[Anonymous]

[TominScotland]

Is this bizarre or is this bizarre? BMI commences flying into a civil war zone with ruthless oppression of civillians but pulls out of some of its exisiting and loyal (and safe) destinations?

[Sparepocket]

Bizarre indeed…BMI also fly to Amman and Riyadh.
I wonder, is Cameron flying BA or BMI on his Middle Eastern tour.

[Potakas]

Tweeted by bmi today:”#Libya #Tripoli update: Due to continued disruption we have had to cancel today’s flights BD0469 LHR-TIP / BD0470 TIP-LHR #Travel”

Is there anything more to say?

[BusinessTraveller]

Here’s an update on the flight situation:

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/airlines-cancel-tripoli-flights

[Swindoneric]

BMI seem to have a history of launching new routes with terrible timing. The ex-Manchester transatlantic misadventure is a prime example. I’m about to start a new role and I’m currently tripping between Edinburgh and London most weeks. Big difference for me currently is that I’m paying the bill. I prefer to use LHR and BA has been cheaper on each of the occasions I’ve travelled. Does make you wonder how BMI can’t make money on their Scotland/London routes.

[Sparepocket]

I remember BMI began a service to Bombay with much fanfare a few years ago,only to pack it in after a few months (followed by Virgin who couldn’t handle the competition from the other carriers).

BMI may be luckier on their services to the MENA region as they don’t have much competition.

[wingcommander]

BMI are such a big disappointment.

The fanfare mentioned earlier in this post was also trotted out I recall for their launch of their IAD and ORD flights both of which went the same way.

The pull out of GLA is a devastating blow for the city, business and leisure travellers and their staff. The lost connections into Star Alliance is a double blow.

Having travelled this route many times I find it hard to swallow the £1m per month loss. If this is the case for GLA then EDI and other regional cities must be similar and presumably in jepoardy. I am certain the frequency could have been reduced if really necessary and the aircraft utilised for their newly announced LHR Scandanavian routes.

They are leaving a large and loyal customer base high and dry.

[seasonedtraveller]

(They are leaving a large and loyal customer base high and dry.)

To wingcommander – Sadly, what you state is true.
BMI are aiming to attract a new loyal customer base, and will do so…………….
The harsh realities are that old loyalties are just that, …..old!

[Binman62]

My thoughts are for all those currently stuck in TIP and Libya as a result of the bungling incompetence of this government and the foreign office. As someone who has spent many years living overseas I have witnessed firsthand the arrogant and unhelpful attitude of the FO and the British Embassies and consulates the world over. It is no suprise that UK nationals have been treated badly and that they have yet to get anyone out despite other countries including Bulgaria managing to deal with the issue far more efficiently.

Good luck to all in Libya and hopefully things will settle soon. The people of Libya need stability and I hope it returns soon.

[Sparepocket]

What I want to know is why the idiots at the FCO didn’t have an aircraft standing by when the first rumblings of discontent were heard in Tripoli and Benghazi?
Did MI6 not have an inkling as to what was likely to happen in Libya? This is a failure of the intelligence services as well as the government in general.
Most UK missions overseas are not there for the benefit of UK nationals (apart from renewing passports), they are there to rustle up trade for the UK’s companies.To the embassies British nationals are seen as a nuisance.
Yes, Bulgaria, Turkey, and India seem to be doing a better job at evacuating their nationals.

[TominScotland]

This addition to the post is going to sound heartless and selfish so anyone wanting to lambast me on these grounds, maybe vent your spleen elsewhere!!

I have just listened to those rescued from Libya sounding out about the Government and the FCO. Some of them (not all, I grant) are expats who have been doing very nicely, thank you, out of the oil and gas sector there and not paying a sou in UK tax. Maybe FCO will charge them the true cost of repartriation but I doubt it somehow……

Now, I am a UK taxpayer and one of the things my tax includes is, in effect, an insurance policy that covers me should things go wrong overseas – FCO and other UK agencies (the SAS, if necessary) will assist me in any way that is practical and reasonable. As with any other insurance policy, if I did not pay the premium, I could not reasonably expect to receive the benefits.

So, these Brits Abroad who bleat so loudly, should accept what they are getting not as an entitlement but as humanitarian assistance in an, admittedly, very difficult situation. If they are not satisfied with the service, they can always take their business elsewhere and take out Portugese/ Chinese/ Indian/ Italian citizenship.

[Potakas]

Agree with Tom,

My country is almost bunkrupt (Greece) and today they are sending 3 millitary aircraft , two millitary vessels and 3 cruise ships to bring home some Greeks that they never paid anything to this country. The service provided to them is humanitarian and probably wasted as the Libyan people need it more…

[Binman62]

TominScotland…..Must disagree with you. There is no evidence that these people wish to be rescued for free. The fact is that BA/ BMI have cancelled commercial operations whilst LH and others continued with theirs.

The banks are closed which may mean that people will need help to get back and then have to pay. All the insurance in the world will not help you at times like this.

What is shameful is that the government have taken so long to get an aircraft in. One has to wonder why BA / BMI have cancelled and it is interesting that Hague has refused to criticise them in the Radio 4 interview this morning. Perhaps it is because the UK government have been unable or unwilling to provide extended insurance.

The bottom line is that as a UK citizens you cannot rely on the UK government to help you min times of crisis. That is because the staff in embassies see you as an inconvenience and they themselves are very low level admin staff.

For Hague to use the Christchurch earthquake as a reason for people not being able to get through to the call centre says it all.

[Sparepocket]

Tom, I don’t think the SAS has the capabilities to rescue all the British citizens in Libya (or in Saudia Arabia, where trouble might soon, excuse the pun, flare up). How would they get into Libya?On a LH flight (seeing that UK carriers have suspended operations)?
If anything, knowing the way governments think, I would imagine any deployment of SAS troops would be solely to protect the UK’s oil assets in Libya. The loss of UK citizens’ lives would simply be written off as “collateral damage”.
Lets not be naive and pretend the government (or the airlines for that matter) actually cares for the British people out in Libya.

[Author]

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