jamespvg

Eek. Well, we saw it coming.

My real problem here is not the new strategy, per se, but the absence of clearly set out future plans. All we have are management buzzwords and waffle about a modular airline -- does anyone know what this is? Does bmi?

I don't, in principle, have a problem with the idea of moving to a paid catering service in economy. I'd like to think that bmi will alleviate the impact on elite passengers by providing sandwiches and the like in the lounge. They could just put out a selection of the sandwiches previously served onboard. 'm well used to stealing cans of coke and biscuits from the lounge for EDI-EMA WW flights. If the lounges/premium check-in stay, and diamond club remains mostly unchanged, then I'll still be on bmi for short UK domestic flights. Though I wasn't surveyed (ha!), I would agree that ground services are more important to me than in-flight.

However, I am not frequently paying full-fare for my trips. If flights to EDI were costing me £300 return, I would feel more than a little aggrieved about forking out £1 for a cup of tea. I wonder if the consequence of this dive to the bottom-end of the market will lose bmi the money where it really counts (customers such as MAN Pax).

Furthermore, I think that it is absolutely outrageous that this new strategy has been announced on the press and trade sites without a word on flybmi.com. That people could be merrily booking holiday flights for August under the false belief that they will be travelling with a full-service carrier is downright misleading. This is at the heart of my problem with the new strategy. The term Alastair used -- organic -- horrifies me. Yes, BD have a cash flow problem, and need to take (possibly drastic) measures to resurrect the business. But the management have had 6 months to come up with this plan and it still feels hurried and rushed. So many questions are left unanswered.

- What is the future for diamond club?
- What benefits can Gold card holders expect to receive now that free upgrades are gone?
- How will the route network develop?
- What are the details on improved ground services?
- How will 'Premium' tickets be afforded better service?
- What is this new link between bmibaby.com and flybmi.com? Is it just because more people visit the former?
- How about some miles on expensive bmibaby fares?

My fears would be greatly allayed if bmi would dispense with the management jargon and crap press releases and give us some hard details. Soon.

OT: Nigel Turner lives in Beeston! Just down the road. Quite the trek to LHR from up here.

chalf

Or are interlinign, etc. what will differentiate BD from true LCCs? If so, that could still be enough. After all, it doesn't differ much from the business model of most US carriers, and is short-haul C on BD/BA that different from Y? Provide lounge access, expedited check-in and preferred seating to those paying full-fare, and perhaps a voucher for buy-on-board food. What more does C currently represent? Even if connecting from international long-haul, on a 60 minute flight does anyone really care beyond that?

MAN Pax

I predict that in 18 months time the number of BD*G's will be greatly reduced as those who used to qualify on short-haul C fares will no longer get the points/miles and those paying full fare Y will probably migrate to BA.

There may be a few new entrants who qualify from runs to BOM and whatever new routes open, but I can see the high yield pax voting with their feet, from the Diamond Club to the Terraces.

jamespvg

BRU, EDI, GLA and LBA don't have lounges? Crikey.

Perhaps you meant EMA? Hardly a mini-hub It's opening a (shared) lounge in the next few months.

NickB

improved ground service? You are having a laugh. What is one of the highest variable cost for an airline, other than fuel? Yes: staff and it is where there is the most potential for saving. The 'improved' service will be fewer check-in agents and more check-in machines, online check-in, etc... We are a-typical on this forum by generally either using business class check-in of the machines. But just look at the queues for Y check-in at LHR at a moderately busy hour. I am sure that there is huge potential for expediting the check-in for the masses but not really for us. Indeed probably the opposite. At present, you barely have to wait if ever to use self-service check-in. This will change once the average Y pax uses the machines.
Just look across the Atlantic for the 'improved' service, as check-in agents are replaced by helpers who direct you to the check-in machines.
God forbid, though, if you have a slightly complex situation that requires human input. And god help us when the remaining agents that have not been let go have to deal with irregular ops affecting several flights.
The only area where I think there is genuine realistic hope for improvement, at least in the medium term, is in relation to LHR lounges, especially if BD looks towards long-haul ex-LHR as their future.
more flexibility and interlining + possibly access to lounges on full Y, presumably.
I expect that the cheaper fares will only be available on point-to-point (as is the case now, for that matter). Perhaps BD intends to adopt a strict LCC approach on interlining and transfers if you are on such tickets (i.e. no transfer facilities: you pick pu your bags and re-check-in). I can't see the sense of the phrase 'low cost terms and conditions' otherwise.
Oh, this is all so depressing.

The Saint

Cripes! Imagine what all those nice *Alliance passengers will say having to schlep their luggage from T3 to T1 at LHR! BA could invest in a sign.

"Welcome to London! Next time, why don't you fly with an airline with frills"

neilyork

Yes, I agree except for poor sods like me who travel from LBA. Looking out on to the apron I see the following airlines with FF clubs:

- bmi
- klm (LHR/EDI via AMS isn't very practical)
- flybe (if you count a piece of paper as an FF card)

So there you have it. I wonder if I collect enough points with BA if I could sell them on ebay to buy a house near MAN. Hmm...now there's a thought.

jamespvg

The impression I get is that the savings will be made in the air, where bmi is cutting back to minimum crew requirements on all flights, scrapping external cleaners and cutting lnflight food and drink.

Most of my BD flying is point-to-point anyway -- with OLCI and PYOBP I'll be happy enough.

I hadn't considered that phrase -- you're right, it's quite ominous. Another one to add to my: "What do you actually mean?" list.

neilyork

Having said that of course, it could be a positive marketing strategy for them.
"Welcome to London. The bmi board is proud not to have any Willy's. That's why we've taken the bold step towards plebdom. Cart your own luggage, without a Willy it's the only way."

NickB

I don't see that happening. If you are on a through ticket, you are on a through ticket. The issue is really just with the low point-to-point fares. At present, if you book two cheap consecutive point-to-point web-onlys (eg: DUB-LHR and LHR-CDG), BD will normally be flexible and check you and your luggage through even though, strictly speaking, they don't have to. This could conceivably go.
However, if you buy a through DUB-CDG ticket via LHR, I would not anticipate any change now.
Your star alliance pax will normally buy a through ticket, and there would be no change. If you want to beat the system and buy the tickets separately for cheaper fares, then you could conceivably be on your own with the new policies.

barella

I know it's looking like a sad day for us loyal bmi customers. But no-one seems to have picked some of the good points.

For one, at least we now have it confirmed that we're getting on-line check in.

jamespvg

Well, low cost airlines don't sell through-tickets, so presumably if you're correct, "tiny" DUB-CDG fares won't exist anyway.

NickB

. That is right and this is how I understand it. If you look at how low fares on bd work now, the cheapest web-only (t or n type fares) are , afaik, only available point-to-point, whereas ordinary discounted fares (w, v, etc...) are also available on multi-segment itineraries.

NickB

I suppose that when you lose your home, you don't get that excited about the freedom not to have to pay a mortgage

House

I would expect the low fares to be point-to-point. In other words, unless you book everything as a through journey on one ticket (and pay more) then they will not want to know. This has already been BA policy for well over a year, at least in relation to non-partner airlines, and I have heard anecdotal evidence of them refusing to through check onto Oneworld partners where there are two separate tickets involved.

I don't see this happening for through-tickets, but I also don't see the cheaper fares being made available as tag-ons to long haul flights, for example.