Leisure carrier Monarch has overhauled its brand strategy to reposition itself as an airline that allows passengers to choose their own flight experience.
Monarch chief executive Conrad Clifford said the charging shake-up was intended to provide an “upfront, transparent and simple to understand” policy. It is designed to differentiate Monarch from other budget airlines, and is likely to put pressure on rivals to follow suit.
The brand revamp, labelled ‘Fly your way. Every day’, will see the British carrier compete directly with budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair, as well as British Airways in the scheduled market.
By next summer, Monarch expects 80pc of its business to be scheduled, compared with just 20pc five years ago. The company will continue to offer package holidays, but this will only form a small part of its business.
In a bid to differentiate itself from other budget airlines, Monarch has scrapped all debit card booking fees from today, while payments by credit card will incur a flat fee of £10 per booking.
Monarch said it was in negotiations with credit card companies to reduce fees further, and pledged to pass any savings on.
Mr Clifford said: “Obviously, we would prefer not have to charge customers for using any payment cards at all. But by abolishing debit card fees and introducing a flat fee for using credit cards, we are doing everything we can to be transparent and fair to our customers.”
Monarch travellers can also take advantage of services such as six inches of extra legroom for £9.99, and the option of booking in-flight meals in advance.
Mr Clifford added: “The refreshed brand is the visual manifestation of a strategic shift in the business that will give consumers the widest possible choice of services both on the ground and inflight.”
