Originally Posted by
ATNotts
EasyJet are in a completely different market, largely London centric in UK, and really a pan European airline.
FlyBe is suffering in the same way as most regional carriers in recent history have, too many intra regional services making too little, if any money. In the scheme of things only the major secondary trunk routes such as those between SOU / BHX / MAN / CWL and Scotland / NI, plus connections between the likes of MAN / BHX / SOU to major European business centres are truly viable with the fleet that BE operate.
Any new owner is going to drastically cut back on peripheral, marginal services which will bode badly for some UK airports.
Whilst I have no brief for Flybe's recent management I do feel they took over a toxic legacy from Jim (call me James) French. Under his stewardship the airline vastly expanded and over ordered from Embraer, and it has been reported that terms of acquisition were very costly. I do hope for the sake of staff and airports such as SOU that a rescue can be arranged.