[openfly]

BBC1 and BBC News carrying the problem in a big way!

[LuganoPirate]

[quote quote=848483]BBC1 and BBC News carrying the problem in a big way!
[/quote]

As is the FT and DM!

We’ve had rain in the Mossel Bay area for about 8 days but in any case we’ve had no water restrictions but everyone is aware of the situation and most are trying to conserve water. So avoid Cape Town, yes, but take the relatively short drive to Mossel Bay or George, support our local economy and enjoy some great lodgings, tasty food, good wines and if you’re a golfer some outstanding golf courses.

Local airport is George by the way.

[Tom Otley]

In The Times of London today

Cape Town asks for disaster zone status to stave off drought

Cape Town has pleaded with the South African government to declare a national disaster as it faces the prospect of becoming the first modern city in the world to run out of water.

Draconian restrictions will be imposed this week to try to eke out dwindling water supplies, but unless the four million people living in and around the city drastically cut their usage the taps will be turned off on April 12, known locally as Day Zero.

Also made the leader
LEADING ARTICLE

Cape Fear

The water shortage in South Africa’s second city foreshadows a continental crisis

Cape Town is heading fast towards Day Zero, the moment when it becomes the first big city on an already troubled continent to run dry. The idea of water as the new oil, precious for its scarcity, has long been a journalistic shorthand for a predicament no one wants to face: cities are growing faster than the water supplies on which they depend. Water, like oil, stokes international tension and social disorder. Its absence brings disease and misery. Cape Town’s crisis is that of modern urbanisation, the trek to the real or imagined prosperity of cities. Some two thirds of the world’s population are expected to live in cities by 2030. If those cities lack water, the dream of urbanisation will founder.

People are cancelling,
“The tourism board has confirmed that there have already been cancellations from the millions of international and domestic visitors to Cape Town each year. Hotels have drained swimming pools and removed bath plugs, but they have stayed open.”

[openfly]

LP….could you add another 3000ft to your runway please, then BA could get some wide bodies into George!

[capetonianm]

Day Zero now moved 4 days back and is now 16 APR, and SA Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona said tourists should still visit Cape Town regardless of the drought crisis,
but he said visitors must be aware of the strict water restrictions.

I am not sure I agree but it does seems that the message is getting through. I have just got off the phone from someone who does some work for me in CPT and I said : “Please save some water for me, I’ll be back in a couple of weeks”, to which her response was : “Oh don’t worry there’s plenty of water for all of us.” That’s entirely the wrong message, although I know she said it to sound positive and optimistic.

In many ways it’s good that people are expecting life to carry on as normal, but I fear that when day zero comes, it will be awful.

[LuganoPirate]

[quote quote=848873]LP….could you add another 3000ft to your runway please, then BA could get some wide bodies into George!
[/quote]

I’ll get my spade and shovel and start on it tonight 😉

Seriously though, it would be great to have GRJ served by some European destinations directly, but i doubt this will ever happen. Not enough direct traffic to justify it.

[openfly]

One has to speculate that, in view of the impending situation, BA may well consider changing the three weekly high season flights from Gatwick to Cape Town and open up Gatwick to Durban instead, maybe via Harare makes sense. Lots of sunshine and water in DUR to accommodate the usual influx of holiday makers to South Africa.

[Tom Otley]

I imagine a lot of airlines are thinking the same.

Joon is planning its first flights to Cape Town from the beginning of April, which is rather unfortunate timing…

http://corporate.airfrance.com/en/news/joon-unveils-your-new-destinations

Cape Town (South Africa): 3 weekly flights as from 1st April 2018 starting at €279 including tax**

[canucklad]

Without getting into the politics of how this state of affairs came about, I really feel for the all the people affected.

It truly is one of those situations where the maxim “ Caught between a Rock and a Hard place” becomes a truism. I’m assuming that the economy of this beautiful city is heavily reliant on tourism and thus foreign exchange etc. Yet those same tourists and their welcome spending power are now a burden. A real catch 22 shame.

On a more positive note, I read both Capetonianm’s and LP’s comments , looked out the office window to see a snowy whiteout blanket the ground. Via the internet I briefly escaped to both George and Mossel Bay. My sparkling blue eyes are now darkly green with envy, ya lucky buggers !!!
And LP, just keep that spade in your hut, the last thing your beautiful town needs is direct flights from Europe , keep both towns a wee secret gent’s, and you never know, one day I might visit and buy you both a drink : )

[bluemooner]

[quote quote=849058]One has to speculate that, in view of the impending situation, BA may well consider changing the three weekly high season flights from Gatwick to Cape Town and open up Gatwick to Durban instead, maybe via Harare makes sense. Lots of sunshine and water in DUR to accommodate the usual influx of holiday makers to South Africa.
[/quote]

They built a fantastic new airport – King Shaka International 20 minutes north of Durban just before the 2010 World Cup. Since then, there have been no direct international flights from Northern/Western Europe.

Last year I wrote to the Durban Tourism office and they replied that they keep trying to get European carriers to fly direct, but without success. Being 1 hour flying time from Johannesburg, I assume the International airlines are of the opinion that it’s not worth the while running the direct flights. Emirates appear to disagree.

A change of flight in Johannesburg adds at least 3 hours to an already long trip from Northern/Western Europe.

Durban, Umhlanga Rocks and the other Natal resorts are great holiday destinations with an all year round warm to hot climate. Certainly holidaymakers would benefit from such flights. And as the 2nd/3rd largest City in South Africa there must be lucrative business flight requirements as well.

[capetonianm]

I completely agree. It would reduce pressure on the tourism infrastructure in Cape Town, and I’m not just referring to the current water crisis, as well as take the load off the Cape Town flights.

There must be plenty of people who fly to South Africa whose destination whether for business or pleasure is Durban, and who would welcome a direct flight.

In my murky past I did a study on this for revenue management, and I may have the MIDT figures somewhere.

[Marc_ACB]

In the late 90s BA (with the Utopia tailfins) used to do hop/jump flight LHR/JNB/DUR which was I thought popular (the route, not the tailfins) but it was withdrawn in favour of the hub and spoke that BA/Comair have now.

[bluemooner]

In the 1980s BA flew LHR – DUR (VIA HARARE)

[Derek1948]

Well I have arrived back from Cape Town into a dank and wet English winter season. Oh how I long to be back in the Cape Town sunshine again. We did use water sparingly throughout our 3 week stay in the country as all hotels made us aware of the problems. It was a joy to get home and have the shower run all the time I was under it. But the need to conserve water in SA was always our paramount thought. We even drank more wine to help…… Seriously though, I hope that the problem is solved, it is such a wonderful country to visit and the welcome was outstanding. We will definately be back, but not this year. And on another note both BA flights, to Johannesburg and from Cape Town went without a hitch. Service in F was remarkable and well worth the direct route.

[first_class_please]

I have just read the article on Lufthansa’s new livery. Launched in Cape Town.

Wonder how many LH staff and media brought in for that event that could of been hosted elsewhere.

Desalination plants appear to be urgently needed. I have lived in the Middle East for many years with never any water restrictions.

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