Checo77 From Peru, joined Oct 2004, 1345 posts, RR: 9 Posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 5284 times:
Hey guys,
due to government decision to take away their approval, OK is dropping its flights to TLV.
All TLV flights will be directed to QS (Travel Service) which will fly it under Smartwings metal.
Bad news for OK. When I was working for them, I knew the TLV flight was pretty profitable.
Hopefully they do well with their new AUH service to make up for the TLV flight.
ju068 From Serbia, joined Aug 2009, 2579 posts, RR: 6 Reply 6, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 4729 times:
Quoting EddieDude (Reply 5): The Israeli government Adam? Is this somehow security-related? Too bad for OK.
Let's hope he has more info on that. However if it was a security one then QS wouldn't be allowed to operate the route. Didn't OK struggle financially? Maybe some unpaid debt?
usdcaguy From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 756 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 4649 times:
Does anyone know if demand in dropping in general to TLV? Or this is a capacity problem? DL plans to drop their ATL-TLV flight in the fall, so I wonder if carriers are cutting back due to poor performance.
Actually no. Czech government. Apparently what the media say is that only one Czech carrier is allowed to fly between Czech Republic and Israel scheduled commercial flights.
Every five years, the Czech government chooses one Czech carriers which offer the best service, prices, etc. And now, the Czech gov chose QS. Weird, since they are a low cost.
Hope this claryfied this a little. I actually don´t understand this matter as well, I am just translating Czech media
ju068 From Serbia, joined Aug 2009, 2579 posts, RR: 6 Reply 9, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 4052 times:
Quoting Checo77 (Reply 8): Actually no. Czech government. Apparently what the media say is that only one Czech carrier is allowed to fly between Czech Republic and Israel scheduled commercial flights.
Every five years, the Czech government chooses one Czech carriers which offer the best service, prices, etc. And now, the Czech gov chose QS. Weird, since they are a low cost.
It is no secret that CSA is struggling to make a profit, so why would the government revoke their licence from one of the few routes on which they can make money?
Unless our dear Slavic brothers from the north are following the Balkan tradition by destroying an airline in order to reduce the price so that they can sell it to someone?
zruda From Czech Republic, joined exactly 7 years ago today! , 779 posts, RR: 31 Reply 10, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 3623 times:
It is really weird, as QS is not even an IATA member, no connections, no interline, no frequent flyer status.... they either operate charter flights or lcc flights. Probably somebody in the ministry of transportation is a very good friend with the president of QS (not that OK doesnt have such friends either, only this time probably the QS friend was more powerful...)
EL-AL From Israel, joined Oct 2001, 1123 posts, RR: 5 Reply 11, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 3561 times:
Strange, Prague is very popular destination from TLV, CSA is doing well on this route, they also offer good connections to other parts of Europe (flights operated by A321). Czech politics I guess (i bet LY will be glad to hear that).
"In our country, those who do not believe in miracles are irrational" - David Ben Gurion.
zruda From Czech Republic, joined exactly 7 years ago today! , 779 posts, RR: 31 Reply 12, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 3395 times:
oh definitely they will be happy I think OK will keep some codeshare capacity though.. and maybe then they reopen the TLV route when Israel enters the open skies agreement in 2012...
ju068 From Serbia, joined Aug 2009, 2579 posts, RR: 6 Reply 13, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 3312 times:
Quoting zruda (Reply 12): oh definitely they will be happy I think OK will keep some codeshare capacity though.. and maybe then they reopen the TLV route when Israel enters the open skies agreement in 2012...
But can't CSA codeshare on QS' flight? Since it's a low cost airline the prices could be lower and CSA could attract more passengers to transit via Prague?
zruda From Czech Republic, joined exactly 7 years ago today! , 779 posts, RR: 31 Reply 14, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 3269 times:
zruda From Czech Republic, joined exactly 7 years ago today! , 779 posts, RR: 31 Reply 16, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 3021 times:
I believe it can, as its governement regulation, which allows only one of the carriers to operate the route. But I seriously doubt that such a good businesman as QS is would drop such a gold mine.
Checo77 From Peru, joined Oct 2004, 1345 posts, RR: 9 Reply 17, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 2846 times:
QS is a well established airline in the Czech market. They will not let TLV go.
It is weird, because OK is a government owned airline while QS is not. I would definitely bet OK would get the rights. Well, looks like QS offered to some well positioned people in the Czech Ministry of Transportation a bigger and fatter envelope And this is not a speculation, I would say it really happened. Corruption is terrible in the Czech Republic
zruda From Czech Republic, joined exactly 7 years ago today! , 779 posts, RR: 31 Reply 18, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 2644 times:
L410Turbolet From Czech Republic, joined May 2004, 5394 posts, RR: 19 Reply 19, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 13 hours ago) and read 2604 times:
Quoting zruda (Reply 16): But I seriously doubt that such a good businesman as QS is would drop such a gold mine.
If they continue to pull their usual "good businessman practice" of announcing x flights per day/week and then reducing them by a third or half ... (cue AMS, CDG, OTP this past year or so) it will be interesting how long they will last.
Also, wasn't TLV a huge source for connecting traffic which will now basically dry out given the fact QS is a hybrid of a charter airline and p2p lowcost? It was first reduced by the abandonment of TATL flights and now this idiotic decision.
Quoting Checo77 (Reply 17): QS is a well established airline in the Czech market.
We all know why that is. "Well established" means being basically uncontested on the domestic charters market and getting away with things they would not get away with elsewhere. You know too well what their reputation is like (not to mention dubious characters running the airline).
Quoting ju068 (Reply 13): But can't CSA codeshare on QS' flight? Since it's a low cost airline the prices could be lower and CSA could attract more passengers to transit via Prague?
They have been codesharing with LY in the not too distant past so my guess would be that OK returns to this practice and perhaps we'll even see a return of LY's bigger birds to PRG.
Can anyone confirm a speculation I have seen entertained somewhere on Czech aviation forums that this is a measure for less than year since there is an EU-Israel Open Sky agreement coming into force sometime in 2012?
zruda From Czech Republic, joined exactly 7 years ago today! , 779 posts, RR: 31 Reply 20, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 13 hours ago) and read 2584 times:
Quoting L410Turbolet (Reply 19): abandonment of TATL flights and now this idiotic decision.
well actually OK still has codeshare on DL flights and DL brings good portion of pax to TLV every day (and vice versa), but you are basically right
LXA340 From Switzerland, joined Nov 2006, 2104 posts, RR: 4 Reply 21, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 2104 times:
Quoting usdcaguy (Reply 7): Does anyone know if demand in dropping in general to TLV? Or this is a capacity problem? DL plans to drop their ATL-TLV flight in the fall, so I wonder if carriers are cutting back due to poor performance.
Generally demand is very high for TLV flights and ATL-TLV always had good loads nevertheless the yields are not that promising.
L410Turbolet From Czech Republic, joined May 2004, 5394 posts, RR: 19 Reply 22, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 1530 times:
Quoting zruda (Reply 20): OK still has codeshare on DL flights and DL brings good portion of pax to TLV every day (and vice versa), but you are basically right
I am well aware of that, but isn't that possible among other things also because the OK flight from TLV arrives in the morning and DL flights (OK codeshared) to JFK/ATL leave around noon, therefore the connection is relatively smooth?
At present the LY flight from TLV arrives around 18:00, which makes some connections around Europe possible, however one would be stuck overnight at PRG to connect overseas. .
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I think OK will keep some codeshare capacity though.. and maybe then they reopen the TLV route when Israel enters the open skies agreement in 2012...
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