Originally Posted by phillipas
If MOL does that it would, IMHO, be a huge mistake. FR is probably the most ruthless airline in the world when it comes to controlling costs and having a 'simple' operation. Taking bags off a plane and distributing them to a dozen different planes is a hell of a difference from their current approach of dumplign them all on a single belt.
FR are absloutly brilliant at what they are trying to do (at least looking at it from an FR perspective, I accept that pax would frequently not apply the phrase 'absloutly brilliant' to FR) and tinkering with things and complicating things will do nothing for them whatsoever.
Overall - interesting times ahead. We've already had the Irish government and the EI unions coming out against it. If it does go through, I predict things will get explosive. Let's not forget the last carrier FR took over (Buzz) - the negotiations were getting a bit tough so MOL shut them down for a month. I'm not sure whether they are still around, but if they are, they are indistinguishable from FR.
Buzz was integrated fully in FR and does not exist as a separate entity.
I agree that it would make no sense for FR to allow through-checking on FR routes. They would be destroying their business model, which has been so successful for them.
That is also why it seems to me that it makes sense for EI and FR to remain run as distinct entities. You cannot operate an FR-style LCC model for long-haul operations. So, it seems to me that, either they get rid of EI LH routes, or keep them separate from FR.
Short-haul is another story, though. EI is already operating that on an LCC model and integration into FR would make sense. The one bit that does not quite fit here is the LHR routes, especially LHR-DUB. I would imagine that either FR keeps these as is, with interlining etc... and run them separately from other SH routes together with the long-haul routes (perhaps with a handful of others, such as DUB-AMS, DUB-FRA and DUB-CDG) or just gets rid of them and sells the slots.