Openskies chooses AMS over BRU

[shogan1977]

Openskies/EC chooses Schiphol over Brussels as its second continental point of departure... Any idea if they will ever fly from Brussels? Can't take AA anymore!

[Skipness One Echo]

Wow that'll have KLM quaking in fear. Are these guys handled by BA at JFK? Must be feeling the cold shoulder from the other BA crews surely.

[shogan1977]

As far as I know EC is handled by BA at JFK. I think the pilots are on non-mainline contracts, the cabin crew have been recruited externally on cheaper non-mainline contracts so I would think with ground handling they also want to keep costs as low as possible. I read that the JFK 'Turn around Manager' is BA. The Flight Attendant position at EC is a dual air/ground role.

[BAladdy]

Second 757 about to enter service??

Just over six weeks to go until AMS starts. Have heard rumours second ex BA mainline 757 is painted and in final stages of being fitted out with the two class config.

Anyone able to confirm this?? If so when is the 752 due online and what regis the aircraft?

Also are the two L'avion aircraft being kept and if so are they going to be reconfigured with Openskies product and if yes will they become UK registered??

Cheers for any info!!

[CHINOOKER]

2'nd Open Skies 757 is G-CPEJ and is already painted in scheme....At present is in East Pen TBA having winglets fitted and cabin configed. 3rd BA 757 for Open Skies will be G-CPEI and should be in service late Jan/Feb 09.
With regard the 2x L'Avion a/c,apparently they may be re-configed to the BA interiors over the winter,but retain the L'Avion colourscheme for the present time!. As far as i can ascertain this is down to the fact that BA's paint bay is out of action for the next few months due to refurbishment and when it comes back on line there is a whole bunch of BA a/c that are due a makeover.

[answer=42]

I thought, prior to Openskies launch, that it would target locations with good markets but 'weak' flagcarriers: Brussels and Milan (or Rome) were obvious contenders.

But now I'm thinking that the strategy is different. The target market (at least initially) is the US East Coast resident. Sure, BA/OpenSkies will eventually compete with BA's partner AA (but I don't think AA fly JFK-AMS) but the aim is:
1) to show that BA has an alternative to the alliance with AA
2) to undermine US resistence to greater foreign ownership of US airlines under stage 2 of EU-US agreement , by demonstrating that BA (and other Euroepan airlines) have an alternative.
Whatever you think of BA as an airline, they're quite good at developing strategy, at least on this evidence.

So, no, KLM won't lose a moment's sleep over this. But the US airlines that fly NYC-AMS (NW, Delta, Continental, maybe USAir from Philadelphia) might get worried about their yields.

[groundhand]

"As far as I know EC is handled by BA at JFK"

BA do not do their own handling at JFK, is is all contracted out. BA do have their own Management Team - SM + DMs.

GH

[gatwick ghost]

JFK handling

BA do all their own passenger, engineering and operations handling at Terminal 7. The ramp handling is contracted to Evergreen at present.
They also handle QANTAS, Iberia, Cathay, ANA and Icelandair.

[StoneyBridge Radar]

It's beautifully ironic that EC have decided to crap in the front and back yards of AF/KL, the only European carrier, incidentally, to launch a LHR-US route since OpenSkies, by launching its own first two routes to the US out of Paris and Amsterdam.

It's almost MOL-ish in its brazenness.

[BAladdy]

ib16uk have you looked at the date that the thread was started. If you do you will find it was the day the route was announced.

[Carnage Matey!]

Wonder if they'll average more than the current 30 pax per sector the CDG route is managing?

[Swedish Steve]

Any idea if they will ever fly from Brussels? Can't take AA anymore!

Yes BRU is on the list of routes, but is down in about 5th place. They will be there in 2009.

[answer=42]

Swedish Steve
So there is a list of planned destinations (presumably subject to constant revision). And you have seen it. Is there any more you can share with us, especially: what is N° 3 on the list?

Now, that would be a great rumour.

[Husky One]

They are no big secret, have a look at their website..although they may not be in the most obvious of places. I though BRU was aircraft no3. If not then theres a choice of De Gaulle, Frankfurt, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan.

[Railgun]

Its a joke that mainline are cutting the LHR-JFK route and subsidising both a LGW-JFK, and a Open skys routes as well. MAN-JFK stopped cause of a supposid lack of demand. If would seem LGW is doing well on forward bookings but OpenLies is not....How long till Jetstar 2 moves into LGW>>????

[BAladdy]

With LH buying the 45% stake in SN this week. I can see BRU followed by FRA being there next routes. They have already or about to move into AF/KL main hubs.

If by Jetstar2 you mean Openskies. They will not move into LGW or any UK airport. As it has been set up to go into direct competition with BA's competitors and not BA.

By end of 2009 the route network should be

EWR to ORY
JFK to ORY / AMS / BRU / FRA / MXP and DUB.

As already mentioned by another member that aircraft number 3, G-CPEI should be online by end of Feb. So expect another route announcement in late Novemeber, early December.

[Husky One]

DUB? that's a new one..pretty sensible one too.

[BAladdy]

Yeah it was one of the EC Crew who had just been at a meeting with
management team who firstly mentioned DUB.
Then a week or two later a guy I know who used to work for BA and is now with EC told me the exact same thing.

They are interested in linking DUB firstly because it is Irelands financial centre and secondly because of Irelands strong links with the US. Also none of the current operators to NYC ex DUB offer aservice like EC's biz and none of them offer a premium economy product.

After 2009 EC are hoping to open one or two new routes a year until 2012 aswell a second US base to open between 4Q 09 to 2Q 10.

It will be interesting to see how this small airline grows through to 2009 and beyond.

[Railgun]

BaLaddy

Are you BA management or have u just bought the management speel

[EI-BUD]

Any arrival in Dublin would be nice but I have to ask what would it do to the important Relationship Aer Lingus have with BA?

I mean going into AMS, BRU or ORY/CDG wouldnt impact relationships with the respective airlines as no relationship exists there.

What does anyone else think? But then again Aer Lingus didnt worry about BA when they re-entered Dublin Gatwick!