Openskies

[Skipness One Echo]

They don't and nobody cares.

I trust you're not flight deck with that attitiude. Attention to detail matters sir.

BA are famed for internal politics, like selling LHR-JFK rather than even mentioning MAN-JFK existed to corporate clients in the Manchester area. One wonders if a similar thing is happening here? Is BA fighting back against "itself"?

Or Option B : Bit incompetent?

[seafire6b]

Agreed, OS = Austrian!

If we're gonna use abbreviations, for simplicity's sake and to avoid ambiguity, why not use the recognized ones? Especially where the "unofficial" version means something else entirely!
Although the thread context demonstrates it's not Austrian Airlines, whilst reading these posts I still find myself having to do a mental double-take whenever I see "OS" - before remembering, "oh, what they MEAN is Openskies...."!
I always thought this (aviation) stuff entailed making one's intentions clear. Spare a moment for the days when we were all being encouraged to fly to/from MIA - glad to see Manchester International Airport have since dropped that abbreviation!

[Re-Heat]

As I have said in an earlier post, nobody around here in has even heard of OS.

It seems to me that it is marketed as a US-based airline rather than targetting EU customers. To me, it would make more sense to target US customers only when codeshares with AA are permitted trans-Atlantic, thus feeding passengers onto the airline from the AA network. However, today, I would focus upon reducing the duplication of transfers through Heathrow of European-based customers. Further, an AA tieup completely eliminates the need for the venture.

Either way, the whole structure has completely failed to use the BA brand to full effect - the BA brand being one of only two valuable assets in the BA group (the other being the Heathrow slots).

This lends itself to the suggestion that it is nothing more than a vehicle to undercut Ts and Cs - hardly endearing it to current BA crew. Lions led by donkeys again...?

I ask again - why on earth is the integration with L'Avion so slow?

[MOLWillie]

Dang it anyway, isn't it bizzare that BA were the loudest whiners against open skies, then they turn around and name their failing upstart open skies

[Spitfire boy]

IT integration at least not aided by EC hosted on Radixx (EC management decision) and L'Avion on TTI Aeropack, a French IT supplier.

[Carnage Matey!]

Dang it anyway, isn't it bizzare that BA were the loudest whiners against open skies

I seem to remember BA being quite keen on open skies, just not the kind the US government wanted where they got access to LHR but gave nothing back to the UK in return.

[Stall Pusher]

The OpenSkies offices are being vacated at Wokingham as the company moves to Orly.

Not long now before it becomes a French company.

[757flyer]

i hear the BA managers are running back to BA rather than work in France, looks like Openskies is doomed, how long till L'Avion is sold by BA?

[RoyHudd]

Told you so!

[parky747]

BA would do much better with those 757's if they refitted them into euro traveller and club europe config and ventured into the charter/holiday market from the regional airports like Manchester! They need to concentrate on home turf. I knew openskies would be a white elephant!

[take-off]

Well if open skies is a dud? why dont ba start up yet another airline, oh yeah how about a low cost one!!!! Plenty of room up here in blackpool, cheap and cheerfull!! Could paint bucket and spade on side of plane too!!!!

[Spitfire boy]

all quiet on the French front

Does no news mean loads are holding up?

[Spitfire boy]

BA shelves Openskies expansion

Seen in the FT today and a predictable decision.

BA shelves OpenSkies expansion

By Kevin Done, Aerospace Correspondent, in Hyderabad
Published: January 22 2009 13:17 | Last updated: January 22 2009 22:26

British Airways has postponed plans for further expansion of its venture to operate direct services between leading airports in continental Europe and North America, bypassing its global hub at London Heathrow.
It will instead seek to sell the aircraft in its mainline fleet that had previously been earmarked for transfer to its OpenSkies subsidiary, which began flying last year.
Willie Walsh, chief executive, said a letter of intent had been signed with another carrier to sell for cash 10 or 11 of its current fleet of 15 Boeing 757-200s, leaving only the existing four 757s, which are already operated by OpenSkies.



Dale Moss, managing director of OpenSkies and a former sales director of BA, said in July the airline intended to have a fleet of seven 757s in operation by the end of 2009, including the two acquired by means of its takeover last summer of L’Avion, the French all-business class carrier.
The OpenSkies subsidiary began to fly between Paris Orly and New York JFK in June and a second route between Amsterdam and JFK in October.
In the tough economic environment, with falling demand for air travel and weak sales to premium passengers, OpenSkies has struggled. It has performed below budget, with volumes and average fare levels failing to meet targets.
BA group operating profits have fallen from last year’s record level to only slightly more than breakeven in the current financial year to the end of March, forcing it to restructure.
It had already postponed the transfer of a fifth aircraft to OpenSkies last October. It has chosen to make preserving cash a priority in the current crisis.
BA had been considering launching OpenSkies services between several other destinations and New York including Brussels, Barcelona, Frankfurt and Milan.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

[Cyrano]

In the tough economic environment, with falling demand for air travel and weak sales to premium passengers, OpenSkies has struggled.

I can't help wondering if the transatlantic A318 operation from LCY will be the next casualty of the economic environment...

[Flightrider]

The Open Skies operation was a completely half-baked idea to begin with, particularly as it did not operate under the full BA brand. Most of the concept was around using the (respected) BA brand product to obtain business traffic ex USA and Europe and then they go and launch it under a different title with a different product. It also then suffered from the usual BA problem of a hundred-weight of managers with no idea of how to control costs. My view is that it was doomed to failure from the outset and it is no surprise that its finances now closely resemble a black hole. How long before shareholders start to really question this? They would be far better getting the 757s back into the UK (which they now can't due to the labour relations issues) and using Open Skies for thin long-haul routes.

The LCY operation, on the other hand, is more likely to work. Pure BA - and frankly if BA doesn't do it, there is a racing certainty that someone else will and that would take the benefit of cannibalising BA's Heathrow traffic. Air France has long experience of A318/319LR operations....

[bmibaby.com]

Does OpenSkies have a clause with the unions that they cannot fly in the UK at all, or is it that they cannot fly on existing BA routes our ex-LHR/LGW?

[missflying]

Hey, Does anyone work for OpenSkies? I have been on the wait list for cabin crew for a LOOOOONG time. I am not holding my breath, but I am just curious whats been going on there. I haven't had any information sent since summer. Thanks.

[c in ohio]

be informed & beware

There is a great deal of info to be had on www.indeed.com forums in regards to openskies cabin crew. Beware, however, you must wade through a heap of muck to find a credible author. Pages 184 to 186 were the most informative for me.

[babemagnet]

End off Open Skies?????

On a Dutch news website it says that Open Skies stops the Route Amsterdam-JFK.
only 1 route left from Paris to JFK.
Not good news i think

[RoyHudd]

Toodle Pip

Close the hangar doors. Open Skies are gone.