag-Lloyd Express' aircraft were wet-leased from Hapag-Lloyd Flug.[citation needed]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-400 | 1 | 2003 | 2003 | |
| Boeing 737-500 | 5 | 2004 | 2007 | |
| Boeing 737-700 | 8 | 2002 | 2007 | Five operated by Germania |
| Boeing 737-800 | 3 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Fokker 100 | 2 | 2005 | 2006 | Operated by Germania |
Livery
Hapag-Lloyd Express aircraft were highly recognizable due to their distinctive "New York taxi" style: a checkered black and white line wrapped around a yellow body, aiming to convey the image of quick and cheap point-to-point service.
