Sobelair : End of the line ?

[vflies]

And why connect? If you have your 'home' market. Or were the schedules made in function of the 'operation' and ifof the market?

Always for the same reason, Fons : better fares...
Connecting flights are always cheaper than non-stop services that's why there used to be so many British or Dutch(-bound) passengers on Sabena's flights to South Africa: it was cheaper than the (many) non-stop flights they enjoyed from their home markets.

VFlies

[SN30952]

Always for the same reason, Fons : better fares...
Connecting flights are always cheaper than non-stop services that's why there used to be so many British or Dutch(-bound) passengers on Sabena's flights to South Africa: it was cheaper than the (many) non-stop flights they enjoyed from their home markets. VFlies

Why always, vflies...
Indirect routes were cheaper in a move to compensate the discomfort of the indirect route. Something I had problems with the linear application of...
Because when direct flights are full, and usually these direct-flights fill up first, the passenger has to shop for other ways. When he finds a route via eg BRU, I found it strange that this route should have to be (much) cheaper.
I learned that when something was getting scarce, it was getting expensive. Here it goes the other way...
What in fact really happened, was that airlines that controlled their markets could provoke the low yield to overflow, and keep the better yield on their lines. This has always been the weak side of Sabena. And now it seems also of other Belgian airlines... they inherite of the rubbish others dislike...
A better fare? A cheaper fare..

[carlosken]

Fons you're absolutely right...slr did not even manage to attract enough low yield to make the first summer on SA.
What occured was mismanagement. A consultancy company (owned by the former CEO) was in charge of the south africa project. Since this was their 'reason of being' the marketing plan was inflated. 2 months before the first flight there was no sales organisation/no reservation system/no partners....advice from some slr directors and SA specialists was disregarded and approx 10 million euro went down the toilet as the next 06 months were spent organising things for something that was never going to make money.
I say Vastapane was ripped of and the slr staff as well.

[SN30952]

Fons you're absolutely right...slr did not even manage to attract enough low yield to make the first summer on SA.
What occured was mismanagement. A consultancy company (owned by the former CEO) was in charge of the south africa project. Since this was their 'reason of being' the marketing plan was inflated.

Carloske, if you remember, I was talking of 'lack of affinity'.
What is to say of people who seem to lack that. D. De Patoul has Africa experience, so does his nephew.
It was indeed maybe a consultancy contract with the former CEO, (as an added golden hand shake?). But a consultant is not a CEO. It is the CEO in charge, who is to blame if that went wrong: the decision are with him, not with the consultant. It looks like a one-eyed, was king in the kingdom of the blinds?
You said: I say Vastapane was ripped of and the slr staff as well.
Maybe, but nothing stood Mr V. in the way, to call in some real professionals. He let the raft slowly sink. The staff was hoping the turmoil would soon be over. A complacent rip off, carloske?

[sn26567]

A consultancy company (owned by the former CEO) was in charge of the south africa project. Since this was their 'reason of being' the marketing plan was inflated. 2 months before the first flight there was no sales organisation/no reservation system/no partners....

You are absolutely right. Luc Mellaerts, as CEO of Sobelair, played a double game: he got a salary as CEO, and fat consultancy contracts (2 million euro ) through his company IMC. How did SLR shareholders and board allow such a conflict of interests? No wonder that he was dismissed!

And now, the only creditor who is asking for money immediately (thus immediate bankruptcy), without allowing for bankruptcy protection proceedings to go on, is...

Luc Mellaerts, who is asking for 350 000 €

I also think that Vastapane has been ripped off. He had a nice experience in Duty Free shops, but a limited one in airlines.

[SkyJet]

You are absolutely right. Luc Mellaerts, as CEO of Sobelair, played a double game: he got a salary as CEO, and fat consultancy contracts (2 million euro ) through his company IMC. How did SLR shareholders and board allow such a conflict of interests? No wonder that he was dismissed!

As a matter of fact Luc Mellaerts resigned !
(The insurance/license-matter of the Iraq flights, remember?)
After that his shares were bought by Aldo Vastapane.
Günther Hofman, the director of Interscaldes, the consulting company of Luc Mellaerts, became Chief Operations with TUI Airlines Belgium [TAB]
Interscaldes would be closed down.
TAB states that "Mellaerts wasn't involved in setting up TAB in any way" and "Hofman has no relationship anymore with Luc Mellaerts"

Luc Mellaerts, who is asking for 350 000 €

What is 350.000 EUR if 10.000.000 EUR is owed to the Sabena receiver and about 4.000.000 EUR to leasing companies and others ?

