The Changing Face of BMi
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Aberdeen
The Changing Face of BMi
Hey Guys,
I'm not sure if this has been posted here or not but here goes:
Well the cats out of the bag... The new bmi mainline strategy was announced to staff today. Main points are:
1. One class cabin on all bmi shorthaul routes with pay for food and drinks except for EDI / GLA / BHD/ BRU where separate business cabin will remain for time being with ecy going all pay food/drinks.
2. Min crew on all aircraft.
3. Review of crew terms and conditions.
3. Longhaul will be "the instrument of growth" ex LHR with one longhaul aircraft joining the fleet every year for next 3 years , all to be based at LHR.
The new business plan has cost savings of £30 million... SO basically bmi mainline is turning into a hybrid of bmi baby.... There will be a simplified 3 type fare structure... Baby for the first time will sell seats on bmi mainline.
Diamond club lounges and diamond club will stay and bmi will remain in star alliance.
The mood in LHR today was terrible, some crew were actually in tears! We will now be operating min crew with crew now required to do a " cabin Tidy" as baby crew do ,so no more cleaners! On the plus side we are getting more money but the general feeling was that if we had wanted to work for a low cost airline we would be wearing orange not Jaeger!!
Will it work? The chief exec argues that there are not enough business passengers and the ecy pax are only prepared to pay cheap fares while still receiving " full frills " as a result mainline is losing a lot of money and it simply can't go on. I think we have lost business pax because the frequencies aren't there and the mainline business product is poor compared to BA etc so instead of investing we have gone the other way....
For the future we'll be operating mostly shorthaul leisure routes ex LHR ( with exception of high frequency domestic routes) at reduced frequencies with pay for everything and longhaul with its superior product will expand ex LHR using freed up ex shorthaul slots....
All change from Aug 1st....
Found this on a.net http://www.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/discussions....main/2125779/
Don't sound good in my opinion
Sam
I'm not sure if this has been posted here or not but here goes:
Well the cats out of the bag... The new bmi mainline strategy was announced to staff today. Main points are:
1. One class cabin on all bmi shorthaul routes with pay for food and drinks except for EDI / GLA / BHD/ BRU where separate business cabin will remain for time being with ecy going all pay food/drinks.
2. Min crew on all aircraft.
3. Review of crew terms and conditions.
3. Longhaul will be "the instrument of growth" ex LHR with one longhaul aircraft joining the fleet every year for next 3 years , all to be based at LHR.
The new business plan has cost savings of £30 million... SO basically bmi mainline is turning into a hybrid of bmi baby.... There will be a simplified 3 type fare structure... Baby for the first time will sell seats on bmi mainline.
Diamond club lounges and diamond club will stay and bmi will remain in star alliance.
The mood in LHR today was terrible, some crew were actually in tears! We will now be operating min crew with crew now required to do a " cabin Tidy" as baby crew do ,so no more cleaners! On the plus side we are getting more money but the general feeling was that if we had wanted to work for a low cost airline we would be wearing orange not Jaeger!!
Will it work? The chief exec argues that there are not enough business passengers and the ecy pax are only prepared to pay cheap fares while still receiving " full frills " as a result mainline is losing a lot of money and it simply can't go on. I think we have lost business pax because the frequencies aren't there and the mainline business product is poor compared to BA etc so instead of investing we have gone the other way....
For the future we'll be operating mostly shorthaul leisure routes ex LHR ( with exception of high frequency domestic routes) at reduced frequencies with pay for everything and longhaul with its superior product will expand ex LHR using freed up ex shorthaul slots....
All change from Aug 1st....
Found this on a.net http://www.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/discussions....main/2125779/
Don't sound good in my opinion
Sam
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: At the foot of the Lammermuirs
The mood in LHR today was terrible, some crew were actually in tears! We will now be operating min crew with crew now required to do a " cabin Tidy" as baby crew do ,so no more cleaners! On the plus side we are getting more money but the general feeling was that if we had wanted to work for a low cost airline we would be wearing orange not Jaeger!!
Then you say; ".........as a result mainline is losing a lot of money and it simply can't go on."It sounds to me that bmi are putting in place a strategy that will enable them to survive and compete.
And before all the "it's the managements faults were are in this position in the first place" start, may I make a suggestion? If you can do better apply for management positions when they arise.
P.S. If we are getting all the info it would suggest that there are no redundancies in the offing. That is good. bmi crews are some of the best I have flown with.
Lady Lexxington
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,145
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From: The Manor House
If we are getting all the info it would suggest that there are no redundancies in the offing. That is good. bmi crews are some of the best I have flown with.
This is a direct quote from the new business model
"there may be some staff reductions in areas directly affected by the changes to our product. We will be discussing this with relevant union or staff groups early next week"
Thats why the tears I would imagine.
