Vueling

[Tableview]

I think you'll find that what's happening here is that Iberia are going to pull the few remaining international services they still have from BCN and make it a low cost hub for their inferior subsidiary Vueling. This will disgust the Catalans (OFSO where are you?).

Whilst it is hard to imagine that a product can be inferior to Iberia, Vueling achieves that. A great shame because until Iberia pulled them down into the gutter with them, they were a good carrier.

[EI-BUD]

Barcelona – London Gatwick = 14x weekly

Surprised at this choice, given BA's presence on the route (return to) and easyJet's position, this would not have been an obvious choice.

Be interesting to see how Ryanair react to Vueling's ambitious expansion plans outlined today.

EI-BUD

[j636]

Ryanair will have to made a announsment at BCN after this. I would expect that any airports that FR fly to will be added/moved from GRO at BCN.

[airhumberside]

Surprised at this choice, given BA's presence on the route (return to) and easyJet's position, this would not have been an obvious choice

Surprised at Gatwick or London in general? London is a major gap in the Vueling network from Barcelona. Then when you consider the fact Vueling also run a hub at BCN, London becomes a critical market for them IMO

I think you'll find that what's happening here is that Iberia are going to pull the few remaining international services they still have from BCN and make it a low cost hub for their inferior subsidiary Vueling.

Pull what? Right now IB mainline operate just one international service from BCN - Sao Paulo - and that is being axed at the end of this month anyway

(There are some IB regional routes from BCN as well, but is it IB or Air Nostrum who decides on these?)

[EI-BUD]

Surprised at Gatwick or London in general? London is a major gap in the
Vueling network from Barcelona. Then when you consider the fact Vueling also run
a hub at BCN, London becomes a critical market for them IMO

Yeah surprised at LGW, it will be hard fought. They are going into easyJet turf and I suspect that they will get a strong challenge from them. Yes it is a critical market, but if there is over capacity on LGW route is this going to be a viable route. Just my view.

[airhumberside]

Depends if Vueling look at BCN-LGW in isolation, or if they look at it in a wider 'network perspective'. Won't be easy for Vueling, but as the smallest operator on the route it's probably Monarch that will feel the pressure most

[LGS6753]

IAG offering 113m euros for Vueling

From The Telegraph:

International Airlines Group, owner of British Airways and Iberia, has mounted a €113m (£90m) offer to take full control of Spanish low-cost carrier, Vueling, as it looks to restructure its loss-making business in Spain.
The airlines giant already owns 45.85pc of Barcelona-based Vueling, Spain’s second largest domestic carrier, through Iberia. But IAG is offering €7 a share for the remaining stake, which will be acquired through a newly-created vehicle.
A €7-a-share offer would value the 54.15pc IAG doesn’t already own in Vueling at €113m. A deal on those terms would value Vueling at €209.3m, according to data from Reuters.
Analysts believe full ownership of Vueling would allow IAG to accelerate its expansion into the low-cost market in Spain after the roll-out of its low-cost brand, Iberia Express, was complicated by a dispute with pilots union SEPLA.
The Madrid government earlier this year appointed an arbitrator to resolve the conflict, which had led to costly strike action, but the Spanish High Court recently found that the arbitration process was flawed.
Analysts said a full ownership deal would potentially allow IAG to side-step the dispute over Iberia Express and feed its long-haul network through the Vueling business. IAG said Vueling would continue to be operated as a separate business and its chief executive would report directly to IAG boss Willie Walsh.
James Hollins, Investec analyst, said the airlines group could use Vueling’s 59-aircraft fleet “to effectively take a key role in the transformation of IAG’s Spanish short-haul programme, subsuming the nascent Iberia Express operations into its own”.
IAG unveiled the offer ahead of third-quarter results on Friday.
Unions expect the company to announce as many as 7,000 job cuts at Iberia, which made a €263m operating loss in the first half.

[Jack1985]

The company is expanding fairly rapidly now in Germany, Italy and Europe in General from Barcelona following on from France last year. Africa now seem's to be part of expansion and Florence seem's to have a single based aircraft from March 2013 with 4 new routes to Berlin, Copenhagen, Hamburg and London-Heathrow.

[mathers_wales_uk]

They are also expanding into the UK.

Edingburgh, Cardiff, Gatwick & Heathrow will all have flights in Summer 2013. I believe Southampton did have flights in Summer 2012 but unsure if they are returning in 2013.

And reports from passengers using them at Cardiff is that they are a verry good airline.

[BHD2BFS]

Any chance of a BFS-MAD route if they are expanding in the UK?

[Jack1985]

I believe Southampton did have flights in Summer 2012 but unsure if they are returning in 2013.

Vueling will not be returning to Southampton in 2013; Flybe have since taken up the route.

Any chance of a BFS-MAD route if they are expanding in the UK?

In my own view this will not happen. They are concentrating expansion from Barcelona at the moment with expansion also taking place at Bilbao, Florence and Malaga.

[Bournemouth Air]

Vueling visit to Bournemouth

Visiting yesterday was a Vyeling A320 having talks with Bournemouth Airport.

Picture of the visiting Airbus with Thank you titles HERE

[Aero Mad]

With all due respect to Bournemouth, why does Vueling feel it could make a route from Barcelona worth it when it couldn't even sustain one to Southampton (which is better connected)?

[Buster the Bear]

Why would you fly an empty A320 into Hurn for 'talks'?

[Le Tirer]

So if it wasn't 'for talks' what was the reason for flying an empty A320 into Hurn
and out again a few hours later?

It arrived from Barcelona with a positioning flight call sign VLG905P, stayed by the terminal for 6 hours and returned to Barcelona as VLG906P.

Any more plausible suggestions?

LT

[CabinCrewe]

charter? . . . . .

[GuilhasXXI]

Flying empty planes isn´t that akward, in Portugal in high season, TAP Portugal fly several empty planes to Madeira Island and they comeback fully loaded with cargo and passengers, I when I say several, I remember on the 1st of January, thay had planes leaving Madeira Island each 15 minutes (and yes I´m only talking about TAP, not easyJet or some other airline..)

[Le Tirer]

The replies so far seem to be missing the point of why this flight seemed unusual. As far as I know, and I may be wrong, it flew empty in both directions. So unlikely to be a charter and it was not positioning in empty to pick up passengers (nor bringing in passengers and flying out empty).

LT

[ericlday]

So if it flew in empty, then Flight Deck must be doing the so called 'route' negotiations !!!!

[Expressflight]

It certainly does appear to have been 'empty' on both sectors so while it does seem somewhat extravagant for their commercial people to visit BOH in that way, it must be a possibility I suppose. It's point of departure and destination from BOH might give a clue, if anyone knows.

And before anyone gets excited about the Vueling A320 which arrived at SEN a few days ago, it was for maintenance with ATC Lasham. I did speak with Vueling at last year's French Connect about SEN, but only to acquaint them with the developments there and I don't think any operational interest actually exists.