bmi regional EMA-ABZ no more?

[BDWW]

Have bmi stopped their EMA-ABZ service? there was no sign of it on the departure boards today and it looks like you can't book it any more on the website. Any one know why it has stopped? and if there are any plans to add a new route now?

[egnxema]

Well there is certainly no sign of it on the website. Also the EMA - BRU service is being reduced from x3 to x2 by cutting the BD235 1405 departure from EMA.

Anyone know where the ER4 will be going between its 0955 arrive at EMA and its 1735 departure to BRU?

[KAT TOO]

Lots of news to come out off the bmi-group in the next week. The EMA-BRU & LBA-BRU are both moving to two rotations a day over the peak summer break when Goverment and School/uni all break. There is very strong talk of CPH from both EMA & LBA from Nov 1st, by which time baby should be doing the middle Paris from Leeds.

Next is an annoucement about baby's next base, set to be either Gatwick or Brum ( Leeds will not be classed as a base as the equipment F100 (99 seats) will be wet leased from Regional who in turn wet lease it from mainline)

Also been told that there will be a major announcement in the next 10 day that will " please all group employee's" so it could be a tie up with Virgin or the pay cut going from 1.5% to 1.6%!!!

[Going loco]

ref Leeds, are you suggesting they'll do the middle rotation to CDG with Baby and fly the other two as regional? That sounds like a step too far, even for bmi.

And will that be the sum total of baby's involvement with Leeds - a single service to CDG - if so, why bother?

loco

[P.Pilcher]

Haven't Eastern Airways been doing EMA-ABZ for the last few years? I seem to remember that when they took it over, even the travel agent in the EMA terminal building was unaware of the new operator and was directing potential passengers to BHX to fly to Aberdeen!

P.P.

[egnxema]

Eastern have been operating x3 daily for a while. the bmi flight was only x4 weekly anyway.

[KAT TOO]

LOCO

Yes i understand that they will (baby) only be doing the `middle` CDG 495/496 with regional doing early late. I have also heard mention of a GLA rotation (PIK) and/or Malaga or Palma with a fuller program from next spring, having in said all that i understand that its chaos at baby just now and they can't even crew thier current program so we will see

[bmibaby.com]

There's some rumors doing the rounds at NEMA, that regional are looking into the Airbus 318 as a potential new aircraft for stronger regional routes, or weaker mainline routes to be used from LHR and some other regional bases. Can anyone shed light on this?

Lots of rumors about a potential tie-up, or further consolidation within the Star Alliance's no-frills airlines. I have no idea whether this would be a full merger (for example, the fleet types aren't compatible) or a codeshare, or a simplified route network ...

ABZ passengers, are as far as I know, being re-booked on flights operated by Eastern. In the meantime, it looks like the aircraft could be used to launch a new route that was popular enough from NEMA, but not enough for daily baby flights. I've heard Munich, Copenhagen or a French destination. Who knows?