BMI

[ALLMCC]

I read a newspaper article a few days ago that said that Lufthansa don't want Baby. They will either try to find a buyer (which will be difficult in the current economic climate) or close it. The article, however, didn't mention Regional.

[brian_dromey]

Baby is, apparently, the only section of the business currently keeping to budget.

My other thought is that BD (and all other airlines) can't keep cutting forever, they need to aggressively grow revenue, by whatever means. If that means leveraging their position in LHR and using more *A feed, then thats what they need to do. Hopefully the operations on behalf of LH are going to be cash positive, that would give them a bit of breathing space.

Brian.

[Copenhagen]

They used to say that Baby was profitable.

Then they said Baby was covering its operational costs

Now they say that baby is hitting its budget

Hitting budget... it may be loosing £20m, but its hitting budget.

I really fear for the future of baby. Just like snowflake from Sas, Go from British airways, Ted from United, Song from Delta, low cost off shoots dont work long term.

[ryanair1]

totally agree with you on that score 'Copenhagen'.

Low cost off-shoots dont carry the same passion, the same drive, the same growth ambitions as independant low cost airlines.

its a pretty pathetic state of affairs to be a low cost off-shoot as you get stale employees used to the same ol same ol way of doing things, no innovation and too much conservatism.

Take it from someone who used to know!

[Flightrider]

When 40% of the £100m loss has come from bmibaby, it's a pretty poor state of affairs if they can only say that they are "on budget". The budget must be grim reading. It's not surprising that Lufthansa want to offload it ASAP.

It remains to be seen whether NT is still at the helm after the Lufthansa take-over goes through.

[OliWW]

If any airline is going to buy baby then it will be Flybe or easyJet. Ryanair wont buy baby because its business model is wrong compared to theres, and they can just take over the routes that baby used to have, without having to buy them out. Where as Flybe could buy baby and replace its B737 with E195 or easyJet can expand with A319, for example if baby were to leave us, EMA-EDI,GLA,BFS,AMS,CDG will all be unavailable and Flybe or easyJet would also be best suited for this job

[Copenhagen]

Why would anyone buy baby? -If, as flightrider states above that they have lost £40m WW have at best less than a half dozen sustainably profitable routes accross the network.

It would be better for Flybe, Easy, Monarch, Ryanair or Lingus to just start operating these routes rather than buy a selection of leased classic 737s and legacy staff.

Baby isnt an Aer Lingus acquistion for Ryanair, BAciti for Flybe or a Go acquisition for Easy. They have / had significant benefits to the acquiring company in terms of scale and in terms of disposing of a major competitor in a major area of operations (dublin, midlands and london).

Baby delivers neither to either.

[bmi expat]

When 40% of the £100m loss has come from bmibaby

I would love to see a source for that claim!

[Facelookbovvered]

40%? not what i am told by the regional guys, baby trading on target so far this year, regional and meduim routes doing ok with the big loss coming from LHR where bmi volumes have fallen off a cliff, i counted just 7 pax plus me on an Airbus to BRU last week no wonder the ERJ135 is doing the route from the end of the month.

Clearly it can't continue and not paying the staff (increase) won't be enough. I read that the 330 are going back to the lease company before the year is out, no doubt the long haul aircraft that LH are taking out of service will find a new home in LHR.

Whilst the crews have concerns over their jobs i bet the CEO has even more, the NBM (NEW BUSINESS MODEL) was his idea, also know as Nigel's big mistake.

[Topslide6]

When 40% of the £100m loss has come from bmibaby, it's a pretty poor state of affairs if they can only say that they are "on budget". The budget must be grim reading. It's not surprising that Lufthansa want to offload it ASAP.

With respect, that is completely untrue and unsubstantiated bull****. Baby is ticking along just nicely, despite what those with an agenda would like you to believe.

[ZeBedie]

Baby is ticking along just nicely, despite what those with an agenda would like you to believe.

What, nasty little ****es who've started painting 'bye bye baby' on their -800's?

[Topslide6]

I like to think more desperate and scraping the barrell. After all, in the worst economic dowturn since the 30's, baby is not the airline that got 6 brand new aircraft delivered last month. You don't have to be an economic expert to work out that can't be a good thing. Anyway, 'they' did the 'bye bye baby' thing a long time ago as a rather pathetic response to baby binning Teeside as a base.

They're welcome to it!

[INKJET]

Just the usual childish antic's from publicity hungry MOL, any truth that he's is ill with the big C?:

[Flightrider]

With respect, that is completely untrue and unsubstantiated bull****.

The figures are accurate. bmibaby's contribution to the group £100m loss is £40m this year, give or take a million either way. I am not going to give a source for the numbers, but suffice to say that if you had seen the numbers yourself, you wouldn't be arguing about them because you'd know that these figures are true.

[FlyboyUK]

Well according to this memo baby must be doing something in the right direction

The fuel increase was mitigated somewhat by surcharges as well as a rise of additional revenue in bmibaby...

[Topslide6]

Look, I don't know who you are or what your agenda is Flightrider, but given that these financial figures have not even been published yet leads me to believe you're are talking out your arse. 99.9% of bmi staff never actually find out about the true financial performance of the group as, having being a private company, it's never had to be published. The notion that you are in the 0.1% that has not only seen the figures, but seen the figures for the last year (that have not yet been publically published) and have then chosen to come and write about it on here is, frankly, nonsense.

As an aside to that, and as Flyboy has already pointed out, NT's memo paints a different picture of baby's contribution to the group.

You've stated in one of your earlier posts that you don't work for bmi which just makes this kind of thing even more pathetic. This gleeful speculation about the future of various airlines is getting very boring indeed. Either state the source for your so called 'facts' or shut up.

[ryanair1]

can we stop talking about these crappy airlines thanks

Ryanair has no interest in them - they will go bust themselves

anyway - we are stopping all flying from Dublin to Doncaster and Durham Tees Valley from July

and reducing East Midlands and Bournemouth frequencies along with others to europe from Dublin due to this stupid tax - which is basically slashing numbers to Ireland.

[Unionjet28]

FR

Usual FR rubbish. Blame the tax, blame the IAA, blame the DAA, blame bloody anyone except your own inability to stimulate demand in a recession.

Call it like it is for once eh?

[PC767]

I'm just an observer here but can I ask ryanair1 why he/she feels it is necessary to enter a site dedicated to BMI and ask people to stop talking about 'crappy airlines'?

If you don't want to discuss BMI/BMIBaby then why are you on a BMI thread?

You're forum name provides a clue to your alligence. Stick to the Ryanair thread where, in my opinion, there is actually talk about a 'crappy airline' taking place.

[Skipness One Echo]

can we stop talking about these crappy airlines thanks
Ryanair has no interest in them - they will go bust themselves

1) It's NOT the Ryanair thread so you seem a little confused as to your location. One hopes you're not flight deck crew then.
2) I struggle to accept the truth of your claim as you say you live in an "expensive mansion" but work for Ruinair.

Back to BMI Baby please!