How i forced the Germans to accept my surender
There is an article in todays Sunday times which gives some back ground to much of what has been said on here, the final para: being that SMB wouldn't rule out a return to the industry!!
Pointless username
Of course LH didn't buy bmi to get hold of baby, baby didn't start until after the LH/BMI deal was done a decade ago!! however they own it from Wednesday......
Much has changed in the last 10 years and LoCo is now a ongoing feature in European avaiation, like everyone else on here i have no idea what the germans plan for bmi, time will tell.
Reading many of the posts on this thread it is clear that your view point is coloured by which part of bmi you work for or used to work for: having at some stage worked for all 3 bmi companies it is clear that much has changed.
Regional
Was always the Golden boy, until the banks collapsed last year.
This year it has lost heaps and were it not for the Airbus contract would be laying at least two aircrafts worth of crews off according to the flight ops director.
bmibaby
Reported to be having its best year since birth having refocused on the Med routes, it cut its fleet size and crew numbers last fall, NT heaps much praise on it (death knell!!)
Mainline
Still reeling from NT new business model, now putting the business quality back in and Peter Spencer tipped to gain rapid promotion under new owners.
Having chopped the long haul network, where this years planned rise in APD would have resulted in an even bigger loss, it is now making great in roads in to profitable markets with a quality product. There is much surgery to come at LHR but the unions having blocked much of the change for now but that wont last.
What will Luffty do? as i said, few know the answer to that, not a lot i suspect unless someone comes up with cash for something they don't want or need like baby? but thats unlikely at the present, the Germans will concentrate on what needs fixing in the group
If baby is sold as most on here seem to think then there are only 3 player's in my mind U2,Jet2 or a private buyer, the first two would have to change the name/brand and there is little else of value, a private buyer would want to keep the brand (which is fast becoming baby anyway) and the lack of assets would keep the price/value down
The 319's will be gone in 2 years, the slots that LH decide to keep will feed routes that need a 321 size or greater and ERJ will be phased out of LHR by the end of next Summer at latest, they are only slot protecting the value of SMB bmi holding and that ends on Wednesday
Time will tell