BMI announcement : 600 jobs, LHR-AMS/TLV/KBP/ALP routes, 9 aircraft cut
#91
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK and Southern France
Posts: 18,364
You just couldn't make it up. This is SO our bmi.
#92
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,512
The main part of the screen reads:
Our flights to worldwide destinations make business a pleasure.
Book today and you will be flying to..
Cairo
Amman
Moscow
Book today
Book today and you will be flying to..
Cairo
Amman
Moscow
Book today
#93
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: london, uk
Programs: some blue some silver some gold
Posts: 550
So they are not focusing on all those tourists wanting to visit Baku etc...
#94
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Diamond Club, Krisflyer, BA Exec
Posts: 376
The writing was on the wall for a A330s once the two Manchester planes moved to Heathrow and were insanely used on short-ish mid-haul flights. On the Cairo route there was hardly enough time to get a couple of hours of sleep in business. It was a complete misuse of the excellent flat-bed business seats.
bmifly
bmifly
So, its LX via ZUR on the A340 or MS on the dry 777.
#95
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Ireland
Programs: BA Gold, A3 Gold, BD..oh, wait..
Posts: 4,045
I'd imagine with the cost of the A330 leases it wasn't feasible to keep them - coupled with the planned utilization of the narrowbody fleet after rationalisation it might not have made sense to keep the route going, especially if the loads weren't bringing in revenue
#96
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci, BA, AF
Posts: 10,129
Did someone see that before today, the banner "book today and fly to ..." was CAI, TLV and DME, but today it has changed to CAI, AMM and DME. bmi's IT is quicker than I thought
Now put the A321s on the Saudi routes and put the A330 on the BEY rotation
Now put the A321s on the Saudi routes and put the A330 on the BEY rotation
#98
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2005
Location: TLV/LHR
Programs: BA GGL, IHG Diamond Elite Amb, HH Diamond, Avis PC, Hertz PC, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 12,948
#99
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: CPH, BKK
Programs: OZ*G, AZ Gold, Etihad Gold, SK*G, BA Silver
Posts: 1,014
All Star Alliance carriers were using the BD lounge since it was the Star Alliance Gold lounge in BRU but lately more and more people were send to the SN lounge instead. Unfortunately I cancelled my flight to LAS within 2 weeks otherwise I could see where UA is sending his passengers those days but I've read and heard that UA was also sending passengers to SN's lounge but on other days it was again BD's lounge.
I think it will become clear when SN joins Star next month
I think it will become clear when SN joins Star next month
#100
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: SE1, London
Posts: 23,433
#101
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SIN 5 days out of 7
Programs: BD*G, A3*G, BA-S, Accor Gold, IHG Amb
Posts: 5,505
When I first heard the memo had been released (but not the contents), I checked the bmi trade website. There it had/has the same 'bmi suspends service' but it's not a clickable hyperlink - just the headline!
I was rather shocked for a minute or two to say the least! A quick check in a few other places though and I got the full picture.
As long as it's not those who caused this mess that stay
Maybe it can be turned around.
I do wonder what the point of bmi is at times. If it only make about £15 million profit a year or so ago and lost £100 million in the last year then that means it only needs one really bad year in seven to wipe out all the last cycle's profits. Given that bad years happen regularly for airlines then I don't see any value in the company. It's too small to be able to cope with the bad times especially now it needs £200 million to keep running.
I do wonder what the point of bmi is at times. If it only make about £15 million profit a year or so ago and lost £100 million in the last year then that means it only needs one really bad year in seven to wipe out all the last cycle's profits. Given that bad years happen regularly for airlines then I don't see any value in the company. It's too small to be able to cope with the bad times especially now it needs £200 million to keep running.
In addition to what's been mentioned previously, I do also wonder if some of the current costs are because someone has been scamming a pretty penny from the company (a bit like that expensive lease setup and the allegations surrounding that).
#102
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Singapore
Programs: HHonors Diamond; A3 *Nothing ; BA Exec. Club Gold
Posts: 1,689
Ams
Very sorry to hear about such a big number of job losses at BMI and I do hope this is not a first step to be followed by more.
On a more selfish note, as a Dutchman living in London I am disappointed there is no Star Alliance direct flight between London and Amsterdam anymore. That said I felt the flights where always pretty well filled and the pricing was not the lowest in the market but as a Gold card holder I preferred BMI. BA and KL FFP's just dont appeal to me but it seems I dont have a choice anymore.
Globalist
On a more selfish note, as a Dutchman living in London I am disappointed there is no Star Alliance direct flight between London and Amsterdam anymore. That said I felt the flights where always pretty well filled and the pricing was not the lowest in the market but as a Gold card holder I preferred BMI. BA and KL FFP's just dont appeal to me but it seems I dont have a choice anymore.
Globalist
#103
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: BA Executive Club, AC Aéroplan, Accor ALL
Posts: 475
I agree that it's outrageous to read " Latest News:- bmi suspends services" right on the first page people see when they're trying to book a ticket. The ambiguous wording makes it seem like they're closing-up shop.
#104
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,107
My sincere sympathies to the 600 who have lost their jobs. I've started following the BMI forum since I created/credited an account for the StarMegaDo, and at Seeheim was given lots of input on how to get top tier. Now I'm wondering if it's worth it? Also, as someone who used to do LHR-AMS, I'll miss that. Gues it will be now FRA-AMS (originating being in the US to LHR & evidently now FRA). Cheers.
#105
Original Poster
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