Listed domestic airline Comair could hardly have chosen a worse time to launch a new, Internet-driven airline brand than July last year. The newcomer, Kulula.com, had to prove itself to a market sceptical about Internet ventures and budget airlines (South African consumers have seen numerous failures in both spheres), and also keep its prices down in the face of a plummeting rand and rising fuel price.

Yet the high-risk gambit seems to be paying off. Since its launch, Kulula.com has boasted an average flight load that comfortably exceeds the industry average of 65 percent, even though it has grown its fleet from one Boeing to three to support additional daily flights as well as a new destination.