Sky-Gods...... 50% of the travelling domestic population? I'm pretty sure, pretty damned sure, if SAA were to be closed down SABENA style, the business section of South Africa would NOT be adversly affected, even in the short term! Comair, Nationwide, 1Time, Airlink, would be able to carry the "business" traveller quite successfully, thank you! Yes, the family visits and holiday makers would have a problem initially for a few weeks, WOW!
As for the long-haul, well, SA still has to grant foreign carriers the rights to operate to here, in reciprocation for an SA carrier going there, wherever that might be.
Nationwide have not stopped their Gatwick operation. I wander why????? According to the Sky-Gods, only they, SAA can "Do" long-haul. So Vernon must then be doing it solely for reasons other than making money! Not so???
The only valid argument about NOT closing SAA down that I've read on this site comes from a Sky-God saying something to the following tune: "Please don't be against us, you are only against us because you are not part of our party and are jealous of what we have. Remember, if SAA is closed down, none of you pilots out there will get our kind of operation, because no one will be able to operate long-haul successfully. So we all would lose, especially us here now!" (Sorry to tell you that you actually arn't making it
VB, and London must be a complete fluke! No-where else would work, we can guarantee you)
Amazing how we are NOT against the companies like: Comair/Nationwide/ 1Time/Airlink etc. I wander why????
Another point in case. What is the percentage ratio of skin colour passengers that SAA carries? Is it representative of the SA population? Or is the "National Carrier" in existence to carry dominantly white skinned people around at the cost of a dominantly black population?? The black goverment of South Africa supporting a white passenger population???
Take away the Carrot of Voyager and tax subsidy (paid by people who most will NEVER see the inside of an SAA aeroplane), and you'll see a different story!