Quite a disappointing result imo. It also means they lost €15mio in Q4. I think Carsten Spohr is right when he says that this result cannot be attributed to the attacks of 2016 any longer. However, a profit, no matter how small, is always better than a loss!
I think all airlines are changing towards the "hybrid" model. LCC's like Ryanair are also going for the more premium passengers, not only the lowest fares. Traditional carriers are either going bust or are changing their cost base and revenue model.
I wonder what the next big change is going to be in the airline industry? Maybe one booking for our whole itinerary? From home to hotel resort, I can imagine there will be a time when we will just book a ticket from our departure point to our final destination: taxi/uber, bus, train, car/parking, flight, etc all combined in one purchase. It seems very convenient to me. Could this be the next major upset in the airline industry?
For those wondering why Austrian still is in the "network carrier" segment. They had an EBIT of 100mio (vs SN's 15mio). Their strategy is definitely working better than SN's. But with the competition finally arriving in Vienna (Wizzair is opening a base there), this could also change quickly.
@shockcooling: Eurowings and SN are not going for the "low cost" marketing label, because they simply aren't. Their cost base is never going to be as low as Ryanair's, Norwegian's or Wizzair's. That's why LH Group names their subsidiaries Point-to-Point and Network/Hub airlines.