ISLE OF MAN

[EI-BUD]

Loganair on IOMBLK & BHD

Contrary to previous comments I dont think that Flybe will be funding any part of Loganairs operation on these new IOM routes.

BE want to control IOM airport as has been mentioned, they are great at bullying small aiports and operators, Aurigny, Air Southwest, Exeter Airport, Southampton, Newquay?, the list goes on.

Manx 2 need to stick to the high frequencies and offer flexible tickets. We will see how long Loganair will stick this out, as I dont remember Loganair to be one to go into a market head to head with other carriers. This is an exception.

JEA did these routes before by SH6 aircraft in the 80;s of there abouts. They pulled it then.

[Tonyq]

RE to LCY

RE had the ATR72 on LCY for the first time today (EI-REM), so presumably certification etc is done and this will be the norm now.

[Haven't a clue]

Flew on yesterday's 1355 to LCY. The ATR72 was comfortable, the crew were attentive, the free sandwiches from Jaimes Kitchen and free tea were very good and my bag was in the hold for free. And it arrived on the carousel after about a five minute wait. All in all good service and good value.

Load was just under 50%.

RE really have a winner here!

[Cloud1]

But just for how long and will they be able to keep it up?

[Haven't a clue]

Fair point. But per IoM staistics they seem to have carried some 1300 pax between 19 Jan and 31 Jan, so potential is there to fill a reasonable number of the 6000 seats per month on offer. And yes, its not bums on seats that matter, but yield. And I paid less (but not a lot less) for a return ticket than I was offered by the competition for flights at similar times on the same days out and back.

I confess I prefer the all inclusive pricing. I've never been comfortable with the BE sell you everything unless you opt out website approach. That difference alone will drive me towards RE.

But what do I know? I'm only SLF!

[j41cac]

RE should be encouraged on the IOM, one Airline taking the lot would be devastating to the IOM or any other small airport.

Like always, competition is so important to keep prices to a minimum, its important to invite all airlines in. Don.t forget the Open skies policy.

Flybe, they bully other Airlines, Southwest, ManxPoo and Eastern to name but a few. These carriers need to stick it out and give this Beast a beating, Eastern are still about on the Brums with good figures.

Anyone who disagree's is a fool

[Tinwald]

9 hours and cloud1 hasnt surfaced!!!!

[Tonyq]

Eastern figures for IOM-BHX are down 38% year on year in January, and their overall figures to/from IOM are down 39%.**

Not sure that's what I'd call 'good' even in the current climate.

FlyBE IOM-BHX are up 47% **

** Source IOM Airport website

[Cloud1]

I disagree that Flybe bullies but I acknowledge that airlines have failed miserably when competition in the form of, oh Europe's largest regional airline no less, Flybe starts up. Does not mean they bully and I am certainly no fool....its just some people want to argue with facts, although I won't preach today

Tinwald - how very amusing - some of us actually have jobs to go to and at 11:07 this morning I was at an airline working in an aviation environment. Hence why it has taken so long to reply.

I agree completely Haven't a clue, I am not a fan of Flybe's pricing ways and would prefer to see the total up front. And before anyone has to re-read the sentence, yes I did say I disagree with a Flybe policy - always said there were areas which let them down)

It would be lovely for IOM residents to have another carrier on the island. It is hardly snowed under by carriers wanting to use Ronaldsway as it is, so good luck to Aer Arran - just hope they keep it up

[IOMspotter]

Heard yesterday FlyBe are to drop the BLK IOM BHD before it starts. Forward bookings on BLK have been awful and all there business routes into BHD are down 20% -25% in 2009 with the crunch biting Belfast hard. Manxy2's IOM BHD was down 30% in January. Blue Islands IOM JER was down 40% and even IOM LPL down 20%.

[ALLMCC]

IOM spotter, if that's the case then why is it still possible to book flights on their website?

[Maverick8701]

Surley Flybe cannot drop the route if it is a Loganair route?? Please correct with if I am wrong as I am not 100% but wasn't BLK-IOM-BHD the Loganair thing?

[jetstreamtechrecords]

Maybe even the bully boys in Exeter / Glasgow (no of course they are seperate companys and dont talk to each other) worked out that sticking 70 000 seats on a 20 000 pax market wont work unless Loganair/FlyBe pinches 30 000pax from ............ yes - BEs own LPL route. doh. With manx2s 30 000 seats thats altogether 100 000 seats on the 20 000 BLK route. mad.

This route will be another BE monopoly scam - if it ever starts. Push an existing operator off then declare the route seasonal only. SOU IOM all over again.

If BE get there way you can forget BLK next winter youll all be on the BE LPL or the boat.

and if IOM lose manx2 and Eastern next winter then BEs IOM market share will be only 90% - so no problem there then

[Jamesair]

You are correct that Loganair are the operator. Loganair are a franchise operator for Flybe, I don't know who makes the decisions on routes.

[Flightrider]

Loganair make the decisions - their routes are flown at their risk, as with the BA franchise when they (and many others) flew as a BA franchise. I'd heard exactly the opposite, in that they were quite happy with the way that bookings were looking despite it still being two and a half months before launch. I'm sure that M2 hope that it won't start, but I think it's very much wishful thinking.

[jetstreamtechrecords]

em smell the coffee man. The planes are in BE livery, you book on BEs website (you cant book on Loganairs) and all advertising spend is for the BE brand the crew wear BE uniforms and the airport announce the departure of the FLyBe flight to wherever (xcept highlands an islands). so no course they dont cook up deals together

[Flightrider]

So how come they still report separate sets of figures and Loganair is owned by completely different shareholders to Flybe then? As with the many former BA franchises - or most other forms of franchising like the local Subway sandwich shop - the owners of the business are responsible for whether it makes money or not, and not the franchisor. No franchisee is likely to throw money down the drain just because the brand owner might want them to.

[jetstreamtechrecords]

...but if the brand owner gives them a nice big franchise fee reduction to do a special bit of brand building

In the worst climate in 50 years why else put 70 000 seats on a 20 000 route wher you dont even have a base.

The route is way too small for a q400 so the only way to woop Manx2 was for BE to get their franchise partner to do it for them.

[Flightrider]

I suppose it depends how much through traffic from BLK to BHD they are expecting to carry. They are selling through seats on the website at what looks like reasonably good rates and if my memory serves me rightly, Jet2 only operate the route fully during very peak season when there should surely be no shortage of pax. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens from here.

[IOMspotter]

BHD is a biz airport. In January Flybes BHD routes got credit crunch creamed and its continuing in Febuary. BHD to CDW -25%. BHD INV -28%. BHD NCL -28%, BHD Doncaster -52% BHD SOU -12%, BHD EDI -17%. Manxy2s BHD IOM was down 30% to.

Even if shoving 70 000 seats on a 20 000 route looked clever in January itll look stupid right now.

Jet2 are 5x weekly BFS-BLK from March DIRECT & fares from £20. 7x from June. Given the choice of direct on the 737 or via fraggle on a S340 for 3x the price which would you chose?