SAS likely to be sold after recovery
In a newspaper interview, Scandinavian Airlines’ CEO said that the airline will likely be sold after it recovers from the deep financial crisis.
“My understanding is that, after this crisis is over, SAS will be part of a structural deal,” Mats Jansson said in an interview in daily Dagens Nyheter. “It is tough out there and there are obvious synergies and advantages to be had from being part of a bigger entity.”
Jansson’s statement followed a move by the Swedish government in February to seek parliamentary permission to sell down its 21.4 percent stake in the airline.
Albaugh: Boeing’s ‘first preference’ is to build planes in Puget Sound region
Jim Albaugh, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said that the Seattle area remains the preferred location to build future airplanes.
But he attached a condition: The Puget Sound region will be favored only if the Machinists union moderates its future wage demands and avoids strikes.
“This is where our people want to live. This is where we want to be. We’ve had a great partnership with the people of Washington, and I hope it continues for a long, long time,” he said. “I caveat that by saying, it’s going to be a much more competitive environment out there in the future. And work anyplace is not an entitlement.”
Executives forecast more flights, bigger budgets, survey shows
A recent survey of 250 business travelers by Ascend, indicates that executives plan to fly more frequently and spend more on flights this year.
The survey of 250 business travelers showed that 35 percent expect their companies to increase trips, while only 10 percent forecast a decrease. Last year, almost half the respondents predicted that corporate travel would shrink, with 10 percent expecting a gain, Ascend said today.
“It has to be seen as a significant turnaround, but we’re not getting carried away,” Peter Morris, chief economist at London-based Ascend, said in a telephone interview. “Corporate travel is on the recovery path, but it’s muted.”
(Photo: Deanster1983/Flickr Creative Commons)
