wow...big bunch of naysayers on here...my 2 penny:
1. Money will be protected if they have a decent res system as with any start up airline the acquiring bank / PSP will normally require 100% retention until coupon / ticket flown. ie if they go belly up you get your money back.
ATOL is only for flights and accommodation - not seat only flights - this is same for 90% of EU carriers - your not protected! and actually in a worse position with a bigger well established carrier as their retention may be negligible.
2. Trying to tar a 16 week operator with the same brush as CityWing in IOM is a tad unfair as they operated thin routes with a dodgy eastern bloc operator on a Cat B AOC - not quite the same as operating 20-500 seats depending on type they go for from a fully IOSA EASA AOC operator!
3. There appears to be a valid smokescreen to ensure contracts and operators are in place with the right aircraft and the right frequency for the airports and routes, without the media and everyone picking holes in it before its done.
4. If you looked at the CAA stats for GVA from December to April, I think I'd actually do the same - Valais after all is one of the major and highest destinations of all ski resorts with 6 "super resorts" with guaranteed snow due to altitude.
5. Have you actually thought they might be actually operating virtual for this season whilst their application is submitted for next season, eminently sensible from where im sitting!
6. Virtual carrier with correct contracts, pay deposits for aircraft for the contract period which looks like Dec 14th to April 16th - pay the operating costs, and sell the seats.
7. They walk away on April 17th with not a care in the world about the aircraft and no liability as the a/c would already next day switch to routes planned and scheduled later this year.
8. Operating into SIR often as i do and with RNPAR 0.1 it offers much better minimas and to be honest they will only have 10 days a season in winter they are closed, it is not just a Sion problem - typically those days affect most of Switzerland so the divs will either be Bern or Basle - we div daily in our operating lives and this is not a real drama.
9. My bet is a couple of E170/190 will be operating - these are the perfect a/c for Sion.