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'SAS looking for a buyer': CEO

Published: 2 Mar 10 11:12 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/25300/20100302/

SAS Scandinavian Airlines would be better off sold or merged with another airline, the company's CEO, Mats Jansson, said on Tuesday.

"In my opinion, after we have gotten through this very difficult crisis, SAS should enter into a structural deal," he told the Dagens Nyheter daily on Tuesday.

Jansson has in the past been sceptical of selling the airline, but in Tuesday's interview he said he had "become older and wiser."

"Making it on our own is not a goal in itself ... I have reached the insight that (a sale) is definitely the best solution for all parties," he said.

SAS is majority owned by the governments of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish government confirmed in February that it planned to seek parliamentary approval to sell its 21.4 percent stake.

Germany's leading airline Lufthansa has long been mentioned as a possible rescuer for SAS, but Jansson said it was too early to speculate on who might buy the Scandinavian company.

"First we need a capital injection from our shareholders and then we need to get our cashflow going so we can make SAS interesting again," he said, adding that "if we don't do our homework there will be no interest on the market for us."

Last month, SAS reported a worse-than-expected fourth quarter net loss of 1.3 billion kronor (£176 million) and said it would cut 650 jobs.

It also went cap in hand to its shareholders, begging for a cash injection of around €500 million ($700 million), less than a year after requesting that its owners stump up more than €600 million.

"2010 will be a very difficult year, but starting in 2011 we will show positive figures on our balance sheet," Jansson said.

AFP/The Local (news@thelocal.se)

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12:54 March 2, 2010 by Twiceshy
I can tell you why - 100%. They don't like those who fly on their airline. Don't think so? Look at their frequent flyer program. I am Platinum Medallion with Delta and will never, ever on my many trips each year to Sweden fly SAS. I would if they had a program at least as good as ANY of the major other airlines!
13:33 March 2, 2010 by rba
Yes... they need to improve their quality and/or reduce their prices. Low quality with high prices doesn't work.
14:04 March 2, 2010 by WelshSwede
What doesnt work is hiking the prices up, and then they wonder why the flights are half full.

A campaign stating that flights to UK are only £60, but can you find one??????
14:44 March 2, 2010 by Beavis
Yep. High price and low quality equal a badly run airline. No matter how many normal workers they fire they will always be a failed airline until their management get their heads out of the sand and reduce their prices. Eurobonus is a load of rubbish too, when you actualy go to use their points on hotel stays they advertise 4 and 5 star hotels in each city. But when you go to book... "That hotel is not availbale ", but call the hotel and they have plenty of rooms.
15:45 March 2, 2010 by livinginsweden
SOS ... please buy us.

Can the chinese buy sas? or must it be another white buyer?

ha ha
15:49 March 2, 2010 by Lostaussie
Charging full service airline prices with cut price service is just plain stupid. I shudder everytime I have to fly with them as a lot of there fleet use to be pretty old as well. They seem to have some newer 737s but I still see the old MD?? there. Have only flown them here and in China more than 10 years ago.
15:55 March 2, 2010 by aaww
lufthansa will not buy SAS, they have already said that. lufthansa is lacking of cash themselves now.
21:32 March 2, 2010 by Ingka71
My votes go to KLM-AirFrance. Not a low price carrier for sure, but good for business travelers. Their network to the Nordic countries is not terribly good and they have a good bonus program. I've commuted between Sweden and Amsterdam for a year and had a golden membership in a jiffy. Now I'm flying SAS basically every fortnight and I stay in Ivory or sometimes silver level.
22:25 March 2, 2010 by Beavis
@Lostaussie yep your right, the oldest fleet in Europe and they a load of old MD82s still in use.
14:20 March 3, 2010 by Sam1
Yes!!

prestige is nearly gone, they do charge high rates and have poor service, their staff are poorly dressed and damn old!! although they are quite nice, they take 1000 SEK between

Stockholm Östersund, and yet they cant serve you something for free I believe all Airlines that want to sell in the air are poor airlines, I have been on many they have something extra to sell but the main snack or lunch is free.

they should make it cheaper and better quality then they can get more people flying with them.
15:28 March 3, 2010 by this_aint_sparta
FlygBusserna is a potentioal buyer of SAS.
03:14 March 8, 2010 by Ghostrider
I fly SAS often and it needs new management. Too many equal quality for less options or better quality for the same.

Sell to United or Delta.
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