Oasis Airlines

[daz211]

2006/09/05 09:05 http://corpsv.etnet.com.hk/webservice/images/NEWS/rowspace.gif
<ET Net News> Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, which will launch flights to London on October 25, said yesterday it might sell shares to the public as it looked to raise capital to expand its fleet of long-haul aircraft to 25 units in five years, according to chairman Raymond Lee Cho-min. "Our aim to go public eventually is driven by the desire to make Oasis available to Hong Kong investors," Mr Lee said at the airline's launch yesterday. "We were told by investment banks that this could be possible within nine months after our launch." However, market watchers reacted with scepticism to the early timeline yesterday, pointing out local regulations require a track record of no less than three consecutive years of profit before qualifying to list on the main board.

[conradmueller]

As I have heard, bookings should be possible by tomorrow on the web.

[daz211]

cool will be good to see what the price's are like

also a very nice paint job ! on website

[cesare.caldi]

daz211

Price start from 200 euro for a return flight plus tax, inclusive of hot meal and personal television screens also in economy class.

[jabird]

I'm not getting the maths on this.

Not so much the £75 one way, but the quoted £310 MAX fare per sector.

So all the money's coming from business class? That starts at £470 + T&C - compared to Maxjet's £399 for a much shorter sector. Max price quoted as £1450, fully flexible.

They seem to be like full fare carriers in so many ways, but then say they will have a lower cost base through better asset utilisation.

Once up to full daily ops, Flt 700 arrives LGW at 06:20, but doesn't return home until 20:10 - that is a lot of sitting on the ground earning nothing.

A sector of 11 1/2 hours seems a very odd way to start up an airline - they might call themselves long haul specialists, but haven't Cathay famously been quoted as "maximising abuse of 747s" by using them on short sectors like HKG - TPE?

I'm sure there will be plenty of take up for the services at these prices, and the airline talks of $100m funding, but I would expect that they would have to increase prices quite a bit if they are going to be viable in the long run.

[daz211]

Any news on website opening for bookings ?

[conradmueller]

Site is online.
Flights start at 261 GbP return.

[daz211]

Done a quick price check ramdom date 14MAR07-21MAR07
DEP as close as poss give or take an hour or two

LON - HKG OASIS £261.05 rtn

BA £398.00 rtn
VS £390.59 rtn
QF £399.00 rtn
CX £547.00 rtn
NZ £396.00 rtn

looks good anyone know where the a/c came from ?

[jabird]

"looks good anyone know where the a/c came from ?"

Both ex SIA

[conradmueller]

jabird

Were then both operating for IB, ie. MAD-TFN etc.

[BMI701EGCC]

look on the website, its says they are ex Singapore Airlines aircraft.

Maybe they could make MAN profitable?

BTW Fantastic paint job

[ORAC]

The Guardian - Thursday Sep 7th - New airline to offer £75 flights to Hong Kong

A new airline is offering single flights from London to Hong Kong for as little as £75. Oasis Hong Kong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis_Hong_Kong_Airlines)launches next month, and for the next year 10% of seats on flights between Gatwick and Hong Kong will cost £75.

The most expensive economy class seat will be £225. "Increasing competition amongst no-frills budget airlines flying within Europe indicates a gap in the UK market for low-fare, long-haul travel," said Steve Miller, chief executive of the Hong Kong-based airline.

[Hotel Mode]

All very good but dont really know how they plan to make any money. Assuming JET a1 at a low £400/T and 450 pax per flight, a 744 will burn about 110T on a HKG which is £97 per punter, before you factor in Aircraft/Crew/Catering etc. The other airlines can fill up econ with cheap fares having made money on J/F.

[conradmueller]

Had anyone tried to book yesterdays error fare für 75 GbP, where the tax was missing for flights in 2007?
It was gone by the evening and then the taxes were correct.

