WilcoRoger

Sorry, in Finnish only

Finnairin kumppaniksi Euroopan-lennoissa tuleekin englantilainen Flybe. Se alkaa operoida kahtatoista Finnairin Embraer 190 -konetta.

Myös Flyben hoitoon siirtyvien reittien lentäjät ja matkustamohenkilöstö siirtyisivät Flyben palvelukseen, ellei neuvotteluissa muuta sovita, Finnair kertoi tiedotteessaan.

Toimitusjohtaja Mika Vehviläisen mukaan nyt tehty aiesopimus kattaa noin kolmanneksen Finnairin Euroopan-lennoista. Flyben on määrä alkaa lentää niitä lokakuusta lähtien.

Vehviläinen arvioi, että asiakkaan näkökulmasta muutos on "lähes huomaamaton".

Finnair ja Flybe perustivat jo viime vuonna Flybe Nordic -yhtiön, josta Flybe omistaa 60 ja Finnair 40 prosenttia. Flybe on tähän mennessä operoinut Finnairin sopimuslentoja yhteensä kahdeksalla koneella.

Finnair kertoi jo helmikuussa, että etsii kumppania tappiollisen Euroopan-liikenteen hoitoon. Ilta-Sanomat uutisoi aiemmin tänään, että Finnair olisi sopinut Euroopan-lentojen hoidosta Norwegianin kanssa.

Finnairin tiedotteen mukaan eri vaihtoehtoja selvitetään edelleen ja uusien kumppanuuksien muodostaminen on yhä mahdollista.

In short - from October Flybe will operate AY's 12 Embraer planes, about a third of AY's European network. Crew will also transfer to Flybe.

According to Vehviläinen customers will hardly notice the change. [OW earning/burning??]
===

I have bad vibes - there must be some reason FlyBe is known in the UK as FlyMaybe

Helsinki Flyer

From the press release:

22.5.2012 08:43:59 - OMX Helsinki, News
Finnair and Flybe to expand cooperation for cost efficient European connections
Finnair Plc
Press release

Finnair and Flybe to expand cooperation for cost efficient European connections

Companies have signed MoU transferring 12 Finnair Embraer aircraft to Flybe

Finnair and the largest European regional airline Flybe of UK today announced
that the companies plan to extend their cooperation to offer cost efficient
European connections for Finnair’s passengers.

Last year Finnair and Flybe formed Flybe Nordic AB, of which Flybe owns 60 %
and Finnair 40 %. The companies have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) according to which Finnair will transfer twelve 100 seat Embraer
aircraft, to Flybe. Starting October 2012 Flybe will operate these aircraft on
Finnair routes for Finnair. The move is a part of Finnair’s efforts to improve
the profitability of its European network, and it offers a platform for growth
for Flybe Nordic.

“This move is a part of our strategy to restore Finnair’s profitability”, says
Mika Vehviläinen, Finnair CEO. “The MoU covers approximately one third of our
European flights. Flybe offers a cost efficient platform for operating this
traffic, and enables us to continue to offer a wide network and multiple
frequencies to both our Finnish customers and our customers flying between
Europe and Finnair’s Asian destinations.”

“Today’s announcement marks another step in our journey of growth, as we extend
further our contract flying operations for Finnair. The extension of the
contr
act flying business is a key part of Flybe Finland’s strategy, providing
the business with a good balance of risk”, Mike Rutter, Managing Director of
Flybe Europe,

From the customer point view, the change will be virtually unnoticed. Finnair
continues to be responsible for sales, marketing and customer support, but the
flights are operated by Flybe.

Once the agreement is completed, 12 Embraer aircraft and the traffic operated
with them transfers from Finnair to Flybe. In connection with this business
transfer, cabin attendants and pilots for this traffic will transfer with the
business, unless otherwise agreed in negotiations with personnel. Negotiations
on cost savings between Finnair and the Finnish Airline Pilots' Association
have proceeded in a constructive manner during the spring. If the savings
agreement under preparation is completed, pilots transferring to operate Flybe
flights would return to Finnair in stages to be trained as Airbus pilots for
Finnair’s growing Asian traffic.

Finnair is proceeding on track with its transformation program that targets 140
million euro annual savings to restore profitability and improve
competitiveness. Finnair continues to seek to improve the profitability of the
rest of its European traffic. Alternatives include, as has been previously
communicated, decreasing the costs together with own personnel or forming
additional partnerships.