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: At the foot of the Lammermuirs
"there may be some staff reductions in areas directly affected by the changes to our product. We will be discussing this with relevant union or staff groups early next week"
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 906
Likes: 0
From: East Midlands Airport (EMA)
Personally, I don't think this is a bad move for bmi.
By keeping our diamond club & diamond lounges, I'm sure that we won't lose as many premium passengers as we would have if we had pulled those, although I'm not completely convinced about pulling business class. Some pax from longhaul business transfer to the shorthaul product, and there are still people who will pay the full-fare economy ticket price to be able to travel in the business cabin. Business Class is always a selling point for premium passengers to fly full-fare on your airline to earn the miles, and bmi will really miss out on this market. After all, that's exactly what has happened with bmi in the Midlands, when all routes went to baby. When they did, most of the biz pax went to BA.
The economy class idea will work. We'll have a better money intake from the new bar service, and it will provide bmi with the opportunity to provide a more thorough service. Apparently the new food & drink service will be more than baby's snack/drink service, but more like "the song deli" that Delta's LCC offers in the US, with snacks/salads/light meals/healthy options/drinks/cocktails for offer. Better than a bacon sandwich & a tea any day, even if you have to shell out £5.
With regards to tidying up the cabin after each flight; it saves costs & isn't backbreaking labour. It's moving through the cabin & checking the area around each seat, which we do anyway when doing safety checks. Only extra thing is bunging an old newspaper in a binbag!
Rumours are true that LH wants to sell their shareholding. They originally bought it in the hopes of bmi being able to fly trans-atlantic & really turn themselves into a hub carrier but this really hasn't worked out.
By keeping our diamond club & diamond lounges, I'm sure that we won't lose as many premium passengers as we would have if we had pulled those, although I'm not completely convinced about pulling business class. Some pax from longhaul business transfer to the shorthaul product, and there are still people who will pay the full-fare economy ticket price to be able to travel in the business cabin. Business Class is always a selling point for premium passengers to fly full-fare on your airline to earn the miles, and bmi will really miss out on this market. After all, that's exactly what has happened with bmi in the Midlands, when all routes went to baby. When they did, most of the biz pax went to BA.
The economy class idea will work. We'll have a better money intake from the new bar service, and it will provide bmi with the opportunity to provide a more thorough service. Apparently the new food & drink service will be more than baby's snack/drink service, but more like "the song deli" that Delta's LCC offers in the US, with snacks/salads/light meals/healthy options/drinks/cocktails for offer. Better than a bacon sandwich & a tea any day, even if you have to shell out £5.
With regards to tidying up the cabin after each flight; it saves costs & isn't backbreaking labour. It's moving through the cabin & checking the area around each seat, which we do anyway when doing safety checks. Only extra thing is bunging an old newspaper in a binbag!
Rumours are true that LH wants to sell their shareholding. They originally bought it in the hopes of bmi being able to fly trans-atlantic & really turn themselves into a hub carrier but this really hasn't worked out.
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 210
Likes: 0
From: England
Time will tell if this will work. Not sure myself. Baby is working well but mainline out of LHR is a different kettle of fish.
Those option 3 guys will show you the way.
Hope no one gets made redundant, forcibly.
Those option 3 guys will show you the way.
Hope no one gets made redundant, forcibly.
I Have Control
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 51
Likes: 1
From: North-West England
bmi
IMHO they deserve all they get from this classic piece of mis-management. Which is hardly a new thing for the company.
Butpersonally I hope they don't go under, for the sake of the many good people who work for them.
What real world are you referring to, JP5A? The real world of over-worked staff serving the interests of avaricious owners and management? (No shareholders involved with bmi)
Butpersonally I hope they don't go under, for the sake of the many good people who work for them.
What real world are you referring to, JP5A? The real world of over-worked staff serving the interests of avaricious owners and management? (No shareholders involved with bmi)
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
From: Montréal, Québec
The new business plan has cost savings of £30 million... SO basically bmi mainline is turning into a hybrid of bmi baby.... There will be a simplified 3 type fare structure... Baby for the first time will sell seats on bmi mainline.
Look at Air Canada - their LCC Tango began to damage AC's mainline service with its success, so the name has been retained but is now just the name of the lowest priced and most restricted ticket. The same plane carries five fare types (admittedly with two cabins): Tango, Tango Plus, Latitude, Latitude Plus, Executive.
BD could take this one step further with a single 'Y+' cabin (an inch or two more legroom than BA's Y), and shift the emphasis from the cabin to the price and flexibility of the ticket, and the access to lounges. If paying for coffee is still as issue for business class passengers, pax could produce a voucher from checkin (as BE) or their diamond club card for free drinkies and nosh.
*j*
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
From: Somewhere out there
Spacemaid
'if we had wanted to work for a low cost airline we would be wearing orange not Jaeger!!"
And what makes you any different from them, perhaps your hats that go with that pathetic uniform.
Welcome to the real world darling, if you want to still have a job in a couple of years time, well BMI has to adapt to the ever-changing environment otherwise you just might find yourself working for Orange. Are you afraid of breaking one of your nails by cleaning or do you not know what cleaning is?
