FlyBe to operate Domestic flights in France ?
Not for me to doubt, etc......and assume they have done/will do their homework correctly, etc.....but history is littered with companies of all sizes and from all industries who have found this country to be a graveyard for foreign investors.
In our line of business, think of BA and Swissair who both lost more than their shirts trying with TAT/Air Lib/AOM....and the shortlived effort by Buzz a couple of years ago to operate domestic routes here.....look at the hoops that the many and various authorities have ( officially and unofficially ) put up in the past ( eg, the BA dispute regarding Orly some years ago ) and
currently ( eg, easyJet's difficulty in getting slots when there are still, officially, several thousands still available ) and you'll get the idea.....
Quite simply, AF have a total stranglehold either directly or indirectly on anything even remotely connected with Air Transport in France, and if it doesn't suit them, then the best advice is to forget any plans you may have to enter the market here, no matter how good they look on your Development or Marketing peoples' PC's.....
In fact, my retirement fund currently consists of little more than, hopefully lucrative, plans to write a book entitled " Investing in France - or how to lose your shirt " when I'm eventually able to spend more time on the ground than at the moment.
But back to FlyBe.......
Does anyone care to comment or shed some light on the current bolloc*s which appears to be developing with the imminent closure of the AF BHX - CDG route ? No underhand reason - just some acquaintences and friends who are having their lives buggered about right now as the company seems to be more than a little economical with the truth....
Numerous cancellations/consolidations/equipment changes the past few months - most explained as crew shortages; all staff involved being told one thing about the future one day and another thing the next ; heavy sickness call-ins from ( justifiably ! ) disaffected cabin crew ; and FO's being told that Command Courses or Conversion Courses would start this/next month and then 24 hours later being told they're cancelled.
The numbers shouldn't lie, and FlyBe is reporting good profits for last year - based on the info I have been told and have seen, and the earlier parts of this thread, any bets on this year's numbers ?