Finnair announced on August 5, 2011 that it targeted d
ecreases in its annual
costs of 140 million euros by 2014. Finnair has already announced that it:

• has chosen Swissport as its partner for baggage and apron services
• is optimizing the size of its fleet in European air traffic, has discontinued
the leases of four Airbus 320 series aircraft, and subleased five Embraer 170
aircraft
• has signed an Memorandum of Understanding on the sales of its catering
business to LSG Services
• has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SR Technics on engine and
component services
• seeks solutions to improve the profitability of its European traffic
• has improved its route planning and aircraft utilisation
• is streamlining its support functions as well as marketing and distribution
activities
• has initiated numerous other savings measures throughout the company

intuition

I have not any experience of Flybe, but I fear this development.

First, Ay have said they were talking to several european partners for this. If they choose flybe, all other major airlines must have turned down the idea. That is bad. If they could have teamed up with one of the bigger in europe, that would have been good. Apparently all the major players are confident that they will survive, and that AY is the one in biggest trouble.

Secondly, to me it seems that the flybe concept is to turn as much as possible of euro-traffic into LCC model. Cost reduction can probably not come from personnel, but from service. More scandinavian and european destinations will be served by economy class only, there will be no lounges for silver/gold/plat, there will be no points earned on some lines, and 500 points on others.

For now it is the embraer fleet that is transferred, which will impact scandinavian traffic.

Helsinki Flyer

Two thirds of their European traffic is outside this deal. In the press conference, Vehviläinen just said that they´re looking for a partner for the airbus-routes too. Norwegian is not one of them.

TTL

A confusing situation. AY livery and service concept (what a joke nowadays in Y!) should prevail, only a small logo should deceive the planes operated by FlyBe Nordic staff. Go figure... The labour unions may still have something to add to this soup.

intuition

OK, I can live with that if the solution is something like - put the embraers into LCC and make sure all odd scandinavian airports can connect to HEL, kicking Norwegian and Ryanair in the butt. Put the A320s into a quality joint venture, that both serves intra-europeean point-to-point flying, as well as getting people to the OW hubs, like HEL, LHR, BER, MAD, for LH connections. AY cannot do that alone, as it is far to HEl-centric.

NoWindowSeat

Any idea if Flybe will offer J class or not...? It's quite a joke in E90 (and especially in E70 w/o front lav) anyway but I still hope they'll keep it...otherwise this will downgrade the whole AY offering by a mile, if not two...

TPJ

The GDS'es are already updated, looks like J-class stays

120NOVWAWHEL‡AY«
20NOV TUE WAW/Z‡1 HEL/‡1
*
1AY/BE 3762 J8 C7 D6 I7*WAWHEL 955A 1235P E70 B 0 XJS DCA /E
F6 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 P9 T9 L8 V9
*
2AY/BE 3776 J8 C8 D6 I6*WAWHEL 105P 345P E70 L 0 XS DCA /E
F6 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 P9 T9 L9 V9
*
3AY 744 J6 C6 D6 I6*WAWHEL 650P 935P E90 D 0 DCA /E
F6 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 P9 T8 L9 V9
NO MORE AY-1* FOR INTERLINE CONX
* - FOR ADDITIONAL CLASSES ENTER 1*C



1 AY3762J 20NOV T WAWHEL SS1 955A 1235P /DCAY /E
OPERATED BY FLYBE LIMITED

intuition

If they are keeping theses flight numbers (and earlier promises as well) those flights will still earn award and tierpoints as normal AY flights and also allow AY elites access to lounges.
Well, let's see when October comes...

NoWindowSeat

The points earning and lounge access are something I took as granted...if they take those away what's the point of the whole AY brand anymore...? Lounge only if you fly to/from certain location on certain metal...that would never ever work..

NoWindowSeat

Thanks,

OH-LGG

I see here nothing new, just normal FlyBe Nordic E70 flights.

NoWindowSeat

What are you saying here...regardless of class availability showing for J/C/D/I there's no actual J class offered?

OH-LGG

Trying to say that Flybe has been operated E70 for AY for a while so those schedules TPJ posted there is nothing new according the news we heard today about outsourcing AY E90 fleet (12 aircrafts) to FlyBe.

Comprende?

NoWindowSeat

OK