'if we had wanted to work for a low cost airline we would be wearing orange not Jaeger!!"
And what makes you any different from them, perhaps your hats that go with that pathetic uniform.
Welcome to the real world darling, if you want to still have a job in a couple of years time, well BMI has to adapt to the ever-changing environment otherwise you just might find yourself working for Orange. Are you afraid of breaking one of your nails by cleaning or do you not know what cleaning is?
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,079
Likes: 0
From: Middlesesx
Surely this is a positive move for an airline that for some years now has sent out mixed messages as to its aspirations. As someone said it does appear to be mimicking Lingus. For those of you interested your CEO was featured on the back page of yeaterdays 'Observer' and he seemed to have a clear route that he wished to take, to ensure jobs and a future.
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 796
Likes: 4
From: Back of beyond
OK, so they've taken Air NZ's domestic business model and tweaked it a bit to address specific route requirements.
Not sure about the onboard catering concept - doesn't make anyone happy, IME. Crew has more admin overhead, customers feel they're being ripped off.
But apart from that - more power to young Nige's elbow
Not sure about the onboard catering concept - doesn't make anyone happy, IME. Crew has more admin overhead, customers feel they're being ripped off.
But apart from that - more power to young Nige's elbow
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
From: Montréal, Québec
Diamond Club e-newsletter, received a few minutes ago:
I'm not surprised BMI need a manager for 'loyalty' ... :-)
*j*
As a valued member of diamond club, I wanted you to be amongst the first to hear about our new business model.
Over the last couple of days, we have announced the launch of Europe's first modular airline service, following a six-month study surveying the views of 10,000 air travellers.
From early August, this new modular approach will see us switch to a single class service with paid-for catering on board on all flights departing from Heathrow. On four core business routes - Heathrow to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and Brussels - we will retain a separate business cabin as research showed that demand still exists for it on these routes. Our regional flights will also retain the business cabin.
We will be introducing faster e-enabled services for customers on the ground - more self check-in kiosks, along with e-enabled services giving you the ability to check-in and print boarding cards at home. Details of the launch of these products will follow over the coming months.
Most importantly, you'll be able to choose from three fare types, according to the level of service and flexibility you want with your ticket.
For the first time, true low-cost fares starting from £25 one-way will be available from Heathrow, with bmibaby's 'tiny' fares available on our flights, which will have standard low-cost terms and conditions. These new fares will be available through flybmi.com and bmibaby.com from mid June.
If you want a more flexible service bmi standard fares will be available, and where you want full flexibility and the highest levels of service, bmi premium fares will be available.
As a diamond club member you will see minor changes to the number of miles awarded on some of our lower fare types. We will communicate more specific details to you over the next few weeks.
We look forward to your continued support.
kind regards
Adeline Hampton
manager, loyalty
Over the last couple of days, we have announced the launch of Europe's first modular airline service, following a six-month study surveying the views of 10,000 air travellers.
From early August, this new modular approach will see us switch to a single class service with paid-for catering on board on all flights departing from Heathrow. On four core business routes - Heathrow to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and Brussels - we will retain a separate business cabin as research showed that demand still exists for it on these routes. Our regional flights will also retain the business cabin.
We will be introducing faster e-enabled services for customers on the ground - more self check-in kiosks, along with e-enabled services giving you the ability to check-in and print boarding cards at home. Details of the launch of these products will follow over the coming months.
Most importantly, you'll be able to choose from three fare types, according to the level of service and flexibility you want with your ticket.
For the first time, true low-cost fares starting from £25 one-way will be available from Heathrow, with bmibaby's 'tiny' fares available on our flights, which will have standard low-cost terms and conditions. These new fares will be available through flybmi.com and bmibaby.com from mid June.
If you want a more flexible service bmi standard fares will be available, and where you want full flexibility and the highest levels of service, bmi premium fares will be available.
As a diamond club member you will see minor changes to the number of miles awarded on some of our lower fare types. We will communicate more specific details to you over the next few weeks.
We look forward to your continued support.
kind regards
Adeline Hampton
manager, loyalty
*j*
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
From: London
How ironic that one of the 4 routes that keeps the Business Class Service should be LHR-BRU - That's where all the C-Class pax are Politicians and Eurocrats paid for by us poor bl**dy taxpayers!!!
In the real world of business virtually everyone else has realised that there is no point on a short haul route paying ridiculous fares, for no better service and no benefit to the company - Long Haul is a different matter...
As has aready been said, Willie W did it at EIN and turned it round and saved the company...Lets hope that BMI do likewise
In the real world of business virtually everyone else has realised that there is no point on a short haul route paying ridiculous fares, for no better service and no benefit to the company - Long Haul is a different matter...
As has aready been said, Willie W did it at EIN and turned it round and saved the company...Lets hope that BMI do likewise
