Bmibaby

[G-AWZK]

LH are still investing in bmi and have bought/buying the Stockley training centre from OAA

How is buying the sim center from OAA and most likely branding it Lufthansa Flight Training (in the same way they rebranded the Austrian Airlines sim center in VIE), investing in bmi? I could be putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5 but Lufthansa Flight Training just took on a new Business Development Manager for Great Britain and Ireland, at the end of April. Coincidence?

Compulsory or "voluntary" redundancies? It is a bit of a moot point, don't you think? Work no longer exists at CWL and MAN, so aircrew can either accept relocation deals or leave. These are not the actions of a successful airline that is expanding.

I have no agenda, just an interested bystander.

[JSCL]

@G-AWZK

Haven't you heard that BMI in their current financial situation provide invisible jobs to employees who once flew the skies from CWL and MAN?

/sarcasm

You're exactly right. They will be told move to support our expanding hubs or bye bye. They won't be hanging around. They might support some with the Belfast route from MAN, thats about it.

[cornishsimon]

On another note though, I must say, the advert clearly did the job it's designed to as you now know of the bmibaby Newquay routes?

Quite right, Baby operate into NQY from MAN & EMA.

its clear that the MAN route will go when the MAN base closes, however is there any prospec of Baby serving more routes ex NQY ??

cs

[INKJET]

G-AWZK

I don't recall anyone stating that WW was expanding?

Yes people will have to either relocate or commute or leave the business.

bmi continues to have negative earnings and I think that all are aware that given a choice LH would have not bought the business had they had the option to walk away, equally it is common knowledge that they looked at selling bits or all of the business but the numbers weren't right for prospective buyers or LH

There are a lot of people on here that thought bmi & baby would have gone under a year or more ago, but hey guess what it's still here! They now are back to two 330 flying for bmi in bmi/star colours and have a number of 321 being delivered over the next 12 months these are new aircraft.

In the mean time baby have just 14 aircraft to earn a living from. When baby was expanding it was opening bases and adding aircraft and crews and peaked at around 20/21 aircraft. In the early days post LH it was envisaged that as group losses reduced then the fleet could be rebuilt and expanded, that still remains the plan, however the Arab spring and week UK Market has created more headwinds than planned, so plans have had to change. Given that it is unlikely that the group will move into profit before 2012/3 then there was little point in making that objective more difficult by propping up two small marginal bases in MAN & CWL. Whilst BHD raised a few eyebrows it is not a base, just a night stop for two aircraft and a W location for a lot more next year, sales of which are going very nicely

So expanding no , successful trying to be, being sold no, going bust no, got a plan yes, paying wages and bills on time yes, added to which a dozen or so new pilots have started their flying career with baby this spring, or as the Everest double glazing add says, now you wouldn't have expected that a few years ago, would you?

[Skipness One Echo]

propping up two small marginal bases in MAN & CWL

Think about the achievement here. They managed to make Manchester, both small AND marginal. Manchester, the Gatwick of the North and they didn't make a go of it, being a non London based British airline. The words "open" and "goal" deserve a sentence all of their own....

[G-AWZK]

have a number of 321 being delivered over the next 12 months these are new aircraft.

Would these be the ones ordered by BMED of which at least 3 will be delivered directly to DLH?

Whilst BHD raised a few eyebrows it is not a base, just a night stop for two aircraft and a W location for a lot more next year, sales of which are going very nicely

so night stopping 2 a/c = nightstopping at least 2 crews as well - that is not cheap in itself, and I find it difficult to believe that if MAN was a failure how WW can make an airport with a short runway and a catchment of less than 2 million pax is going to be a success.

going bust no

only because DLH have deep pockets. If Frankfurt turned off the financial life support it would be.

Time will tell which of us is correct Inkjet.

[JSCL]

@INKJET

Your argument of 'everyone thought BMI would go under 1 1/2 years ago is nonsense' - sure people did and they would have, if DLH didn't have to bail them out of the crapper, again.

[INKJET]

JSCL

I am unsure whether your agreeing with me or not? of course they wouldn't be around without DLH or someone else, you seem to want them to go under?

The point is that they are owned by DLH for better or for worse, some on here just can't seem to get their heads around that idea?

I give up !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jack1985]

From what i can see, bmibaby looks to be getting into a good position doing away with niche bases at CWL, MAN and focusing attention to the Midlands in BHX, EMA. I think theres huge opportunities for bmibaby from BHX, and to a lessor extent EMA. It does leave me bewildered why they even bothered to annonce the sun routes from BHD, i think all the routes bar STN, EMA, BHX, AMS should be scrapped they have no business fighting over MAN which will inevitably end, or the sun routes for that matter they're well covered from BFS and a little over capacity for this summer i might add. I hope bmibaby just keep strong and serve routes where possible, their idea of banking on Sun routes has to stop though.

