Air Polonia Bankrupt?
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My girlfriend was comming to me from Warsaw to Charleroi for new year...
30-12 till 02-01... I hope we'll be able to get another plane, 'cause at that time of the year there are much more passengers i think...
Anyway: for the experts: Should it be save to take WizzAir as replacement for het tickets,...?
30-12 till 02-01... I hope we'll be able to get another plane, 'cause at that time of the year there are much more passengers i think...
Anyway: for the experts: Should it be save to take WizzAir as replacement for het tickets,...?
Air Polonia's debts
Air Polonia has $ 26 million debts
We just rebooked our family (visiting us) from Airpolonia to Wizzair from Brussels to Warsaw and back. Finding accomodation on flights was not 100% optimal but we were able to keep down the costs. Not all flights with available seats could be used for exchanging former Airpolonia flights though. Be careful about that and check through their regular booking system. Calling Wizz tonight was problematic. I wonder why .....
Bare in mind the roughly 50 Euro airport taxes that can not be avoided per person per flight.
Good luck
Geebee
Bare in mind the roughly 50 Euro airport taxes that can not be avoided per person per flight.
Good luck
Geebee
If I were you I would play it on the safe side and buy a ticket on LOT/SN from WAW to BRU (not Charelroi). The price will be a lot more but at least you'll be sure that you will arrive at your destination.Sentike wrote: Should it be save to take WizzAir as replacement for het tickets,...?
On the other hand if Wizz is offering you to fly for free with only the taxes to pay you can always try. But keep in mind that Wizz could also be bankrupt in a few weeks (we don't know). And in that case you will again have problems.....
Chris
My mistake
I'm sorry, I made the mistake Air Polonia has about 26 million Zloty debts, it is about $ 9 million
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SkyEurope will not be helping all Air Polonia passengers. For example, you can still get a seat on a flight on New Year's Eve - if you pat 450 zl. + taxes (for one way) - but the Air Polonia help has apparently "sold out." So they have limited the number of seats available in this way.
My friend is supposed to be coming over at New Year. We have rebooked with Wizz but I am not sure whether to just arrange a LOT flight for her just to be done with it, as although the plane will probably be delayed (as has been my experience with LOT), you have to hope that it won't go bankrupt!
My friend is supposed to be coming over at New Year. We have rebooked with Wizz but I am not sure whether to just arrange a LOT flight for her just to be done with it, as although the plane will probably be delayed (as has been my experience with LOT), you have to hope that it won't go bankrupt!
LOT, Ryanair, Sky Europe
Air Polonia used to offer domestic flights inside poland, but was forced out of that market by LOT, who cut the prices on domestic flights just to get rid of competition. (I'm sure they were flying below cost price). They could have something to do with this. On the other hand, this morning I read on polish teletext that Air Polonia got in trouble because a big *Irish* investor backed out. But I'm sure Ryanair had absolutely nothing to do with that...
(slightly offtopic)
Well, I hope at least Sky Europe sticks around, as they are the only LCC flying between Poland and Holland. However, they are cutting back the number of flights on that route all the time. When they started they had a daily flight, then they stopped flying on saturday, and from jan 13th they will fly only 4 times per week, and they have been cancelling lots of flights on this route since november at least. This is all quite strange, as there appears to be quite a lot of traffic on the route. LOT has two daily flights between AMS and WAW, and KLM has *three* daily flights. Maybe they just have a bad time to fly? WAW-AMS departs at 12:30 and AMS-WAW is at 15:05. I don't fly with them because of this; I can fly with KLM to WAW on friday evening and come back monday morning early enough to get to work at a reasonable time. No weekend trip with Sky Europe. There are however many many buses driving up and down between Holland and Poland each day, and they cost about the same as Sky Europe when booked sufficiently in advance. I know some people who use it instead of a bus, and then the time does not matter that much (always better to fly at noon than to spend 20 hours in a bus).
(slightly offtopic)
Well, I hope at least Sky Europe sticks around, as they are the only LCC flying between Poland and Holland. However, they are cutting back the number of flights on that route all the time. When they started they had a daily flight, then they stopped flying on saturday, and from jan 13th they will fly only 4 times per week, and they have been cancelling lots of flights on this route since november at least. This is all quite strange, as there appears to be quite a lot of traffic on the route. LOT has two daily flights between AMS and WAW, and KLM has *three* daily flights. Maybe they just have a bad time to fly? WAW-AMS departs at 12:30 and AMS-WAW is at 15:05. I don't fly with them because of this; I can fly with KLM to WAW on friday evening and come back monday morning early enough to get to work at a reasonable time. No weekend trip with Sky Europe. There are however many many buses driving up and down between Holland and Poland each day, and they cost about the same as Sky Europe when booked sufficiently in advance. I know some people who use it instead of a bus, and then the time does not matter that much (always better to fly at noon than to spend 20 hours in a bus).
