BMI Regional

[bigjarv]

Does anyone know what is going on with the BMI regional take over by flybe? Last I heard things were going through due diligence. Anyone got any updates?

[CJ1234]

What's going to happen to bmibaby too?

[AltFlaps]

At present, there is no FlyBE takeover of bmi Regional
NO due diligence work has been done

[Flightlevel001]

This is a confusing thread title, I suggest you change it. Flybe are not taking over bmi Regional, not yet anyway.

Personally I can't see it happening, although I might be wrong. If bmir are in trouble then it will probably be in Flybe's favour to simply let them go to the wall without lifting a finger, harsh as it may seem, but thats business.

Mind you i've heard from a few guys that bmir are doing ok (ish) currently, but we shall see. 2009 will be interesting...:(

[apaddyinuk]

Well Im not so sure that reporting the worst profits in its history last month would constitute as doing "ok(ish)"! More like doing rather dire!!! But having said that they are softly cushioned by Lufty at present who I am sure will guide them safely through the recession albeit with a fare bit of therapy in the process. First gone I reckon will be BMI Baby followed soon after by Regional and quite possible the three 330's!

[WHBM]

BMI Regional now do quite a substantial proportion of their business as contracts for BMI Mainline, flying Embraers out of Heathrow to several of the established BMI destinations, including weekend work to main trunk places like Glasgow.

Given that FlyBe is part-owned by BA I can't see them continuing to do that in competition to BA so it would all have to be unravelled.

[SpeedyProp]

Last I heard from within Flybe, was that there was no interest in taking over BMIR (this from a manager).

[pppants]

Flybe will just take the routes it wants.

[rutankrd]

Quoting WHBM - BMI Regional now do quite a substantial proportion of their business as contracts for BMI Mainline, flying Embraers out of Heathrow to several of the established BMI destinations, including weekend work to main trunk places like Glasgow.

Given that FlyBe is part-owned by BA I can't see them continuing to do that in competition to BA so it would all have to be unravelled. Unquote


Wouldn't be the first time that a BMA subsidiary operated for a BA subsidiary would it?

British Regional was owned by Michael Bishop yet flew as a BA franchise!

[stop, stop, stop]

reporting the worst profits in its history last month

Perhaps you would like to post this info here for us all to see? Noone in Regional is aware of us reporting any 'worst profits in history.'

With a new airframe just joined in the last 2 months and now rumours of at least 3 new routes to Germany and possibly another new airframe....your facts just don't add up.

There is certainly no Flybe takeover in the pipeline....!

Regional is still (and has been for a long time) the best performing section of the BMI group. Uk's number 1 for ontime departures. The worlds best dispatch reliability rate of the EMB 135/145.....and the most profitable!

The only thing holding Regional back is BMI's inability to actually advertise an airline!! Free rides on trains????, Travel by road and the traffic lights all go green??????? and now boring bar charts......not one of these adverts actually explains to customers that BMI is a blinking AIRLINE!!!!!!

What a complete waste of money!

Try the new Virgin advert for size.......that's much more like it!

SSS

[mutualswap]

The only thing holding Regional back is BMI's inability to actually advertise an airline!! Free rides on trains????, Travel by road and the traffic lights all go green??????? and now boring bar charts......not one of these adverts actually explains to customers that BMI is a blinking AIRLINE!!!!!!

amen brother:ugh:

[woofly31]

Any idea of which destinations in Germany are rumoured, and from which bases. Would this be feed routes for Lufty long haul maybe?

[Wellington Bomber]

Uk's number 1 for ontime departures.

Beg to differ it used to be, Eastern took that mantle

[stop, stop, stop]

Uk's number 1 for ontime departures.

Beg to differ it used to be, Eastern took that mantle


Err, sorry....not so I'm affraid;

FLIGHTONTIME.info - Scheduled Airline Delays & Punctuality in the UK (http://www.flightontime.info/scheduled/scheduled.html)

Fourth year in row for Regional.

