Originally Posted by
Roger
Oh, I hope so.
IIRC BA regards its investment in Comair as non-strategic, unlike its lower (percentage) share of Iberia. Perhaps a sale of the Comair stake is on the cards, like its former share of Qantas?
Where have you heard this before? Unless I misunderstand the meaning of a "strategic" investment, I have always been told Comair is quite valuable to BA in terms of providing onwards services to its passengers and feeder traffic for the lucrative long-haul routes. Quite a few passengers on the CPT and JNB services will be traveling elsewhere in SA (well, JNB at least, CPT seems much more an O&D destination than does JNB). The short-haul operation is also apparently quite profitable and a preferred carrier for domestic and regional routes as compared to SA by many business travelers (that I have spoken to anyway). I could be wrong though about how it is valued by BA.
If I were Comair, I would go for the Lagos route first. The passengers on the SA route apparently hemorhage money, and it is pure profit. It would probably be much easier to get rights than trying to pry slots away from someone else at LHR (unless BA cooperates with them of course).
Would BA end the franchise agreement if Comair goes after the lucratice SA routes?