The Low Cost Model Arrived in Nearly All Markets in the MENA Region… Is it All Bad and what can Legacy Carriers do?
By Mike Halper & Sascha Feuerherd*
Some years ago when one of the writers of this article was Group Marketing/Commercial Director of Ryanair, he was asked at an airline conference, by the director of a very large and successful European carrier, to give him advice on how to start a LCC. His answer was short “Do Not!” the Director was somewhat taken aback.
This is according to a bi-annual Sabre Airline Solutions survey of executives at nearly 80 regional and global airlines worldwide who were asked to rank what positively and negatively impacts airline revenue. Sabre Airline Solutions provides technology solutions to the global aviation industry. It operates the industry’s largest Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business, with its innovative reservations system, commercial planning and operations software used by more than 300 airlines and over 100 airports around the world. More than 300 million passengers are enplaned each year using Sabre technology. Sabre Airline Solutions is part of Sabre Holdings, a global technology company serving the world’s largest industry- travel and tourism.
Background:Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense is a United States Army system to shoot down short, medium, and intermediate ballistic missiles in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill approach. The missile carries no warhead but relies on the kinetic energy of the impact.The THAAD system is being designed, built, and integrated by Lockheed Martin Space Systems acting as prime contractor. Key subcontractors include Raytheon, Boeing, Aerojet, Rocketdyne, Honeywell, BAE Systems, and MiltonCAT.Although originally a U.S. Army program, THAAD has come under the umbrella of the Missile Defense Agency. The Navy has a similar program, the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. THAAD was originally scheduled for deployment in 2012, but deployment has recently been accelerated to 2009.
Terminal 2 was built in 1998 and has a capacity of 5 million as of 2009, after several reconstructions.In June 2009, Terminal 2 became the hub of Flydubai, and the terminal houses the airline's corporate head office.Terminal 2 has undergone a major refurbishment recently, extending check-in and boarding facilities, changing the interior and exterior décor and offering more dining choices to passengers. Capacity was increased to 5 million, 2 million.The terminal has now increased the number of facilities available to passengers. Check-in counters have increased to 36. The boarding area is more spacious, with more natural light. Also the new open boarding gates allow several flights to board simultaneously, improving passenger and aircraft movements.The Dubai duty-free shopping area covers 1,400 m2 (15,000 sq ft) in departures and 50 m2 (540 sq ft) in arrivals. The 3,437 m2 (37,000 sq ft) extension included a larger arrivals hall as well.
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights. Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas' design in 1967 to meet the service's need for a dedicated air superiority fighter. The Eagle first flew in July 1972, and entered service in 1976. The F-15 is expected to be in service with the U.S. Air Force past 2025.Since the 1970s, the Eagle has also been exported to Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Despite originally being envisioned as a pure air superiority aircraft, the design proved flexible enough that an all-weather strike derivative, the F-15E Strike Eagle, was later developed, and entered service in 1989.
Lufthansa German Airlines announced the appointment effective from April 1, 2012,Carsten Schaeffer as the airline’s new Vice President for Sales and Services for Southeast Europe, Africa and Middle East, based out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Some observers dubbed it as the “Al Baker Show”. Akbar Al Baker the colourful yet shrewd chief executive officer of Qatar Airways. On the 15th November 2011 to the surprise of many in a joint press conference with Boeing declared: