WW "airlines to go bust"
#241
#242
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,838
Flybe is exactly the opposite to Eagle, point to point serving secondary markets.
#243
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Glasgow
Programs: BAEC Silver, Sixt Platinum, HHons Diamond
Posts: 927
#244
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,109
Interesting, given their widely publicised financial difficulties, that they’re launching NCL-LCY from January (h/t @Raffles this morning).
Would be a fairly handy link for those of us in the north east, but also a bit of a pain if they it suddenly ceased operation for any reason once you were relying on it.
Would be a fairly handy link for those of us in the north east, but also a bit of a pain if they it suddenly ceased operation for any reason once you were relying on it.
If you're going to rely on air travel to somewhere, it has to be between places that have such a large economic base in each place and business connections between that it is near-inevitable that someone will fly the route. It is, for example, economically inconceivable that there will not be Amsterdam - Rome flights operated by someone, or London-Amsterdam, or London-Madrid, or so on. It's entirely conceivable that Exeter - Amsterdam might not be operated by anyone and then if you are depending on that to run your Exeter office with its major Dutch business partners, you're stuffed.
That's why I would not move out of SE England to elsewhere, except possibly Manchester/Leeds area or at a push, Glasgow. I can't be living where there is not far more than the critical mass of people and money to sustain a good flight network. Similarly, locations in Europe away from major cities are right out, no matter how nice the countryside in northern Spain, western Denmark, etc are.
#245
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: Mucci, BAEC Silver, IHG Platinum Elite
Posts: 1,038
Stobart Air would be a better fit then BA/IAG as a buyer - they already are a Flybe franchisee, but so are Eastern and so possibilities there too.
Another alternative that could possibly work is Airline Investments Limited - Added into the BMI reginal & Logan networks some operational and management savings could well be made. Plus it would be good to see BMI back at LHR.
#246
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Quite close to NQY
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Not sure BA want/need a feeder to EDI, NCL,LCY etc. The Flybe LHR route BA already feed themselves. If they still had the LGW routes they sold to EZY then maybe, just maybe - but they don't.
Stobart Air would be a better fit then BA/IAG as a buyer - they already are a Flybe franchisee, but so are Eastern and so possibilities there too.
Another alternative that could possibly work is Airline Investments Limited - Added into the BMI reginal & Logan networks some operational and management savings could well be made. Plus it would be good to see BMI back at LHR.
Stobart Air would be a better fit then BA/IAG as a buyer - they already are a Flybe franchisee, but so are Eastern and so possibilities there too.
Another alternative that could possibly work is Airline Investments Limited - Added into the BMI reginal & Logan networks some operational and management savings could well be made. Plus it would be good to see BMI back at LHR.
sorry but STK already announced it was pulling the plug on the flybe franchise operation. It will be wound down over the next 12-18 months but the majority of the routes have ether finished or are finishing as we speak.
STK have recently agreed a wet lease agreement for two ex virgin Australia E190s to operate for BA ex LCY.
Interesting times. I doubt stk would come back to the table now but if they did could they take BE cheaply then operate it as BA under a franchise ?
cs
#247
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
For London Airways there is little there to feed their hubs - one route into LGW and a couple into LHR that duplicate existing BA routes.
I suppose the only hope is that someone could take cost out and restore profitability by merging head office functions and downsizing. Good luck to them.
#248
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: The North
Posts: 1,844
That's why I would not move out of SE England to elsewhere, except possibly Manchester/Leeds area or at a push, Glasgow. I can't be living where there is not far more than the critical mass of people and money to sustain a good flight network. Similarly, locations in Europe away from major cities are right out, no matter how nice the countryside in northern Spain, western Denmark, etc are.
Newcastle itself is 1.5 hours from Edinburgh, and 3 from central London, by trains which are generally pretty reliable and frequent, and we have approx 5 daily flights to LHR, 2-3 to CDG, and 3-4 to AMS. I certainly agree that I wouldn't want to run a business that relied on a point-to-point marginally viable route from Newcastle to somewhere, but with good connections to a hub, it's perfectly possible. I'd love to see a better High Speed Rail network that linked directly to major airports, and perhaps the UK will eventually get one, as our geography is such that this could be a significant game-changer for freeing up capacity at places like LHR as well as connectivity via BHX, MAN, or LGW.
Back to FlyBe/Eastern to LCY - I'm tempted to book this if it isn't outrageously expensive, at some point, if only for the novelty factor. The timing could be quite useful, though I assume BA won't offer any kind of codeshare, to connect to a range of BA CityFlyer destinations.
I'm still holding out for some NCL-LGW flights, again to allow better connections, but fear that is a forlorn hope. We might even be more likely to see "HighSpeed4Air" (the suggested Gatwick-Heathrow High Speed connection, which I actually think is an excellent idea) first. And I doubt that will happen anytime soon either.
#249
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
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That's a good point, I had forgotten about easyJet Switzerland. They are not likely to go out of business anytime soon. They are not so easy to differentiate from mainline easyJet, apart from the IATA code being DS instead of U2 (or EZS instead of EZY if you use the 3-letter codes). Also, the registration on the tail begins with HB for Switzerland. One thing is noticeable: the onboard BoB trolley contains superior products to mainline easyJet.
#250
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: London Stratford, E7
Programs: BAEC Gold! Thanks to FT
Posts: 3,374
All good points, @flatlander, though I quibble a little with that in a UK context: even up here in the wilds of the "desolate" north east (not my words…) we are far better connected than many would assume - I'm sure @corporate-wage-slave would agree!
Newcastle itself is 1.5 hours from Edinburgh, and 3 from central London, by trains which are generally pretty reliable and frequent, and we have approx 5 daily flights to LHR, 2-3 to CDG, and 3-4 to AMS. I certainly agree that I wouldn't want to run a business that relied on a point-to-point marginally viable route from Newcastle to somewhere, but with good connections to a hub, it's perfectly possible. I'd love to see a better High Speed Rail network that linked directly to major airports, and perhaps the UK will eventually get one, as our geography is such that this could be a significant game-changer for freeing up capacity at places like LHR as well as connectivity via BHX, MAN, or LGW.
Back to FlyBe/Eastern to LCY - I'm tempted to book this if it isn't outrageously expensive, at some point, if only for the novelty factor. The timing could be quite useful, though I assume BA won't offer any kind of codeshare, to connect to a range of BA CityFlyer destinations.
I'm still holding out for some NCL-LGW flights, again to allow better connections, but fear that is a forlorn hope. We might even be more likely to see "HighSpeed4Air" (the suggested Gatwick-Heathrow High Speed connection, which I actually think is an excellent idea) first. And I doubt that will happen anytime soon either.
Newcastle itself is 1.5 hours from Edinburgh, and 3 from central London, by trains which are generally pretty reliable and frequent, and we have approx 5 daily flights to LHR, 2-3 to CDG, and 3-4 to AMS. I certainly agree that I wouldn't want to run a business that relied on a point-to-point marginally viable route from Newcastle to somewhere, but with good connections to a hub, it's perfectly possible. I'd love to see a better High Speed Rail network that linked directly to major airports, and perhaps the UK will eventually get one, as our geography is such that this could be a significant game-changer for freeing up capacity at places like LHR as well as connectivity via BHX, MAN, or LGW.
Back to FlyBe/Eastern to LCY - I'm tempted to book this if it isn't outrageously expensive, at some point, if only for the novelty factor. The timing could be quite useful, though I assume BA won't offer any kind of codeshare, to connect to a range of BA CityFlyer destinations.
I'm still holding out for some NCL-LGW flights, again to allow better connections, but fear that is a forlorn hope. We might even be more likely to see "HighSpeed4Air" (the suggested Gatwick-Heathrow High Speed connection, which I actually think is an excellent idea) first. And I doubt that will happen anytime soon either.
For someone one that lives 15 mins from LCY and travels to Newcastle regularly I jumped for joy at this announcement and then saw the carrier and the prices. I’d have been tempted inbound if it was a BA E190 but when I can get a HBO return on BA for Ł100 I doubt thst I will be a passenger on this venture,
Flybe have always been a funny carrier since they went from Jersey European to British European will be interesting to see what happens,
#251
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,797
You can also go to any obscure airport seemingly anywhere in Western Europe and there will be a Flybe turboprop ready and waiting.
#252
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: BAEC Silver, Avis Preferred, Hilton Gold
Posts: 521
Well Flybe seem to suit me quite well for leisure travel, having used them a few times this year.
Despite the fact that I live and work about 25 miles from LHR it is actually quicker for me to get to SOU on public transport than it is to get to LHR, and I can get a direct train rather than train then national express.
Fares on some routes I fly have also been cheaper out of SOU than BA ex-LHR on most occasions.
Now I just have to hope they survive until Xmas because I have one more booking with them before then...
Despite the fact that I live and work about 25 miles from LHR it is actually quicker for me to get to SOU on public transport than it is to get to LHR, and I can get a direct train rather than train then national express.
Fares on some routes I fly have also been cheaper out of SOU than BA ex-LHR on most occasions.
Now I just have to hope they survive until Xmas because I have one more booking with them before then...
#253
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
Programs: Mucci, BA Bronze, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,129
I really like Flybe but you must question a management that decided to compete with a previous partner (Loganair) in Loganairs home market... In winter. Screams of management run on emotion and spite rather than business acumen.
#254
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver Seigneur des Horaires des Mucci.
Posts: 2,047
Yes they are definitely an odd one. They compete, supposedly as an LCC, on a couple of my most regular routes but i have never flown them; the schedules are there but they are always significantly more expensive.
You can also go to any obscure airport seemingly anywhere in Western Europe and there will be a Flybe turboprop ready and waiting.
You can also go to any obscure airport seemingly anywhere in Western Europe and there will be a Flybe turboprop ready and waiting.
Is that set up fully subsidised?
Do they get many passengers on those domestic routes?
#255
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
Programs: Mucci, BA Bronze, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,129
They got the slots for free as part of the bmi deal with BA. Virgin used them first for Little Red.
Not sure how well they are doing load wise, I used them twice and each flight was packed. With their new Avios deal (3 per Ł1 spent) you'll end up with more Avios per booking than on a cheap BA ticket. But no TP naturally.
Not sure how well they are doing load wise, I used them twice and each flight was packed. With their new Avios deal (3 per Ł1 spent) you'll end up with more Avios per booking than on a cheap BA ticket. But no TP naturally.