Brussels Airlines in 2018

[sean1982]

What would you do if the back-office is moved (> 1000 people), uncertainty about where you work, etc. Knowing that the current situation is a profitable one.

"If".If indeed: only rumours so far. And seriouly: "move the back-office"? Lufthansa cannot move Thousand people from BRU to FRA. This is about local staff, many of them with a home/house in Belgium. With a salary level that doens't allow a second home. So if Lufthansa decides to move the back office, they can just move a few team heads, and dismiss all others. But that legal pay out will cost them the benefit from five years.

It’s not about moving them ... it’s getting rid of them! Why need a flight planning department when you have one? Why need a training department when you have one? Why need a marketing department when you have one? And so on .....

[Sai]

LH is not stupid, if SN would be really profitable they wouldn’t change the strategy.

Sad but unfortunately true.
Most years of their existence they did lose (a lot of) money despite the financial aid of LH...
Whenever there was a profit it was rather marginal in comparison to the losses. source
In the end any company must make profit...

[saratoga]

Not to mention that the poor belgian cadets probably have to do now these stupid DLR tests if they wanna join.

[travellover]

If the rumour becomes true, will there be voices at the political, juridical, economic level that are ready to contest a questionable transfer of the african network in Germany[/b] ?

Something like this. It remembers the weeks after sabena went bankrupt.

https://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/luchtvaa ... source=SIM

https://www.lecho.be/economie-politique ... es/9978970

[Passenger]

...but striking is a fundamental right!

It's not a "fundamental right" (it's not in the Human Rights Declaration). Only to be member of a trade union is a fundamental right.

With a formal strike notice, you show respect for passengers. Business travellers can reschedule their meetings or fly a different airline. For holiday travellers it might be more difficult...

No. With a formal strike notice in aviation, you don't show respect for passengers. You only show respect for passengers by not going on strike - or to limit your "strike" to a symbolic action, like a 15 minute delay.

Not all business travellers can rebook onto another airline. When your ticket has been issued and when it's not a full-Y or a C, you loose your ticket money unless the airline allows a change. Which they will only do at the very last minute, when they 95% sure the strike will be massive. And when the airline does so, Hundreds of other travellers face the same problem at the same moment. Hence: no rebooking possible.

[Passenger]

If the rumour becomes true, will there be voices at the political, juridical, economic level that are ready to contest a questionable transfer of the african network in Germany[/b] ?

Something like this. It remembers the weeks after sabena went bankrupt.

https://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/luchtvaa ... es/9978987
https://www.lecho.be/economie-politique ... es/9978970

Superb move. I guess there will an informal meeting of some board members before lunch tomorrow - before Gustin and Deraeymaeker join them.

[Bralo20]

For those without subscription (or over their 5 article limit), the same on VRT News and aviation24:

In English:

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/lufth ... nes-brand/

In Dutch:

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2018/02/04 ... g-voor--e/

In French:

https://www.rtbf.be/info/economie/detai ... id=9830675

[Passenger]

Decision from the shareholders SN Airholding on 18th December 2017,
registered at the Brussels Trade Court on 23th January 2018,
published in Belgium's State Gazette on 02nd February 2018:

NL:
http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pd ... 024191.pdf
FR:
http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pd ... 024192.pdf

[Bralo20]

Decision from the shareholders SN Airholding on 18th December 2017,
registered at the Brussels Trade Court on 23th January 2018,
published in Belgium's State Gazette on 02nd February 2018:

NL:
http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pd ... 024191.pdf
FR:
http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pd ... 024192.pdf

According to this the board of SN Airholding is now 5 Belgians against 4 Germans?

So theoretically this means if all Belgians vote against firing Gustin & De Raeymaecker that Spohr can't fire them?

[RoMax]

According to this the board of SN Airholding is now 5 Belgians against 4 Germans?

So theoretically this means if all Belgians vote against firing Gustin & De Raeymaecker that Spohr can't fire them?

Dieter Vranckx is a VP of Lufthansa.

[Bralo20]

Dieter Vranckx is a VP of Lufthansa.

Oh, didn't knew that. But he's Belgian But indeed unlikely he'll go against his employer

[Passenger]

According to this the board of SN Airholding is now 5 Belgians against 4 Germans?
So theoretically this means if all Belgians vote against firing Gustin & De Raeymaecker that Spohr can't fire them?

Dieter Vranckx is a VP of Lufthansa.

And Vranckx has a double nationality: Belgium and Switzerland.

[brabel]

Davignon says in an Article on vrt he is not worried about tomorrow
“I have reasons to be unhappy, but not to be worried”


Suppose we’ll see tomorrow...

[Bralo20]

Davignon says in an Article on vrt he is not worried about tomorrow
“I have reasons to be unhappy, but not to be worried”


Suppose we’ll see tomorrow...

