Its not just a paint job, the rumour is that someone else will be the LCC ie SAX, they are smaller, lower paid etc and just need to get rid of there expensive RJ's and get old 737's or DC9's. Another rumor is that Khaya wants the 800's and A319's flying into africa on the high yield routes (apparently he wants to expand into africa) , not domestically competing against the LCC's
Deskjocky......I have heard it said before that SAA staff are overpaid but I disagree, the problem is that there are too many people employed in that building who do nothing, the jam stealers of this world, I dont have exact figures but a rough guess would be that one aircraft supports about 500 people at SAA and at the LCC one Aircraft supports about 10 people.
If you are refering to the pilots who are overpaid then I just shake my head in confusion, I have said this before,they are not overpaid, the others are underpaid. And in fact the SAA pilots union is doing a major study at this point in time to see how SAA pilots salaries compare with other airlines and with a similar position in Industry, its a complicated formula which involves disposable income etc, not just a figure. I suspect SAA pilot salaries will be way under the rest of the world average.
Solid rust, you are correct most of the aircraft are leased that is the new world norm with aircraft that cost this much, not many (except maybe the oil states) can afford to buy these aircraft outright, but my point is that at least these modern aircraft are here in SA giving the public the opportunity to choose the most modern safest aircraft ever designed over a 20-30 year old design, was looking at the saftey stats on the notice board the other day the JT8D-15/17 engine which is on the 737-200 has had a fair number of shutdowns in the world this past year (cant remember exact figures), the CFM56 which is on the 800 has already proved to have the highest dispatch reliability, in the world, its old technology versus new. Cant understand it myself, how a passenger will drive to the airport in a brand new Volvo with all the saftey features and then get onto a 30 year old jet and save himself a few rand.
That being said, I dont agree with what SAA have done by giving the George-JHB to SAX and also the coastal routes away, SAX cant handle the load so they hire contract aircraft which fly old DC9's and 737-200.............so after all my ranting and raving, if you buy a SAA ticket hoping to fly the latest greatest, you may just be shocked to find you are on a pre 1980 piece of sh