[G-AWZK]

The point is that they are owned by DLH for better or for worse, some on here just can't seem to get their heads around that idea?

No, I think the point is that bmi and bmibaby in particular are not successful, and how long will Lufthansa shareholders have patience with a company that generates more than a quarter of DLH group losses?

Do I take any enjoyment from this? None whatsoever. I have friends that work for various parts of the group and the impact on bmi failure would be deeply unpleasant. However there is a business reality that has to faced at some point.

bmibaby looks to be getting into a good position doing away with niche bases at CWL, MAN and focusing attention to the Midlands in BHX, EMA.

As someone earlier pointed out, if MAN is regarded as a niche base, the fundamental structure of the business is unsound. "Fortress Midlands" is scraping the bottom of the barrel and the very last roll of the dice.

[Facelookbovvered]

AWZK

I do rather find myself agreeing with some of the other poster's on here, in that whilst bmi is in a mess, which for every step forward events conspire to make them go back two steps backwards, you, do seem to have an unhealthy obsession with bmi and bmibaby in particular, perhaps a more objective view point it would make you appear less like a ex employee with an axe to grind, however well hidden?

I do agree that it cannot go on with the current losses,but i think you need to reflect more on DLH options given the money already invested.

[G-AWZK]

I have no axe to grind, but if that is how you wish to interpret my ramblings go ahead.

The second quarter results will be published on the 15th of July, we can see how things are going then.

CYA.

[Looker]

As an employee of Baby I take a less pessimistic view of the future than a certain poster.

Since DLH took over all the dead wood at senior management level has been eradicated and we now have a very good set of managers at board room level. Anyone who has met and spoken to WPS will know he's nobody's fool.

The middle management at Baby are the reason most of us have remained here. They are a very nice bunch of people to work for, despite the fact that sometimes they have to implement some difficult decisions from higher up.

BMI and BMI Baby have seen out all the detractors who have been prophesying our imminent demise and I have some confidence this will again be the case with this latest prophet of doom.

[Dreamweaver]

bmibaby logbook verification

Hi everyone. Just need a little help. I flew for baby at EMA 2004/2005. I left without getting my logbook stamped and verified. Id be obliged if someone could pass me the contact number and email of HR to achieve this.

Best of luck to all the guys n gals at baby!

DW

[pamann]

With the possible relocation of some routes/frequencies of EZY from STN to SEN next year, could we see Baby make a go of things by launcing some routes from Stansted and enter the London market?

[davidjohnson6]

Would be brave for WW to go into the LCC lion's den of Stansted making it a new base (Belfast will be a new base), up against both Easyjet + Ryanair, when they struggled to make money at Manchester and Cardiff

[INKJET]

Not a chance of a STN base before 2013 unless a fundamental shake up at bmi results in all domestic flights switching to STN/WW but that would involve Group wide restructuring.

[Flightrider]

Given the disastrous performance to date on Belfast-Stansted, I think it would take a very brave (or very rich) person to suggest replicating the rest of the domestic routes into Stansted.

And before everyone jumps down my throat about this comment:

May10 (with significant volcanic ash disruption) - Ryanair carried 27,437 passengers on 3 x daily 737 on BHD-STN.

May11 (with one day of ash disruption) - bmibaby carried 6,842 passengers on 3 x daily 737 on BHD-STN.

I make that about 33% loadfactor. Must be losing their shirts on that one given the usual Belfast yields.

Why are they bothering?

[pamann]

Did I mention WW making a success (or far from) on the BHD-STN route? If BHD-STN is a loss maker does that also mean that STN-ALC/MJV/AGP/FAO etc would be? Granted BHD isn't the best of routes, but you can't base the viability of a base at STN on just one route that they operate now can you? Otherwise you'd be certain of the demise of the FR base at STN based purely on their STN-PIK route. 'Bigger Picture'... I hate that term btw.

[jabird]

pamann,

Baby have been here before - LGW-PRG on a w rotation iirc?

If Easy are moving out, what makes you think baby should move in? WW are well known in the Midlands - they have a strong brand, however much that tiny concept makes me think of screaming kids and 'tiny' suggests being small and amateur!

How are they going to market themselves for a handful of routes out of STN?

London is a big market, it doesn't need baby and baby doesn't need it.