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Swissair merger?

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Old 24th Sep 2001, 14:56
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Post Swissair merger?

Swissair to merge with Crossair. Where as Crossair will take all short and intermediate haul flights on ex- Swissair A320 fleet and Swissair will take all long haul flights on A330 and A340.
Pilot salary to be reduced to Crossair level.
New name to be Swiss Airlines as it was 50 years ago.
Can anyone confirm on that?
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Old 24th Sep 2001, 15:07
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From a recently released SR statement.

"Swissair, Switzerland's struggling national airline , is to cut its long-haul fleet by a quarter and merge its short haul operations with Crossair, its low-cost sister company, in a bid to stave off bankruptcy.

The new airline will build on Crossair's approach of providing a high quality product whilst implementing a 'significantly lower cost model' than Swissair.
It will focus primarily on European point-to-point premium traffic whilst retaining and enhancing service on profitable long haul routes.
Swissair will continue to operate long-haul routes to parts of Asia where it is already a strong carrier as well as the Middle East and Africa. It will also continue to serve key destinations in North America relevant to the Swiss business community.
Swissair intends to reduce its transfer traffic from 60 per cent to less than 40 per cent by 2004 at the latest. "
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Old 24th Sep 2001, 17:26
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Does anybody know if this will affect Flightline's wet leasing operation for Swissair?
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Old 24th Sep 2001, 18:23
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No mentions on Flightline as of yet I'm afraid.
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Old 24th Sep 2001, 19:17
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Interesting to hear this, if Swissair has to come down to Crossair salaries then I am sure the Swissair pilots will have something to say about it as these I understand are VERY different.
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Old 24th Sep 2001, 19:35
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Unhappy

Suggest 2 things - firstly that it is unlikely that much beyond the actual press statements is actually clear to many and that secondly it is a case of pure survival that is key here. It very much depends on what André Dosé really puts through.

Retrenching would probably take the +150 aircraft to the around the 130 mark especially if the scheduling would improve. A lot of Swissair's comfortable administration should perhaps have been slimmed anyway a time ago, with a reorg as well .... but non flying heads cost overheads that few can afford.

Sources for info - References: (SR's Press statement, FT News)
http://www.sairgroup.com/apps/media/...ml?language=e#

http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3DVM910SC&live=true&useove rridetemplate=ZZZ99ZVV70C &tagid=FTDO9DHMZJC

SR is refleeting to A330/340's and it is an ideal time to realign. LX is ousting the MD80's for A320's anyway and 319/20/21 Crew are or can be expected to be available worldwide. Also LX has proven to be a master at finding, just enough permanent and temporary crew over that last 20+ years to keep schedules.

Switzerland doesn't have much of a solid unemployment logic either, so I guess SR pilots who are addictied to cream, may well have to learn to accept milk or go without.

[ 24 September 2001: Message edited by: gofer ]

[ 24 September 2001: Message edited by: gofer ]
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Old 24th Sep 2001, 19:59
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N380UA, your info source is quite fast, but not that precise

Yes, all SR & LX staff got a message from management this morning telling them quote:
- "Swissair and Crossair will be amalgamated under the new name of Swiss Air Lines", but still keeping the SR & LX companies identities separate
Details of how they will manage this have not been released yet.
- Management (with the exception of flight ops) of both will also be "amalgamated" and the excecutive board reduced.
Fleets will be harmonised and substantially reduced in size over the next four years.
- Utilisation of Zurich, Basel and Geneva Airports will be optimised.
- Cutback in staff will also be required.

Wish all concerned people my best wishes for the future. Please observe that the "Fasten Seat Belt" sign is on, thank you
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Old 25th Sep 2001, 14:11
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Van Goff - maybe not good news. Both ZRH-TRN and ZRH-MAN currently show as operated by Crossair from 31Mar02 on the GDS reservations systems. Up till then it's Flightline. I haven't tried swissair.com - good luck.
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Old 25th Sep 2001, 14:29
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Exclamation

Say BYE BYE Recruitment for a long while...!!!!..?
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Old 26th Sep 2001, 16:40
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Extracted from today's Basler Zeitung

Erschienen am: 26.09.2001
Notfallszenario mit Investoren für Crossair

Für die Crossair steht eine Investorengruppe bereit für den Fall, dass Swissair zahlungsunfähig werden sollte. Das könnte schon am Wochenende der Fall sein, wenn kein Finanzpaket zustande kommt.
Which for us Anglosaxon Speakers basically indicates that CROSSAIR, which is 70+% owned by Swissair, has organised itself to have a group of private individuals and companies to take over Swissair's holding if needed.

