NOW Airlines

[evolante]

What has happened to this start up - heard they were looking for up to 7 B737-400 aircraft. Lots of initial hype now all quiet.

Would Mr Grimthorpe comment?

[VIKING9]

All happening but not with B737-400's, more like -300's. Planned start date is 1st August. They are very active right now with recruitment etc. Not sure what's happening with seat sales as the website doesn't appear to have any link for making bookings. I have met a couple of them and have to say, very nice people indeed and very professional.

[Yarpy]

I hope you are right Viking 9 but it has been very quiet. The website still says taking bookings in May but is not active. June starts tommorrow. No one has posted of a job offer so one has to wonder.

Hope it all goes well for them. They sound a decent bunch and the industry could do with plenty of that.

[johnwalton]

Can a 733 do UK-Tenerife without a refuelling stop enroute?

[Cheshire cat EGHH]

They where advertising on www.aviationjobsearch.com

[tailscrape]

Yarpy,

Let me be the first then. I have been offered a job with them. Does that make you feel more happy?

[Yarpy]

Good news for tailscrape but good news for many other people too in these parlous times.

NOW, is a good thermometer for the industry - it shows the finance boys are still backing the sector.

[tailscrape]

B757Rated,

No. Not yet. Need to see the contract first.

[VIKING9]

johnwalton yes, they can :ok:

[brabazon]

john walton

yes, go used to operate 737-300s from STN-TFS!!

[evolante]

Soem useful comments so far...

Anyone have a clue as to which leasing company will be involved?

[VIKING9]

Out of interest, has the livery been finalised yet ?

evolante LTN-TFS performance will be slightly worse than when Go used to fly STN-TFS but the -300 should still be ok for flights ex LTN, even in the summer. Maybe the TFS flights will be at night when the temperatures are lower !

[MerchantVenturer]

I can remember Britannia 737-200s regularly flying to TFS in the 1980s non stop, at least from southern UK airports. I flew several times BRS-TFS and back on them as a pax without once having to stop to refuel, and the flights were in the day/evening - I avoid night flights whenever I can.

I also remember Orion Air (later absorbed into Britannia) 733s being amongst the first to be used by UK charter airlines, again around that time. I thought the publicity spiel then was that the 733s were bigger and had more range than the 732s. So, if the 732s could do TFS non stop why is there a doubt about 733s?

[brabazon]

Looks like it's not Now, but later:

UK budget carrier Now delays start-up to October
Graham Dunn, London (02Jun03, 14:38 GMT, 151 words)

Sorry Brab - Copyright issues mean we have to look after ATI - instant news is their USP.

However - I can confirm the essence - we received the official press release here at the Towers overnight - start delayed till October.

Rob Lloyd

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news

[Powerjet1]

New message on company website stating that flights will now commence in OCTOBER with on- line bookings from JULY. Blames delay on the time it has taken to pull all the things together for the launch resulting in summer peak being missed. Ah well .........

[Buster the Bear]

October Now! Having missed the summer loads, this must be hurting thier bank balances badly, I hope that they have a good relationship with thier financiers?

[Dirty Harry]

seems like a sensible decision to me. Why start half way through the summer, better to start with the winter timetable and put seats on sale earlier. I too have been offered a job with them, shame I will have to wait a bit longer !

[A Very Civil Pilot]

Having a quick look at their websiteto see the latest on recruitment it says:

We have now selected all those cadets and non-type rated pilots that we need for our initial requirements. We are still seeking applications from Boeing 737 type rated and current pilots or those that will be 737 type rated in the very near future.

Are those of you that have been offered jobs cadets and non type rated? I would of thought that they would have selected type rated pilots first, and worried about non type rated later, as they are more expensive to train.

[FougaMagister]

Judging from my own experience, it looks rather like the reference to non-type rated/cadets was some PR stunt. I was among the first few to apply and was led to believe by the exchange of e-mails that they were quite interested... Then, eventually, another "no thanks" letter, sayibg that I did not meet all requirements... Well, if anything, I actually had MORE than their minimum requirements for low-hrs non-type rated...

[tailscrape]

Worrying developments? I don't know......but it is slightly concerning.

As for non type rated people....I know of several who have been offered jobs.

So, it is NOT a stunt.

[sky9]

I hear that they have changed their name to "Not now, later maybe";)

Anybody that thinks they can start what is basically a charter airline in October is either ignorant or stupid. They will be out of business by November.

[GROUNDHOG]

Think a lot depends on who the 'they' are. Are the backers/ directors experienced with any sort of track record in the business??