Eastern have held the title for Birmingham and Newcastle (but Regional don't operate there!) and occasionally hit the spot if you look at monthly figures, but Regional is overall most punctual airline for the last four years.


Any idea of which destinations in Germany are rumoured, and from from which bases. Would this be feed routes for Lufty long haul maybe?


Seems that Frankfurt is favourite at the moment from LBA, MAN and maybe Scotland somewhere, most probably for Lufty. This is, hopefully, only the start of Regional becoming a major Lufty Feeder for both Frankfurt and Heathrow.

SSS

[airhumberside]

Considering both MAN and EDI-FRA are currently operate by LH mainline, a downgrade to a regional ERJ-145 would be a huge cut in capacity, even if an extra frequency was added

[Wellington Bomber]

STOP STOP STOP Eastern Airways Rated UK’s Most Punctual Airline July 2008

UK regional airline, Eastern Airways has been named the UK’s most punctual scheduled airline.

The independent carrier, which operates from 18 airports, has stepped up to the number one spot for the start of this year after it was second overall in the UK in 2007. The airline was ahead of Air Berlin, bmi regional, Brussels Airlines, bmibaby and Ryanair.

Civil Aviation Authority data released from on-line aviation analysts, Flightontime.info, revealed that over 89% of Eastern Airways services departed within 15 minutes and any delays experienced were on average just over 6 minutes during the period of January to March 2008


Not all of the time they were not!!!

[Flightrider]

Eastern's figures on that front are somewhat disingenuous, and I'm sure they know it.

The CAA data monitors only certain airports and I think the only two points on the Eastern network at which punctuality is monitored by the CAA are BHX and NCL. It covers a tiny proportion of its flights.

On the other hand, bmir are monitored at EDI, GLA, MAN which is probably at least half of its total operation.

So yes, Eastern can make the claim - but it's hardly worth the paper it's written on.

[stop, stop, stop]

STOP STOP STOP
Quote:
Eastern Airways Rated UK’s Most Punctual Airline July 2008

UK regional airline, Eastern Airways has been named the UK’s most punctual scheduled airline.

The independent carrier, which operates from 18 airports, has stepped up to the number one spot for the start of this year after it was second overall in the UK in 2007. The airline was ahead of Air Berlin, bmi regional, Brussels Airlines, bmibaby and Ryanair.

Civil Aviation Authority data released from on-line aviation analysts, Flightontime.info, revealed that over 89% of Eastern Airways services departed within 15 minutes and any delays experienced were on average just over 6 minutes during the period of January to March 2008

Not all of the time they were not!!!

hmm, that's what I said!! ("occasionally hit the spot if you look at monthly figures")


Considering both MAN and EDI-FRA are currently operate by LH mainline, a downgrade to a regional ERJ-145 would be a huge cut in capacity, even if an extra frequency was added

Yup!

Just like BMI Mainline exchanging its LHR bound Airbuses for 135's and 145's on ABZ, LBA, MME and occasionally on EDI, GLA and MAN! BMI don't seem to be trying to cater for the PAX but purely seem to try to turn a profit. Seeing as Lufty have been on the BMI board of directors for the past 10 years I think that this philosophy may continue for a little while yet.

Anyway, who is to say that the 145's will operate those routes??? (Stir, Stir!!!)

SSS

[woofly31]

Any further talk of what will happen to the Aircraft being pulled out of Heathrow? If an another aircraft is rumoured in the pipeline, would this be to replace one of the two rumoured to go back to the lessors?

[stop, stop, stop]

It seems likely that one ex-LHR aircraft will go into LBA (five in total!) and one maybe into MAN or GLA. Both to have a stab at a German route.

There are over 5 Capts away from LBA on Secondment at the mo. If or when that ends in March then LBA will automatically have the crew for another unit.

A few Capts requesting base changes to MAN, so crewing that one would pretty easy too. There are always F/o's willing to change bases as well.

I have to say, I think the main reason the two aircraft are rumoured to go 'back' are because of costly leases. Buying the aircraft right back off the Lessors would save the company Ten's of thousands a month.

