Perumal to leave Avis

Avis Southern Africa has announced that its General Manager of Marketing, Jessecca Perumal, will be leaving the company on the 23rd of November. According to Avis, Perumal has decided to take up an opportunity outside of the industry. “I would like to thank her for the significant contribution she has made to the Avis brand and family during the past four years,” said Keith Rankin, Chief Executive of Avis Rent a Car Southern Africa. “I will start the process to find a suitable replacement. In the interim, the marketing team will report to me.”

Johannesburg Launch for Ethiopian Dreamliner

Ethiopian Airlines will start using the B787 Dreamliner in Johannesburg from 14 December. ‘Cloud Nine’ or Business Class is equipped with sleeper seats, while the Economy Class has reclining seats with more legroom and a spacious cabin. The aircraft has state of the art on-demand audio and video services, with 15.4-inch IFE screens and 85 channels in Business Class, whilst Economy Class has 8.9-inch screens and 80 different channels. The Dreamliner has higher humidity for a better cabin altitude/pressure; bigger storage for onboard luggage; 60% smaller noise footprint than peer airplanes; the biggest windows in the sky; and unique and adaptable lighting.

Comair and Mango Go Head to Head

A fight is brewing between the remaining two competitors in the South African budget airline space. Against the background of the recent filing for liquidation by 1Time and the debate that has ensued over the role of state-subsidised Mango, Comair Limited has highlighted that Mango, as a separate legal entity from SAA and a state-owned enterprise, is legally required to publish its financial statements, which it allegedly has not done since its inception six years ago.
 Comair operates kulula.com and British Airways in the local market, and says that it believes that the funding of Mango with tax payers money partly contributed to the failure of 1Time. Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout has responded by stating that Mango will only reveal its financials, if kulula does so first. CEO of Comair, Erik Venter responded that Comair, as a listed company on the JSE, releases detailed financial results every six months in accordance with the Companies Act, the rules of the JSE and based on International Financial Reporting Standards.
 “Comair has an obligation to reveal its results as a listed company,” said Venter. “Kulula.com is merely a brand of Comair Limited – it is not a separate company from Comair. Although Mango is a subsidiary of SAA, it is a separate company and needs to report as such.” No doubt, this is not the last we are going to hear of South Africa’s two budget airlines going head to head, as the competition whittles away and the fight over the remaining piece of the pie intensifies.

Etihad Increases Baggage Allowance

Etihad Airways has increased the complimentary baggage allowance for Coral Economy Class guests to 30kg. That doesn’t include travel to/from the USA and Canada, where baggage policies are regulated on a per-piece basis. Members of the Etihad Guest programme will enjoy additional allowances. For example, an Etihad Guest Elite member travelling in Economy will now be able to check as much as 50kg of baggage on a complimentary basis. The new guidelines will also allow for complimentary carriage of some sporting equipment. In addition to the standard checked baggage allowance, a guest in any cabin will be able to check in up to 15kg of Scuba dive equipment and golf bags weighing up to 15kg on a complimentary basis. In March, Etihad increased the baggage allowance for premium passengers to 40kg for Pearl Business class and 50kg for Diamond First class.

Summer Cape Town Flights for Condor

Condor – the Thomas Cook-owned leisure carrier – touched down for the first time at Cape Town International Airport on 4 November. Condor will operate twice-weekly overnight flights between Frankfurt and Cape Town on Sundays and Wednesdays until the end of April, providing more than 14,000 additional seats to Cape Town over the next six months. It uses a B767-300 with 270 seats in three classes - Economy, Premium Economy and ‘Comfort’ (Business) Class. Condor is punting its Premium Economy service, which offers an additional 15cm legroom, ‘premium’ meals, a cocktail service including a snack, free alcoholic drinks, a large variety of newspapers and magazines, free seat reservation and a separate check-in in Frankfurt.

ExecuJet Africa Opens Lagos Facility

ExecuJet Africa has officially opened its fixed-based operations facility at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. ExecuJet now offers FBO and maintenance services from the company’s state-of-the-art facility, which comprises a 4,700 square metre hangar capable of accommodating a Boeing Business Jet, a 25,500 square metre concrete apron and a VIP lounge.
The facility also has full MRO and technical support capabilities, and offers authorised line maintenance support for Bombardier, Dassault Falcon and Hawker Beechcraft aircraft. The forthcoming approval from local aviation authorities will enable ExecuJet to expand the maintenance services offered and aircraft types supported. "We have sourced the best engineers from around the world, and are thus also able to communicate in various languages,” said Ettore Poggi, ExecuJet Africa’s Managing Director. “We have also sent some of these engineers for additional training at the manufacturers to obtain updates on the very latest aircraft. We have also sourced local engineers and staff and are committed to the transfer of skills and the training of local aspiring engineers.”

Award for Avis SA

Avis Budget Group has named Avis South Africa the Avis Licensee of the Year for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Avis South Africa has approximately 140 locations in South Africa. “The Avis Budget Group’s award specifically recognises our ongoing commitment to providing customers with world-class products and services, and for responsible corporate citizenship,” said Keith Rankin, Chief Executive of Avis Rent a Car Southern Africa. “It’s an amazing and highly motivating achievement that underlines the daily reality of our company ethos of People, Environment and Community.” According to Rankin, Avis’ Customer Satisfaction Index has played an important role in attaining this tribute, enabling the company to keep close to changing customer needs, to developing technology and to social trends. Avis operates car, van and truck rentals, as well as coach charter services for groups from 10 to 60, and is constantly introducing new services such as chauffeur-driven vehicles and point to point transport, as well as catering for the physically disabled.

Comair Take on 1Time Liquidation

South African aviation company Comair has responded to the news that budget airline 1Time filed for liquidation on Friday.

In the process, Comair pointed out that 10 of the 11 independent, private airlines launched in South Africa since deregulation in 1991, have failed, leaving only kulula.com and British Airways, which are both operated by Comair.

“Due to the less efficient fleet it operated, the ultimate closure of 1Time was inevitable,” said Erik Venter, CEO of Comair.

“However, we are certain that in the absence of state-subsidised Mango, 1Time would have made adequate profits to upgrade its fleet and be sustainable over the long term.

Based on the previously released financial statements of SAA, and recent parliamentary comments, Mango made a loss of half a billion rand since its 2006 launch, due to undercutting the viability of the private low cost carriers.” 1Time announced on Friday that it had applied for business liquidation, and that all of its flights had been grounded.

The firm had about R320-million in short-term debt and had been in negotiations with creditors since March.