[Cyrano]

I decided to take a look at the Oasis Hong Kong Airlines website, and stuck in some random dates in Dec/Jan to look at the fares. The basic (economy) fare each way for the dates I've picked is £265. Taxes/charges on the HKG-LGW leg are £44.38, but on the LGW-HKG leg they're a rather steep £106.67. So I hover over the tax amount to get a breakdown, and discover to my chagrin that they are charging the UK Govt's £20 economy class APD AND the £40 business class APD on the economy fare! :sad:

I'm sure this is cock-up rather than conspiracy (the APD charge for the business class fare is correct) but it's a bit unfortunate. The airline is not only scaring away potential passengers by pricing £40 higher than it actually planned to do, but it's also opening the door to a lot of customer unhappiness when people realise that they've been overcharged - at the very least there'll be a major administrative task to refund all the wrongly-collected APD to people's credit cards. Hope it gets fixed soon (and yes, I've emailed their info address to flag this up).

(PS: as of 18 Oct it was fixed.)

[FFHKG]

First Oasis 747 a/c already in HK. Paint job looks nice.

[serko]

Do they have their operating license yet?

[serko]

any news on their AOC, their first flight is meant to be in 5 days time.

[cesare.caldi]

OASIS HONG KONG AIRLINES SUCCESSFULLY OBTAINS AIR OPERATOR’S CERTIFICATE

* Hong Kong’s first and only low fare, long-haul airline set to commence non-stop flights to London Gatwick on October 25

* Affordable luxury in business class at HK$6,600 and HK$1,000 in economy class still available for Christmas and Chinese New Year


Hong Kong, October 20, 2006 – Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, Hong Kong’s only low fare, long-haul airline, today celebrated another milestone when the Civil Aviation Department awarded the airline its Air Operator’s Certificate after it successfully completed its proving flight on October 16. The airline is set to make its inaugural flight to London Gatwick on October 25, offering four flights per week initially.

This significant news comes on top of Oasis Hong Kong Airlines’ sale of over 18,000 tickets since it started accepting reservations in early September. In addition, the airline will offer all business and economy class tickets between Hong Kong and London at their lowest fare levels of HK$1,000 in economy class and HK$6,600 in business class one-way between October 25 and November 30 to celebrate its inaugural month.

Stephen Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, said: “We take great pride in announcing that we now have the Air Operator’s Certificate, having fulfilled all the requirements by the authorities. Passengers who may have been holding off booking their flights now have no reason at all to delay making their reservations. With overwhelming ticket sales achieved for our inaugural month promotion, we are excited about our mission of offering accessible and affordable long-haul travel for thousands of Hong Kong people with two state-of-the-art Boeing 747-400s.

“With the expected arrival of our second aircraft next month, we will increase to a daily flight starting from November 25. After London, we aim to fly to Oakland (San Francisco area) in California in the first quarter of 2007 and later to other European and North American cities including Cologne/Bonn, Milan, Berlin and Chicago, providing business and leisure travellers with highly competitive fares to a wider range of desirable long-haul destinations.”

Despite the airline’s strong record of 1,100 ticket sales sold daily, currently the incredible HK$1,000 and HK$6,600 “hot deal” tickets are still available for Christmas and Chinese New Year. Quick booking is advised as around 80% of the tickets in this lowest price bracket have already been sold. Oasis Hong Kong Airlines’ price promise ensures 10% of economy class seats on every flight at the HK$1,000 amazing rate for at least one year after its launch. Customers can make their bookings through travel agents, online at oasishongkong.com or through the customer service call centre (3628 0628).

[ORAC]

BBC: HK's new budget airline takes off

Hong Kong's first budget airline, Oasis, has taken off on its inaugural flight to London.......

The first flight - to Gatwick airport - took off at 1300 local time (0500 GMT) and was fully booked.......

