KLM Flying Dutchman - CPT services

Author: Simon Smith
Subject: Anybody know what is going on?
Recently KLM announced it was stopping its daily Cape Town flight via JNB and replacing it with a reduced 4 weekly service on M W F and Sat.

Yesterday I booked a business ticket weds 17th dec back sat 27th dec diorect with KLM. They have only been on sale for just under a weeks. To make sure I thought I would check my booking on line and to my surprise we have been put on a flight on Thursday 18th.

Rang up KLMUK....Apparantly all the CPT flights have been changed again...she was not sure what to but no longer on a wednesday! Cannot get me out sat sund mond tues weds frid only thursday and we are even waitlisted for that!

So;

What is happening to CPT?

If they can fill business that quickly why have they reduced business and CPT capacity??

The whole matter is a mystery to me!

KLM has long wanted to introduce direct flights to Cape Town. According to a KLM SA Newsletter last year there was "currently a business case at head office to introduce daily 777 flights to CPT". Instead, it would appear that KLM have decided to introduce direct flights by juggling around the existing 11 flights to SA. Currently there are daily direct night flights to JNB that continue to CPT, and four day flights a week to JNB that return the same evening to AMS. Starting October 26, there will be daily day flights to JNB, and four weekly night flights to CPT. I can only see disadvantages :

-although the flights to CPT will be nonstop, the reduced frequency is hardly an improvement. CPT is primarily a leisure destination, but going from daily to four weekly flights is not likely to attract more business pax. (on my JNB-AMS flight last Sunday some 350 out of 426 pax had boarded in CPT, but when I arrived on the upper deck it was almost empty. We departed completely full with C class pax who boarded in JNB).

-replacing the night flights to JNB with day flights is even worse. Arriving in JNB at 21:45 means no onward regional or domestic connections until the following morning. This is unlikely to appeal to business travelers, who will not appreciate losing first a day in the air, and the a night at an airport hotel. Personally, it means that I will have to switch to another airline, most likely SAA via FRA or ZHR, to ensure that I arrive in JNB early morning and can connect seamlessly with onward flights.

-in the light of the above, it amazes me that KLM has announced codeshares with Comair from JNB to PLZ and DUR. From October 26, when KLM flight will arrive in JNB at 21:45, there will be no onward flights to either PLZ or DUR until the next day!

johan

KLM's schedule is all the more mystifying in the light of burgeoning demand to Cape Town :

BA, Virgin try meet SA flight demand

http://iafrica.com/news/sa/207366.htm

johan