Strange personnel change at Brussels Airlines

OO-SAB · Post by **OO-SAB** » 17 Sep 2007, 10:36

La Libre Belgique this morning makes a strange announcement: the executive VP Operational Services of Brussels Airlines Ulf Weber leaves the company. As per his function he was the accountable manager, i.e. technical boss of the two directors of operations (formerly SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express, now respectively Brussels Airlines and Brussels Airlines Fly). Before joining Brussels Airlines he worked for Thomas Cook Belgium as General Manager.

Personnel has been advised that Philippe Vander Putten himself would take over the responsibilities of Ulf Weber. Some SN staff are puzzled: this job requires a pilot experience and a technical knowledge that Philippe Vander Putten lacks. Indeed, in case of an accident the accountable manager will be in first line to answer the questions of the aviation authorities, the enquiry commission, etc.

Ducatibiker · Post by **Ducatibiker** » 17 Sep 2007, 11:27

Thanks for the info - there is also an interview of Emmanuel Menu on Jet Airways intentions 'to replace sx. Sabena'. Someone has a plan finally !

tolipanebas · Post by **tolipanebas** » 18 Sep 2007, 14:33

I think you will find the failed attempt to bring dat - brussels airlines (ex SN Brussels Airlines) and brussels airlines fly (ex Virgin Express) together under one single AOC at the basis of his resignation...

BRANCOCALIENTE · Post by **BRANCOCALIENTE** » 18 Sep 2007, 15:12

You get it, and some others news will come in a few times...
According to info in air blabla U.W.is now crunching a job at JetAirways...
Ahhhhh belgian aviation...

OO-SAB · Post by **OO-SAB** » 19 Sep 2007, 09:33

tolipanebas wrote:I think you will find the failed attempt to bring dat - brussels airlines (ex SN Brussels Airlines) and brussels airlines fly (ex Virgin Express) together under one single AOC at the basis of his resignation...

And now this new story in La Libre Belgique, which seems to have good internal sources:

Ex-Virgin cabin crew extremely unhappy: they receive their pay-checks irregularly, with variable amounts but without explanations, due to IT problems ever since the merger: it seems that the two IT systems are still incompatible. The corrections are also wrong.

The ex-Virgin pilots also had similar problems, but their well-organised union managed to get a satisfactory solution from management.

About meals at foreign destinations, no more free meals for cabin crew: they have to pay them with meal vouchers, but the company forgot to print them...

Final topic for complaints: too heavy workload. Even part-time staff have to work full time. And full time staff work over time...

Will the next victim be the director of human resources?

Ducatibiker · Post by **Ducatibiker** » 19 Sep 2007, 10:05

Thank you for the article. The merger took place Q1-2007 - hard to believe that this is not fixed yet. If PNC is not respected by their own management...well I understand that some of them will not respect PAX either. But and this is great, most of the PNC keep respecting customers.
Thank you.

And be sure that we are also furious at your management (45gr of pasta with 3 peas served in b.flex is not an IT mistake ! )

Air Key West · Post by **Air Key West** » 19 Sep 2007, 10:27

Some people don't like trade unions and it is true they sometimes act in an unrealistic way, but if the flight attendants (FA) at b.air decided to get unionised like the pilots, they would probably have more clout and get most problems (like salary payments) solved in an appropriate way. All this goes to show that this airline is run by amateurs. They have managed to make most employees and passengers unhappy. If they published them, I am really curious to see the results for Q2 + Q3, the first two quarters for b.air : pax load factors ? profit ? On the few occasions when I have still flown with them, the planes were far from being full. Are they preparing any employees and passengers satisfaction surveys ? Probably not, they don't care.

Ducatibiker · Post by **Ducatibiker** » 19 Sep 2007, 11:04

Try to find a customer satisfaction form on board ! Good way to reduce the number of complaints ! On the last flight I ask the Flight Supervisor to do a report. Her answer was 'Don't waste your time, they (management) don't listen !'

Air Key West · Post by **Air Key West** » 19 Sep 2007, 11:29

Indeed, there are no forms available on board to forward comments to b.air. Shows indeed that they don't care. Recently, on a flight from GVA a pax who had booked with Swiss (as it is a code share flight) complained he had to pay for drinks and snacks (which he does not have to do on LX). He asked for a passenger satisfaction form. The flight attendant could only tell him to write to an address on the Timetable he was handing over to the passenger. Not at all professional. As I have already said, it's an airline run by people who don't know the airline industry and are behaving like amateurs. I still have not got any flights booked with them for the Autumn, although I'm flying at least two to three times a month. Would like to see their Q2+3 results at the end of the month (if they publish them). For me it's basically b.light or more often Business class on another airline.

