dontdoit

tinyflyerBHX - Whilst I agree with your sentiment, the matter of ATOL is neither here nor there as far as bmibaby is concerned, and whether anyone's holiday plans, whether booked through an agent or onmyowncomputerdotcom, have been changed. ATOL is only there for when your provider has gone bust, which is clearly not the case here.

tinyflyerBHX

What I was trying to get across was that if you have booked your holiday through a ATOL and ABTA bonded package supplier and a suitable alternate flight cannot be found then you are entitled to a full refund on the entire package (accommodation flights transfers etc) meaning no money will be lost anywhere where as people who have self packaged will get a refund on their flight only and are not guaranteed to get the money back on the other elements unless they have very flexible supplier. ATOL and ABTA bonded suppliers have to refund the entire amount paid if they cannot fulfil part of the package in this case the flights. ATOL and ABTA proctection is there for much more than if a supplier goes bust it protects is many many ways if a part is not governed by the ATOL part it more than likley will be covered by ABTA guidelines.

frequentflyer2

It goes without saying that holiday disruption does not even compare to job losses being suffered by hard working pilots, cabin crew and ground staff. What I was trying to point out was that people in Northern Ireland who chose to travel with WW on their leisure routes ex BHD are being hung out to dry at the hands of easyJet, Aer Lingus etc. People in Birmingham and East Midlands who chose to travel with WW to the sun this summer are not. Their flights will operate as planned. To me, this seems unfair.

MidlandDeltic

No surprises to me in the abrupt closure of Belfast by BA/IAG. They are simply not interested in anything that doesn'y serve LHR. They will get bad press in NI, but as they will still have former bmi LHR routes their business customers will be happy, so they have no issue. They are not interested in any other market from NI. Period.

The retention of some mainland UK routes is I suspect being done as they can cope better with reduced staff numbers (as staff leave in advance of closure). Also, the backlash in the mainland media will be less if routes are kept open here; the Belfast closure will get limited mainland coverage after the initial announcement.

BA has long ceased to be the UK national carrier in anything but name - it is London Airways, pure and simple.

MD

eastern wiseguy

What nonsense.....neither of those carriers were wound up and if they have seats to sell the prices will simply reflect the market forces.

handsfree

Not entirely true. I was flying out to Nice from EMA on the 8th Jun and back on the 29th. This route finishes on the 10th June so I've re-booked with Jet2 from MAN. It's a minor inconvenience, losing your job at times like these is not.

Can I just extend a huge thank you to all people from BMI in all its forms over the last 30 years for all the help, service and friendship that you've given me. I hope the future turns out well for each and every one of you.

Jack1985

Exactly, where high demands exists sell it high - It's a basic economic rule and one which most airlines use, just remember back to when XL Airways and Travel City Direct (airline operation) went to the wall airlines hiked the fares and rightly so, not so nice for the consumer.

frequentflyer2

Not entirely true. I was flying out to Nice from EMA on the 8th Jun and back on the 29th. This route finishes on the 10th June so I've re-booked with Jet2 from MAN. It's a minor inconvenience, losing your job at times like these is not.

Apologies for that. Once again I would stress I'm not trying to detract from the terrible consequences of the job losses. However, you have described this as a minor inconvenience. I moved my family of four from Belfast to Manchester and sent them off on holiday to Nice, travelling out and back on the dates you have quoted. The total cost would be £478.00 not including luggage. This would still be an inconvenience to them, but a much more minor one than the fares of between three and four times this sum being asked by easyJet and Aer Lingus to transport them to and from Faro in July.

New T2 Office

Fflyer2........I'd quit while you're (not) ahead!!

I know 2 or 3 of my ex colleagues who are presently (but not for much longer) employed by Baby..............who would love to be £478 worse off for 1 month only......................however these unfortunate folk find themselves many thousands of pounds down EVERY month from Sep 10th.........I'm afraid you will find little (if any) sympathy on here, holidays are one thing, livelihoods are on a completely different scale

I hope some of you guys find work with us here at MON when we move across to EMA

mathers_wales_uk

I understand that a lot of bmibaby customers will be very annoyed at the situation. I also understand that for some their holidays will be ruined as they will be unable to afford to pay the difference. And I do feel for these.

But, I feel even more sorry for bmibaby staff who at this moment are stressing out of their minds about how they will pay the bills in a few months time if they can't find alternative employment. Some of these are ex Cardiff crew that followed the airline to their Birmingham & East Midlands bases when they withdrew operations just over 6 months ago.

The only plus point in this whole saga and is not really much consolation is that the bmibaby hasn't suddenly gone bust. Passengers are able to retrieve refunds quicker and crews will at least be paid until the termination of employment plus redundancy.

However for somone to come on a forum that is read by many bmibaby pilots especially the hunt of finding more information is an insult. Maybe the thoughts on passenger holidays should be kept in the SLF threads if not possible to be stopped from posting at all.

bmibaby is a very friendly airline especially those crew that I had the pleasure to work with at their Cardiff base. I do pray for as much good news as possible for the bmibaby staff in relation to finding alternative employment.

