Are SAS top brass focusing on the right stuff during a passenger depressed cycle

SAS should as soon as Omicron rumours started to spread been back to seeing how Cargo could save the winter. 

But as usual it is all about passengers in their presentations. In the last reported quarter their cargo income rose more than their charter income went down. That is significant. But since they are not highlighting it in their presentations one would assume its not either on top of the mind of their top brass. 

Cargo operations is where SAS has a competitive advantage over their Scandinavian, mainly Norwegian, competitors like Norwegian and Flyr. Either of those have any. 

Question is did SAS hire a CEO with the right background to get them through a pandemic that could be severe for as long as the post war econmics. Specially combined with litle abaiting environmental pressure, where any suggestion of governmental supports for the sector immediately meat strong opposition from parties that call themselves green. Or did they go for the avaiable CEO that was most likely to get them through another refinance.  

Maybe delaying the unavoidable downsizing of passenger schedules as new strains spread fear among the masses is a new scheme among airlines. Delaying the refunds arising from them as long as possible to secure the pretence of some cash still left in the kitty. There certainly are som Scandinavian airlines with that need.

Werf certainly didn't mention cargo specifically in his comments to the numbers. And not a word on cargo in the latest monthly numbers. In the meantime other European passenger airlines with cargo operations are adding multiples of dedicated freighters to their businesses. 

With so reduced numbers of worldwide passenger flights w/belly cargo there is a demand out there for taking up the slack that can't be served by dedicated cargo companies. Some of the cargo go by ship but how many retailers is happy about getting their christmas deliveries in January instead of November. In addition at 10 times the price of what shipping by sea cost 2 years ago.  

There are other goods than directly pandemic related stuff that needs expedient transport. Certainly would have been retailers that would have paid for air freight to get the Christmas stock in on time if it had been presented as a solution to them. Lets hope airlines w/ previous long haul operations, won't loose out on the possibilities for Valentimes and Easter a.s.o. in addition. Or next Christmas. Over by then, yes that's what we thought last year.

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