[SN30952]

You are absolutely right. Luc Mellaerts, as CEO of Sobelair, played a double game.......

As a matter of fact Luc Mellaerts resigned ! ...
Günther Hofman, the director of Interscaldes, the consulting company of Luc Mellaerts, became Chief Operations with TUI Airlines Belgium [TAB]
Interscaldes would be closed down.
TAB states that "Mellaerts wasn't involved in setting up TAB in any way" and "Hofman has no relationship anymore with Luc Mellaerts"

People who did that with Boeing, had to go...
The ethics of the consultants? 8O

[sn26567]

See how Mellaerts defends himself: https://www.aviation24.be/modules.php?name ... 2918#22918

[SkyJet]

Unfortunately,
the participants in the poll were right...
Sobelair eventually folded its wings...

[TCAS_climb]

I'm afraid your link doesn't lead anywhere, SN26567...

[luchtzak]

I'm afraid your link doesn't lead anywhere, SN26567...

Now it does, I changed the url

[Comet]

I'm afraid your link doesn't lead anywhere, SN26567...

Now it does, I changed the url

Can anyone provide a rough translation from French to English of that report? Please?

[sn26567]

I wrote in the latest newsthat there are four candidates to take over Sobelair. One of them is Azzurra Air.

Azzurra Air? They are part of the Seven Group (and a 49% daughter of Air Malta), which were first designated to take over Air Littoral. But they failed to bring the money and now the Montpellier court is re-opening the bidding process.

And in another news item, A318 wrote:

Spicy detail is that not so long ago Azzurra had a agreement with VLM Airlines for the line Rotterdam and Milan. This agreement was ended in december due to financial problems from the Italian company.

Azzurra Air does not seem to be a very serious candidate.

[sn26567]

Why did Sobelair fail?

I see many reasons:

1) They did not learn the lessons from the past (TEA, Sabena, CityBird, Delsey, ...)

2) Management was not very professional, and even paternalistic. Aldo Vastapane is a good businessman, but without experience of the aviation world of sharks. How could one justify salaries 10 to 25% higher than the rest of the industry, and B767 lease contracts way above market value?

3) Lack of 'enterprise culture'

4) Lack of help, or even bad will from main customers (TUI, Thomas Cook, Club Med) who were looking at Sobelair like vultures on a pray.

5) Lack of affinity with the other actors in the aviation world; no agreements with anybody.

6) The costly Johannesbourg venture...

If you see any other reasons, please tell me!

[SN30952]

Why did Sobelair fail? I see many reasons:

When I read you Andre, Sobelair was killed by friendly fire?
But I see another reason. They shot themselves in the foot.
Don't they say: Never change a winning team... And what to do with a loosing team then?
Does MR V. never go to the football? He would have known the boss can change his team!
And the unions now see what it is to think creative.

And as for late Sabena and SNBA they still keep invoking 'external' reasons. But everyone knowns external reasons are the same for everybody. It never rains for only one person.*

Never did Sobelair have so many opportunities: traffic rights between over 250airports in Europe.... eg 249 airports to fly from to S.Africa (via BRU!!! No, they flew only from ONE!!! That is unforgivable...
The staff is maybe not aware yet, but that management spilled opportunities. That is unforgivable... and will remain unforgiven.


*except for Jim Carrey of course, remember the movie: The Truman Show?

[sn26567]

Don't they say: Never change a winning team... And what to do with a loosing team then?
Does MR V. never go to the football? He would have known the boss can change his team!

He did change his team: he fired his CEO Luc Mellaerts, who had cost him 2 million euros in consultancy fees...

[Sabena_690]

I heard a rumour that 2 SLR B737's should have flown over to Lasham today, anybody can confirm this?

Frederic

[liebensd]

This has been confirmed by presssn: Link

It should be OO-VAC and OO-VJO

Greetz,

Dave

[Flying-Belgian]

I've seen a few parts of Vastapane's interview on Canal/Kanaal Z. It will be aired this week-end.
Vastapane has an arsh language against the few captains who helped Jet Air to raise its own airline.
I've also heard that the receivers are now considering the possibilty of fraud management inside Sobelair.

Anyway, I'm very very sad for my colleagues, especially the cabin crew. I wish them a lot of luck. This must be extremly frustrating.

FB.

[SN30952]

Don't they say: Never change a winning team... And what to do with a loosing team then?
Does MR V. never go to the football? He would have known the boss can change his team!

He did change his team: he fired his CEO Luc Mellaerts, who had cost him 2 million euros in consultancy fees...

Its easier for a consultant to become a pilot, than for a pilot to become a consultant. Proved again! 8)