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Re: LOT, Ryanair, Sky Europe
I completely agree with Earthman that failure in talks has resulted in this step. I hear that the airline has suspended all flights indefinitely and may face bankruptcy after discussions on a possible $10m investment from an Irish company collapsed on Friday.earthman wrote:On the other hand, this morning I read on polish teletext that Air Polonia got in trouble because a big *Irish* investor backed out. But I'm sure Ryanair had absolutely nothing to do with that...
MEDIA REPORTS STATE THAT.
Air Polonia, Poland's first low-cost airline, said that PlaneConsult, the company founded by Ryanair and Aer Lingus director Conor McCarthy, pulled out of negotiations about a $10m investment on Friday.
Aum Sweet Aum.
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With due respect to Concordino, i ask just out of curiosity. Please take no offense.concordino wrote:Avro, Are you working in the SNBA or LOT marketing departments? Concordino
Last edited by Advisor on 06 Dec 2004, 16:16, edited 1 time in total.
Aum Sweet Aum.
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WizzAir may well go bankrupt, but have just had a reasonably big cash injection that may stave off their problems for while. Looks to me like Air Polonia will be the casualty for the moment.
As for LOT - I have flown with LOT 3 or 4 times. Every single flight I have taken with them has been delayed, and most of these with delays of two hours or more. They sometimes charge even more than British Airways despite having more inconvenient travelling slots at both Warsaw and Heathrow airports. The staff are very pleasant in-flight, but they can't really make up for having to hang around at Warsaw airport until 10.30pm for a flight which should leave at 8pm, when I have to be in work the next day, and when I know the BA flight left promptly on time at 6.
The end result is, astonishingly, that BA is not only a more reliable option, but cheaper.
As for LOT - I have flown with LOT 3 or 4 times. Every single flight I have taken with them has been delayed, and most of these with delays of two hours or more. They sometimes charge even more than British Airways despite having more inconvenient travelling slots at both Warsaw and Heathrow airports. The staff are very pleasant in-flight, but they can't really make up for having to hang around at Warsaw airport until 10.30pm for a flight which should leave at 8pm, when I have to be in work the next day, and when I know the BA flight left promptly on time at 6.
The end result is, astonishingly, that BA is not only a more reliable option, but cheaper.
Well, we've taken the risk...
We booked at WizzAir:
* flight Warsaw-Charleroi on the 29th of december for a total price of 376 PLN (ticket + taxes)
* flight Charleroi-Warsaw on the 2nd of january for a total price of 117 PLN (ticket was for free, only taxes)
The total brings us at 493 PLN + the 590 PLN we lost with AirPolonia...
Hell, hell, hell... Now i'm just hoping that the articles are right and that indeed WizzAir is safe for the next 2 years
We booked at WizzAir:
* flight Warsaw-Charleroi on the 29th of december for a total price of 376 PLN (ticket + taxes)
* flight Charleroi-Warsaw on the 2nd of january for a total price of 117 PLN (ticket was for free, only taxes)
The total brings us at 493 PLN + the 590 PLN we lost with AirPolonia...
Hell, hell, hell... Now i'm just hoping that the articles are right and that indeed WizzAir is safe for the next 2 years
Wizz is safely !!
They just had a boost of fresh money and will even expand the fleet + network.
2 A320's will join in January 2005 and this will increase the flights and routes.
I think they still want to get ridd of SKY and then they would have more or less monopoly on some Polish airports.
Wait and see...
Rgds;
They just had a boost of fresh money and will even expand the fleet + network.
2 A320's will join in January 2005 and this will increase the flights and routes.
I think they still want to get ridd of SKY and then they would have more or less monopoly on some Polish airports.
Wait and see...
Rgds;
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Well, Sentike, I don't know, but I sure would not have taken the risk to rebook on WizzAir. After all, your bill is growing ever steadily and still you are stuck with a very unreliable ticket on a LCC.
At risk of being called a PR man of SN too, I just want to point out SN is offering tickets to victims of the Air polonia bankruptcy at 50euro plus taxes.
I think Avro is right, sometimes you have to pay a little more to be sure...
http://www.brusselsairlines.com/en/comp ... cm:31-6027
At risk of being called a PR man of SN too, I just want to point out SN is offering tickets to victims of the Air polonia bankruptcy at 50euro plus taxes.
I think Avro is right, sometimes you have to pay a little more to be sure...
http://www.brusselsairlines.com/en/comp ... cm:31-6027