I think that anemic investments that keep an airline flirting with death for 20 years like SN has been is even less realistic.oldblueeyes wrote: ↑10 May 2020, 17:56 Patriotic approaches are not bad in their own but they are not realistic to market realities and an open skies Europe.
It's nice to have big dreams on long haul, but the reality is that this work typically in alliance internal JV's. And the alliances are built around big founding members from each continent and each of them has a word to say.
Delta is already a shareholder in AF/KLM and Virgin Atlantic serving already 3 hubs nearby.
IAG has not only UK and Spain but needs also critical mass for DUB.
LH is founding member of the Star Alliance and unlikely that they would stay close friends if they would get a punch in their face. Also they have a very good relation with Neeleman - lastly they were in talks to catch TAP together with United, 20 years ago they were with 25% shareholders in Jet Blue etc.
So where should find a new company friends on the other side of the Ocean that could carry passengers further? Outside JFK which is a markt itself, even highly popular leisure destinations such as Miami were not working for Austrian...
Dreams are always good, but taxpayers' money should go into something feasable.
To be self-sustaining, an airline needs a "Yes we can and yes we will" attitude.
Not a "maybe, if we try, we might, but I don't know" attitude.
It's already hard enough to run a decent airline with the highest of motivations, if you lack the attitude then you can forget about it.
To be self-sustaining, an airline needs to have mass, economies of scale, bargaining power, influence.
As for the political aspect, if you look at the big names who have been at the head of SN, such as Davignon, political influence is never far away even in a totally private company.
Late Freddy Van Gaever of VLM was also a politician.
Alliances are not critical in a world where codeshares are an option.
There are plenty of airlines anywhere in the world ready to codeshare.
UA/DL/AA don't want to work with you in North America? Fine, ask B6, WN, AS, F9, AC.
Neeleman no longer has influence at B6 and besides, he's too busy juggling funds between TAP, Azul and Breeze that he can't be bothered. He's never been a big friend of LH or United for that matter.
This is also not a concern as SN is already a member of Star Alliance, no LH influence can kick them out and for now this is plenty enough, no reason to leave.
Codeshares with Lufthansa may disappear, but then SN can run their own FRA and ZRH flights, it's not like these flights add a lot of value to SN anyway, they are just feeding LH and LX hubs, SN can use them more proactively to feed the BRU hub.
Why wouldn't SQ work with SN in SIN if SN starts a flight?
Why shouldn't SN work with CX on their HKG flights? Just because LH says so now.
So alliances and codeshares are not really that much of a concern.
Lufthansa Passage and German subsidiaries are about to get 9 Billions.
Over 100.000 EUR of taxpayer money per German staff member in the name of "critical infrastructure".
Time for Belgium to build its own "critical infrastructure", this is not the time to get shaky legs, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to do whatever it takes and put Belgium on the map.
Aviation creates economic activity and stimulates opportunities.
Every 1 EUR coin invested comes back to the government in 100 EUR notes, even if the airline itself may be break-even or even loss-making. The passengers the airline carries brings in business and business brings consumption and jobs, ie VAT, social contributions, personal and corporate income taxes.
Every airline job creates many other jobs down the line.
As a government, you need to look at the big picture.
Do you want to come out of the Coronavirus crisis a weak and battered country and stay that way, or do you want to come out reborn as a global hub for business and diplomacy?
Do you want to come out of the crisis looking like Bangladesh or rather like Dubai?
Do you want to come out of the crisis as Eurowings, Brussels Airlines life or death Zombie (SN of the past 20 years) or as Brussels Airlines International?
It's not about being patriotic.
Either do things the right way, or stay home and play Playstation.