Brussels Airlines Joining Star Alliance

[Andries]

1. daily to DKR with extensions to BJL (3x) and CKY (4x)
2. daily to Bamako with extensions to FNA (3x) and ROB (4x)
3. daily to ABJ/Accra
4. a. 4 x Ouaga + Lomé
b. 3 x Niamey + Cotonou
5. Daily to DLA/Yaoundé
6. Daily non stop to Kinshasa (possibly with a few extension flights to LAD)
7. Daily to NBO/DAR (more or less on the LX model)
8. Daily to EBB with extensions to KGL (4x) and BJM (3x)
I think this would be a good plan to start with. Although eight long haul planes is not a lot (LX has 25), it still would mean doubling the present number of intercontinental aircraft.

If you want to fly 8 daily long disctance flights like that, you won't be able to do so with only 8 long haul aircraft. You need downtime for maintenance too. You would need at least 10 long-haulers to fly those daily routes.

Greetz,

Andries

[AirDupont]

And those few flights to LAD a week are not possible either...

[sdbelgium]

And those few flights to LAD a week are not possible either...

Yes, IIRC SN only has rights for one frequency a week (now on Sundays).

[Air Ella]

When you go to the offical website of Star Alliance (http://www.staralliance.com), there is no longer an Indian airliner member of the group. I thought Air India was a member of Star Alliance? Star Alliance has mentioned that they don't have a problem that Brussels Airlines is working togheter with Jet Airways. Is there perhaps a chance that Jet Airways will join Star Alliance in the future?

Grtz.

[HighInTheSky]

Air India has yet to join...

[Air Key West]

At the very bottom of Star Alliance's press release of Dec 11 on SN's application for membership, they write : "future members : Air India, Brussels Airlines and TAM". So, AI will become a Star member. Let's hope AI will tolerate the SN/9W co-operation since they are not flying themselves to BRU.
On my "scenario" for SN/LH/Star expansion in East/West/Africa : since I, indeed, don't know what SN's traffic rights are, I added : "traffic rights permitting". It is obvious that some flights will probably not be possible for a number of reasons, including traffic rights. But traffic rights can be renegotiated and can evolve. To LAD, LH has two weekly flights (I believe). How did they manage to get two lights and SN only one ? One could imagine that when LH completely takes over SN, LH could negotiate with Angolan authorities to transfer their traffic rights to SN. Then, SN could operate three weekly flights to LAD.
And you are right, Andries : if you want to operate eight aircraft full time, you need at least one or two additonal aircraft. Still ten long haul planes is not a lot and I would hope that I will be possible to phase those additional aircraft in during the two years in the run up to LH's full owneship of SN. Or am I too optimisitc or unrealistic ? When there is a will, there is a way. When LH recently took a participation in SN, didn't they say they wanted to increase SN's presence in Africa ? And in two years from now, we should be out of the present recession (at least let's hope).

[BrightCedars]

Well, as far as AI interfering with SN's cooperation with 9W when joining Star Alliance, I think it's done this way because these decisions seem to be taken at 100% majority of the votes, and I don't see AI getting something in the way of SN (hence LH et al) with such a majority constraint. I would think the cooperation is here to stay.

[HighInTheSky]

Do we have any more news as on how SN is progressing into the joining of * A?

[kiwiandrew]

Do we have any more news as on how SN is progressing into the joining of * A?

I was wondering the same thing - everything I have read says that it should be before the end of this year but nothing more specific . I was wondering whether joining will co-incide with the closure of Privilege at the end of October .

[cnc]

it would be nice if we see a new long haul a/c for SN they paint it in *A collors