Christopher Gill’s Column
Air Seychelles Competes With a Boat
Captain David Savy, CEO of Air Seychelles , the smallest Airline in the World, according to him, has always gone on SBC to gripe about having to compete with big airline companies like Qatar Airways and Emirates Airlines. While on the surface, this is true, there is in fact nothing wrong with competition. It makes us sharpen our pencils, wake up earlier than normal, and we must work harder to deliver a better product and service to Guests and passengers alike. What Captain Savy does not tell us is that Air Seychelles still enjoys an array of local turf benefits that these other Airlines do not. So in so far as competing with airlines is concerned, there are some half truths on the table. The real competition is now coming from a boat. Air Seychelles most profitable route for years has been the inter-island Mahe/Praslin route, not the international routes with exception perhaps for the Paris leg. In some years, profit exceeded Seychelles Rupees 20 Million.
The Boat Has Arrived
While Captain Savy is watching the competition in the air, a boat named Cat Coco owned by Mr. Joe Albert, is eying Air Seychelles most profitable route year in year out, the Mahe/Praslin leg which, makes in excess of 20 Million Rupees annually. This is a lot of money for Air Seychelles . It is a little more money... for Mr. Albert. The same ferry route had been proposed by the Mason’s Group in the past with same type of boat, but Government did not approve the Project. A little competition does not hurt anyone. When the Mason Project was proposed, Government said it would hurt Air Seychelles. What’s the difference today? Perhaps Mason’s did not have the right “cocos” involved in their Project.
The Boat Beats the Plane
With the launching of New Cat Coco, Mr. Albert has outdone Mr. Savy and Air Seychelles hands down, eyes closed with the new ferry. He has out maneuvered Air Seychelles in spite of not knowing how to fly. Air Seychelles which has planes faster then Cat Coco, provide you with horrible ticketing and horrible transit facilities on Mahe. Service on Praslin though is excellent and professional. However, no matter from which point your flight originates, you have to take the same old beat up plane, that is as old as many of us in our Forty- something. The seats are horrible to be polite. The temperature in these planes is more suitable for bread baking then passenger transportation. Luggage is notoriously late to arrive. These four problems have been on Captain Savy’s desk since he took the job. He has not handled them. Today, the problem he has ignored all these years will now nose dive his airline and his CEO credentials.
As saving grace, Captain Savy has advised us he has ordered two Twin Otter planes (possibly old) to replace the old Twin Otters. But that will not arrive until “2010 and Beyond”. Another take from Buzz Light Year (“Infinity and Beyond”)!
Five Star Boat Service Five Star Destination
The new Cat Coco has First Class Service that Air Seychelles does not have. It has leather seats, drinks, meals, finger food and a choice of seating class. Air Seychelles does not have this. Mr. Albert’s’ Boat caters for 5 Star Clients. Air Seychelles does not. It flies the Twin Otter and Shorts. Both planes are being replaced in the industry for better quality aviation and improved creature comforts. While we sell Seychelles as a 5 Star destination, we send our guests flying in these cargo planes and oil rig buses. Cat Coco has excellent ticketing and easy access on board.
Air Seychelles Uses Cargo Planes for Passengers
Air Seychelles recently added a second Shorts to its fleet of inter island planes. As if to reinforce its leadership’s thinking. Shorts are used traditionally as cargo planes on short routes. Captain Savy just added seats to the two Shorts planes. He even showed us this exercise on SBC. The Shorts are not famous for comfort in the air passenger business. They are famous for being work horses for cargo delivery. Companies using them for passengers are selling them off to Clients like Captain Savy, who believe that passenger comforts can be compromise for the sake of Company profitability. He will be in for a big surprise. As he learns his business lessons, we will pay the price for his education. In the meantime, over the next four (4) years, he will likely be back and forth on SBC, complaining about this and that and why this did not work, or that did not happen. Listen and pay attention to him carefully. He will even find excuses why he cannot give raises for salaries of workers who badly need a COLA: Cost of Living Allowance, to cope with the loss of value of their salaries as the Rupee devalues. However, when he does one of those annual meetings, he will not mention his salary, which is paid in Euro though he lives here in Seychelles, like all of us, and increases every so often without the company staff voting for the increment.
When the profitability of Air Seychelles starts slumping, it will not likely be because of Emirates or Qatar Airways. Do not glorify failure. It will be because with a boat that floats and does not fly, a businessman whose origin lie in rock crushing and good contacts, he simply out did a plane company whose CEO can fly, who won’t but cannot keep his feet on the ground.
From today, if Air Seychelles is to survive, this business assault by a mere watercraft, it will now have to start playing catch up to a boat. Shame shame, more shame!
Air Seychelles under Captain Savy is rewriting Aviation History. The plane displaced boats at the turn of the last Century. Today, a boat will displace Air Seychelles, a plane company.
Air Seychelles Routes Unreliable
On the International Routes, Air Seychelles has changed more routes then we change pants in a week. This makes it an unreliable traveling partner. It has earned a dubious reputation under Mr. Savy’s leadership. His excuse is that Air Seychelles is small. Planes are not small. Ideas are.
Air Seychelles had a route to Mauritius under a Joint Airline Agreement with Air Mauritius. When you boarded the flight they would say welcome aboard Air Mauritius. This is a small idea. This Agreement has been terminated and not renewed. Effects of another small idea. Now Air Seychelles flies to Mauritius only once a week. Small idea again. This is the most popular Seychellois traveling route for shopping for items we cannot find at home and many also use the route for medical treatment. Many workers come from Mauritius as do hotel partners.
Air Seychelles travels to Jo’ Burg two times a week. This scheduling is not sufficient to expand the South African tourist market and give Seychellois a shopping outlet (small idea). We need this route increased to four times a week, to give South African Tourist easy convenient access to Seychelles as it has to Mauritius, Madagascar, Mozambique, Kenya, Maldives and other tourist destinations in the region. As the Rand devalues, it will also be good shopping for Seychellois (Good Idea). If we price our rooms in Rand, it will be good Tourism for us (Good Idea). However, the new Agreement with Nationwide of South Africa to service our routes is not good business. You are selling a 767 seat at 767 prices, but passengers are riding in an old 727 plane that likely, has more cobwebs in it, then peanut packets to serve Passengers (small idea). May I remind Captain Savy the First Rule of Business: “Respect Your Client, he pays you” (Good Idea).
Air Seychelles has canceled led flights to Bombay , Maldives , Dubai (Excuses). They maintain only one flight per week to Singapore which provides a gateway to Australia for those that regularly travel that route to look after their business interests in that part of the world.
The funny thing about this situation is this: Air Seychelles survival now depends on a boat sinking.....so much for knowing how to run a business- Mr. Captain Kolonel CEO Sir....Hopefully the Mason Group files a Airline Company Project, and Government approves it this time just in time before all the 700 employees at Air Seychelles become redundant. At least the new Airline Company will be run as a business and the Consumer can only benefit from those....good ideas can flourish and small ideas can be placed in the Communist Trophy Cabinets so you can admire it yourself if you like.
May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!
