Gulf Air Massalama List.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Bahrain
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Here's the bbc article:
Troubled Swiss in BA tie-up
Debt-laden airline Swiss International Air Lines has revealed it is to join the Oneworld alliance led by British Airways.
Swiss said its customers would "benefit from this development in the form of a substantially expanded range of services".
The agreement will give BA access to Swiss take-off and landing slots at London's Heathrow airport, Swiss said.
BA will also back a financial bail-out for Swiss in the form of a credit facility worth 50m Swiss francs ($37m; £22.4m) which will be secured against the slots.
Survival measure
The Swiss airline's decision to join the Oneworld alliance puts an end to speculation that it might merge with Germany's Lufthansa, a tie-up that aviation analysts thought would probably have meant the end of Swiss as a separate airline.
Signing up to Oneworld keeps loss-making Swiss independent, there are still questions as to whether the company will survive in an overcrowded, highly competitive marketplace.
Swiss chief executive Andre Dose said on Tuesday that the loss-making airline plans to return to profit in 2005.
Following the tie-up, two major Swiss banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, have said they are willing to offer further loan facilities to Swiss, the airline said.
Swiss International was formed out of the collapse of Swissair in late 2001. The group was restructed under the management of its one-time regional subsidiary Crossair.
The failure of Swissair provoked a sense of national trauma in Switzerland.
Ailing Swiss
The Swiss government stepped in to broker a survival package. It persuaded the airline's banks to extend fresh loans and Swiss firms to give up tax concessions so funds could be diverted to the airline.
But Swiss International's business has not gone well since then, and in June 2003 the airline announced it would shed 34 aircraft - one third of its planes - in an effort to save 1.6bn Swiss francs ($1.21bn; £725m).
It said it was dropping one third of its routes to streamline the business, and plans to cease flying to Washington DC, Beijing or Rio de Janeiro.
The plan also included 3,000 job cuts in the company's 9,000 strong workforce.
Swiss racked up a net loss of 333m Swiss francs ($240m; £149m) in the first half of 2002.
Debt-laden airline Swiss International Air Lines has revealed it is to join the Oneworld alliance led by British Airways.
Swiss said its customers would "benefit from this development in the form of a substantially expanded range of services".
The agreement will give BA access to Swiss take-off and landing slots at London's Heathrow airport, Swiss said.
BA will also back a financial bail-out for Swiss in the form of a credit facility worth 50m Swiss francs ($37m; £22.4m) which will be secured against the slots.
Survival measure
The Swiss airline's decision to join the Oneworld alliance puts an end to speculation that it might merge with Germany's Lufthansa, a tie-up that aviation analysts thought would probably have meant the end of Swiss as a separate airline.
Signing up to Oneworld keeps loss-making Swiss independent, there are still questions as to whether the company will survive in an overcrowded, highly competitive marketplace.
Swiss chief executive Andre Dose said on Tuesday that the loss-making airline plans to return to profit in 2005.
Following the tie-up, two major Swiss banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, have said they are willing to offer further loan facilities to Swiss, the airline said.
Swiss International was formed out of the collapse of Swissair in late 2001. The group was restructed under the management of its one-time regional subsidiary Crossair.
The failure of Swissair provoked a sense of national trauma in Switzerland.
Ailing Swiss
The Swiss government stepped in to broker a survival package. It persuaded the airline's banks to extend fresh loans and Swiss firms to give up tax concessions so funds could be diverted to the airline.
But Swiss International's business has not gone well since then, and in June 2003 the airline announced it would shed 34 aircraft - one third of its planes - in an effort to save 1.6bn Swiss francs ($1.21bn; £725m).
It said it was dropping one third of its routes to streamline the business, and plans to cease flying to Washington DC, Beijing or Rio de Janeiro.
The plan also included 3,000 job cuts in the company's 9,000 strong workforce.
Swiss racked up a net loss of 333m Swiss francs ($240m; £149m) in the first half of 2002.
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Since this discussion has gone way off topic let me try my best to get back on subject.
Mach084 added to the GF masalama list.
After many many years in GF it's time to move on, I have made some great friends and have had a good career (while it lasted). In all honesty I am sad to see this airline to which I gave the vast majority of my adult life in such a state. I wish GF and all it's employees good luck in future.
Cheers
Mach
Mach084 added to the GF masalama list.
After many many years in GF it's time to move on, I have made some great friends and have had a good career (while it lasted). In all honesty I am sad to see this airline to which I gave the vast majority of my adult life in such a state. I wish GF and all it's employees good luck in future.
Cheers
Mach
Join Date: Apr 1999
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Sorry - I fully agree with the company. You DO NOT sell a slot like that to a direct competitor. PERIOD. The $5 mill will come back one way or another in not having EY add a flight at the same time GF has one.
That makes economic and competitive sense.
We also codeshare with AA so if they can add a flight that connects with ours then we offer an additional connection to the US with the extra seats we can sell offsetting the $5 mill.
That makes economic and competitive sense.
