A tale of two airlines: Ethiopian Airlines vs South African Airways

A recent article in the Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, outlined the rise of Africa’s biggest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, and the tragic decline of its biggest rival, South African Airways (SAA). The article suggested that the fate of the two state-owned airlines has mirrored the contrasting paths of the two countries - South Africa, the most advanced economy in Africa, has slid into corruption and economic stagnation in recent years, while Ethiopia has become one of the fastest-growing economies on the continent.

It is worth noting that South Africa’s GDP is four times larger than that of Ethiopia: $350 billion compared to $81billion.

SAA’s seven consecutive years of losses has added to its unsustainable debt levels and it only survives on government bail-outs worth S$4.3 billion since the end of the Apartheid era. Its top-heavy management, overstaffing and political interference have brought the airline to the brink. In contrast, Ethiopian has grown by about 25% per year over the past eight years and showed a $233 million net profit last year. The difference between the two airlines is perhaps best illustrated by comparing their fleets and staffing levels - SAA has 58 aircraft and 180 employees per aircraft, while Ethiopian has 108 aircraft and 125 employees per aircraft.

Over the past few years SAA has reduced its network, gave up prime routes and landing spots such as the invaluable direct Cape Town to London route. A large number of its pool of highly-trained and experienced pilots are today flying for Ethiopian, Emirates, Qatar and others, and it is not unusual (but quite comforting!), to hear the pilot speak with a South African accent on any of these carriers.  

SAA is not the only state-owned or parastatal entity in South Africa that is in serious trouble (Eskom, SABC, Prasa and Sanral come to mind). However, as the national flag carrier with a previously  proud history going back to 1934, its demise will be a huge financial shock and a tragedy, but it appears to be inevitable.

Read also my review of Ethiopian Airlines’ business class:

https://globalflyers.blogspot.com/p/flight-reviews.html

Is it time to criminally prosecute airlines and seat manufacturers like Zodiac Aerospace for shrinking personal seat space to below what is humanely tolerable and safe? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/minimum-seat-size-us-airlines/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw … via @@TelegraphTravel

Air Canada vs All Nippon: Business Class on the B787 Dreamliner

On a recent premier economy trip from Vancouver to Singapore in August 2017, I had a lucky and rather unusual break of getting the return legs in business class, almost at the same fare as premier economy. This is a summary of my experience in the business class of both airlines.

The All Nippon flight was between Singapore and Tokyo and it was a shorter overnight flight of about 7 hours. Check in was efficient as expected and I was whisked into an exclusive area to clear security and customs. While waiting for my flight I was allowed to use the outstanding Singapore Airlines Business Class lounge, known as the SilverKris Lounge, with probably the largest and best food selection the at I have ever seen in a lounge.

Perhaps because it was a shorter flight, the business class in this Dreamliner was unfortunately in a ‘domestic’ 2-2-2 layout, as opposed to a more modern and convenient staggered configuration. There was a solid separator between the two seats, which provided some privacy, but the window passenger still had to climb over the legs of the aisle passenger or had to ask him to get up from his seat.

The meal was slightly disappointing, with some tasty Japanese options, but it felt a bit rushed, with everything served at once.

The seat converted into a flat bed and it was comfortable. The crew was attentive and the service generally good.

The second leg was on Air Canada’s Dreamliner between Tokyo and Vancouver. In Tokyo I could choose between different lounges, due to my business ticket and my Miles and More status, but the United lounge turned out to be pretty good.

While Air Canada have had some issues over many years with surly service, old planes and something to be avoided if you could, I was pleasantly surprised for the third time over the past year by how much they have improved the quality of international business and premier economy class, and even economy.

The service was friendly and efficient, and the crew addressed all business passengers by their last names when taking food and drink orders. The food and wine on offer were good and the entertainment system with its large 46 cm touch-screens offered hundreds of movies. 

The cabin was laid out in a staggered fashion, with each of the four seats across having access to an aisle, the middle two seats completely separated and with each seat in its own private cubicle.

Comparing the flights, I can say without hesitation that Air Canada’s business class was considerably better that that of All Nippon. 

While there is huge room for improvement on AC's domestic flights and with the service levels at the check-in counters at Canadian airports, Air Canada has achieved great strides in improving its offering on international routes, especially in business class, over the past few years.