Swissgabe From Switzerland, joined Jan 2000, 5265 posts, RR: 37 Reply 5, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 1914 times:
Thanks Frederic, didn't know that Sobelair isn't a charter anymore. But that makes sense, JNB isn't a charter destination. Are they working together with SNBA? Does Sobelair operate charters at all or only scheduled flights? Where else do they fly on long-haul?
Smooth as silk - Royal Orchid Service /// Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens - Springbok
SAA-SAL From Belgium, joined Nov 2000, 356 posts, RR: 3 Reply 6, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 1924 times:
Swissgabe , there is alot of demand for this route. Sabena was flying daily up untill 6 months before it's demise. Also don't forget that there are around 40000 Belgians living in SA (I was one of those lucky ones ). In fact there was under capacity for quite sometime, during the whole of 2001 I think because quite a few European airlines pulled out of the SA market including Olympic , TAP , Austrian , Turkish , and Sabena. The reason being that they were selling their return tickets mostly from SA in local currency (the Rand) which was very weak , whereas their costs were in Dollars. People actually understood that it was cheaper to buy a single and then buy the return when they were in the country.
Swissgabe From Switzerland, joined Jan 2000, 5265 posts, RR: 37 Reply 7, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 1899 times:
SAA-SAL
Didn't know that there are so many Belgians in South Africa 40'000 is quite a lot. Did/does SAA offer flights to BRU? Thanks for all other details provided ...
Smooth as silk - Royal Orchid Service /// Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens - Springbok
Established02 From Belgium, joined Jan 2002, 536 posts, RR: 2 Reply 8, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 1843 times:
> Did/does SAA offer flights to BRU?
SAA no longer flies to BRU.
SAA did offer weekly flights to BRU during some time in the eighties.
I remember a B747SP flight on wednesday doing BRU-FRA-JNB.
At other periods SAA was using the B742.
During this time SN operated 2 weekly B741 flights BRU-FIH-JNB.
Sabena 690 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1811 times:
Hi Gabriël,
didn't know that Sobelair isn't a charter anymore.
Sobelair is still a charter airline for the biggest part, but now offers scheduled flights to JNB.
Are they working together with SNBA?
They only have an interline agreement, no codeshare agreement unfortunately. Working together on this route is what they have to do IMO!
Does Sobelair operate charters at all or only scheduled flights? Where else do they fly on long-haul?
The biggest part of SLR is a charter airline. For their charter services, they operate several B737's (-300 and -400), and 4 767-300's. One of those B763's (OO-IHV, ex HB-IHV) is used for the JNB flight (with the normal economy and business class every scheduled airline has).
Other long haul (charter) destinations: Mexico, Cuba, Kenya, and Paramaribo (from BRU and from AMS).
Why dont SN start a BRU-JNB route?
Probably because SN management found out that the yield on this route is too low. Maybe can Pressclub shed some light why SN doesn't put it's code on the SLR flight?
SAA-SAL From Belgium, joined Nov 2000, 356 posts, RR: 3 Reply 10, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1764 times:
There used to be another carrier flying from Europe to SA that was very used by Belgians : Luxavia's twice weekly from LUX to JNB using a leased B747SP from SAA. I took that route quite a few times and remeber that LUX was hardly adapted to process so many people when the B747SP was there. This route was discontinued in 1991 I think.
Pothiabs From United States of America, joined exactly 12 years ago today! , 114 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1779 times:
Reason why SNBA has declined the offer from SLR to codeshare on the BRU-JNB route is that the commercial strategy of SNBA is largely controlled by British Airways.
British Airways just attempts to fill up their own LHR-JNB flights through their feeder route BRU-LHR. (They do have the slots it takes, don't they !)
Another part of the BRU-JNB traffic is routed via ZRH. ( codeshares SWISS-SNBA on the Zürich route).
Swissgabe From Switzerland, joined Jan 2000, 5265 posts, RR: 37 Reply 12, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1772 times:
Thanks Frederic, now I'm well updated about Sobelair.
Is the Paramaribo flight going from BRU via AMS to Paramaribo or is the a non-stop connection between BRU and PBM? Are there a lot of Belgians living in Surinam as well, guess more Dutch.
SAA-SAL
Luxavia had anything to do with Luxair or was it a separate company?
Smooth as silk - Royal Orchid Service /// Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens - Springbok
Sabena 690 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 13, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 1734 times:
Hi Gabriël,
The flight to Paramariba from AMS and BRU is separated. I believe they fly 1 or two times a week from BRU to CUR, and now 6? times weekly from AMS to CUR (for a Dutch tour operator).
Although I have no information about Belgians living in the Dutch Antilles, I think that most the of the pax are leisure pax. From AMS it's different, since there is a big population of 'Surinamers' living in The Netherlands.
Those are all the long haul routes for SLR (from their website):
x VRA
x PUJ
x POP
x SDQ
x CUN
x MBA
x BON
x CUR
x JNB (no charter!)
SAA-SAL From Belgium, joined Nov 2000, 356 posts, RR: 3 Reply 14, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1661 times:
Swissgabe
Luxavia was linked to Luxair in some way. The colourscheme was identical except for the titles Luxavia in stead of Luxair. At some point I think that Luxair titles were aplied but I can confirm that with certainty
GKirk From UK - Scotland, joined Jun 2000, 24621 posts, RR: 58 Reply 15, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 1622 times:
Sorry Fred, but I have to point out one thing: I read something they will start B763 flights to Zanzibar 1 time a week, with a B763
Were you drunk at the time?
I might be actually flying to JNB soon but I wont be flying via BRU for definite, its too expensive compared to flying via AMS,CDG or LHR.
When you hear the noise of the Tartan Army Boys, we'll be coming down the road!
Patroni From Luxembourg, joined Aug 1999, 1403 posts, RR: 15 Reply 16, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 1610 times:
@SAA-SAL :
As far as I know the Luxavia flights were actually operated by Trek Airways, but under Luxembourgish registration and in Luxair colors due to overflight rights in Africa. It started with B707 and an A300 to finally being operated with a 747SP.
I have two photos in front of me, one showing a Luxair/Luxavia 707 in Mbabwane, the other showing the 747-SP44 LX-LGX in full Luxair colours (incl. Luxair title), taken in 1989.
Sabena 690 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 17, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 1568 times:
LOL Graham
About JNB, go to http://www.sobelair.be/jnb/en/BJ.htm, and ask about the promotions (you can send them an inquiry email). Around 500 Euro at the moment, tax inclusive!!
I wonder if you will find this on any other airline at this time
Sabena 690 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 19, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 1570 times:
Hi Com3205,
I don't have the time anymore to check biac.be every day, but in the past few weeks, I haven't seen cancelled flights of them. But it is possible since I don't check them a lot...
KL713 From Netherlands, joined Aug 2001, 765 posts, RR: 1 Reply 20, posted (10 years 1 month 3 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 1487 times:
SLR doesn't have operations to PBM, and I think they never had. Citybird had scheduled flights on behalf of a Dutch/Surinamese touroperator called Inter Tropical from BRU to PBM. Operations were suspended because of financial problems with the tour operator, and a few years ago they went bankrupt. The flight was mainly filled with Dutch Surinamese and a handfull of tourists from the Benelux. Inter Tropical provided bus services from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to BRU for the Dutch costumers. The only direct connection between Europe and Suriname is still the KLM/Surinam Airways operation AMS-PBM: http://www.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/1051423/
SLR's scheduled flights to Curacao out of AMS are operated on behalf of Dutch Caribbean Airlines (former ALM) with DCA-flightnumbers. The flights are mainly filled with tourists and a lot of Dutch Antilleans....also a big community in the Netherlands. DCA is nowadays the biggest competitor to KLM. From Curacao, I heard some stories about a SLR 763 to be painted in DCA livery soon. Any more information on that? It has to look a little bit like this then:
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From Switzerland, joined Jan 2000, 5265 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
). In fact there was under capacity for quite sometime, during the whole of 2001 I think because quite a few European airlines pulled out of the SA market including Olympic , TAP , Austrian , Turkish , and Sabena. The reason being that they were selling their return tickets mostly from SA in local currency (the Rand) which was very weak , whereas their costs were in Dollars. People actually understood that it was cheaper to buy a single and then buy the return when they were in the country.
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