Hastily launched AUH, probably introduced to stimulate any remote chances of an equity tie-up with EY, is dropped as the route makes nothing but losses for SAA.
The Minister of Finance has granted approval for South African Airways (SAA) to cease operating the route between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi.
SAA commenced the route in March 2015 but it has not performed as expected, the National Treasury says.
http://traveller24.news24.com/News/F...ncelled-national-treasury-20160201
[Edited 2016-02-01 11:16:35]
Moderators: jsumali2, richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
When is SA going to put professional managers back in charge of the carrier, instead of it continuing to be a dumping ground for political cronies? So sad to see how far SA has fallen.
Look, it's been swell, but the swelling's gone down.
-
- readytotaxi
- Posts: 7677
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
you don't get a second chance to make a first impression!
Growing older, but not up.
Growing older, but not up.
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
In less 3 year, they have suspended Kigali, Bujumbura, Bejing, Mumbai, Abu Dhabi and Buenos Aires routes.
With the growth of Ethiopian, Kenya Airways and ME3 (Emirates, Qatar & Etihad), Johannesburg "is no more attractive".
Location of the Hub is not very good, when you fly from West or Central Africa to Asia and you can often spend between 5h and 12h at Johannesburg, during a connexion. (2-3h at Addis Ababa or Nairobi)
[Edited 2016-02-02 01:58:33]
With the growth of Ethiopian, Kenya Airways and ME3 (Emirates, Qatar & Etihad), Johannesburg "is no more attractive".
Location of the Hub is not very good, when you fly from West or Central Africa to Asia and you can often spend between 5h and 12h at Johannesburg, during a connexion. (2-3h at Addis Ababa or Nairobi)
[Edited 2016-02-02 01:58:33]
Rwanda Aviation
-
- LGAviation
- Posts: 873
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
| Quoting rukundo (Reply 3): In less 3 year, they have suspended Kigali, Bujumbura, Bejing, Mumbai, Abu Dhabi and Buenos Aires routes. With the growth of Ethiopian, Kenya Airways and ME3 (Emirates, Qatar & Etihad), Johannesburg "is no more attractive". Location of the Hub is not very good, when you fly from West or Central Africa to Asia and you can often spend between 5h and 12h at Johannesburg, during a connexion. (2-3h at Addis Ababa or Nairobi) |
Absolutely true, they have the same problems as AR, LA and NZ. Virtually every connection requires backtracking and the countries in the immediate proximity are limited and small.
2018: ADD CPH DAR DEN DME DUB FRA HAH HAM IST JIB KEF LYR MEL OSL PEK PKC PVG RAK STN SVO SYD YVR
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
The first they need to change in SAA is the mentality and the idea of the airline, SAA and JNB are not a transit hub for any other but South Africans and maybe people from Botswana and Namibia, so they have to focus on that. Get a real management a stop dumping useless people there to make money and sit behind the desk doing nothing.
AUH was just a waste of time and money, if pax go from SA to AUE is to DXB mostly, but still that route is difficult to fight vs EK multiple daily services to SA.
Exactly, but maybe they should start following the steps of NZ and LA and learn from them, they are very good airlines and they have a very focus market, they don't try to create a global hub for possible customers, but create a hub for the real customers they have.
AUH was just a waste of time and money, if pax go from SA to AUE is to DXB mostly, but still that route is difficult to fight vs EK multiple daily services to SA.
| Quoting LGAviation (Reply 4): Absolutely true, they have the same problems as AR, LA and NZ. Virtually every connection requires backtracking and the countries in the immediate proximity are limited and small. |
Exactly, but maybe they should start following the steps of NZ and LA and learn from them, they are very good airlines and they have a very focus market, they don't try to create a global hub for possible customers, but create a hub for the real customers they have.
-
- skipness1E
- Posts: 4884
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
| Quoting migair54 (Reply 5): Exactly, but maybe they should start following the steps of NZ and LA and learn from them, they are very good airlines and they have a very focus market, they don't try to create a global hub for possible customers, but create a hub for the real customers they have. |
These are commercially driven whereas SAA is politically driven and for a number of good reasons TBH.
-
- Planeflyer
- Posts: 1528
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
Are there any long hall flights besides lh, ams and Paris that make sense for SAA?