[Yarpy]

They seem like a good team, however . . . I have moved from enthusiast to sceptic.

[Dirty Harry]

Have been asked to join as a direct entry TRI/TRE to conduct simulator training to commence in August. Having had a longish chat with the COO, I have to say the flight operations and training appears to have been very carefully thought through.

Overall my early impressions are that these guys know what they are doing.

[Larfin' Boy]

Dirty Harry,

Did they give you any indication of where they would be conducting their Sim Training?

[Dirty Harry]

Larfin Boy,

Not sure, I will find out.

[B757RATED]

Dirty Harry, have they sent you a contract?

[greenfingered hal]

Patience my lovelies. I reckon the contracts may be out the same time as my next set of tomatoes.

hal

[Goldstone]

I read somewhere within the last couple of days that they still haven't got all their financing in place. NOT a good sign. Personally I would think the chances of NOW getting airborne are about 10%.

Been there with attempted start-ups and the money is the thing that kills you. Lots of interest, lots of positive words, but in the end considerable reluctance by most potential investors to part with their money ... and who can blame them. The track record of investments in the airline business is hardly a good one.

[tailscrape]

It is all speculation..... however I received "the letter" of congratulations from the COO the other day.

However, I don't think I will resign from my current post just yet...........!

From the outset I was only keen to join for about the fourth or fifth aircraft to see if the ship would stay afloat. This all makes me think my initial thoughts were spot on.

[Yarpy]

Piece in the independant about Luton expansion. However, no mention of NOW . . .



TBI wants Luton to match Heathrow
By Michael Harrison, Business Editor, Independant.
11 June 2003


TBI, the owner of London Luton, is to put proposals to the Government calling for an increase in the airport's capacity to 60 million passengers over the next 30 years.

This would make Luton the same size that Heathrow is at present and would require the construction of a second runway and a new passenger terminal.

However, TBI believes the ambitious expansion programme is justified by the rapid growth of low-cost air travel and Luton's role as an important hub for no-frills carriers.

Both Ryanair and easyJet operate from Luton and the Irish carrier is shortly expected to announce an increase in flights from Luton. Ryanair is also set to launch services from TBI's Belfast International airport to several Continental destinations.

Luton handled 6.6 million passengers last year and is forecast to handle 9 to 10 million a year within the next two to three years. The Government's recent consultation document on runway capacity in the South-east said there was the potential for 31 million passengers at Luton but ruled it out as a potential site for a further runway in favour of the three BAA airports Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

But Keith Brooks, TBI's chief executive, said: "All the traffic growth should not go to the monopoly operator BAA. Luton has good infrastructure, a local community which is supportive of increased capacity and it is a recognised low-cost airport whereas we are seeing the demise of full-service airlines in the UK."

This year full-service airlines will only account for 16 per cent of TBI's passengers, compared with 31 per cent two years ago. Low-cost carriers, by contrast, will account for 63 per cent of passengers compared with 39 per cent in 2001.

TBI's pre-tax profits plunged 38 per cent last year to £10.2m because of the change in its airline customer base. Low-cost carriers pay only half the landing charges of the full-service airlines they have replaced. However, Mr Brooks said he expected to see revenues rise in line with traffic this year.

[Buster the Bear]

I hope the 4 extra 737's to be based locally by Ryanair are not to the Now planned destinations? I understand that both Italy and Germany are real slow sellers for the Lo-Co's?

No longer a rumour concerning the big increase by Ryanair as Keith Brooks seems to have told the city via its report.

Now he will look silly if Ryanair go elsewhere!

[Buster the Bear]

I understand that Now are revising thier destination list from those planned at launch to some more lucrative, thus popular routes. No idea to where though. Probably lost the slots that they applied for and did not use this summer, but that is only a guess

Oct 2003 looks to be a start date according to strong local rumours.

[Fifty Above]

I believe that they now have a Chief Pilot - one of the ex GO guys from easyJet - and a Chief Training Captain, also from easy.

[Dirty Harry]

Talking with one of the EZY trainers at the sim the other day and he told me that 2 senior flight ops guys from his company are going to Now, no names given though. As I have been offered a position with Now, I checked it all out fairly carefully, and all adds up from what I can see. Will try to get into the office at Luton to see them again this week for updates.

[Profit Max]

I am not so sure whether now's promise 1 is such a good idea:
Every seat on each flight is the same price. No strings. No hidden extras. No exceptions. (www.now-airlines.com)
One of the main reasons of the success of low-cost airlines is not only their low cost base but also their yield management.

It is hard to believe that with a "flat rate" strategy, now will be able to consistently achieve high load factors.