Surinam Airways replaces MD82 with 2 733's

[Surijet737]

I've read in a Surinam newspaper that Surinam Airways is going to replace their MD82 with 2 737-300's in March and April 2009. Plus they are going to add 3 destinations: Jamaica, Barbados(again) and Manaus in Brazil. But the 733 are only staying for a while and after that they are going to stick with the 737-700. What do you guys think of this?

[crvenazvezdaman]

I've read in a Surinam newspaper that Surinam Airways is going to replace their MD82 with 2 737-300's in March and April 2009. Plus they are going to add 3 destinations: Jamaica, Barbados(again) and Manaus in Brazil. But the 733 are only staying for a while and after that they are going to stick with the 737-700. What do you guys think of this?

So they are going to temporarily take up the 733s and then just get rid of them for the 737-700s? Is that what you mean? I know very little about Suriname except for the geographic location but if they get 737-700s maybe they should fly to MIA? I have no idea if they even already fly there.

[Surijet737]

So they are going to temporarily take up the 733s and then just get rid of them for the 737-700s? Is that what you mean? I know very little about Suriname except for the geographic location but if they get 737-700s maybe they should fly to MIA? I have no idea if they even already fly there.

Yes that's what I meant. And yes they do fly to Miami twice a week via Aruba with their sole MD82. They are probably going to lease it from AWAS.

[crvenazvezdaman]

Yes that's what I meant. And yes they do fly to Miami twice a week via Aruba with their sole MD82. They are probably going to lease it from AWAS.

Ok I just went to the Suriname Airways site, apparently they have online booking for flights to Amsterdam! Wow didn't know they had a long haul. What aircraft do they use for the transatlantic flights (they didnt say on the bookings but the flight is 9h)?

Anyways, relating to topic. do they make that stop at Aruba for tech reasons or for passenger profit? A 737-700 with winglets could easily do that route nonstop. For the three destinations you listed as new (Jamaica, Maunaus, and Barbados) is that for the winter timeable or summer timeable?

[Surijet737]

Ok I just went to the Suriname Airways site, apparently they have online booking for flights to Amsterdam! Wow didn't know they had a long haul. What aircraft do they use for the transatlantic flights (they didnt say on the bookings but the flight is 9h)?

Anyways, relating to topic. do they make that stop at Aruba for tech reasons or for passenger profit? A 737-700 with winglets could easily do that route nonstop. For the three destinations you listed as new (Jamaica, Maunaus, and Barbados) is that for the winter timeable or summer timeable?

The long haul route with a 747-200SUD(747-300). Aruba: because of the US Border pre-clearance facilities and our international airport doesnt qualify FAA rules to fly to the US (yet!!!). And for the new destinations, they were just announced Saturday, but I think the timetable is for the whole year not just winter or summer.

[crvenazvezdaman]

The long haul route with a 747-200SUD(747-300). Aruba: because of the US Border pre-clearance facilities and our international airport doesnt qualify FAA rules to fly to the US (yet!!!). And for the new destinations, they were just announced Saturday, but I think the timetable is for the whole year not just winter or summer.

Awww, the FAA has got to be SO boring when it comes to this. There are airlines with new planes that crash more often in the USA than foreign airlines with really really older planes.

[Surijet737]

It was not even a Surinamese pilot's fault but anyway I am happy that they are finally going to replace that fuel gurgeling MD82, they still can make right choices :P

[AA 1818]

I for one, am going to be sad to see the MD-82 leave. Great looking aircraft (but great looking fuel efficent are sadly not the same thing), and sad to see them leave after this long with the airline. Anyway, I hope that they do get the FAA certification. Right now, other carriers are profiting from the past mis-fortunes of the nation/airline. Can't wait to see the 737-700s, and the new routes should keep the aircraft well utilisized!

[Spad13]

Awww, the FAA has got to be SO boring when it comes to this. There are airlines with new planes that crash more often in the USA than foreign airlines with really really older planes.

Yeah, OK.

[Surijet737]

I for one, am going to be sad to see the MD-82 leave. Great looking aircraft (but great looking fuel efficent are sadly not the same thing), and sad to see them leave after this long with the airline. Anyway, I hope that they do get the FAA certification. Right now, other carriers are profiting from the past mis-fortunes of the nation/airline. Can't wait to see the 737-700s, and the new routes should keep the aircraft well utilisized!