[Cyrano]

BBC: HK's new budget airline takes off
Hong Kong's first budget airline, Oasis, has taken off on its inaugural flight to London.......
The first flight - to Gatwick airport - took off at 1300 local time (0500 GMT) and was fully booked.......
ATI now reporting that the inaugural flight has been postponed indefinitely because of a delay in obtaining Russian overflight approval! HKG's website (http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/flightinfo/real_depinfo.jsp?SearchDestination=All&SearchAirline=OHK&SearchFrom=2006-10-25&x=13&y=4#AnchorCurrentTime) is just showing "Delay".

[daz211]

LGW arrivals board is also showing that flight O8-700 is delayed.
No word of anything on the airlines website :confused:
However in the (Fragrant Harbour) forum they are saying oasis have
delayed the flight until tomorrow

[Captain Airclues]

In case anyone is thinking of going to meet it, the LGW flight arrivals board is saying that the inaugural Oasis flight has been cancelled.

Airclues

[Just a spotter]

RTE website is reporting the Russian Authroties wouldn't let them overfly.


HK budget airline fails to take off
http://www.rte.ie/business/2006/1025/airlines.html

JAS

[320DRIVER]

Picked up a news excerpt from an Italian newspaper stating that the inagural flight of Hong Kong based low-cost airline Oasis to LGW has been delayed due to the revokation of the overfly permits to use Russian airspace.

If this is the case, why was the permit revoked?

Link to newspaper: http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2006/10_Ottobre/25/oasis.shtml

[777300ER]

How do these guys honestly expect to make money when they are charging $128USD for a long haul flight from Hong Kong to London. The only thing they will succeed at doing is lowering standards and wages while spoiling the traveling public with unreasonably low fares. :D

[Harrier46]

Of course nobody could make money at that price but then I guess $128 is only the start price. Like most "low cost" carriers, book early enough and grab a bargain, wait till the last minute and get stung. Is that not how it works?

[Al Fakhem]

How do these guys honestly expect to make money when they are charging $128USD for a long haul flight from Hong Kong to London. The only thing they will succeed at doing is lowering standards and wages while spoiling the traveling public with unreasonably low fares. :D

Because only 10% of all seats are offered at this price. You will have to book very far ahead (and with no refund in case of cancellation or rebooking) to avail of such a bargain.

[serko]

It seems they left today at 13.05 local time 05.05 uk time. I guess todays Hong Kong bound flight will have a delay as well as this flight is due to get in after the Hong Kong flight is meant to leave.

[captjns]

Also hauling cargo and mail in the belly is where the good money is too.

[Captain Rat]

wouldn't be the first airline that has had problems overflying Russi. Can think of at least 2 occaisions when a certain well known airline was forced to divert to Moscow due problem with flight plans....

[74tweaker]

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSB66362620080409

Good luck to all the crews. Sad to see another one go, but I'm not all that suprised.

[chris keeping]

Yes, this is indeed sad news. Flew with them twice to the UK. Quite apart from the price of the ticket I found their service to be friendly and efficient, on a par if not better than the more established operators. I used to be a big fan of CX but am afraid to say that the bigger they get the worse they become. I had decided to shift my loyalty to Oasis but sadly it would seem that this is no longer a possibility.

[Newforest2]

Search button is your friend.

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=321794

[exeng]

The article also has this disclaimer:Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.


Fingers crossed that Oasis are OK.


Regards
Exeng

[Shanwick Shanwick]

Budget airline Oasis in liquidation: chief executive

50 minutes ago

HONG KONG (AFP) — The chief executive of Hong Kong-based budget airline Oasis, Steven Miller, said Wednesday that the carrier had gone into liquidation.

"It is with great regret that Oasis Hong Kong Airlines has today voluntarily applied to the Hong Kong courts to appoint a liquidator," Miller told a press conference.

Earlier, the Hong Kong Economic Times reported a "rumour" that the company was struggling under debts of up to one billion Hong Kong dollars (128 million US) and would cease flying from Wednesday.

[Travel Agent]

Just heard on BBC breakfast - they have ceased operations, can anyone confirm this?

