[transtraxman]

We have opened the new topic “British Airways has lost its way”. Let us hear your opinions.

[goalie1]

Thanks BT, have just opened the link you provided with more information on the codeshare agreement.

Niall Duffy, Flybe’s PR man needs to get a better briefing because his comments tell you nothing other than BE and AF are in discussion. I would have thought that before making public announcements they would have ironed all this out so that their customers wouldn’t have to scrape around for information. A lack of communication they should be embarrassed about – amateurish in the extreme.

[esselle]

I am not exactly new to air travel (ave. 4 sectors per week, every week over last 18 years), but I have come across the biggest smoke and mirrors scheme I have ever seen.

Buy BE ticket MAN/CDG. Cannot check in online. Go to BE self serve unit at MAN, which prints slip saying go to Flybe counter. At BE counter told I need to go to AF counter as flying on AF metal. Go to AF counter and check in without fuss. Go to BE lounge and present AF gold card and refused access as not flying on BE metal.

Heading home, check in at AF desk in CDG, go to AF lounge, present gold card, told no access as despite being AF metal and AF gold card holder, ticketing was by Flybe. AF agents very sympathetic and long discussion ensued, prompted by them, about what a shameful fudge this “codeshare” really is. They were highly embarassed at having to turf me out. I think Flybe deserve some form of award!!

[Age_of_Reason]

Quite apart from the marginal benfits of lounges and ff-miles, Fly-Be/AF need to sort their core-business through-tktg issues. I’ve colleagues who, when booked Fle-B to CDG with onward AF longhaul, were not checked in for the AF by FlyB, and bumped at CDG due to overbooked flight, soon to depart. If checked through from MAN the seats would have been selected, and someone later bumped.

Beware.

[transtraxman]

It is interesting to see that neither BA nor Flybe have any comment published on their websites, at this moment, concerning the dropping of the codeshared flights from Birmingham and Manchester to Frankfurt at the end of July next.

Alex Mcwhirter explained the reason for the dropping of those routes very well in his article dated yesterday.

Is this the beginning of the end for the codeshared routes between BA and Flybe?

VK keeps plugging the codeshare role for Flybe with BA and its potential. BA does have a 15% share of the airline(which it stated it would not reduce) but Air France indicated its readiness to buy a share (15%?) in Flybe when it increased its capital at the end of last year. But what is BA´s commitment to the airline?

I think a look at the codeshared flights offered by Flybe (on its website today) says a lot about the differing attitudes of BA and Air France.

http://www.flybe.com/franchise_codeshare/codeshares.htm

Be it possible on these two particular dropped routes( and maybe even the other German ones) that BA considers letting (future)”oneworld” partner AirBerlin take them over? At the moment all I get on the AB website for a M/C Frankfurt flight is one to Paderborn (rather a long way from Frankfurt).

BA depends to a great extent on its feeder network to fill its long-haul fleet. However, cannot it provide a feeder service as well,from the UK regions both to the most important markets in Europe and for its “oneworld” partners – after all is that not what alliances are all about?

Wither go thou Willy?

[ManxFlyer]

Someone else caught out by MAN Flybe/AF farce. Travel to Paris from IOM fairly regularly so thought I’d try the through service from the IOM ticketed by Flybe.

IOM-MAN sector on Flybe, then the fun starts in T3. Have 90 mins to connect – plenty of time I thought. Couldn’t check in for CDG flight through Flybe as I was on an AF flight. Go to transfer desk in T3, Flybe and AF desks unmanned. Call Flybe and told to call AF as they need to check me in. Call AF, told someone will be with me shortly. Over an hour later and following a couple more calls an AF agent arrives to issue my boarding pass, a process which takes so long I make it to the gate with 5 mins to spare. Luckily I travel with handbaggage only as others from the IOM that were on the same flights did not get their hold baggage in Paris until a day later.

CDG-MAN, unable to check in online so go to FlyBe check-in and told to go to AF as they were operating the flight. Arrive at AF desks to find huge queues as lots of long haul flights leaving. Try to use self service check -in, but terminal spits out a piece of paper saying see agent. Finally get hold of one of the agents who explains that as my reservation is under a FlyBe code they have to issue the boarding pass manually. Eventually (50 mins after arriving at CDG) am given my boarding pass. Have already checked in on line for MAN-IOM so assume that all will be smooth from here on in – I should have known better!

Arrive MAN, parked over the far side of T3 (towards the Crowne Plaza hotel). Follow signs for transfer along corridor, down badly signposted stairs to a small waiting room with a phone to call a bus. Call bus, duly collected and bussed all the way over to the other side of T3 to clear immigration and security again. Then walk the length of T3 back to the FlyBe lounge, to then get sent to a gate back pretty much where I arrived on the bus.

Never, ever again despite the good price will I use that codeshare service. It is just not set up to work efficiently. There are some itineraries available to book that give you transfer times in MAN of just 30 mins – no chance!

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