[AMcWhirter]

Flybe is driving revenue with a Black Friday promotion.

Flybe launches a ‘double Avios’ promo – and learn about their new loyalty strategy

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=905258]The question is, who. I am not sure that BA or EZY would find it a fit with their current networks, least of all BA who don’t seem to have much interest in anything other than LHR/LGW. FR perhaps just to stop anyone else from getting in on the act?[/quote]

Flybe has such a complex network with both main and niche routes it’s hard to see them being suitable for any LCC.

Yes those Anglo-Scottish routes from BHX and EMA might seem attractive. But if they were surely EZY would also be operating them by now. Many smaller routes ex-SOU, EXT and CWL … but is there enough demand on all of them for other LCCs who would have to provide twice the capacity ?

Maybe Loganair might be a candidate for those LHR remedy slots ? It’s already announced its intention to compete with Flybe’s CI services from SOU by operating from nearby BOH as Mark reported yesterday,

Loganair to launch flights from Bournemouth to Jersey and Guernsey

[Montysaurus]

Flybe was British European and before that Jersey European.

[Mark Caswell]

Virgin Atlantic in talks to buy Flybe

[transtraxman]

BA owner enters bidding for Flybe

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/317700/ba-owner-enters-bidding-for-flybe

IAG are in this bidding just for the airport slots. I hope that Virgin Atlantic can pull it off and take over the airline.
BA did nothing with BA Connect and I cannot see them doing anything with Flybe except strip them of their assets.

1 user thanked author for this post.

PeterCoultas

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=906396]IAG are in this bidding just for the airport slots.[/quote]

But surely not for Flybe’s LHR slots ? These are remedy slots which Virgin Atlantic previously used for Little Red and Flybe never paid any money for them.

Two years ago Flybe announced it would be flying ex-LHR and that “it was not required to pay to use the [remedy] slots.”

https://www.flybe.com/media/news/1612/20

[transtraxman]

1) I think BA wants to limit the use of those “remedy” slots so that they will fall into its hands eventually.
2) I believe Flybe still has slots at Gatwick and London City airports which are most certainly appealing.
3) Who knows but maybe the Flybe slots at Manchester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen are most appealing also?
4) Who knows but maybe BA is considering to fly abroad yet again from other cities outside London?

You have to cover your back these days especially as others are changing their strategies.
Freezing opposition out of a market is a well known technique. That is one reason that IAG wants Norwegian.

1 user thanked author for this post.

PeterCoultas

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=906567]2) I believe Flybe still has slots at Gatwick and London City airports which are most certainly appealing.
3) Who knows but maybe the Flybe slots at Manchester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen are most appealing also?[/quote]

Yes Flybe has LCY slots. Not sure about the slots for NQY-LGW though.

In 2013 Flybe sold its then slots at LGW to raise cash.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/10075367/Flybe-sells-Gatwick-slots-to-easyJet-for-20m.html

I imagine the Edinburgh slots would be worth having. It’s an increasingly congested airport and Flybe holds many slots throughout the day.

Edinburgh criticised for favouring international airlines

[MarcusGB]

KLM has most flights ex UK airports booked a little ahead, from £79 return from Bristol, and major (was it ??21) UK Airports some with 4-8 flights a day. They kept to their promise with LCY, and built up from 1 Embraer 190 a day, to now 8. Excellent service, reliable on KLM Cityhopper, a lower cost model than KLM Europe,
Really would be beneficial to Cornwall and The West country if they flew in there…

Whilst we are fully in a “Profit only” Airline industry, it should be a duty of Governments at all levels to ensure at least remote areas of any country have an air link to their capital city in the UK?
Absences of fast train links at a reasonable cost should have an air link such as Cornwall. But any European Airline that flew into Newquay i think would pick up much business in taking people also across Europe, and their International networks. More seasonal for incoming to Newquay, but genuine loyalty with people from there being able to take flights out Worldwide.

We all paid for the building up of Newquay airport with a development tax, but now they have so few aircraft / Routes, we should get a refund!
Ryanair, BA, Air South West, all flew in a few times a day to the various London Airports.
Perhaps its the RAF there, that only keep the airport viable?

[canucklad]

Interestingly, I noticed to Flybe props parked at the west gates (3 & 4 ) this week, as opposed to their natural habitat , down in the dungeons far away from anything.
Having said that, not sure if EDI really has any good gates now, with the exception of the new build at gates 13 and 14.

If EDI was to truly respect Flybe, they might consider building better amenities down at the 20 gates.

[AMcWhirter]

As we thought Flybe will be making substantial cuts this winter.

Although details are not fully available (and Flybe has not yet made any official announcement) the first round of cuts concerns routes from Doncaster, Norwich and Southampton.

For example eight routes are being dropped from Doncaster and seven from Southampton. Note however that many are leisure rather than business routes.

However services continue at Belfast City.

More news when available.

[tomwjsimpson]

I can see LHR and MAN becoming the main hubs to feed VS flights. They have a huge presence at BHX and I wonder how that may change as VS don’t operate there?

[pheighdough]

The future routes structure is causing some interesting debate. Cant see Birmingham continuing, but could see further growth at Glasgow or Edinburgh feeding and expanded Virgin/Delta hub.

Interestingly the London City operation may only be continuing because it’s currently too expensive to get out, but when current commitments allow they will depart London City.

Still to be formally confirmed, and subject to current senior management not closing the airline prior to these changes…

PS. there is also the other Phoenix post about FlyBe, also featuring conjecture and rumour…

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AMcWhirter, tomwjsimpson

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=933778]further growth at Glasgow or Edinburgh feeding and expanded Virgin/Delta hub.[/quote]

What is not generally realised is that Flybe is the second largest airline at Edinburgh (in terms of flight numbers).

From last month Flybe added a sixth daily flight to London Heathrow which feeds Virgin Atlantic plus the foreign carriers with whom it interlines.

Flybe to expand London Heathrow-Edinburgh route by 50 per cent

The carrier is currently working on its winter schedules which remain to be finalised.

[tomwjsimpson]

From ABZ they currently fly to Belfast–City, Birmingham, Durham Tees Valley, Humberside, London–Heathrow, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Wick year round with
seasonal services to Jersey and Newquay.

I can see that being totally scaled back and possibly just MAN and LHR surviving the cull.

Newcastle and Norwich services are being introduced by Loganair in September to go against flybe/Eastern Airways. Services to places like Wick can’t be a gold mine – cheaper to fly to the Middle East at times!

[Author]

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