JobsaGoodun
The reason for the change in financial performance is directly related to the change over to the Q400, which yes may be a little unreliable at times, but is infact comparable to the 146 in dispatch reliability, and new routes that are already recording profits.
It is also directly related the dozens of new (146) routes from places like SOU. To attribute the more recent financial performance to the Q400 is naive in the extreme, particularly as the most recent balance sheet doesn't show that to be the case.
There is, as yet, no final decision yet made on either 737/319.
Or, for that matter, the EMB170.
The recent investment of some £4.5million in new maintenance hangars in Exeter that can accomodate 737/319 aircraft also indicates the planned move to larger aircraft is not just a pipe dream.
That hangar was designed to accomodate third party work, and shouldn't be seen as an indicator regarding the acquisition of new jets.
Flybe now have defendable bases for the first time, demonstrated by their recent commitment in BHX.
Until somebody gets serious at CVT...
er82
I'm guessing that might be a slight exaggeration otherwise we'd have all sorts of complaints from the passengers - and quite simply we don't!
Actually, you do (or did).
Try this. Ask your pax what they would rather fly on, the Q400 or the 146. Then understand that the public prefer jets. Most everybody knows this.
The amusing thing about being called out from standby to fill in for a tech Q400, was all the pax going on about how happy they were at the "upgrade" to the jet.
Flybe don't use the Q400 because it is better than the 146, or even particularly good. They did it because it was cheap, at a time when there was no spare money to be had in the company. They took a huge risk, and for my money the jury is still out. BTW, they re-signed some 146 leases for the same reason (cheapness).
Flight time wise - on the JER-LGW route we actually have the same flight time as the 146.
If you are talking schedule times, of course you do - the schedule time has little bearing on reality, and it is in the interest of the company to show the same flight time, for obvious reasons.
The only way the flight time is
actually the same is if you fly the 146 with the brake open...
Now how about SOU - Malaga...