oliver2002

SAS restructuring its fleet (again)



I wonder how SAS longhaul fits into this picture... SAIL is SAS Ireland?

GUWonder

Viewfromthewing.com was the first of how I heard about this today.

The merry-go-round continues with SAS.

SAS Connect, SAS, and SAS Link. Long-haul is SAS, not Link. Who knows what would prevent long-haul from remaining in just SAS. My bet is that SAS would love to try to split some of that long-haul flying into SAS Connect if it could do so without pressure from beyond that pressure which management may fancy.

FinalCall.travel is the site that VFTW mentions above.

Dover2Golf

I just hope that with this change we get relief from SAIL in the UK because it's just not the same as SAS proper.

CPH-Flyer

So with SAS Link they are basically reviving SAS Commuter that used to operate the Dash8. A separate operating company for the regional jets/props. We are coming full circle. From in house cheaper production company to mainline to outsourced regional flying to in house cheaper production company.

Nothing new under the sun?

SKT-DK

Next thing we know, New Delhi is coming back for a re-run only to fail after six months (again)....

GUWonder

SK flew to Delhi for far longer than just six months or so. They just seem to jump out of India at the wrong time and jump back in at a worse time.

SKT-DK

I know - but there was a time where they tried to get it back up and running multiple times only to end up shutting down again...

FlyingMoose

What? SAIL is a considerably better experience than regular SAS in terms of staff and service. You still get the same plane, uncomfortable seat and terrible food as on any other SAS flight.

Can otherwise only applaud Scandinavian companies taking steps to combat low-skilled labor cost in the Nordics.

GUWonder

Applauding Scandinavian companies taking steps to combat higher-skilled labor cost too in the Nordics? SAS’s IT is part and parcel of that?

Dover2Golf

Well the next time you need in flight assistance or there is an emergency let's see if you change your tune about low skilled labour.

GUWonder

I would be pretty surprised if unionized SK flight attendants being paid more in Scandinavia for my US-Europe/Europe-US flights would mean superior FA assistance in an emergency than a lower paid DL flight attendant.

Training can happen and work even with lower paid staff. And there is no guarantee that any amount of typical FA training by SK or DL is going to change how they actually respond in a real emergency. Training works, but a lower or higher salary may not necessarily make all the difference in the world In an emergency. In an emergency, loyal, low-paid locals can at times provide superior security to overpaid mercenaries in it just for the money. Maybe it sort of goes the same way with FAs. Oh wait. Highly-paid SK FAs are pretty loyal to SK — some even think they own the plane.

FlyingMoose

Not sure if I'd put basic software and app development, especially at SAS quality, in the high-skill labor category.

OTOH, I can't tell if the SAS IT problems are at the developer quality level or management but I suspect the latter.

FlyingMoose

I have a range of choice of airlines that have far more reasonable compensation schemes for their staff that are happy to provide in flight assistance and are often much better at it. These airlines also aren't bleeding financially left and right trying to compete in a global market with Scandinavian labor cost. This has been one of SAS's Achilles heels for years and previous attempts at addressing this have been unsuccessful. You can't offer tickets and services at the same rate as your competition when their staff costs a third or less than yours which means higher prices for consumers (you and me) and/or a less successful operation like SAS hardly having flights I could use or would prefer to use. There are no winners in this scenario.

The problem is of course much more wide spread in Scandinavia than just at SAS, there is this weird cultural preference to let companies fail or provide utterly ...... products and service rather than trying to mitigate the labor cost problem. So I'm glad companies are pushing to change that.

GUWonder

Just curious but which airlines do you fly to North America that have no record of getting massive government bailouts and/or of using their loyalty program schemes for a Ponzi-like financial lift? SAS’s financial bleed seems like minnow flow compared to the past bleed of much bigger TATL-flying whales.

These shell games played by airlines — SAS included this time again — seem like a shareholder/management -driven street hustle that comes with no guarantee of great, sustainable winnings no matter the labor cost argument used.

RoyalSwazi

Scandinavia is a high cost region, hence salaries reflect this. Wizzair tried to combat this by flying in cheap Polish crews, but this failed. I�m no socialist, but I�m a huge believer in being able to live off your salary.