-
- DolphinAir747
- Posts: 1901
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
| Quoting Planeflyer (Reply 7): Are there any long hall flights besides lh, ams and Paris that make sense for SAA? |
PER, GRU, and JFK have always been relatively good performers. SA does not fly to AMS or CDG and I can't see them doing so with the AF/KL competition
-
- SexyAdonis
- Posts: 66
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
I have long been advocating that first and foremost South African Airways is in the wrong alliance. In my opinion what the South African Government should do is step aside and let a group like IAG take over the airline. This will then allow the management to be restructured and all the political appointed cronies can be sacked. IAG would then grow SAA in an organic way and have the airline operate the following nonstop flights that would feed into oneworld hubs:
1) JNB-JFK - this service does not need to feed as it is mainly O/D driven but can feed into SA)">AA if necessary.
2) JNB-MIA (feeding into SA)">AA). It could be operated by SAA or have SA)">AA operate it.
3) JNB-GRU (feeding into JJ). With JJ starting services to JNB this service could be operated between both airlines.
4) JNB-LHR (feeding into BA). With BA/SA combining forces and operating a total of 3-4 daily services to LHR.
5) JNB-MAD (feeding into IB). With IB already announcing the resumption of JNB.
6) JNB-HKG (feeding into CX). With both CX/SA operating a total of two daily nonstop services. Access to China/Japan,etc
7) JNB-SYD (feeding into QF). For all of domestic Australia + NZ. With QF and SA both operating a combined daily service.
Then, on top of those 7 key oneworld hub trunk routes, they can also have a selection of African services and of course their domestic network.
The franchisee agreement with COMAIR could be dropped by BA as IAG would own SAA or eventually the could also merge both SAA and COMAIR at a later stage.
It is a shame to see what used to be a world class airline being run to the ground by people that'd don't have any airline management skills and who only obtain the job because of their skin colour or political connections.
Sexy Adonis
1) JNB-JFK - this service does not need to feed as it is mainly O/D driven but can feed into SA)">AA if necessary.
2) JNB-MIA (feeding into SA)">AA). It could be operated by SAA or have SA)">AA operate it.
3) JNB-GRU (feeding into JJ). With JJ starting services to JNB this service could be operated between both airlines.
4) JNB-LHR (feeding into BA). With BA/SA combining forces and operating a total of 3-4 daily services to LHR.
5) JNB-MAD (feeding into IB). With IB already announcing the resumption of JNB.
6) JNB-HKG (feeding into CX). With both CX/SA operating a total of two daily nonstop services. Access to China/Japan,etc
7) JNB-SYD (feeding into QF). For all of domestic Australia + NZ. With QF and SA both operating a combined daily service.
Then, on top of those 7 key oneworld hub trunk routes, they can also have a selection of African services and of course their domestic network.
The franchisee agreement with COMAIR could be dropped by BA as IAG would own SAA or eventually the could also merge both SAA and COMAIR at a later stage.
It is a shame to see what used to be a world class airline being run to the ground by people that'd don't have any airline management skills and who only obtain the job because of their skin colour or political connections.
Sexy Adonis
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
| Quoting SexyAdonis (Reply 9): |
You have some good points.
-one of the main problems for SAA in Star Alliance is that almost any single destination (except SA domestic) they can offer it can be offered by ET, TK or MS without backtracking.
-if they merge Comaiar and SAA they will reduce competition so they could help themselves a lot with that.
-For sure making the airline private will help a lot, but the problem is not separating the airline from the politics, the problem is separating the politics from the airline, politics will not surrender the airline so easily, it's a very powerful tool when they need. Actually for the country it will be good to get rid of the burden SAA is now.
-Agree with you about MAD, GRU and MIA, that will allow much better and easier travel options to plenty of pax.
- I think a possible collaboration with QR could do well for both, QR is not really strong in SA yet and SAA could access to a huge network in the region to go vs EK, I think it could work better than EY.
| Quoting SexyAdonis (Reply 9): 7) JNB-SYD (feeding into QF). For all of domestic Australia + NZ. With QF and SA both operating a combined daily service. |
Not really necessary, I think QF and SA are together in the routes between AUS and SA.
| Quoting skipness1E (Reply 6): These are commercially driven whereas SAA is politically driven and for a number of good reasons TBH. |
What are the good reasons? can you tell some please.
I think a free and develop country like SA should be a fair competition market and having SA with government aids fighting private airlines is not fair at all.
