Originally Posted by
virginblue
But hasn't BA cut back franchising its brand to other airlines significantly in the past? They used to have BMED, GB Air, Loganair in the past, for a long time it has been just Comair and Sun Air.
Not so much that BA has cut back on franchising. For the most part the franchise arrangements worked. However, some moved on for logical reasons;
BMed; bmi acquired the airline and its routes, and BA got its slots back.
GB Airways; easyJet purchased the airline. The airline that brought easyJet to life with 2 737s!
Loganair; when BA closed its regional operations to centre on London, the connectivity thought GLA/EDI/MAN was mostly gone and moving to BE seemed like a more logical choice.
So I think BA will consider any franchise if the operation adds value and the partner can deliver a consistent brand offering to BA. Sunair is an interesting alliance! It's very niche and could be an ideal fit to replace Stobarts thinner shorter SEN routes, and giving SEN access to BA's audience...