[oceancrosser]

http://http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hxIHspRUQq4XqB7K6ojTBH6AULXw

Their website doesn´t say anything but you can´t book anything. "Service unavailable".

[rebellion]

Sadly its not the last. I think we are going to see a few more byebye threads appearing in the near future- the big question is who's next.........

[conradmueller]

It looks like that. No bookings are taken anymore.

[handflown]

Recently resigned from my current job to start on the 747-400 this month.

Better go cup in hand back to my old company!

[no sponsor]

AFP are reporting it has gone:


http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gINOzIv1Ns4QOOYoIXqPgf6XgVlw

and flight

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/04/09/222852/hong-kongs-oasis-halts-operations.html

[Arfur Dent]

No and No to your query. They're looking for new investors and all FOPS have ceased. Good luck with that!
Can't bear to think of the smirks in the CX boardroom -they trained half of Oasis - now they'll take them back at a lower salary - talk about manner from heaven!:mad:

[Fenders]

BLFA came in this morning and is now sat on stand 150.

[Anansis]

I spoke to an industry analyst recently who told me that he suspected that Oasis were unable to hedge the price of their fuel as effectively as their competitors as they were a relatively recent startup. As a result of rising oil prices, they had far higher costs, which meant ticket prices which were often higher than that of their 'full service' competitors. As low fares was Oasis' main selling point, he was convinced that they were heading for trouble (a claim that I rubbished at the time).

I now wonder whether there is any truth in this theory?

Either way, my experiences with them have been excellent and I wish all of their staff the best of luck.

[Alloy]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7338424.stm

[blue_side_up]

Very sad news ideed, for the industry in HKG, and especially all the crew involved, who undoubtedly went there to start something new and better, than CX.
Hope there's some work out there for all the -400 crews, and that CX doesn't take too much advantage of this! Bet a lot of them end up at DragonAir - I suppose that could be the best thing for all involved. Dragon's T+C recently improved substantially and they're cancelling -400 flts for lack of crew...
Good luck to all the crews involved in this sad and surprising news!

[Thunderguts]

What a shame, went out and back with them for the Hong Kong sevens, thought that they were a cracking airline.

They had absolutely everything that I want in an airline. Cost, comfort and service.

Let us hope some one else will start up another lo-cost to the Far East.

[airborne_artist]

Oasis runs dry

[Oneil]

I had a friend due back to the UK on a flight with them tomoroow.

Unlucky!

[gibbemonk]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7338424.stm

at the bottom of this article the bbc claim that all the passengers were told of the business situation on board the plane.

the only problem i find is that i met the aircraft in lgw and very passenger and crew member whom got off were in a happy moody, unless this was indeed good information to their ears. I can't understand why their mood changed when they realised they couldn't get home and swamped the swissport ticketdesk at LGW

[WHBM]

It makes you understand why the oft-questioned "Why don't Ryanair/Easyjet/etc get into long haul" doesn't happen; because they understand the market only too well.

Get into a plane London-Hong Kong (or other trunk routes), note how they are full every trip you make, and think, like Yosser Hughes, "I can do this". But by no means all on board have just gone out and bought a simple trip London to Hong Kong. Many are connecting with affiliated carriers. Some are keen to build up their OneWorld miles elsewhere. Quite a number are on long-standing corporate world wide arrangements. Those at low fares only make up residual revenue at the end of this process. Underneath the floor the freight and mail is similarly hard-won over years.

This is not to say we should meekly accept the status quo. But being an airline entrepreneur is a complex affair, and jumping straight into a high-cost business is best done in sensible stages, as all those who have succeeded in this area have done.

[Propellerpilot]

Saw one of their 747s in Windhoek 2 days ago - probably subchartered to Air Namibia for the flight out of Gatwick - never seen them here before myself...

[Viewedfromabove]

Nothing to do with the airline but Oasis Leasing in Abu Dhabi has changed its name to Waha (which means Oasis in Arabic)!