Bravo - Moritz Sutter, who is "only" the founder and now president of Crossair according to the article, is fighting to the end - Hope you make it Moritz, count me in for a few ex. Swissair shares.
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Old 26th Sep 2001, 19:29
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well at least one bit of positive news in that lx statement.

still it´s hard to believe that the restructuring approach published by corti on monday is more than a paper solution. those two companies have always been like fire and water..
now we know that sr´s debt is around SFR 17bn which is roughly US$ 10bn.(!), so the consequences for sn and especially german ltu and the italian carriers (is that link still existing?) might be hard. lx might have the best cards in that environement.

what do you think? will there be a new swissair? and what about the others?

hoping for infos & comments brgds, silversurfer
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Old 27th Sep 2001, 12:43
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Very interesting times ahead...

Swissair Group will now most probably declared bankrupt. This should facilitate "negotiations" with SR pilots, get rid of the evermoreloosingmoney Sabena and LTU. New Swissair Air Lines will then be able to negotiate new contracts with all pilots and get rid of its liabilities

Looking forward to the fun
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Old 27th Sep 2001, 21:15
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Van Goff.......

Yes, but probably not before the current contract ends....... Spring 02 I believe.

But then again, that was the situation yesterday.............

Flightline is an ad-hoc company and is always looking for new business.
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Old 28th Sep 2001, 10:42
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Spoke with a Swissair pilot the other day in doctors waiting room in GVA, and he said that they will fight hard for what they have, and if they lose that he would leave the industry to go into the economics industry!?
Anyway I hope that no jobs will be lossed.
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Old 28th Sep 2001, 11:01
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Hmmm, well I was going to run the Xair Swiis air thing as the cover story on the Oct Rimmer News until I was tipped a wink indirectly from the office of a certain goalkeeper and told don't do it something's afoot. Could it be that the Basler Zeitung report has much behind it?
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Old 28th Sep 2001, 14:43
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Red face

Well the situation looks more desperate by the day.
Financial quote "The company, which is desperately seeking a SFr3bn cash injection through a public/private sector rescue plan, is the most heavily indebted of all the European airlines"

The scenario would be to declare the airline (Group) bankrupt. Create a New Swiss Air Lines, and renegotiate contract with everybody Those who won't like the terms will of course have to find another way of living
Don't think there will be many redudancies though. Old pilots on early retirement, freelance freed (!), and leased ones given back.

The "old" Swissair Group would have no more money and could'nt subsidize neither LTU nor Sabena.

Just as a matter of interest, Sabena, AOM, Air Littoral, LTU, etc, what have you done with the astounding sums that the Swissair Group has given to you these last years
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Old 28th Sep 2001, 15:15
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Flyforfud, it is indeed unbelievable where all the money went to. However your questions regarding the German situation points partly in the wrong direction. The swiss, or better Brugissers megalomania led to catastrophic investments, but the impact of swiss management onto those carriers made it even worse. With warp speed to the ground. Will there be life after SR? Hope so, desperately hoping for good news, but clouds are gone very dark, not only in Switzerland or Belgium.

silversurfer
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Old 28th Sep 2001, 15:49
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Silversurfer,
your comment on ltu after fly4fud's posting goes a long way for Sabena too, just replace Brugisser for Reutlinger...there are always two sides to the story.
Although I'm not on strike (see other thread), I do agree with SOME of the BeCA comments on the mismanagement forced upong SN by SR.
Let me put it this way: SN, LTU, AOM etc are not responsible for SR's situation, nor vice versa, but both have a great infuence on it!

time to sharpen the pencil
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Old 28th Sep 2001, 16:44
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jumbolina,
couldn´t agree more to your statement. It shows some good understanding of those situations not to blame one side of the fence.

I´m afraid the GUV might be right about the strike´s impact though. We will see clearer then. Future of almost all airlines in Belgium at stake, any news concerning Sobelair and German Preussag group?

Guv, I though the LTU payment was due in december?

Thanks, and good luck to you Jumbolina.
Silversurfer
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Old 29th Sep 2001, 00:22
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Wink

They should hold the board meetings abroad,the Swiss are well armed individuals,territorial army and that..
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