Just tried to book LHR-EDI-LHR on the 14th of August.
The fare it came up with worked out at Ł90+taxes and it marked that as a ‘tiny’ fare.
Now I ask you, what is so ‘tiny’ about a Ł137 (with taxes) fare to EDI??

I admit they have got some really low return fares like Ł4+taxes to Leeds, or Ł10+ to Dublin and they do have Ł4+ fares to EDI as well on some dates and these could easily be called 'tiny' fares but not Ł90+taxes!!!

All part of bmi's rather confused strategy I'm afraid - 'tiny' denotes the terms and conditions that apply rather than the actual fare.

Theoretically tiny fare should cover the same range as Ryanair, Easyjet, etc.

Suggestion to bmi, if you are really intent on going down the 'low-cost' fares from LHR route - codeshares and curtains.

Stick a WW flight number on bmi flights and place a curtain at an appropriate place along the plane.

Sell the seats in the rear cabin through ONLY bmibaby.com. Service the rear cabin fron the rear galley using paid for food/drinks (and indeed lottery cards if you wish). Don't provide lounge access or FF miles or anything else along those lines. We'll call it the 'ryanair/easyjet model. You can even have dedicated check-in desks turning people away if they turn up 7 seconds beyong the check-in deadline.

Sell the seats in the forward cabin (single class is fine) through flybmi.com and the usual GDS channels. Provide food/drinks free of charge (at least at the point of delivery). Provide lounge access on the higher fares and to status holding pax. We'll call it the 'full-service' model.

If you want to come up with a snazzy marking term for the forward cabin may I suggest something along the lines of 'diamond service'.

The joy of this idea is that it's simple and clear. If people wish to go along the 'low-cost' route and all that involves they go to bmibaby.com. If they don't they go somewhere else.

BA's lowest fares appear to be cheaper than the tiny fares and:

-For a morning flight you get a hot breakfast (okay, not as good as the late great BMI Panini but very passable and saved me needing to bother getting breakfast when getting to my destination on a couple of occasions)
-You get drinks
-You get miles (not many miles but BA's stingy miles policy starts to look rather generous compared to BMI)
-You don't get the tiny "terms and conditions" associated with BMI's lower fares
-If you're a BA silver or Gold, you get lounge access.
-Edited to add: Oh, and did I mention that BA's lounges are better?

Hmmm, someone's product is starting to look a little uncompetitive.

Have I missed anything?

Well, no, although I think that it's unfair to say that BA's lowest fares are cheaper than bmi. A few samples of lowest fares on respective routes:

(fare / tfc / total)

LHR-EDI BD Ł4 Ł46.30 Ł50.30
LHR-EDI BA Ł22 Ł44.10 Ł66.10

LHR-DUB BD Ł10 Ł29.25 Ł39.25
LGW-DUB BA Ł32 Ł42.70 Ł74.70

The tiniest of BD's new tiny fares are really pretty cheap. The trouble is, 'tiny', as we've discovered, runs the gambit from Ł40 to Ł150.

well on BA , some miles , free drinks free food .. , and lounge access elites members , for a difference of Ł4 ! I know which one I will choose, for UK domestic C class .. oh BD will not Have C class on those routes !


Well done Sir Micheal ... you really want to run this airline into the ground for your intersts in BMI Baby ! killing a perfectly good and competative airline with BA for ones interest in a pension plan of selling off BMI and turning it into all baby fares .. and to a LCC !!! God I Hate this guy !

Welcome to the real-world "con" trick of the low-fare carriers - sometimes, their fares ARE more than those of the full-service carriers. Its something we regular travellers at EMA, who were disenfranchised by bmi a couple of years ago, have known for some time. Sad thing is, the occasional traveller doesn't realise and sometimes gladly stumps up more to fly EasyJet, Ryanair or BA than they've have to pay to fly with a real airline like BA.

Case in point - when bmi were still operating EMA-DUB, one week I needed to travel the following day. Upon checking out ALL the alternatives, Ryanair BHX-DUB was almost exactly the same price as BMI EMA-DUB in business class!

All I can say is - buyer beware, and don't believe all the hype.

Andy

I still can't understand why the "Tiny" (-minded) is being introduced on the high-yield routes. Bmi has perfectly acceptable brand awareness in Scotland and EDI/LHR in August is a licence to print money. Why confuse the issue by claiming lower fares during the annual peak season on an already-expensive route? In the context of existing service levels, Ł137 in the Festival season is a pretty good price. But after 1 August...