[speed787]

took the last flight from hkg to gtw, gt upgraded to business for free, i think O8 is a great airline, the cabin crews are fantasic! had a long chat with the crews. feel sorry for them.. wondering how they going to go bk to HKG?

[Arrowhead]

You were warned on Feb 29th.....

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=315763&highlight=Oasis

[Peebee and Jay]

I know a couple of guys at Oasis. Some of the nicest people in the industry. Very sad indeed. I wish you guys and girls all the best for the future.

[WasNaeMe]

Very sad... Only a few days ago we had an Oasis 744 bashing the circuit at PIK.

[13Alpha]

Flew with them last November. Thoroughly professional from booking to reclaiming baggage. Cabin crew who looked you in the eye, smiled and seemed to be geniunely happy to have you on board - and didn't vanish behind the galley curtains in between mealtimes. And flightdeck crew who sounded proud to work for the company.

I'm not looking forward to going back to the competition. :sad:

13Alpha

[goatface]

Oasis have stopped flying, gone out of business, no longer serving the community, have ceased to be in every perspective, how else can one put it?

[Flightrider]

Not quite. Tonight's flight is definitely departing LGW with crew + those passengers who still wish to travel. Gets the aircraft and crew back to HKG.

[Air Mule]

Sad news. Their business class seats were cheaper than economy in BA. Service was excellent and will be missed.

[View From The Ground]

Good luck to all those affected employees. If people are suprised.....why? Given....

'Their business class seats were cheaper than economy in BA. Service was excellent and will be missed.'

Good service costs and needs to be paid for...if we as passengers don't Airlines such as Oasis will continue to go bust.

Long haul low cost notoriously difficult, almost a contradiction in terms!

[kingair9]

Saw one of their 747s in Windhoek 2 days ago - probably subchartered to Air Namibia for the flight out of Gatwick - never seen them here before myself...


Afaik they are doing WDH-FRA-WDH with that one, regular guest to EDDF/FRA. Wonder whome SW will now aks to fly for them until their 343 comes out of maintenance.

[Ron & Edna Johns]

"Low cost carrier" is not the same as a "Low Fare carrier", and an airline trying to be both can end up in big trouble.

"Cost" is how much the shareholder pays. "Fare" is what the passenger pays.

A low cost carrier providing low fares can do well when the economy is booming, fuel COSTS are low, etc. But if gas goes up and people stop flying, well, you need to rapidly increase fares or lose money. That often won't happen as it's a free kick to the opposition, esp if the opposition has deeper pockets and can hold out at lower fare points for longer.

Sadly that's likely the story here. I suspect the parties with financial stakes in Oasis are cutting their losses early.

The successful "low cost carrier" formula (esp in difficult times) will actually be a "normal fare carrier" with a significantly reduced non-fuel cost base (employees T&C's, core business only, etc), and with significant financial and operational backing. Eg, JetStar brought to you by Qantas. I don't like it but them's facts.

With oil at $110 and Oasis COMPETING against the likes of CX and BA, something had to give. What a bloody shame as I really felt they were a breath of fresh air (and that's saying something in HKG).

[student88]

Hmm I think Spanish low cost carrier Vueling will be next. I hear their management were visiting a certain Luton based orange airline's management not so long ago.

Sad news for the employees of Oasis - hopefully things will turn out for the better soon.

S88:ok:

[robbi]

Poor old Oasis!
I have actually wondered whether the Business model actually works for LowCost,Longhaul. Always assumed virtually all the Revenue/Cost advantages on which the model is based accrue to shorthaul.

