Transavia : airline

Transavia is a Dutch airline with a French subsidiary, Transavia France. It belongs to Air France-KLM (managed by Air France). This aeronautical company, founded in 1965, offers the best deals for booking cheap and last-minute flights. This French airline allows you to buy a low-cost ticket to many destinations in France, Europe and North Africa. We take a look at this low-cost airline, its history and what it does.

The history of the airline Transavia

• 1965: the company was founded under the name Transavia Limburg. It was based in the Netherlands, at Maastricht Aachen airport.
• 1966: the company’s shares are taken over by an American company, with John Block becoming CEO. Block went on to become the founder of Air Holland.
  That same year, Transavia made its first commercial flight. It adopted the name Transavia Holland.
• 1986: Another name change for the airline, which became Transavia Airlines. Thanks to an agreement between England and the Netherlands, the airline begins regular services between London Gatwick and Amsterdam Schiphol.
• 1991: 80% of Transavia’s shares are bought by KLM, a Dutch airline.
• 1998: On the strength of its development across Europe, Transavia begins operating domestic flights in Greece. It is the first non-Greek airline to operate this type of flight (following a change in Greek legislation).
• 2000s: Transavia became known as a low-cost airline and positioned itself in this market. It merges with another low-cost airline, Basiq Air, and together they become Transavia.com.
• 2003: KLM acquires 100% of Transavia. The following year, KLM and Air France merged. Transavia thus became a subsidiary of Air France – KLM.
• 2004: the airline records a record number of bookings on its online platform Transavia.com. No fewer than 30,000 tickets were purchased in just one day.
• 2007: after three bases in the Netherlands(Eindhoven, Rotterdam and Amsterdam), Transavia moved to Orly airport in Paris (it was then called Transavia France). The first regular service between Porto and Paris opened at the same time. Other routes departing from Paris soon followed.
• 2008: A Danish subsidiary is created: Transavia Denmark, but it disappears 2 years later due to a lack of satisfactory results.
• 2014: Transavia uses 4 Air France aircraft, Airbus A320s flying the airline’s colours.
• 2015: Transavia.com is simplified and becomes Transavia. It is now presented as a low-cost subsidiary of Air France – KLM, offering low-price tickets for both France and the Netherlands.
  In the same year, Transavia acquired 17 Boeing 737-800 aircraft from the American manufacturer Boeing.
• 2019 : on the strength of the airline’s efficiency, this year it carries 7.4 million passengers to over a hundred destinations.
• 2021: The airline has received several awards, and this year Transavia is voted Customer Service of the Year. A fine reward for the aeronautical company whose mantra is ” we make low-cost feel good “.

Where is Transavia based?

When it was created, Transavia was based at Maastricht Aachen airport in the Netherlands. But today it has several bases in France. Its main base has been at Paris-Orly airport since 2007. From Paris it operates no fewer than 80 regular services to a range of destinations. Transavia has another base at Nantes Atlantique airport. Since 2010, the French airline has been serving around thirty destinations from this airport. The company is also based at Lyon Saint-Exupéry. Since 2010, it has served almost 30 destinations from Lyon. Finally, based in Montpellier since 2020, the company serves over twenty destinations regularly from this airport.

In addition, in 2021, the aeronautical company has opened new routes, offering regular flights from several airports in major cities in France and the Netherlands. These cities include Toulon, Rennes and Toulouse.

The routes operated by the airline Transavia

The airline operates scheduled flights from France and the Netherlands. Transavia has inherited some of the scheduled routes previously operated by Air France, such as Nice-Nantes and ParisOrly-Biarritz. With Transavia, you have access to a wide range of destinations: The French low-cost airline offers flights to around 115 cities.

First and foremost, it serves numerous destinations in Europe, including Spain(Barcelona, Ibiza, Majorca, the Canary Islands, etc.), Italy(Rome, Venice, Naples, etc.) and Greece(Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, etc.). The airline also flies to Russia(Moscow) and North Africa(Morocco, Tunisia, Cape Verde…), and all at a low price! Finally, we can say that Transavia is not yet a long-haul airline, but rather a short- and medium-haul carrier.

Transavia’s ecological commitments

Aware of ecological issues and the impact of the aviation sector in particular, Transavia is implementing several measures. Its aim is to combat pollution caused by CO2 emissions, and thus reduce its carbon footprint. In France, this airline has been innovative, first proposing the SkyBreathe tool. This is a tool for applying best practice in aviation, especially when it comes to saving fuel. For example, various actions have been put in place, such as using only one engine after landing or other systems to limit unnecessary fuel consumption. The French airline is therefore practising what is known as eco-piloting. In 2019, this practice enabled 13,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions to be avoided.

Another action that Transavia has adopted is the elimination of single-use plastic used during flights. This is being replaced by a more sustainable and ecological alternative, including bamboo cutlery, wooden stirrers and kraft paper bags. This measure means that no less than 41 tonnes of plastic will not be thrown away in a year. That’s the weight of a Boeing 737 aircraft!

How to travel with Transavia

Reservations and baggage arrangements

Transavia has an online platform, so you can book your flight tickets on their website. You can also check in online before your flight.

As far as baggage is concerned, you can take one piece of hand baggage and one accessory with you when youboard. This hand baggage must not exceed the following dimensions: 55 x 35 x 25 cm. You may also have an accessory such as a handbag or laptop computer. These must not exceed 40 x 30 x 20 cm. Your accessory and hand baggage must not exceed a total of 10 kilos, otherwise you will need to book additional baggage.

One thing to note: in the cabin, there is only room for 70 items of hand baggage. Once all these seats have been taken, some hand baggage may end up in the hold (unless you opted for a MAX fare when you booked, giving you access to benefits).

You can reserve hold baggage when you buy your ticket, or afterwards until you check in (not afterwards). The price of your hold baggage depends on its weight and the route you are taking. If you have forgotten to take a hold baggage item, you can check one in directly at the airport. Fares also depend on the weight and the journey, but will be slightly higher than if you had checked in online.

Other Transavia services

The airline offers different fares when you book. There are Basic, Plus and Max fares. These give you more or less advantages, such as the possibility of having hold baggage, the guarantee of having your hand baggage in the cabin and much more.

As Transavia is part of the Air France – KLM group, you can take advantage of the same frequent flyer programme, Flying Blue. However, you only earn miles if you choose the Plus or Max fare. Don’t forget to become a member of the programme beforehand.

Finally, Transavia works with professionals in the field of tourism and service. Like a travel agency, the airline can offer you deals on hotels, for example. It also offers taxi and car hire services. Transavia knows how to adapt to demand.

The Transavia fleet

Transavia’s aircraft fleet is made up of 2 different Boeing 737 models. These are the Boeing 737-700 and the Boeing 737-800. The latter is the airline’s most popular aircraft. No fewer than 85 aircraft of this type make up the Transavia fleet (including 50 for Transavia France). This aircraft has 189 seats and can operate medium-haul routes of up to 4,700 km. The crew consists of a captain and co-pilot, a chief purser and 3 or 4 flight attendants. The Boeing 737-700 is slightly smaller than the 800, carrying 149 passengers and a range of 5,400 km. It has the same flight crew, but one less flight attendant.

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