SN Brussels? Let’s go back to Sabena

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 30 total)

  • DisgustedofSwieqi
    Participant

    Tom

    Let me draw you a picture to explain why the grizzled old travellers on here have a negative reaction to the name Sabena.

    Sabena was cr*p, rubbish, unpleasant, unreliable, arrogant, inefficient, didn’t give a sh*t etc… Along with the Norwegian Blue parrot, it has gone to a better place.

    Let’s face it, Brussels attracts a very big income stream to Belgium, NATO, EC and the associated organizations etc.

    So, IMHO, it is entirely appropriate that the airline of Belgium is named Brussels Airlines, as without all this income stream, Belgium would be absolutely b*ggered.


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    @DoS, 100% with you on this. I live in Flanders and in Holland, and can tell you, quite frankly, Belgium is pretty b*ggered even with the EU and NATO business coming in, as the nations represented do not pay any taxes to the Belgium government. Sure a number of companies want to base themselves here to be close to the ‘action’ or should I say ‘in-action,’ but with the social costs rising, personal taxes being the second highest in Europe, Belgium is certainly not a poster child for prosperity. Sabena was a prime case in point. In over 70 years of history Sabena had only one profitable year, and that was when Swissair owned it. It was a complete parastatal, flying the flag to destinations simply for that reason, most of their long haul routes (with the exception of Africa) were completely unsustainable, and yet pride and the government forced them to continue. Sabena stood for Société Autonyme Belge d’Exploitation de la Navigation Aérienne (Belgian company for exploiting aerial navigation), and that name should now RIP. Whilst Brussels Airlines is not great, and the name is not exactly original, it certainly ‘does what it says on the tin’, so to speak!


    LPPSKrisflyer
    Participant

    If it needs a new name how about Air Belgium or Belgian Airlines? Brussels Airlines is very parochial. OTOH, Lufthansa could just rename the whole operation European World Airways!


    TiredOldHack
    Participant

    “Lufthansa could just rename the whole operation European World Airways”

    and bring a few Junkers 52s out of retirement.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    That made me laugh Tired! Can you imagine the faces of the waiting line of pinstripes mingling with the great unwashed as they prepare to board the Iron Annie’s 😉


    TiredOldHack
    Participant

    I only mention the Tante Ju because I watched one on finals for Koln/Bonn from a train window, a few years ago. I was in Koln for the ANUGA food fair and was on my way back to my hotel in nearby Konigswinter. The line runs close to the airport.

    Anyway, I was enthralled because I’d never seen a 52 in the air before, and the train was absolutely keeping pace with it (or vice versa…) for a few minutes and we weren’t going fast. I later Googled the landing speed of the 52, and discovered it was something like 55 knots! Take-off speed wasn’t much more, either.

    Anyway, next day I was back at the show and bumped into a contact who I knew was an old classic transport freak, as I am, and mentioned this. His eyes lit up. Apparently they have a small flight of Ju52s on the Lufthansa strength and they do joy-rides and small local flights with them. The pilots are all LH Boeing 747 pilots and they fight for the chance to fly the old Tante Jus, because they love them.

    “I bought my father a flight for his birthday last year,” he beamed. “It was only about 120 euros. He had not been in a Ju52 for many years.”

    “Oh, when was the last time?”

    “When he jumped out of one into Norway in 1940.”

    Splendid stuff.


    skyguy79
    Participant

    By the way, SN is called Brussels Airlines since 2008 ! I really also believe that Sabena can come back with a completely reenrgised team and spirit !

    Look at the following page to see SN’s rich heritage : http://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0PDodd33iZPTxUAHvdNBQx.?p=sabena+&fr=yfp-t-702&ei=utf-8&n=30&x=wrt

    Phillipine Airlines , Sri Lankan ( Air Lanka ) and Kenya Airways also had poor reputations but look at how they turned their fortunes around.

    I doubt Sabena’s services were ever worse than US carrier’s domestic flybus service !

    I remember being at JFK in summer 2000 and seeing many blue tailed Sabena aircrafts that looked nothing short of stunning !

    Maybe a facebook campaign can be started to bring the name back ?


    nathanBAGOLD
    Participant

    i agree. today’s SN is better then most of the crap we get in the USA from Delta, AA, UA/CO, US. Bring back Sabena !!!! theya hv one of the richest heritages in the aviation !


    Binman62
    Participant

    Flew Sabena once in late 80’s.

    Overriding memory however was the firms appearance on the very first fly on the wall documentary about Heathrow and the daily goings on.

    That programme, which featured the airlines inept airport manager, trying to deal with disrupted passengers, in the full glare of TV cameras, did more to destroy them than almost any other event. It was toe curlingly awful.


    skyguy79
    Participant

    Looks like Sabena’s twin sister Sabona is very much alive and well in the guise of Sabona of London!!

    http://www.scruggsfarm.com/Sabona.html


    ChrisBuda82
    Participant

    SN Brussels sounds like a low cost airline not class to the name!


    DisgustedofSwieqi
    Participant

    “I really also believe that Sabena can come back with a completely reenrgised team and spirit ! “

    It’s as likely that Shergar will come back to win the derby 🙂


    skyguy79
    Participant

    The Sabena name is very much alive in the guise of Sabena Technics based at Zaventem or nearby !


    skyguy79
    Participant

    Salford Software seem to also use a variation of the old Sabena logo

    http://blogs.edgehill.ac.uk/coreservices/2007/11/01/salford-software-technical-update-event-30th-october/


    RichHI1
    Participant

    I flew Sabena a lot in the early 90’s. I think memory is playing tricks on some of you.

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