Direct selling/reservations systems stack base cost savings per pax, incrementally. The more thru'put, cost per goes down. Short turnarounds decrease overall cost and crucially increase the numerical number of revenue flights - translating into more - Revenue Refreshing sets of pax circulating in the system over a 24hr period - ready to buy into those checkin and inflight revenue opportunities. Shorthaul, YES; the sooner and more often we can we can get to all those new sets of revenue pax waiting for us, the better the profit!
In the Longhaul case the logic doesnt seem to work so well. Longer haul equals less cycles. Presumably less pax therefore flowing over the Salesreservations costbase equals less savings. No particular urgency or gain for a quick turnround - it wont be back for hrs day(s) - not enough ground cycles to excite the airfield into reduced rates; fuel to our small fleet Low cost operation will probably be premiumed etc etc etc
You then set off with just one Revenue Payload Pax Unit (my collective term) which you're then stuck with at yr cost for hours. Revenue ops? C'mn buy something else! No more refreshing revenue replacements for hours ahead! Quick turnaround at the other end - or overnight on the ground God help us. Longhaul doesnt seem, at first glance then to be really able to make the most from the business model. Or so it seems anyway.
I dont know what the actual cause Of Oasis's demise actually was - no case is the same - just prompted me to wonder once again whether the base model for this type of op is basically sound. Right or wrong?

[OzyOS]

Heard the very sad news yesterday about the airline being handed over to the liquidators.
My heart truely goes out to all whom have lost their jobs under such horrible circumstances and hope a better future amongst all the current confussion and stress comes through soon for the crew.

Just curious also if anyone knows if any airlines have put their hands up to honor the Oasis pax tickets to YVR or LHR?

Regards,
OzyOS

[G-AWZK]

Wasn't Barbara Cassani involved in Vueling for a very short time?

Wonder why she left so quickly...?

[Fatfish]

Feel sorry for the staff. Good luck to them. I wonder what the Fatfishes got in severance?

[VAFFPAX]

I remember when Oasis was rumoured to start, and the plan then was to lease aircraft. However, when they got their permission to fly, said planes had been leased to other companies, leaving Oasis no other option but to buy the 744 they fly... That's a sizeable chunk of money gone (although I'm sure they will be able to flog it to get some money back to the shareholders).

The Lees have pointed out that to get credit (for fuel cost hedging - which as you all know is par for the course these days) as a relatively new airline was impossible. A shame really... It was really nice to see Oasis at LGW and elsewhere, the a/c was downright sexy with the paintjob it had.

Interesting though that Oasis did a few FRA-WDH-FRA runs for SW... Is SW that stuck (perhaps if the Namibian government didn't spend N$ 600 million on a fancy new presidential palace, they wouldn't be...).

I hope Oasis comes back in some incarnation or another.

S.

[IAEdude]

Hmm I think Spanish low cost carrier Vueling will be next. I hear their management were visiting a certain Luton based orange airline's management not so long ago.


The merge btwn Vueling and Clickair is on the way....:ok:

[gbour]

Well you know the one sure way to become a millionaire in the airline business....?
Start as a billionaire.

[GlueBall]

"Their business class seats were cheaper than economy in BA."

. . . Maybe that's why OASIS made no money in its 18 months of operation. :{

[moggiee]

Recently resigned from my current job to start on the 747-400 this month.

Better go cup in hand back to my old company!
Best of luck, then.

[BYALPHAINDIA]

Another one bites the dust,:ugh:

What I saw of Oasis looked cheerful, different, and good.:D

I guess they were a change from the usual CX.:*

We can all speculate 'why' But at least they gave it a go, Maybe the decision to use newly built 744's or fast expansion were the causes??

You would think at least one of the worlds 'Greedy Banks' would 'bale' them out until they got into 1st gear??:=

Hasn't HSBC got a few spare 'trillion':rolleyes:

Dare I say it, But when it comes to the good old Aviation Industry - no
one wants to be bothered??:ugh::*

There's a saying in the UK, In 10 years time all that will be left is 'Takeaways' & Greedy Banks - You never hear of these 2 closing down
do you??

RIP OASIS.:sad:

[handflown]

Moggie

I did go back to the old company.