(As for the company spreading the nasty 'redunandancy' rumour, that just gives credibility to the whole "we don't need so many aircraft" story and lowers the value of said aircraft!)

[commit aviation]

What's the likelyhood of getting slots at a German LH hub do you think?

[lexxity]

Pretty high when you consider who will be the owner of bmir.

[Flightrider]

Pretty high when you consider who will be the owner of bmir

Why should it be? Lufthansa face many of the same pressures on slots at Frankfurt in particular as BA do at Heathrow. BA certainly didn't make a habit of handing out slots to distant subsidiaries like TAT/Air Liberte, Deutsche BA and others to fly into Heathrow. Similarly, Lufthansa will not want to give up slots for small aircraft at peak times.

Watch instead for operations into the secondary hubs - Leeds/Munich 3 x daily Embraer 145, perhaps.

[INKJET]

Try ABZ-BHX with the service starting from ABZ on a 145, news on LBA-FRA probably next week.

[Ametyst2]

Presumably replacing the BMI Baby ABZ - BHX service

[airhumberside]

It seems likely that one ex-LHR aircraft will go into LBA (five in total!)
Assuming LBA-FRA happens and LBA-LHR goes back to an airbus, ERJ's are needed for

EDI
GLA
BRU
FRA
with CPH using one of the aircraft above

So thats only 4 ERJ's? Where does the 5th one come in?

[Facelookbovvered]

I bet that will go down a treat with the business pax, less so with the BHX baby crew getting their P45's

[INKJET]

Not really replacing, i think baby only flew the route once a day, regional are doing it 3 times a day

Another story doing the rounds is another ERJ in to EMA doing a BHD twice daily with Warsaw in between, the idea being to get the last minute buss pax that want to be into the city airport, leaving Ryanair with the free tickets spend nothing crowd.

[stop, stop, stop]

As far as we are aware, the LBA-LHR is still operating on a 145.

[AltFlaps]

Embraer's won't be operating out of LHR for very much longer !

[MUFC_fan]

I have a flight booked with BMI in August from Heathrow to Manchester and that is on a regional aircraft. If BMI regional were to disappear, would the flight become an A319 or cancelled.

If it was to be cancelled, would it mean BMI would have to put me up in a hotel as it is the last flight of the evening? Thanks.

[SAM-EMA]

With the talk of LBA-FRA, is there any chance of an EMA-FRA?
We used to have many routes like FRA, DUS etc. when we had the Fokkers, but then these were cut when LH said they were affecting their BHX loads, but I imagine now under LH control there is no chance of such routes restarting unless BD Regional is sold. Any responses are appreciated.

SAM-EMA

[cornishsimon]

Any chance that BMIR will come further southwest ?
i know that NQY are looking for new airlines and routes and at the moment, im sure that a new route to Aberdeen and a year round route to Edinburgh would be very well received.

[GayFriendly]

Not sure about BM Regional and NQY, I thought they mainly flew niche business orientated routes, having said that perhaps the ERJ is the right size of a/c for certain routes from NQY and the airline seems to be expanding slowly but surely - but, will punters pay enough to fly to NQY keep that all important yield up and running? (And I don't mean that in a bad way, NQY is a lovely place when the sun shines!)

[Wellington Bomber]

Not really replacing, i think baby only flew the route once a day, regional are doing it 3 times a day


I know until quite recently it was twice a day, good to see someone else having a go at Flybe instead of the other way round

[stop, stop, stop]

Embraer's won't be operating out of LHR for very much longer !

So, what do you know that 'we' don't?

As far as those of us in Regional have been told:

One aircraft to remain based in LHR crewed from the outstations.

One to remain on the LBA-LHR based LBA.

One to remain in MME.

This leaves the two extras.....

One is now going onto the 'new' ABZ-BHX route which just leaves one more. Apparently we will find out the decision soon.

SSS

[flying macaco]

Any more news from the bmi regional camp? Good luck to all.

[spirit57]

only ontime coz your handlers at leeds have large rubber watches