Like I said I am happy with the replacement but sad at the same time. It is a beautiful aircraft indeed but beauty does not seem to matter any more, just take a look at the A380 . Oh yeah JFK will also be added together with the other 3 in June. But I do hope they get a new paint scheme cuz the current one is as boring is it could be .

[Alessandro]

The choice of B737 makes sense in the way that KLM which SLM got lot of co-operation with has old B733 and flies the -700 as well. But not in South America, so spare parts as to be flown either from europe or directly from the US or do SLM co-operate with some other airline in South America, a few in Brazil flies the B737?
I see a need for the A380 to Suriname in the future to replace the B744, especially since I predict that Cayenne, French Guiana will get them first, but itŽll take time, AF/KLM will wait until they got a big fleet of these.

[Surijet737]

The choice of B737 makes sense in the way that KLM which SLM got lot of co-operation with has old B733 and flies the -700 as well. But not in South America, so spare parts as to be flown either from europe or directly from the US or do SLM co-operate with some other airline in South America, a few in Brazil flies the B737?
I see a need for the A380 to Suriname in the future to replace the B744, especially since I predict that Cayenne, French Guiana will get them first, but itŽll take time, AF/KLM will wait until they got a big fleet of these.

A380?! Isn't that to big?! I think a 744 or 773ER is more then enough. And I don't think KLM is interested in a A380 it says so on wikipedia. But it would be nice to see one land here .

[Alessandro]

KLM and AF are the same company, so if Air France need a route for the A380, AŽdam-ParŽbo is possible, especially during peak season.
When I flew on the KLM B744 in 2004 from AŽdam to ParŽbo, it was crammed, guy next to me said he was lucky to get a seat due to the line being being sold out.
With Cayenne next door, I think it makes sense that you can alternate the routes, Paris-Cayenne, Cayenne-ParŽbo, ParŽbo-AŽdam. Just like we had SLM and KLM personell on the returning flight, AF and KLM staff could both work on this shared flight.

[AA 1818]

KLM and AF are the same company, so if Air France need a route for the A380, AŽdam-ParŽbo is possible, especially during peak season.
When I flew on the KLM B744 in 2004 from AŽdam to ParŽbo, it was crammed, guy next to me said he was lucky to get a seat due to the line being being sold out.
With Cayenne next door, I think it makes sense that you can alternate the routes, Paris-Cayenne, Cayenne-ParŽbo, ParŽbo-AŽdam. Just like we had SLM and KLM personell on the returning flight, AF and KLM staff could both work on this shared flight.

While I understand that it would be cool to see the A380 on the CDG/AMS to French Guyana/Suriname, I think that it does not make as much sense as you may think.

While both AF and KLM are entities within the same, larger corporation - there is a need to keep both brands separate as they do cater to two different national identities, and serve two distinctly different markets. Simply put - if AF/KLM were to merge operations on these routes, while it may be marginally profitable, I think that it would cause much more of a stir that necessary.

The ideal raison d'être of the A380 is to provide services between city pairs where the dramatic capacity in needed and yet landing/airport slots are heavily contested. With those parameters in mind there are many other routes where the A380 would be better used to serve that explicit purpose (with routes such as CDG-JFK, CDG-YYZ, CDG-MIA, CDG-ORD and the like coming to mind first).

Now, I fully understand that the A380 can be used for other high-capacity routes, but then the distinction has to be made that most airlines would rather up frequency where possible in order to achieve an increase in capacity. In both cases of AMS-PMB-AMS and CDG-CAY-CDG the case will present itself to either airline: would AMS-CDG-CAY-PMB-CAY-CDG-AMS be a good move or would CDG-AMS-PMB-CAY-PMB-AMS-CDG be a good move? Would passengers be upset by it? Would it sway passengers to other carriers? Would it be a feasible move? In any event, would passengers opt to fly on Suriname Airways in order to avoid being shuffled through French Guyana?

A more likely move for KLM is to downgrade the 744 on the AMS-PMB-AMS route, and go push the route to 2 daily A330s (if range were sufficient) or move the route to 2 772s. The same can be done for AF with the CDG-CAY-CDG route, and perhaps here there is even more incentive on the part of AF as the move would make the connections (to other parts of the Caribbean offered by AF) even more attractive.

[Surijet737]

I think that Surinam Airways is also going to do GEO-AMS-GEO. GEO is going to be a secondary-hub so it might be so. I talked to a pilot from PY and said that the new destinations are going to be Jamaica-Kingston, Barabados, Manaus-Brazil, Georgetown-Guyana and JFK. But did not mention GEO-AMS-GEO.