Thanks

[groundstargatwickops]

I cant beileve this happened, the flights were always full. Groundstar/Swissport have lost around £12million a year!

[Doors to Automatic]

I have actually wondered whether the Business model actually works for LowCost,Longhaul. Always assumed virtually all the Revenue/Cost advantages on which the model is based accrue to shorthaul.


It can do in certain niches but you need to differentiate both product and price from the established carriers in order to give yourself a sufficient USP.

If I was planning a start-up I would plan something along a 3-cabin model:

1. Ultra economy - minimal seat pitch and you pay for everything but with a headline-grabbing low entry fare. Pitch at price-concious market.

2. Premium economy - 38 inch pitch and good quality food service and IFE, upsell lounge access and priority check-in with fares comparable to other carriers' standard economy

3. Business class - but with cradle seats rather than flat beds as it uses less space. Highest quality food service and PTV IFE system. Lounge acces and priority check-in, securiy. Price at other carriers' premium economy fares.

I would also limit sector length to 8 hours as it means you only need one unit per route (i.e. it can do an entire rotation within 24 hrs). It also negates the need for flat-beds in business class.

Also use something a bit smaller like at 767-300 and go to 2 flights per day on a route if demand is there.

[Dysag]

In my experience, going smaller is not the right way. A 3-class 767-300 has a very low seat count - not much over 200 - and a high cost per seat. Have you costed it out?

Furthermore, looking at your offering, I think that:

Sardine class: they can always get a great deal by shopping aound the network carriers on the internet. These have the economies of scale and (within limits) can sell some of this class at a price below your cost of production.

The other two classes: you seem to be planning to sell seats at a low fare for a high cost service. I'm not convinced this is the way to go.

[VAFFPAX]

http://www.az.com.na/wirtschaft/fliegen-laut-plan.65159.php (in German)

I'll translate:

== begin translation ==

Owners of leased Boeing in bankruptcy

Windhoek - Despite the bankruptcy of Oasis Airlines (Hong Kong), from whom Air Namibia currently leases a Boeing 747-400, the state-owned airline operates as planned, announced Air Namibia in writing yesterday. It would "ensure that there is no disruption to the timetable, and operations will continue as normal," said Ben Dahwa, director of engineering and flight operations.

Wimpie van Vuuren, head of Air Namibia for Europe in Frankfurt / Main, explained on Wednesday evening after being contacted by Allgemeine Zeitung, that they had heard on Wednesday of the developments in Hong Kong. The airline Oasis had gone into liquidation, the firm KPMG had been appointed as bankruptcy administrator. "We want to avoid any unnecessary damage, and are working to find a solution," said van Vuuren. His colleague Dahwa assured AZ that the premature termination of the lease contract was a possibility and that the company was searching for a suitable replacement aircraft, which would meet the needs and requirements of Air Namibia.

The Boeing will be used by Air Namibia as replacement, as an Airbus A340-300 is currently in maintenance.

== end translation ==

I stand corrected on my previous view on SW being hard-up :rolleyes:

S.

[mybrico]

I can believe it has happened. I used Oasis 6 times in “C” in their first 3 months and then one night turned up at LGW, flight canceled. Fast taxi to LHR to catch the last BA. No back up aircraft or alternative flight and for the past 12 months BA have been only 25% more expensive. I will miss them a lot but only because prices will now go up. Yield too low, lots of students and pensioners.

[Anansis]

I agree- certain aspects of your idea are already employed with great success by the middle eastern airlines (Emirates, Qatar, Gulfair etc, who fly sectors of under 8 hours with a connection in the gulf).

What I dont understand is that apparently Oasis broke even after six months. What happened? I fly LON-HKG regularly and the cheapest Oasis fares were actually quite expensive towards the end, comparable to BA, AF et all and actually more expensive than Air New Zealand. Why did they increase their prices? It is price which ultimatly drove away customers. :(

[Seat1APlease]

I am sure that low cost long-haul could work but you need a certain size to achieve that. If you only have two aircraft and three routes then you can't afford to have a standby aircraft to cover unserviceability and maintenance.

