Estonian Air. Mida teha.

Jätk minu eelmisele postitusele.

Partsi haldusala

Estonian Airi kahjum ja Tero Taskila ning Jan Palméri tasu ei loe, sest pea kõigil rahvuslikel lennufirmadel läheb suuremal või vähemal määral halvasti. Teadupoolest oli Estonian Airil protsentuaalselt kõige väiksem kahjum kõigist nendest Euroopa rahvuslikest lennufirmadest, mis kahjumis olid.

Kivi MKM kapsaaeda on ehk see, et ei ole olnud piisavalt kannatust oodata, kuni üks strateegia (kasvõi Taskila oma) üldse käiku läheb, ja kuni ta elaks, et siis teada saada, kas see töötab või mitte. Sest antud hetkel tekib küsimus, et kas kahjum oleks Taskila juhtimisel hoopis väiksem olnud.

Kuna osa lennukeid on kasutamata, siis soovitan Estonian Airil nad mingi hetk käiku lasta ja juurutada nendega paindlik sündmustepõhine graafik, mis sõltuks rohkem hooajast ja sündmustest, à la kontsertid, laulupeod, spordivõistlused, PÖFF jne.: näiteks pakett, kus on sündmuse premium-piletid lennuga Eestisse ja tagasi, ja võib-olla isegi hotellitoad. Lisaks lennufirma-poolne täiendav infra erisuguse varustuse transportimiseks: muusikariistade ja mittestandardse kujuga sporditarvete turvaline transport ja käitlemine.

Koostööd saaks teha suursündmuste korraldajatega, hotellide ja Ettevõtluse Arendamise Sihtasutusega (või mingi muu quangoga, sest EAS tahetakse vist üldse kinni panna), mispuhul riik võiks omalt poolt toetada ajakohase reklaamiga ntx välisriikides, sest Estonian Airi otse toetada vist ei saa.

Kui seda ei saa riik, mis on muuseas täiesti võimalik, siis seda saaks teha näiteks koostöös turismiettevõtetega, hotellide ja suuremate sündmuste korraldajatega. Praegu on selline seis, et nagu polekski Estonian Air Eesti turismiettevõtetega midagi huvitavat koos tegemas (ok, ma pole seda uurinud, kas üldse) ja igaüks nagu teeb mis ise tahab ja käib oma suunas.

Lisavariant oleks panna lennukid tööle Euroopas sinna, kus parasjagu on nõudlus lennureisidele suurem kui kohalik ressurss seda antud hetkel võimaldada suudaks.

Estonia's Kyoto deal

This post is in reaction to comments to a post by AnTyx about Estonia's acquisition of electric cars by Mitsubishi for trading pollution quotas (or, if you will, emissions — also called assigned amount units or AAU's) to Japan under the Kyoto Protocol).

The rare-earth metals issue is half-moot: It's not so much about mining them, but producing and processing them to some usable state, and outside China, Estonia's Silmet are like the only supplier (a few moons ago there were articles about Silmet both in EPL and The Economist); while Australia et al. are restarting production — they had to stop, because Chinese supplies were so cheap, and then China raised prices when it turned out that they were the only major producer and supplier (like there's anything new in such a world of business).

So I figured that this isn't just pure chance that Mitsubishi, Japan, and Estonia got off with this a great deal wrt. pollution quotas and electric cars (the batteries of which require rare-earth metals :).

Two points: World's soundest banks and how forward-looking Estonians are

In July, a family member in Canada wondered if another depression is going to happen in the U.S. and how it will affect Canada.

Well, it may be somewhat early to think of a depression yet (I'm trying to be an optimist, or maybe is it, that my worrylessness may actually be complacency), but it's always best to be careful. "Better safe than sorry" sounds perhaps a bit too cliché. At least right now, people are bracing for the impact that this negative growth is (also called a recession, mostly after the fact).

I do have to add that Canada has soundest banking system in the world, with Sweden at #2 and most large Estonian banks belong to Nordic banking companies.

Of course, the latest Time article about Estonia is not so bloomy anymore about Estonia. After all, if you're exemplified all around the world for being great when times are good, remember to expect being reported on at difficult times (and how you're faring).

This Time piece by Andrew Purvis reflects on Estonians' reputation for "being practical, down-to-earth, and forward-looking." The latter notion being rather telling, because in "The Baltic Mourning After", the same author has noticed "Black banners for a lecture series [...] in Tallinn asking: IS THERE LIFE AFTER CAPITALISM?"

The lecture series happened in October (with the end of the month culminating with the screening of "The Corporation", a Canadian documentary) and still continues to happen in November.

Links and comments

• 21.10.: Canada rated world's soundest bank system
  You just have to love those oddball news sites that still keep their articles :-)
  
  Op-Eds:
• 31.10.: Strong, safe and open for business
• 03.11.: Mel Watkins . Still strong and free
• 10.11.: Why Canada's Banks Don't Need Help
  — With a link to a somewhat sardonic gallery of Top Ten Scared Traders at the end of the article. || I guess the guys and gals there will be remembered as really-really brave for having had the guts to yo-yo, swing and zigzag through the precarious financial mêlée that befell in their midst.
  
  Doubt has also been creeping in:
• 13.11.: Experts not sold on bank strength
  I'd say rather that a sound banking system allows a country to tough it out through the rough times with less pain than those rated to be in their forties. I remember a piece in The Economist which mentioned that wealthy countries will have it harder than poor countries, because the latter have a difficult life anyway.