FlyBe - 6
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: GVA
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One of the two airlines Flybe is considering is actually Baboo. This not a rumor. I know it from Baboo top management. Baboo is in a very difficult financial situation. M1 Travel - that owns over 80% of the shares - is fed up of loosing money and wants to sell it to get out of this mess.
Baboo leases 2 DH4 and 3 E190. The CEO has introduced a fleet and staff reduction program. The winter fleet is going to be reduced dramatically and it seems that they will only keep the DH4 (they have canceled a huge winter charter program with Kuoni, Club Med and Hotelplan to LPA, TFS, SSH, HRG).
I bet this is a 2 steps restructuring. 1) Baboo reduces its size, makes a DH4 only fleet, get rid of the E90, cancel bleeding routes. 2) Flybe takes them and does Marketing/Revenue Management/Call center/Crew planning/etc... from Exeter. If they keep the Swiss AOC they probably need a few guys to manage local HR and Accounting.
And 3) the base becomes profitable and Flybe adds progressively 1 or 2 DH4 to the GVA "base".
Baboo leases 2 DH4 and 3 E190. The CEO has introduced a fleet and staff reduction program. The winter fleet is going to be reduced dramatically and it seems that they will only keep the DH4 (they have canceled a huge winter charter program with Kuoni, Club Med and Hotelplan to LPA, TFS, SSH, HRG).
I bet this is a 2 steps restructuring. 1) Baboo reduces its size, makes a DH4 only fleet, get rid of the E90, cancel bleeding routes. 2) Flybe takes them and does Marketing/Revenue Management/Call center/Crew planning/etc... from Exeter. If they keep the Swiss AOC they probably need a few guys to manage local HR and Accounting.
And 3) the base becomes profitable and Flybe adds progressively 1 or 2 DH4 to the GVA "base".
Join Date: Sep 2003
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This quote is from FlightGlobal and seem sto add weight to the Baboo comments:-
"Over in Switzerland, Embraer E-Jet operator Baboo is facing a similar challenge. Chief executive Mark Darby says the battle is finding small niche or hub-bypass routes that fall below the radar of larger carriers. "If routes have the mileage and potential to grow, they attract low-cost players which can operate the route more effectively than a small regional. The standalone business is challenging."
Darby believes the answer to this regional quandary is consolidation. "This is how regionals get closer to the unit costs of low-cost carriers. You can't do it with five or 10 aircraft. You need to find ways of growing quickly. Organic growth is slow and quite high risk. Bringing airlines together into one lump, providing that the integration is done well, is probably way to go." Baboo itself is exploring a range of consolidation opportunities in the short term. "There is pressure to find a better way of doing things than we do now," says Darby."
Interestingly, Baboo have a strong codeshare relationship with AF, as do BE. And Baboo operate the LCY GVA route sold by CityJet.
So what is the better the 2 airlines BE have their sights on are Baboo and CityJet?
"Over in Switzerland, Embraer E-Jet operator Baboo is facing a similar challenge. Chief executive Mark Darby says the battle is finding small niche or hub-bypass routes that fall below the radar of larger carriers. "If routes have the mileage and potential to grow, they attract low-cost players which can operate the route more effectively than a small regional. The standalone business is challenging."
Darby believes the answer to this regional quandary is consolidation. "This is how regionals get closer to the unit costs of low-cost carriers. You can't do it with five or 10 aircraft. You need to find ways of growing quickly. Organic growth is slow and quite high risk. Bringing airlines together into one lump, providing that the integration is done well, is probably way to go." Baboo itself is exploring a range of consolidation opportunities in the short term. "There is pressure to find a better way of doing things than we do now," says Darby."
Interestingly, Baboo have a strong codeshare relationship with AF, as do BE. And Baboo operate the LCY GVA route sold by CityJet.
So what is the better the 2 airlines BE have their sights on are Baboo and CityJet?
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Southampton, U.K
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The only issue I can see other than the different fleets is the certain differences in the business models of the three airlines, despite a few similarities (serving niche routes on ~80-100 seat aircraft.
Join Date: Nov 2009
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Between BOH and SOU
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Canberra97 , have you not seen the article on Southampton Airport in this month's Airliner? It kind of hints that Southampton will not see any expansion until September 2011 once the new E-jets have arrived. The routes mentioned included Copenhagen, Stuttgart, Helsinki, Milan and Stockholm. While they seem like a good idea on paper, I agree with you that Barcelona should be included, but I don't think Ibiza will be due to the Ryanair route only 30 miles down the road 
Join Date: Aug 2002
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I hear not all routes are rolled out as yet, not sure how true that is but there could be some changes over the next couple of months.
I know the Embraers are due later next year, but have BE got extra Dash-8s coming into the fleet over the next year as well?
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Sark's baggage charge post
I challenge anyone with a family to pack a bag under 15kg.
If true it would really be a self inflicted wound on any route competing with easyjet who per their website currently allow 20kg. Would then depend on how much their fee was against BE's excess.
After hiking baggage charges considerably over the past year (£8.99 to £10.99) BE will shortly charge more for the average bag than a person...
If true it would really be a self inflicted wound on any route competing with easyjet who per their website currently allow 20kg. Would then depend on how much their fee was against BE's excess.
After hiking baggage charges considerably over the past year (£8.99 to £10.99) BE will shortly charge more for the average bag than a person...