Brussels Airlines '08 : Break even/small loss

[Air Key West]

After this topic: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38800

Please keep this topic in English.

----------------------------------------------------------

I have not got a paper copy of Le Soir and couldn't find the article on line, but if b.air management say that they are waiting for signs and commitments from potential African partners to develop their African network, b.air will never develop its African network. The recent air DC failure has shown that you cannot count on "potential African partners" and b.air's African development can only come from b.air itself (possibly together with LH), which is something the management doesn't seem to have understood if the article correctly reflects what Meyfroidt/Gustin said.
Furthermore, they seem to say they will add a Business class to the other two classes in Europe to satisfy future Star Alliance partners. Management have not understood either that pax who travel from any destination in Europe to a b.air destination in Africa in Business class, wants Business class treatment from the beginning to the end of their trip, not just on the African leg. But that is probably too difficult to understand for a still very VEx oriented management.
And finally, yes they may have 35 % b.flex pax now, but that is largely due to pressure from iata to upgrade a number of b.light pax to b.flex (as already discussed in another thread on this forum a few months ago).
All this being said, if they manage to nearly break even this year, it is not too bad for an airline that has to count on the profits made by four of its planes to keep the some forty other aircraft flying.
Great job, Management !

[EBBR_Based]

And finally, yes they may have 35 % b.flex pax now, but that is largely due to pressure from iata to upgrade a number of b.light pax to b.flex (as already discussed in another thread on this forum a few months ago).

I believe I remember the thread you are referring to, and you clearly didn't understand a word of what was going on. Passengers are currently not being "upgraded" and IATA didn't put SN under any pressure at all. In fact, the only thing SN did in the beginning of 2008 was realigning its product offering more or less according to the IATA standards (which is a purely technical matter which was preceeded by months of system development). The 35% b.flex pax share consists of pax who either bought a b.flex ticket in Europe or connecting passengers from medium haul/Africa in Business Class or the most expensive Economy Class tickets (according to Brussels Airlines' fare rules). All in all an excellent result if you ask me.

[Ducatibiker]

[The 35% b.flex pax share consists of pax who either bought a b.flex ticket in Europe or connecting passengers from medium haul/Africa in Business Class or the most expensive Economy Class tickets (according to Brussels Airlines' fare rules). All in all an excellent result if you ask me.

...and also the awards tickets....since awards are automatically booked in b.flex !!!

[Air Key West]

A question to EBBR_based :
In your last three lines you write that the 35 % b.flex share consists of :
- pax who bought a b.flex ticket in Europe (I assume b.air put them in b.flex before, too) ;
- pax from connecting medium haul/Africa in Business class (I assume medium haul means basically Moscow, Tel Aviv and Helsinki maybe, and I assume that if you had a Business class ticket on an African flight, b.air had already the decency to give you a seat in b.flex in Europe) ;
- pax connecting from medium haul/Africa with the most expensive economy tickets.
So, is the doubling of the number of b.flex pax mainly due to pax with the most expensive African economy tickets ?

[HighInTheSky]

So, is the doubling of the number of b.flex pax mainly due to pax with the most expensive African economy tickets ?

No, as you know, codes are used for booking. S being the 'cheapest' economy fare, Y the full economy fare, C and J in bussines,..

And some of those codes were wrongly considerd als B Light tickets, when they were in fact full economy tickets (Y amongst others).

So pax who bought for example ORD-BRU in Y and BRU-BLQ in Y would get on the latter stretch a light ticket.

That was what i could understand form all the different B Plus mailings. Please feel free to correct me!