Roundtable Discussion; The Future of Mineral Sands. Watch the video here.
Fjetcrazy: Any interjection was welcome! IT was just that fatherelmer had also provided a plausible response to my query directed at him, just as your sis. Thank you. Makes perfect sense – because a flight from Sofia to Zurich patently didn’t!
fatherelmer: Further to our exchange on Monday [16:28-17:43] concerning the Zurich–>Sofia flight, I promised to check the next such flight’s box on FlightRadar24 after you explained that “FB” is the standard designator code for Bulgaria Air and not “fastjet related flights”. I can confirm that this afternoon’s flight no FB491, from Sofia–>Zurich, ETA 12:48, does include fastjet’s name in that black box top left of the photo. So what’s it doing there if it’s not related (which, of course, I accept)?
Absolutely terrific news, following on from last year’s similar accolade in the WTA. Btw, you can still add your vote to this year’s WTA; you’ll need an email address and a password. Some of us helped fastjet to win last year by doing so!! https://www.worldtravelawards.com/nominees/2017/africa
Thanks for the update, Fjetcrazy.
Many thanks, fatherelmer. Still puzzled though - though I can't check it now - but as I wrote yesterday, the box included the word "fastjet". Hence my seemingly-blind acceptance though I realise I must be wrong. I'll look more attentively tomorrow!
No-one answered my question at around this time yesterday about the Embraer 190 flying from Zurich to Sofia. I see another, reg LZ-BUR, flight no FB851, is approaching Heathrow from Sofia, due to land any minute now. Doesn't anyone know what this fastjet-linked flight is all about?
shylock: Absolutely agree with your second point; not so sure about your first! Few, if any mentioned, are direct competitors? Still, everyone’s welcome to disagree, it was just IMHO! And I have apologised.
I think I owe an apology to tm who I now realise was responsible for almost all of those posts! So, sorry taskmaster for seeming to pick on you. You may post what you like, of course, if it’s aviation-related but I would just ask that your headings are preceded with O/T so’s we know it’s off-topic. I know all of your posts are indicated as such beneath your name but since nobody bothers to change that default category to “observation”, except shylock and me, it is really rendered meaningless! I welcome all posts telling me that x-airline has gone bust; or y-airline’s Facebook pages are worse than ours, or the cabin-crew are overweight, elderly, and malodorous! :-)
shylock: Thanks for some FASTJET NEWS! I must confess to getting a bit fed up with so many posts telling me of the successes of other airlines: Precision Air; Jambojet; Fly Africa; Afric Aviation; Air Nigeria! and flydubai! – all across the last 2 pages. Well-intentioned I’m sure but giving me a complex about MY airline!!! I’ll gladly retract all that if the great majority disagree but if I want to read about any of them, I can go to their Board/s. This one is supposedly dedicated to FASTJET!
Fjetcrazy: Was very tempted to respond last night but had just returned from a 2hr drive after a day out in 31C so just generally knackered! I also didn't wish to appear too ignorant about our fleet but did want to check with you about where our first E190 was? Browsing this board earlier, I found your post about the pair due via Solenta in September (I think) and in answer to my earlier question of what would happen if the sole A319 required maintenance, you explained it had just had it four weeks ago. Also I think you added something about how Solenta would come to the rescue if need be. All the above is my preamble to now asking you, or anyone else, what the ERJ-190STD, reg'd LZ-BUR and Flight No FB492 is doing en route from Zurich to Sofia as I write, having just spotted it during one of my occasional checks of FlightRadar24? An obvious answer is that it's currently under lease to another airline except that the box shows it is with us!
Gloomy outlook indeed if their forecast turns out to be fact.
taskmaster: Why are you continuing to post these articles, all perpetuating the situation of Ed Winter running fastjet? Where’s the “CNN update” to which you refer and to which I alluded to on Wednesday? I don’t see it. Or am I missing something?
Dunno about “Dikko not Nico” – more like “Ed still not Nico”! Disappointing to see such out-of-date management information accompanying the first of “10 budget airlines changing Africa’s skies” that appears at the foot of this article..... “.....With Ed Winter...at its helm, [fastjet’s] looking to break into the lucrative South African domestic market.” And this is from a subsidiary of CNN! Mind you, that appears to be just stock copy tacked on to the end of the journalist’s article. But why hasn’t that been updated?
As usual a fair and impartial assessment from Wolfgang, if unusually critical – a timely reminder for any of us with our head in the clouds! Despite that (admission!), I do think that, given the huge amounts of dollars being bandied about, and that many of us have chosen to place our faith and hopes in Nico’s team, their “major wage strain”, as Wolfgang refers to their remuneration, was a necessity if we were to be ‘rescued’ last year by anyone with the credentials he had, though I am aware that some better informed than I don’t rate them as highly. One thing Nico got right, which Wolfgang has chosen to imply some doubt in his choice of headline, is blaming the “former management” for the doubling of fastjet’s losses over the previous year. An indisputable fact surely as anyone here who lived through the “Winter of our Discontent” must surely testify?
I absolutely agree with those sentiments too, Ronwin. Patience is still required but I think with more specific indicators of the company's strategy coming through, we have good reason to maintain our optimism for a brighter future
fastjet will switch to an all Embraer Regional jet fleet by October when a pair of E190s will be added. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/56522-fastjet-to-switch-to-an-all-embraer-fleet-by-early-4q17
Me too, as has to be only too obvious over the years!! I posted a similar sentiment yesterday at 09:13. My optimism received a great boost once the news of Nico’s appointment was announced last year. And again with Solenta’s involvement. This week has really come up trumps with some flight increases and encouraging load factors. Thanks to you guys digging out the info for us all to share.
Nice to see a couple of positive posts for a change. Thanks guys. Let's hope we can build on those loads.
PJMInvest (and others maybe):: Wasn’t there a suggestion sometime ago that the new in-flight magazine was to be called “Places”? Possibly taken from mediaupdate’s new slogan “fastjet-launches-taking-you-places-campaign”. Imagine my surprise when I saw its appearance just now on the same publishers as Travelsmart AND its May Issue 18!! (Last Travelsmart mag was issue no 17). It surely HAD to be?? https://issuu.com/palacereport/docs/plc-op3149_252x178_44pp_4c_pla_maga_8d5b1dc22e0abc
Ronwin: I did say I sometimes "used to" think...! It WAS pre-Solenta days.