BMI

[mathers_wales_uk]

it is interesting to see how the points will work especially on the BmiBaby open skies system because at the moment i can't see there's a facility to add points on there.

[lexxity]

Apparently the facility to add FFQ numbers will be on line in May.

[mathers_wales_uk]

Is that facility going to be used on the Open Skies too? And will it be able to be done at the check-in desk or will we have to inconvenience passengers by sending them down to the Ticket Desk?

cheers

[LHRKLBD]

"Does anyone know why BD are starting to retire their A320s? Jethro's website is showing G-MIDW, one of the Star Alliance ones, as WFU, are they considering these birds too big as well as the A321s?

Very annoying, I was hoping to see their A320s in the new Star Alliance livery, as well as G-MIDY/Z in the new livery as well."

I think they are just getting rid of the ones they leased and replace with the "bought" ones fom BMed.

Would love to see a A321 in the new livery.

[uklad007]

SAS are selling their 20% stake in BMI, they are already in talks with Lufthansa (who own 30% less one share) according to a report on BBC News.
Interesting times ahead, but Lufthansa would have to think carefully on this, am no expert but Competition authorities could tell Lufthansa they either go for BMI or Iberia and not both (as i believe they are interested in IB) - given that they own Swiss and stakes in a number of other European Airlines.

[bhd-lonFLYer]

Who do you think will get it, i think the likes of ba and bmi may try and get their hands on this, it will give them a better position when bishop sells.

[Little Blue]

IF !!
In my 20 or so years with bmi in it's various guises, we must have been "sold" hundreds of times !
Shame no-ones told the staff!

[uklad007]

bhd-lonFLYer

I could see four possible contenders
Lufthansa
Existing Management
Virgin/ Sir Richard Branson
Private Equity

It would be easy to say Lufthansa but like i said their is a limit to what they will be allowed to own in terms of what competition authorities will allow so they will need to make a decision.
Sir MB has made it public knowledge he wants to keep hold of his airline so may try and raise the capital to buy it to secure him 70% plus one share
Sir RB has long said he sees BMI as a good fit for his long haul activities and the prospect of getting hold of those slots at LHR
And an outside is Private Equity which you cant rule out these days, they may play the long game with a view to getting hold of the whole airline to then sell off the slots - but thats a v slim chance.

I doubt BA would be allowed to buy them or buy a stake in them?

The above is only my opinion of possible purchasers but it could be none of those four and someone completely different.

I also have to say i am surprised SAS want to sell off Spanair - i can understand the BMI stake as i dont think it brings in too many benefits apart from codesharing and some shared revenue which could continue and the sale would help to improve SAS's cash flow, but looking at SAS annual report, Spanair has really performed well in the last year and has a very bright future and there seems to have been a raft of routes launched by Spanair to Scandinavia so would have thought its good to keep hold of, but then again if SAS policy is to push its home region it might consider this the best time to sell, i just hope it doesnt get bought out by another spanish airline and merged in!.

[flyer55]

I could see Virgin getting their way and luthansa having to choose between going after BMI or Iberia !

[finding_nema]

Maybe I'm the only person out here with this opinion, but I don't understand why so many people think virgin atlantic and bmi are such a good match. Although VS would most likely keep the trunk domestic routes to compete with the BA super shuttle routes, the airline would most likely get rid of the European network and marginal UK markets like MME and LBA. They would close down Donington Hall resulting in hundreds of job losses, and would have no interest in the future of bmi regional and bmibaby who are pretty weak without the bmi connection. SMB has said he isn't interested in selling and the deputy CEO has stated the group would be more interested in acquiring another airline than being acquired over the next 12 months.

[uklad007]

finding_nema

I agree with everything youve said, my point was that SRB has made it public knowledge on a few occasions that he wants BMI and i can see why he thinks it makes good sense (no overlap, 12% of heathrow slots to add to the 3-5% he owns, a Euro based airline and the UK trunk routes) but agree with a lot of what youve said as what potentially could happen if he got it.
I do feel though that rather than BMI acquire another airline he (SMB et al) might put together a fund to buy the 20% from SAS if LH dont beat them to it, further securing his ownership but possibly delaying future buyouts, depending on his funding which i dont wish to speculate on. This could inturn lead to LH offloading its stake if it feels it cant increase it. In an ideal world am sure SMB wants the whole airline back and to start buying up others to increase his portfolio once more but i guess thats all part of what the future holds.

[Vaap]

Doesn't Lufty have an option to buy SMB's shares at a set price. If so does anyone know when it comes into force? Wouldn't the value of bmi have gone up since the price of the shares was set due to the open skys?

[Tisme]

The company memo we had said that bmi were in a position to have this share themselves.

[11K-AVML]

As well as the right to refuse sale to anyone they do not agree to.

Running an airline is a hard business. For bmi to have got this far suggests to me that it has been well managed. Something like this announcement won't have come as a surprise and will have been planned for, as the memo also shows.

[DTVAirport]

bmi are sourcing three second hand A332s, rumour is they're coming from Air France, but I personally hope not, simply because of the different powerplants (BD = RR, AF = GE). Also, I don't believe AF would want to part with any as they're still fairly new.

Any order bmi places at Le Bourget will be the tender they sent out back in February for 40 aircraft (20 firm and 20 options), so if anything, expect an E190 order!

[fadec_primary_channel]

DTV

Engines make no real difference. Its a relatively easy job to change them. The major issue is cabin layout. Much more expense and hangar time required to modify after manufacture.

[DTVAirport]

I would have thought it would be the other way round, with the engines being difficult to change and the cabin easy.

So can we assume that BD will change the engines if they get non-RR powered ones? They should really try and get the one on lease to Emirates back for a start.

[Airbus215]

There is NO A330 on lease to any third party carrier

bmi took delivery of the first 3 A330's and cancelled the delivery of the fourth which was then sold on to Emirates by Airbus.

bmi has plans in place to source suitable A/C to operate post open skys and will make public the details when ready !

[Skipness One Echo]

Er what? Kinda rare to change the engines on these aircraft? I can think of Atlas changing a PW 747 to a GE 747 a few years back but aside from that nothing springs to mind.

[6chimes]

Engines make no real difference. Its a relatively easy job to change them.

Would there not be the added expense of training all the engineers on the new engines and would there also be added expense for third party engineering down route?

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