will interlink last?
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will interlink last?
I have coppied this from an article about Interlink.
Passengers line up for cut-rate flight 
Tony Carnie
July 24 2008 at 08:26AM Budget carrier Interlink Airlines claims passengers are lining up for its new "R199" cut-rate flights between Durban and Johannesburg.
Tony Carnie July 24 2008 at 08:26AM Budget carrier Interlink Airlines claims passengers are lining up for its new "R199" cut-rate flights between Durban and Johannesburg.
The Johannesburg-based airline, owned by husband-and- wife team Murad Allie Ismail and Maraldiya Cader, began scheduled flights earlier this month, on Fridays and Sundays only.
According to operations manager Akesh Maharaj, passenger occupancy on the new route is running at between 65 percent and 70 percent.
However, the R199 special offer conceals the fact that the quoted fare is one-way only and excludes another R199 in airport taxes (effectively R398 one way or R796 return).
Airline officials confirmed that only 10 percent of its tickets were offered at this special rate which was also subject to an advance booking period of at least three weeks.
Airline chief executive officer Ismail made headlines in October 2005 when he was arrested by the Scorpions and charged with several counts of fraud and theft following allegations that Interlink had over-billed the South African Navy for R1,8-million for the rental of a Learjet tracker aircraft.
Naval warrant officer Leon Burwise pleaded guilty to 18 counts of theft and admitted receiving R27 000 for certifying Interlink's billing invoices. He was sentenced to a six-month suspended jail term after agreeing to testify against Ismail and Interlink.
Ismail and Interlink, however, were later acquitted of all charges in July 2006 at the end of the state case in the Wynberg regional court.
Until 2005, the airline had a lucrative contract with the department of home affairs to fly deported aliens back to their home nations, including Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Malawi and Zambia.
Apart from its new Durban route, Interlink launched a scheduled service from Johannesburg to Cape Town in 2002, but this was later suspended.
Maharaj said the Johannesburg to Cape Town flight was relaunched earlier this month and the airline was also offering weekly pilgrimage flights to Jeddah (via Bujumbura in Rwanda), as well as to Kruger National Park, Maputo, Phemba Island (Mozambique) and the Garden Route.
The regular Jeddah flights start at R2 500 (one way), with higher prices during the haj season.
According to Maharaj the airline has a fleet of six Boeing 737-200 aircraft, four of which are owned directly by the airline. Of these, three are operational at the moment and three are undergoing scheduled "C"-checks.
He described Ismail as a "hands-on" CEO who personally piloted some of the airline's local and international flights.
"Mr Ismail used to be an inspector in the South African Civil Aviation Authority and built up the airline from scratch in 1997."
Ismail and his wife are on holiday overseas and due to return at the weekend.
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Well, I hope they last...at least for a while...I jumped for 4 of those tickets to fly JNB-DUR in November...makes it cheaper for me to fly from GRJ to JNB with Kulula and then Interlink to DUR, than direct SA to DUR.
They're not currently flying the flights to Kruger, Maputo, Pemba and Polokwane, but have these on their website though, so probably hoping to relaunch it later again. They've never flown to the Garden Route (GRJ, Plett or PLZ), but have advertised a CPT-GRJ-Plett-PLZ route last year, but nothing happened of it, maybe still in the pipeline. Wouldn't be surprised then if they maybe start weekend flights JNB-GRJ as well.
BUT, ofcourse will they make it? 6 737-200s, ok say 3 operational at the moment, doing only 4 roundtrips a week, Fridays and Sundays simultaneously. So what does the other aircraft do, or what do they all do the rest of the week?
They're not currently flying the flights to Kruger, Maputo, Pemba and Polokwane, but have these on their website though, so probably hoping to relaunch it later again. They've never flown to the Garden Route (GRJ, Plett or PLZ), but have advertised a CPT-GRJ-Plett-PLZ route last year, but nothing happened of it, maybe still in the pipeline. Wouldn't be surprised then if they maybe start weekend flights JNB-GRJ as well.
BUT, ofcourse will they make it? 6 737-200s, ok say 3 operational at the moment, doing only 4 roundtrips a week, Fridays and Sundays simultaneously. So what does the other aircraft do, or what do they all do the rest of the week?
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With the current fuel price and using 732's, I can't see how they can make any money - especially not with such low utilisation. The only way to make money in the current climate is to use efficient aircraft, fly them lots and get economy of scale ASAP (whilst keeping costs way down). But good luck to them nevertheless...fortune favours the brave they say.
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A pleasure to fly with them
I bought 10 return tickets from Jhb - CT - Jhb.....used two of them.......great service...plenty leg room and smiling hostees....cockpit crew fiendly and approachable to say hi...(and you dont pay for your food).
..
Spoke with Murad on the way to CT and his answer to why only on weekends..answer was, he was not there to compete with the low cost airlines, but because weekends were so busy, he was able to fill up both ways at a reasonable cost to the passanger....made sense to me.
..
He leases his a/c out during the week...so instead of sitting on the ground over weekends, he puts them to good use.
Goffel....
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Spoke with Murad on the way to CT and his answer to why only on weekends..answer was, he was not there to compete with the low cost airlines, but because weekends were so busy, he was able to fill up both ways at a reasonable cost to the passanger....made sense to me.
..
He leases his a/c out during the week...so instead of sitting on the ground over weekends, he puts them to good use.
Goffel....
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The Johannesburg-based airline, owned by husband-and- wife team Murad Allie Ismail and Maraldiya Cader, began scheduled flights earlier this month, on Fridays and Sundays only.
was he not also involved in a story about a baron rating for the ex caa chief honcho Trevor Abrahams (WHO NOW WORKS AT nac)
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will interlink last?
According to operations manager Akesh Maharaj, passenger occupancy on the new route is running at between 65 percent and 70 percent.
However, the R199 special offer conceals the fact that the quoted fare is one-way only and excludes another R199 in airport taxes (effectively R398 one way or R796 return).
However, the R199 special offer conceals the fact that the quoted fare is one-way only and excludes another R199 in airport taxes (effectively R398 one way or R796 return).
Fuel quick off the top of head: say 2,300kg @ R6.50/litre = R18,686
Then there is crew, nav, landing, maintenace, catering etc etc.
but as Goffel tells us
He leases his a/c out during the week...so instead of sitting on the ground over weekends, he puts them to good use.
PS the web just quoted me R479 exclding tax for next week so that's not R199 is it.
