Honestly I'm not convinced. For two reasons :Flanker2 wrote:I'm still pushing for SN to start China flights before TK has the chance to expand there, to boost its China-Africa flow.
1. B.air will not be able to set up those China flights you have been hinting at quickly enough. TK (and the 3G) will complete that operation much faster.
2. Flying from Asia to Eastern and Southern Africa is still shorter via IST (and the like) than via Europe and b.air and most other Western European airlines will not be able to offer cheaper fares to compensate for the discomfort to the pax due to longer journey times (like TK is doing now).
But perhaps there is enough cargo to justify the flights. I've been told KL has been able to increase its frequency on the Kigali route mainly thanks to cargo carried from Eastern Congo to Asia (remember that KL already had an extensive Asia network).
There might still be a modest opportunity to Western and Central Africa, but very modest.
Since a lot of b.air's pax seem to come from France (and perhaps Britain ?), my suggestion would be to expand in France. Fly Q400s or ATRs between BRU and Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Montpellier, Strasbourg to feed Africa flights. Same for LUX, DUS, AMS, LCY. Lower investment needed that starting China flights. Where is the morning flight from NCE (and the one from BCN ?)
In addition, if TK (for instance) is heavy competition for b.air to Africa, we seem sometimes to forget IB, TP, RAM, MS, Tunisair which has announced it wants to develop its African operations. When will Afriqyah be back ? Or Lybian Airlines (4 A350s on order ?).
Quite some time ago, I suggested to send A320s in the AA transcontinental configuration (without First Class), not necessarily as permanent operations, perhaps as temporary or alternate operations to the A330, meaning the A330 on certain days, the A321 on others, for flying for instance to Ouaga, Niamey, COO or LFW, or combining Abuja and Libreville, or Bamako and Freetown or Monrovia, etc... At least to occupy the ground, be present and visible, with more frequencies or new routes, while (I presume) requiring less investment than leasing A330s.
(below : from http://www.aa.com)
Learn about our Airbus A321T
Enjoy an exclusive travel experience on our Airbus A321 Transcontinental aircraft. From expanded inflight entertainment to greater connectivity and enhanced seat comfort in all cabins—meet the newest member of our fleet, the A321T.
American is proud to be the only airline to offer three classes of service on a transcontinental flight. The A321T will fly between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and JFK and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The A321T showcases a number of special features that ensure:
Comfort in every cabin - Fully lie-flat First and Business Class seats on transcontinental flights along with all-aisle access in First Class. And Main Cabin Extra seating offering more inches of legroomConnectivity - Inflight Wi-Fi capability throughout the plane, and universal AC power outlets and USB ports* at every seatRelaxation - Personal in-seat entertainment featuring screens at every seat with up to 200 movies, up to 180 TV programs, more than 350 audio selections and up to 20 gamesInflight Dining - First Class customers on the A321T will have the option to reserve their entrée in advance of the flightExclusivity - American will be the only carrier providing a true First Class cabin on transcontinental flights. With both First and Business Class cabins, you have more opportunity for a comfortable, connected and premium experience flying coast to coast.Experience the Reinvention.
The Superior A321T configuration (lie-flat seats in C) will be a clear advantage over TK for C pax.
Easier said than done. Gustin has his hands tied by LH and does not get the proper support from other shareholders (still together majority stakeholders) and Gustin is surrounded by many incompetent people at all levels of the company.
I'm not sure that he is convinced he will succeed. He propably does what the shareholders decide (the wrong things). I don't share all of Flanker's theories, but he could be rightwhen he says that LH is only supplying b.air with a lifeline (a 100 million loan) to keep AF-KL at bay (until LH decides to abandon b.air in 2017 and starts operations to Africa itself ; not proven, yet, but not to be excluded).