Hangertime

From what I know from friends TAAG only has opportunities to survive if it is not used as a political football. The new team from EK are slowly managing to turn the tiller on decades of mismanagement - this could change at any moment depending on the elections and if the new administration want to return their friends to high paid positions for no work- a real shame if that happens.

I heard an exciting new arrival of a Lisa Mota Pinto who will be the right arm of the CCO. I heard about her 10 years ago being touted as being headed for the right arm of Richard Branson in the railways- now she has been in aviation a few years it looks as she's still on track to get there. Good luck to all the management team- they and Angola are gonna need it

groundops

All well and good beefing up the commercial arm, but unless they install some operations folk to raise standards in safety, security and customer service even the best commercial strategy will likely never succeed.

The new managers have caused some ructions though!

The workers initially wrote an open letter to Augusto Tomas, Angola's Transport Minister pouring scorn on them:

http://club-k.net/index.php?option=c...d=1067&lang=pt

More recently, they have written to Angola's President:

http://club-k.net/index.php?option=c...d=1080&lang=pt

It seems the managers have caused upset over cancelling the First Lady's company which had the exclusive contract to procure cabin crew uniforms. They also want to close down Taag's route to Cape Verde as it is unprofitable. They also want to get rid of many of Taag's overseas staff (and presumably outsource more).

http://club-k.net/index.php?option=c...d=1071&lang=pt

A lot of Taag employees and now some important Angolans, it seems, wish they would go away!

groundops

Taag has added a twice weekly to MPM operating on D3 and D5. LAM recelty withdrew its twice weekly service to LAD.

With its current low fares I would imagine TAAG will steal some traffic heading between Mozambique and Portugal... although I, as a pax, would rather spend a bit more to avoid a stop in LAD as the transfer experience is hellish!

http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/...from-nov-2016/

groundops

Taag offering very cheap fares in its bid to earn foreign currency:

CPT to LIS (return) in Y is only $303.78.

https://secure.bravofly.com/booking/...CCC3C1E59208CD

groundops

Taag is consolidating its Brazilian service. Instead of operating flights LAD-GRU-LAD and seperately LAD-GIG-LAD from 31 October it will start to operate LAD-GRU-GIG-GRU-LAD.

Quite a sensible move, IMO, particlarly if the new Brazil flight is scheduled so pax can transfer from/to services to LIS, JNB and CPT (and possibly MPM and others)...

http://aviacaobrasil.com.br/taag-ang...voo-no-brasil/

groundops

Did you fly?

I am still battling with Taag over a number of miles that did not credit to my Umbi Umbi account.

cargueiro

Interesting interview in Valor Económico with Peter Hill, Chairman and CEO of TAAG (in Portuguese):

http://www.valoreconomico.co.ao/gran...r-estrangeiros

He says:

- The company he took over in September 2015 was in a very different shape to when the turnaround plan was drawn up due to crash in oil price - the timing could not have been much worse!

- Prior to the oil crash, the company had been investing heavily in new aircraft, new equipment, had got removed from the EU blacklist, was opening routes etc but he found there was no control.

- He has now got the finances under his control to his satisfaction, that of TAAG's creditors and he is pretty sure the Angolan government also are happy!

- Many staff are not well employed and it is a challenge to redeploy them. Staff have been made redundant who have reached retirement age.

- Says it has been much easier for him to implement change as a foreigner - he feels an Angolan would find it much harder to drive through change - he just explains to any naysayers that he is mandated by President to nake TAAG profitable.

- Cost savings in first year are US$120m; mainly achieved through renegotiating all supplier contracts, getting rid of external consultants and reducing duplicate processes.

- Route to Cape Verde will be axed unless Angolan government subsidises it. Or unless the Cape Verdeans offer incentives.

- He is coy on the profitability of the domestic network. He hopes to make LAD into a hub for TAAG and needs the domestic network to feed the international one.

- He has got immigration services to remove the need for transit visas and TAAG when he altered the timetable so TAAG flights ex-SA connect with TAAG flights to Portugal and vice versa, TAAG was initially carrying 6 or 7 transit pax a month; now it is carrying 80 or 90.

- He will only be around for another couple of years at the maximum and wants to get TAAG to breakeven by then - something he says the company has never achieved in its history. He also wants it to be viewed as one of the better African airlines.

- By the time he leaves, he also wants passengers when they see TAAG flies to a certain destination to say "TAAG, I will go with them" rather than "TAAG, I will use another carrier"!

Hangertime

It really doesn't surprise me that there have been a few letters flying around complaining about the new team- a change in any company is hit with resistance, but in a company which is well known for serving the back pockets of many internally will no doubt be met with an all out war. Very brave of the team to take up the challenge. I've already noticed a lot of changes in the visibility of the brand and also improvements in the airport and in-flight services. There's been some great promotions to suit me- so I'm all in favor.

cargueiro

http://www.tsf.pt/internacional/inte...a-8625727.html

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/n...ement-contract

The partnership seems to have come to an end.

Shame. TAAG did improve under EK quite substantially.. I imagine this announcement will delight some staff and TAAG will return to how it was before. Unfortunately I fear EK were not there long enough to effect lasting change.

Hangertime

Yes, a big shame as the structures put in place did not have time to cement themselves before the big changers left.

EK pulled out as the Angolan Govt were not repaying what was owed to them even though they reduced the losses of TAAG from $175million a year down to just $5million.
I was surprised they stuck with it for so long as the management team faced a barrage of death threats and bad publicity from some very bad apples in the company.

A couple of disloyal EK managers have returned to TAAG outside of the umbrella of EK, no doubt on a very big package and also no doubt that they will be staying away from tackling the endemic corruption of the company to save their own skins... I'm sceptical that they won't now just become part of the problem- let's see

ghostwrita

Unsurprised EK wasn't getting paid given the liquidity issues in the country. Two more years of oil prices at these levels and it get pretty dire for the country, let alone the airline.

Been travelling to LAD pretty frequently recently and always interesting how many wide and narrow bodies are parked, with the doors shut.

cargueiro

I imagine those expats that have stayed on may not stay for long. As soon as they find their salaries delayed (normal procedure before EK got involved) they will probably up sticks and leave. They will just milk TAAG until then.

thijsseh

Makes you wonder what would happen if EK would start managing SAA

Many of the TAAG 'problems' sound uncomfortably similar to those at SAA....

cargueiro

http://www.novojornal.co.ao/economia/interior/emirates-regressa-e-torna-se-patroa-na-taag-62389.html

Supposedly the management agreement has been re-established...