British carrier Monarch Airlines is to reinvent itself as a short-haul low-cost carrier (LCC) competing with the likes of easyJet and Ryanair. The airline will focus entirely on scheduled European operations from the start of the 2015 summer season in March. Monarch Group Chief Executive Andrew Swaffield told Travel Weekly: "The old [tourism] model of flying out and staying a week or two is finished. Increasingly customers book shorter, multiple trips. We need a schedule that matches." Monarch will focus on a "deeper rather than a wider network" according to Mr Swaffield, consisting of the Mediterranean, city break and ski destinations that have helped propel the growth of LCCs in Europe. Monarch's three Boeing 757s, used for flights from the UK to the Caribbean, Gambia and Goa, will be phased out this autumn and the two Airbus A330-200s at a later date.
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