We also codeshare with AA so if they can add a flight that connects with ours then we offer an additional connection to the US with the extra seats we can sell offsetting the $5 mill.
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Join Date: May 2007
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That make sense provided that you HAVE passengers WILLING to fly and connect to Gulf Air. Next time you are boarding just look at your passengers...who are they? Not regular passengers that you see on Emirates, Etihad, Qatari, British Airways, etc... The majority and bulk of GF’s passengers are maids, construction workers, laborer drudges that are traveling at the end or the start of their contract. These tickets are sold cheap and paid by their sponsors. That’s why our Indian destinations are full in Y class and empty in J class.
We depart late,
We change departure time (date) several times
We provide hot cabin
We provide poor interior (with tape holding the arm rests)
We have delays due to technical almost every flight, if not every other flight
Our passengers can’t depend on even a two hours connection to the next flight due to so many delays .........And on and on and on........
The reality is that a regular paying (from his own pocket) is not willing to fly with us let alone connecting to others via GF. If US is your destination; fly out of AUH, DXB and soon DOH direct to North America with EK,EY,QR. Depart on time, experience the best “real airline” service, and then connect to other airlines with ease of mind.
We depart late,
We change departure time (date) several times
We provide hot cabin
We provide poor interior (with tape holding the arm rests)
We have delays due to technical almost every flight, if not every other flight
Our passengers can’t depend on even a two hours connection to the next flight due to so many delays .........And on and on and on........
The reality is that a regular paying (from his own pocket) is not willing to fly with us let alone connecting to others via GF. If US is your destination; fly out of AUH, DXB and soon DOH direct to North America with EK,EY,QR. Depart on time, experience the best “real airline” service, and then connect to other airlines with ease of mind.
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Surrounded by aluminum, and the great outdoors
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See the same sort of pax on the competitors c100 ridden on all of them as a pax, and see the same faces....only the airplanes are nicer on the inside...still smell the same
Join Date: Dec 2005
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c100 is right, in the old days going to Europe, GF was a first choice airline to make. Nowdays, you only book them out of BAH if BA is full on your day or you need to catch the red eye coming back.
Shame really!
Shame really!
Join Date: May 2007
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You don't sell a slot to a direct competitor. You do however sell one to a code-share partner. And someone told me that there's a guarantee of more revenue alongside the cash.
Join Date: Sep 2000
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Sadly most of the GF first class passengers were quickly lost to our competitors when an overnight decree changed the GF first class cabin crewing policy.
Suddenly National male stewards were required to operate first class straight out of training school and not progres their career via aft then mid cabin experiance.
Having no previous cabin service experiance or years to properly learn the service and how to deliver it.. I observed they effectively killed off most off the paying GF first class passengers in a few months.
I could go on...but will spare you....the dog needs a walk.
Suddenly National male stewards were required to operate first class straight out of training school and not progres their career via aft then mid cabin experiance.
Having no previous cabin service experiance or years to properly learn the service and how to deliver it.. I observed they effectively killed off most off the paying GF first class passengers in a few months.
I could go on...but will spare you....the dog needs a walk.
Join Date: May 2006
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Yeah don't sell them the slots to make money but go ahead take our CEO and a chunk of our experienced staff..makes perfect sense doesn't it Trader......GF can't even dream of competing with the 3 big boys so it would only make sense to sell the slots and make money..All about priorities which GF seem to always get in reverse.
Join Date: Jun 2007
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chuck y dont leave
i wrote a letter to bn asking him for more turnarounds,less minimum rest,5 hours on the ground everywhere
less maintaince(ours is too high need to cut costs!),remove one pack we only need one,no need for apu because weather is nice
so stick around
it will be great
i wrote a letter to bn asking him for more turnarounds,less minimum rest,5 hours on the ground everywhere less maintaince(ours is too high need to cut costs!),remove one pack we only need one,no need for apu because weather is nice so stick around it will be great
Join Date: Jan 2003
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Despite the effort from the new management to retain its qualified workforce by the introduction of a quality well-rounded package, this GF pilot was seen leaving the island this morning on Budaiya highway unable to sustain his family anymore.
Join Date: Apr 1999
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Except the CEO and the experienced staff were not 'given' or sold to EY!! GF is living in a competitive market and is getting killed - in every aspect. The fight is to survive, restructure and hopefully come out in the end.
As I said the $5 million less that they got for the slot comes back in connection via AAA is London AND in not having the competitor using that slot. Besides - $5 mil is NOTHING and easily compensated for.
Finally, we have no IDEA as to what is really happening, if those numbers are true or other aspects of the deal.
As I said the $5 million less that they got for the slot comes back in connection via AAA is London AND in not having the competitor using that slot. Besides - $5 mil is NOTHING and easily compensated for.
Finally, we have no IDEA as to what is really happening, if those numbers are true or other aspects of the deal.
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Trader ,
I beg to differ, GF is not getting killed, GF is killing it's self. Whatever predicament GF is in is all self inflicted. A result of years of corruption, incompetence and right old abuse.
GF is living in a competitive market and is getting killed