Post by **sn26567** » 19 Sep 2007, 12:30

Air Key West wrote:Indeed, there are no forms available on board to forward comments to b.air.

But you can file a complaint on their website.

dre · Post by **dre** » 19 Sep 2007, 12:34

If you file a complaint it takes at least 6 weeks and often more to get an answer if you get one.

Stij · Post by **Stij** » 19 Sep 2007, 13:23

dre wrote:If you file a complaint it takes at least 6 weeks and often more to get an answer if you get one.

I'm already waiting 8 weeks now. No hope I'm afraid...

Cheers,

Stij

ERICAIRLINES · Post by **ERICAIRLINES** » 20 Sep 2007, 09:23

and i'm waiting for .....4 months !! No answer or even 'accusé'...nothing they really don't care...i still have ex sabena colleagues working there...they told me they all want to leave,for 9w for exemple,or even in an non airline business,reasons:bad management,no consideration,delay in payments,very low wages ,extremely bad feeling inside and war between ex vex and ex sn staff...Let's hope that 9w will buy Bru air one day,clean the office,reorganize,and make this company finaly customer oriented with upscale service....

Ducatibiker · Post by **Ducatibiker** » 20 Sep 2007, 09:58

ERICAIRLINES wrote:and i'm waiting for .....4 months !! No answer or even 'accusé'...nothing they really don't care...i still have ex sabena colleagues working there...they told me they all want to leave,for 9w for exemple,or even in an non airline business,reasons:bad management,no consideration,delay in payments,very low wages ,extremely bad feeling inside and war between ex vex and ex sn staff...Let's hope that 9w will buy Bru air one day,clean the office,reorganize,and make this company finaly customer oriented with upscale service....

Totally agree with you !

Air Key West · Post by **Air Key West** » 20 Sep 2007, 12:19

I agree, too. The best thing to happen would be for the airline to be grounded (which is likely anyway) and let's hope 9W picks up the pieces for a nickel and a dime and starts their own European airline according to their standards. I don't cqre (actually I would welcome) a new name change to, for instance, Jet Airways Europe (or European Jet Airways, Jet European Airways - many variations possibel as you can see, lol). Let's get rid of the old boys on the Board who don't know anything about the airline industry and let's get rid of an incompetent management. Please, 9W, if you have such big plans for BRU, make a bid on b.air.

brussels airlines · Post by **brussels airlines** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:45

I think it is indeed not a bad idea to that Jet Airways is takign over brussels airlines. They need an airline or an investersgroup who actually wants to put money in the airline.

I personally don't think the management is incompetent. They have created an airline who is making profit for 4 years now. There is only 1 incompetent management I have known in aviation: that from Sabena.

Post by **sn26567** » 20 Sep 2007, 15:56

brussels airlines wrote:There is only 1 incompetent management I have known in aviation: that from Sabena.

Then you certainly forget Swissair, which was even worse!

airazurxtror · Post by **airazurxtror** » 20 Sep 2007, 18:45

Air Key West wrote:I agree, too. The best thing to happen would be for the airline to be grounded (which is likely anyway) and let's hope 9W picks up the pieces for a nickel and a dime and starts their own European airline according to their standards.

Are we, Belgians, really unable, I mean not intelligent enough, to run a national airline and be successful with it ?

Air Key West · Post by **Air Key West** » 20 Sep 2007, 18:52

I was asking myself the same question, but then there is VLM which is doing fine apparently. As to the management that has run an airline with a profit for four years, that was snba. I really would like to see the results for b.air for Q2+3 (their first six months of operation during the best time of the year for an airline) and then the financial results after a full year of operation. It seems to me, b.air planes are not fuller than former VEX or snba flights (but maybe I was on the "wrong" flights).

brussels airlines · Post by **brussels airlines** » 20 Sep 2007, 19:06

Indeed we have to wait until the OFFICIAL results are shown. The only offcial announcement from brussels airlines was made during summer that they had in the first two weeks of July 6% more pax than last year when they were operating under SNBA/VEX.