Freddie Laker, ‘the father of low-cost air travel’

LONDON – Sir Freddie Laker, who died on Thursday aged 83, was a pioneer of the skies, whose dislike of over-regulation and overpricing laid the foundations for the modern-day boom in low-cost air travel around the world.

An ebullient entrepreneur who rose from aircraft factory tea boy to high-flying tycoon, he will be best remembered for Skytrain, the shuttle flights service that made trans-Atlantic travel affordable for so many. TRIBUTE Fellow British airline tycoon Sir Richard Branson paid tribute to Laker as “one of Britain’s great entrepreneurs,” saying that his flights had enabled thousands of people to fly “who had never had the chance before him”.Branson’s company Virgin Atlantic named one of its planes ‘Spirit of Sir Freddie’ out of respect for him.Born on August 6 1922, Frederick Alfred Laker set out his ambitions in life early: when a teacher at his school asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he replied to his classmates’ sniggers: “A millionaire.”But Laker had the last laugh.From a first job as a floor sweeper at Shorts aircraft factory in Kent, southeast England, he went on to study aero-engineering and serve with Britain’s Royal Air Force.He made his fortune from the Berlin Airlifts in 1948, involving his World War II aircraft surplus business in the effort to beat the Soviet blockade of the German city.In 1954, he launched an airline that flew cars and passengers between southeast England and Calais, northern France, eventually merging it and his other interests to form Air Holdings, which became British United Airways.Laker Airways took off in 1966 as a charter airline for the fledgling British package holiday industry, but its boss found government regulations in the sector made for high fares.CONFRONTATION The experience led to the idea of operating a turn-up-and-go airline but getting it off the ground needed direct confrontation with the British government, US authorities and other, more-established carriers.The hard-fought-for Skytrain service eventually launched in a blaze of publicity in September 1978, offering tickets between London and New York for 118 pounds.But unbeknown to Laker, the world’s six leading airlines – BA, PanAm, TWA, Air India, Iran Air and El Al – began plotting his downfall.Hit by the falling value of sterling and in financial difficulties, Skytrain was eventually grounded when PanAm decided to cut economy fares by 66 per cent.Laker Airways collapsed in 1982.A court later ruled that other airlines had used illegal price pressure to force Laker under, leading to a significant compensation payout.Laker returned to the public eye in November 1995, relaunching Laker Airways with a planned twice-weekly service between London and Florida.But the route never really took off and ended in late 2004.Branson told the Press Association that Laker “gave me a lot of very useful advice when I set up Virgin Atlantic 21 years ago.”Perhaps his best advice was to make sure that I took BA to court before they bankrupted us – not after, as he did.”Michael O’Leary, an Irish air tycoon who is chief executive of Dublin-based Ryanair, said his spirit lived on in low-cost operators.”He inspired, I think, all of us,” O’Leary told the BBC.”He also pointed out the risks in this business because, obviously, he was such a pioneer he was probably ahead of his time that he actually failed.”- Nampa-AFPTRIBUTE Fellow British airline tycoon Sir Richard Branson paid tribute to Laker as “one of Britain’s great entrepreneurs,” saying that his flights had enabled thousands of people to fly “who had never had the chance before him”.Branson’s company Virgin Atlantic named one of its planes ‘Spirit of Sir Freddie’ out of respect for him.Born on August 6 1922, Frederick Alfred Laker set out his ambitions in life early: when a teacher at his school asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he replied to his classmates’ sniggers: “A millionaire.”But Laker had the last laugh.From a first job as a floor sweeper at Shorts aircraft factory in Kent, southeast England, he went on to study aero-engineering and serve with Britain’s Royal Air Force.He made his fortune from the Berlin Airlifts in 1948, involving his World War II aircraft surplus business in the effort to beat the Soviet blockade of the German city.In 1954, he launched an airline that flew cars and passengers between southeast England and Calais, northern France, eventually merging it and his other interests to form Air Holdings, which became British United Airways.Laker Airways took off in 1966 as a charter airline for the fledgling British package holiday industry, but its boss found government regulations in the sector made for high fares.CONFRONTATION The experience led to the idea of operating a turn-up-and-go airline but getting it off the ground needed direct confrontation with the British government, US authorities and other, more-established carriers.The hard-fought-for Skytrain service eventually launched in a blaze of publicity in September 1978, offering tickets between London and New York for 118 pounds.But unbeknown to Laker, the world’s six leading airlines – BA, PanAm, TWA, Air India, Iran Air and El Al – began plotting his downfall.Hit by the falling value of sterling and in financial difficulties, Skytrain was eventually grounded when PanAm decided to cut economy fares by 66 per cent.Laker Airways collapsed in 1982.A court later ruled that other airlines had used illegal price pressure to force Laker under, leading to a significant compensation payout.Laker returned to the public eye in November 1995, relaunching Laker Airways with a planned twice-weekly service between London and Florida.But the route never really took off and ended in late 2004.Branson told the Press Association that Laker “gave me a lot of very useful advice when I set up Virgin Atlantic 21 years ago.”Perhaps his best advice was to make sure that I took BA to court before they bankrupted us – not after, as he did.”Michael O’Leary, an Irish air tycoon who is chief executive of Dublin-based Ryanair, said his spirit lived on in low-cost operators.”He inspired, I think, all of us,” O’Leary told the BBC.”He also pointed out the risks in this business because, obviously, he was such a pioneer he was probably ahead of his time that he actually failed.”- Nampa-AFP