Good luck all

Burpbot

I would like to stress how much sympathy I have for someone moaning about they now need to pay more for there summer hols! I'm sure the crews who face losing homes or been forced to the middle/far east for employment have every sympathy! Had people wanted to pay more than a pound a ticket and been realistic while scumbag carriers who offer pound tickets have closed down decent airlines! So come next summer the pound ticket will be £100 plus and how we will hear the cries of how unfair!!!! As an airline pilot I havent had a holiday in years so won't miss it, I will miss following the baby/bmi to the hold! I wish all bmi group employees my best wishes for the future! I hope the industry recognises your talent and value, over cost! may you all return to the skies soon.

frequentflyer2

If I have given the impression to anyone, especially WW pilots and other staff, that I consider holiday plans more important than their livelihoods, I apologise unreservedly. I was made redundant from a position I had held for almost 30 years in March 2009. This was less than a year after Mrs. FF underwent extensive spinal surgery and was told by the NHS she was considered unfit to return to her position as PA to a surgeon in one of Belfast's hospitals. She is now a home based medical transcriber working long hours when work is available, and earning only a fraction of her previous salary. I also work at home writing internet content and earning only a fraction of what I earned as a full time staff journalist. I did a Christmas stint on the tills in M and S to supplement our income. I've applied for job after job and received no reply in many cases. A hotel chain has interviewed me twice for a position as a cleaner but declined to offer me employment on either occasion.
We celebrated our silver wedding anniversary last week. We had planned to do this in Barbados, but the state of our finances meant the trip had to be cancelled last year. The generosity of relatives allowed us to spend three days in Lisbon and a week in the Algarve.
Now we're back, it looks as if my latest job interview has come to nothing, and we're seriously worried about how we're going to stay in our home. So yes I can fully sympathise and empathise with the bmi baby employees in their hour of great need. I hope their experience and professionalism will open doors to alternative employment within the airline industry, and they do not suffer the increasing levels of stress we have experienced during the past 36 months. The treatment they have received at the hands of their employers makes me very angry indeed.
Yes, I do feel sorry for people in Northern Ireland who took advantage of the low fares offered by WW to scrape together enough for a cheap week or 10 days in the sun. I can also empathise with them, because I know if we were in the same position we would not be able to afford the sky high fares being quoted by easyJet and Aer Lingus.
I also feel sorry for travellers who have booked to travel with WW from Birmingham and East Midlands during the summer. How can they guarantee these flights when staff will leave as soon as they find alternative employment?

Burpbot

FF i feel your pain! Maybe I was a little over harsh.

I'm just annoyed at the shortsighted view of the public. I'm betting your orange friends at bfs started out pound tickets till they forced decent airlines out and as you see now push fares to a higher level than BA, they play the long game. Also as an experienced pilot/cabin crew you approach them for a job as a friend of mine who was laid off from Thompson did they took full advantage offered a very poor contract and he had to pay for the job if he wanted it! Profiteering at its worst!!

That was a few years back, I hope times have changed forthe better and wish everyone the best of luck.

PAXboy

BurpbotBut that's what ALL commercial companies do! If they played the short game - they would be of no use tho their investors (whether personal or coporate) or their staff.

For all of recorded human history, one human or tribe of humans seek to gain the upper hand. BA has done it for a long time but, in the fullness of time, they too will fail and be replaced.

No - it is not pleasant for anyone to lose their jobs and I have had it happen to me, from arriving at work all full of the weeks ahead to complete the project - to be 'given my cards' and told to go home. That was April 1991 and I was unemployed for 15 months before taking a job I did not want. In that 15 months, all my savings were used to pay the mortgage and keep the show on the road - so I do know of what I speak.

But to blame EZY - or anyone else? If it's not one group of humans climbing to the top, it will be another.

ESCNI

They most certainly weren't the cheapest when I compared (and booked) my holiday flights...

...Aer Lingus were.

RTM Boy

As ever it does depend where you're going from/to and how much in advance you book. I'm flying WW to AMS myself at the end of the month - for the last time by the look of it. Very good value IMO.

Very sorry for all the staff - including those working at Castle Donington - as it's not the best time to look for work and it's a great shame another airline is going by the wayside.

Hopefully FlyBe and Jet2 will pick up some crew at EMA.

AGPwallah

Why has bmiBaby got an advert on the electronic advertising hoardings at the Birmingham City match tonight???

davidjohnson6

AGP - why not ? There are still seats that need to be sold out of both BHX and EMA between now and early September. The world will carry on, and baby is still in business and for the time being still flying aircraft.

Mr Angry from Purley

AGP
Baby were base training at EMA today, business as usual

Say again s l o w l y

The closure has not been confirmed, just that it's likely. We all know what's going to happen, but until it is confirmed., then it's got to be business as usual.