Despite Werf's optimism SAS continue to post disappointing numbers
SAS monthly traffic numbers for August show low utilization of fleet and no growth. Werf says he see positive results in forward bookings but don't verify it with any numbers. And it certainly don't show in the publicised actual traffic numbers.
SAS should say something monthly about freight because that is one of the things that diffferentiate it from its Scandinavian competition and other European low costs. The freight market has been booming but SAS is consistently keeping mum about it. Since they went into Chapter11 I assume they haven't been coining it from freight and instead have missed out on this massive opportunity. Despite me pushing it for 2 years now in both articles and comments.
The announcement of reducing the offer on SAS Plus to a single food item and a single drink also do not point to a future of an upmarket offer for passengers either. The inevitable slimming down of its fleet will lower its stance as a netwrok airline and without it's real premium service offerings what is left. Lowering costs is well and good but getting writh of what differentiates the company positively compared to the competition is a risky way of doing business. Specially for a company like SAS that still has so much legacy it can never become a real Low Cost.
Investors clearly also sees it as risky business because SAS has revealed to the US court that is handling its Chapter11 proceedings, that it had no plan B or any alternative to an expensive basis+9% multi billion skr loan, which btw will only tie it over until a few months into next year. And a good chunk of this financing will go to pay refunds after the strike in July, so already lost to the company.
Why do a Swedish HQ'd company still hold on to former HQ's in 2 other Scandinavian capitals. And some of them not even near an airport. SAS has a lot of office space the slim-downed version of the airline should not pay rent for, alternatively the creditors should get the money from selling off.
If Werf isn't looking after the needed parts of cutting costs, reorganising operations to draw advantages of new pilot deals, getting writh of SAS fluffy and unneeded offices, and the managers in them, and not that succesfull in finding alternatives for financing, what is he keeping busy with.
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