Originally Posted by
Raffles
My gut feeling (from a business perspective, since I don't do dom flights) is that this is not a crazy move. I am probably one of the last people in Britain whose job perks include 'J anywhere' travel. Most people are forced to use Y, even if J is cheaper, because of travel policy.
[snip]
The Full Y flyer gets lounge access, free food and a seat at the front, plus some miles. It's probably as good as you could expect for a 50 minute hop to EDI and is still a substantially better package than EasyJet etc. BMI gets to cut its fare (or increase its margin) because of the APD saving. Life could be worse.
Well, I must admit, this is my take on it too. I think it's a pretty pragmatic response to a world that's changed. As far as I can see in practice most of the real benefits remain. The catering will change, but I don't think I'm alone in thinking that the choice of a decent fresh sarnie often beats a mediocre oven'ed gloop.
BD has to live in a world alongside Easyjet and Ryanair. If through dropping a formal business cabin they can provide a differentiated service at a price closer to what the market values short-haul air travel, then good for them.
Nobody's commented on the LHR-VIE remark in one of the reports. I reckon that's wrong. At best, it's OS borrowing BD aircraft? (And there's the sick leaning on the wounded. At least Herr Prock-Schauer knows who to call).