-
- fraapproach
- Posts: 52
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
From an operational point it is completely unfair to compare SA with AI !
SA is a safe and reliable airline with generally on-time operations, well trained crew (especially cockpit) and a decent cabin product. SA technical has a very good reputation as well and they don't part out new planes for spares as AI allegedly does. I wouldn't mind flying SAA anytime!
I think they are also facing a very crowded domestic and regional market with BA (Comair) as another full service airline, and plenty of low cost carriers Kulula (Comair), Mango (SAA lowcost subsidiary), Safair. Thats a lot of choice.
I am not advocating they are running their business well, but operationally they are a very reasonable airline and they do operate in a crowded market! I think the problem is the top management. Apart from them many very capable people at SA!
SA is a safe and reliable airline with generally on-time operations, well trained crew (especially cockpit) and a decent cabin product. SA technical has a very good reputation as well and they don't part out new planes for spares as AI allegedly does. I wouldn't mind flying SAA anytime!
I think they are also facing a very crowded domestic and regional market with BA (Comair) as another full service airline, and plenty of low cost carriers Kulula (Comair), Mango (SAA lowcost subsidiary), Safair. Thats a lot of choice.
I am not advocating they are running their business well, but operationally they are a very reasonable airline and they do operate in a crowded market! I think the problem is the top management. Apart from them many very capable people at SA!
-
- SexyAdonis
- Posts: 66
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
| Quoting migair54 (Reply 10): Not really necessary, I think QF and SA are together in the routes between AUS and SA. |
This agreement has already been terminated and South African Airways now code-shares with Virgin Australia. It's been like that for a while now. Qantas terminated a 14 year-long codeshare agreement with SAA in May 2014 after Australia's International Air Services Commission (IASC) extended the deal's approval by only 12 months as opposed to the five years requested.
Sexy Adonis
-
- Crazy4Planes
- Posts: 95
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
It's a temporary suspension in the month of February.
http://airlineroute.net/2016/02/01/sa-auh-feb16update2/
http://airlineroute.net/2016/02/01/sa-auh-feb16update2/
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
| Quoting JoKeR (Thread starter): The Minister of Finance has granted approval for South African Airways (SAA) to cease operating the route between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi. |
This one line sums up all there problems- why does the minister for finance need to give approval to a loss making route? South African economy has many more issues the finance minister should be worried about.
@sexyadonis- full agree a great start to a turn around plan!!
-
- MD11junkie
- Posts: 2514
- Joined:
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
| Quoting Crazy4Planes (Reply 13): It's a temporary suspension in the month of February. http://airlineroute.net/2016/02/01/sa-auh-feb16update2/ |
However:
| Quoting airlineroute.net: only full-fare C / Y class is open for reservation. |
This usually means that the route is getting axed.
Saludos,
There is no such thing as Boeing vs Airbus as the queen of the skies has three engines, winglets and the sweetest nose!
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
Not sure why they would open up AUH considering they codeshare with EK... Would make more sense to just focus on DXB I would think...
RE: SAA Dumps Abu Dhabi
| Quoting claytonk (Reply 16): Not sure why they would open up AUH considering they codeshare with EK... |
They do code-share with Etihad:
http://www.flysaa.com/cms/GB/informa...irways-and-etihad-partnership.html
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: ac190, adam47150, amax1977, ArcticDog, Armadillo1, AstanaMagic, atbPy, B52overSMF, BA744PHX, Bing [Bot], Blerg, bluefltspecial, BoeingGuy, chop69, davidjohnson6, deltacto, dergay, durangomac, ehaase, Eikie, emre787, ericm2031, F9LASDEN, FARmd90, fdxco, fishbone, Fliplot, fraspotter, gunsontheroof, hbernal1, jeepyjeep, JFKalumni, jhsusman, joeljack, joelliot, jumbojettony, kplastique, LAX772LR, LAXBUR, LCDFlight, LOT767301ER, Majestic-12 [Bot], MCTSET, MDGLongBeach, mmx747, N62NA, N965UW, ncflyer, niele1, nikeherc, nws2002, Opus99, PA727, paullam, pmanni1, RL757PVD, Runway28L, SESGDL, Spacepope, stlgph, sunking737, TWA772LR, ua900, UPlog, Wneast, YULACYYZ, ZaphodHarkonnen and 471 guests