More changes at SAA

SAA has confirmed that
Ray Nkwe, general
manager for RSA, has
left the airline. Ray’s primary
role was to provide leadership
to the RSA management
team and staff and to ensure
full delivery of the airline’s
Long-Term Turnaround Strategy
(LTTS) in the region.
Spokesperson, Tlali Tlali,
says SAA will announce Ray’s
replacement in due course.
“This is a fairly sudden
resignation and does leave a
void,” says Vanya Lessing, ceo
of Sure Travel. She comments
that, with the understanding
that the trade is critical to
SAA’s survival, the airline
needs to develop a stronger
line of communication.
The lines of communication
at SAA are blurred and there is
an urgent need for the airline
to develop greater continuity
in its relationship with the
trade, agrees Rod Rutter, chief
operating officer for XL Travel.
While Allan Lunz, md of
Bidtravel, shares the opinion
that it’s difficult to work with
an organisation that is in a
constant state of change, he
believes SAA’s relationship
with the trade has remained
positive.
Dinesh Naidoo, group
operations director of
Serendipity Worldwide Group,
told TNW currently none of
SWG’s corporate clients have
indicated they want to move
their business away from SAA.
However, he warns that if the
airline doesn’t “get its act
together”, a move away from
SAA from the corporate market
could be on the cards.
Indeed, one corporate SAA
platinum member, Professor
André van Niekerk, says he is
actively looking for alternative
options for his business travel
needs. “The only option that
comes to mind is BA Comair,”
he comments, adding that
unfortunately the carrier
doesn’t offer the domestic
frequencies he requires. “The
latest flight BA Comair offers
from Johannesburg leaves at
18h00, which is just too early
for any corporate traveller,” he
says.
Comair is always looking
for opportunities to expand
its services in the domestic
market, says Iain Meaker, BA
Comair executive manager
commercial distribution. He
says if SAA were to reduce its
capacity or frequency in the
domestic market, BA Comair
would look at increasing its
offering.
The reason why BA Comair
currently doesn’t offer a later
flight on the JNB-DUR route is
not politically motivated, Iain
says. “The domestic market
is a free market with no slot
constraints.” He says BA
Comair previously operated
later flights to Durban but
found they did not perform
as well as expected. “The
flights are timed to allow
for international flight
connections later that evening
for those folks travelling
overseas on BA and other
interline partners.”