I guess due all commotion of the past days Lufthansa will just fire the CEO and CFO and that will be it. After the storm has passed they'll probably go further with it. But for tomorrow? I would guess nothing significant anymore.

[Boavida]

When you think of it: wouldn't it be incredibly stupid of LH to kill Brussels Airlines and replace it by a bland meaningless LC brand like Eurowings, resulting in a BAD IMAGE in its new 'home market'?

I mean come on. What a way to start a new brand in a new country! By erasing its home carrier! Isn't a new brand supposed to create a POSITIVE image among its potential new customers? How is EW gonna do that if the company is perceived by the public as the KILLER of a beloved national brand?

It doesn't make any sense.

[brabel]

When you think of it: wouldn't it be incredibly stupid of LH to kill Brussels Airlines and replace it by a bland meaningless LC brand like Eurowings, resulting in a BAD IMAGE in its new 'home market'?

I mean come on. What a way to start a new brand in a new country! By erasing its home carrier!

It doesn't make any sense.

I do hope you r right

[Conti764]

I dislike the fact that LH has never been honest and given their real plan with SN... however I dislike even more than whoever agreed to the decision to sell SN to LH didn't stipulate that SN was to remain SN and in BRU... I mean seriously... did the baker and butcher make up this agreement? I know nothing about negotiating all this but that is a stipulation I would have put in the contract specially since LH really got the deal for peanuts...
Obviously LH was going to look at their pocket and their best interests, I mean anyone knows that... except maybe the people who made this deal... so it had to be clear that SN was there to stay! Why did so many employees of SN make such efforts to bring back the Belgian airline... just to see it destroyed by a company who doesn't care about them...

Well, the only thing I can think of is that when the original deal was sealed back in '09 SN wasn't in a position to make demands. And there was another boss at the helm of LH. I believe LH had a hidden agenda for SN. Fence off its backyard and allow no competition in a fairly large and unused airport at only a couple of hundred miles from their main base and - if things would work out - keep the airline and develop it into some sort of LX/OS type operation. I am convinced that if it would still be Mayrhuber on Spohr's seat we may have another scenario by now. But we all know Eurowings is Spohr's pet project and he is willing to go a long way to make it work.

If the plan would be to have the bulk of SN's local market under EW's umbrella and keep both long haul and higher end short to medium markets for a true 'classic' SN product, I'd say give it a go. Even if it would mean (part of) the back office is transferred to EW. Give SN the opportunity to grow internationally, both in Africa and other markets with a classic product (C/Y+/Y) and expand both SN and EW at BRU making the latter a true hub for both operations. But all the rumors indicate a whole other scenario.

If LH used SN the right way, they might have a gem in hands to break into AF/KL/Skyteam market with BRU ideally located between AMS and CDG.

But I guess we'll know more by tomorrow. But the future doesn't look bright imho.

[Passenger]

When you think of it: wouldn't it be incredibly stupid of LH to kill Brussels Airlines and replace it by a bland meaningless LC brand like Eurowings, resulting in a BAD IMAGE in its new 'home market'?
I mean come on. What a way to start a new brand in a new country! By erasing its home carrier!
It doesn't make any sense.

I do hope you r right

I'm pretty sure Boavida is right. And contrary to most people here, I even don't believe Lufthansa will axe Gustin.

[brusselsairlinesfan]

When you think of it: wouldn't it be incredibly stupid of LH to kill Brussels Airlines and replace it by a bland meaningless LC brand like Eurowings, resulting in a BAD IMAGE in its new 'home market'?

I mean come on. What a way to start a new brand in a new country! By erasing its home carrier!

It doesn't make any sense.

It is no secret that Mr. Spohr is not a big fan of the brussels airlines brand... but he also told at the last press conference @ b. House that he would keep a belgian touch in case of rebranding. So what can we expect ?
Belgianwings, Eurobelgianwings, Eurowings Belgium or... Sabena... or just Eurowings ?

[Av24.be]

This Monday is an important day for the future of Brussels Airlines and the connectivity of our country with Europe and the rest of the world. These connections are of strategic importance for Belgium, for our companies, large and small, to be able to export our goods and services, for tourism and for all our compatriots who take the plane to explore the world.

It is with this strategic importance that we are today advocating that Brussels Airlines remains a strong airline, anchored in Brussels, that meets the needs of the various segments in the market. It is crucial that Brussels Airlines, together with its many partners, can further develop the hub in Brussels and the network of flights to Europe and the rest of the world.

Belgium and Brussels, the capital of Europe, need this connectivity to remain competitive in an increasingly globalized world in which the competition is getting stronger and stronger.

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/lufth ... s-support/