It also becomes difficult to roster rotations efficiently, and you end up with long periods on the ground. A large airline can use early morning arrivals from the far east to go out straight away to the states, or afternoon arrivals from the east to do the overnight trips to South Africa etc.It is very expensive to do check in, handling, engineering etc. if you only have a couple of departures a day spaced out by nine or ten hours, and sales, advertising, even catering need volume to get the best price.


I suspect if you had at least half a dozen aircraft then it could work, but not with fewer.

[Few Cloudy]

Good luck boys,

Also the ones from HLQ FUK!

[westie]

Like everyone else i feel sorry for the crews and staff APART FROM THE BOSSES. They have probably milked enough from the business to be sitting pretty. Unfortunately it is my (and thousands of others) money they have. I booked a few days ago and now I reckon there is little chance of seeing a penny. So to the bosses of Oasis go :mad: yourself.

[moa999]

I think the next to try will be AirAsia. I wish them well.

umm AirAsiaX - Kuala Lumpar to Gold Coast
using A330s

[jet999]

I know many pilots from my old firm were there. Best of luck to you all. Sorry it turned out this way.:=

[M.Mouse]

I booked a few days ago and now I reckon there is little chance of seeing a penny.

Small consolation and I know it is currently fashionable to knock BA but they are offering a reasonable deal to help people such as yourself.

See: http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com/article.asp?id=52423&nav=2

[TSR2]

If you paid by credit card, try for refund through them or through your travel insurance.

[VAFFPAX]

umm AirAsiaX - Kuala Lumpar to Gold Coast
using A330s
And SRB has his fingers in that one too.

:-)

S.

[VAFFPAX]

Oasis' demise has had a slightly unwanted effect on SW. Their flight WDH-FRA for 13 April was cancelled and rescheduled for this morning 10am. The flight certificates for Oasis were withdrawn and SW has had to lease a 767-300 from NO in Italy. It only arrived this morning to be turned around.

:-\

S.

[Guava Tree]

Well, I've had problems in the past with HSBC (Hong Kong) credit card refunds in Hong Kong due to Hong Kong's pathetic Consumer Credit Laws. HSBC cites "difficulty of obtaining proof " if default occurs by a merchant based outside Hong Kong.Interesting to see if HSBC credit card company will shoulder the loss in this sad case.

[exfly]

to all crew it was a pleasure working with you all, all the best...

[westie]

If you paid by credit card, try for refund through them or through your travel insurance.

TSR2, thanks for you advice. I have sent off a claim but as yet, nothing. Your comments are much appreciated and if anyone else has any advice as to whether I can get any moeny back then this would also be appreciated. Like everyone else i feel sorry for the crew but I am also feeling sorry for my bank balance which has been robbed (fraudulently in my view as they must have known they were going to go bust) of a lot of cash.

[icecone]

I just wonder if they could lower their fares. With oil prices at $110, they suffered a loss every plane they fly
A very sad news
Bye Oasis

[cesare.caldi]

Who will buy the five 747 of Oasis fleet?

[harrogate]

umm AirAsiaX - Kuala Lumpar to Gold Coast
using A330s

Less of the plural.

Try 'A330'.

25 on order, 1 in service.

[westie]

If you paid by credit card, try for refund through them or through your travel insurance

TSR2,

Your post ws a great help to me and I want to thank yuo personally for that. After your comments I took some legal advise and have today received a full refund from my credit card company. You are right in that if you paid by c/c, there is an inbuilt protection and by asking for a 'chargeback' I was able to secure a reund. If we meet in the future, there's quite a few beers coming yuor way! Maybe one of the benefits of PPRUNE?

[TSR2]

I'll hold you to that Westie. Glad you got a positive outcome.