Flybe - 7
Join Date: Nov 2000
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They are not a low cost airline - just a low fare one. Seriously in my time running a regional airline starting a new route involved the planners doing some very detailed analysis which was then subjected to intense scrutiny by the executive directors and only if it passed this did a new route get the go ahead. This didn't have to take a long time - if an opportunity suddenly arose we could do the work and announce a new route in less than 24 hours but routes were never announced on a whim. I get the distinct impression that Flybe's management just don't know what to do.
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Flybe seems to attract so many negative comments on this forum. Dammed if they do, dammed if they don't. As a passenger been using them for years with no issues. However I am quite a laid back sort of person who sees all ups and downs as part of life. Maybe some on here need to get out more or move on.
Have a good day.
V.
Have a good day.
V.
Join Date: Mar 2003
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There seems to be quite some confusion in this thread about three concepts that do not necessarily mean the same:
- "no frills airline"
- "low fares airline"
- "low cost airline"
You can be a low cost airline with high fares and no frills, but also a no frills airline with low fares and high costs. Or whatever combination you can make up (although some combinations will make for a quick exit from the market for sure).
- "no frills airline"
- "low fares airline"
- "low cost airline"
You can be a low cost airline with high fares and no frills, but also a no frills airline with low fares and high costs. Or whatever combination you can make up (although some combinations will make for a quick exit from the market for sure).
kcockayne - I'd like to thank you for coming up with your thoughts on turning around Flybe. Easy to be a naysayer and detract the actions of others; much much harder to come up with positive ideas and argue why they could work.
Davidjohnson6
Thank you for that, DJ6. All I have ever meant to do is to say it as I see it.
The list of ideas does ..not, necessarily, mean that I think any, or all, of them are required. But, it is apparent that BEE have problems & the management do bear a large part of the responsibility for them, & for solving them.
Thanks again.
Thank you for that, DJ6. All I have ever meant to do is to say it as I see it.
The list of ideas does ..not, necessarily, mean that I think any, or all, of them are required. But, it is apparent that BEE have problems & the management do bear a large part of the responsibility for them, & for solving them.
Thanks again.
Join Date: Jun 2011
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Flybe thread
kcockayne
I completely agree with the sentiments of davidjohnson6. I would also just add that in my humble opinion the new Flybe management (if that is what we have to call them) should have chosen Southend in preference to London City and Stansted. As has been said on here so many times before, it is pretty obviously the MAG influence that attracted them to Stansted and Bournemouth. Passengers cannot always be made to fly from a particular airport just because it suits an airline, like a horse cannot be dragged to water. Stobart's have found this out, taking the Waterford route from Luton is a case in point.
I completely agree with the sentiments of davidjohnson6. I would also just add that in my humble opinion the new Flybe management (if that is what we have to call them) should have chosen Southend in preference to London City and Stansted. As has been said on here so many times before, it is pretty obviously the MAG influence that attracted them to Stansted and Bournemouth. Passengers cannot always be made to fly from a particular airport just because it suits an airline, like a horse cannot be dragged to water. Stobart's have found this out, taking the Waterford route from Luton is a case in point.
Join Date: May 2005
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The dash 8 q400 has a range of over 1500 miles. To put it in context Birmingham to toulouse is about 700 miles. With a 2/3 pax load it can easily be done with round trip fuel. During the flybe greece contract the dashs easily ferried to athens from bhx non stop although they were fairly empty.
Join Date: Nov 2001
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And the plan was to move their operation from Gatwick to Luton and not to compete on the easyJet routes. Somehow it manifested into a daft adventure at London City and hopefully a long-term relationship at Stansted.
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: bournemouth
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The Flybe flights are due to start Sunday to Glasgow. At present the
website says Glasgow to Bmth starts 29 March but there are no Bmth to
Glasgow flights till 18 May. Then they operate via Manchester.
Either the site has got confused or there are last minute changes going on.
website says Glasgow to Bmth starts 29 March but there are no Bmth to
Glasgow flights till 18 May. Then they operate via Manchester.
Either the site has got confused or there are last minute changes going on.
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Southampton, U.K
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I hope this is an error as the booking engine shows the GLA-BOH flights as normal. Then again Flybe don't have the best reputation when it comes to changing their mind & screwing around with routes at the last minute (think SOU-HAM among others).
Join Date: Mar 2015
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Couldnt BE put the 195's onto the BOH operations that FR have dropped this year due to lack of available aircraft ie carcassone , pisa. or is this too much of a gamble?
In relation to the parallel routes with SOU, i disagree, the DUB route was operated by FR for many years however EI have just stopped their flight. FR also did PIK and then EDI for years with 738's.
No idea why they have chosen to operate some routes like Deauville, especially with the ferry from Poole right by.
I think the AMS and CDG routes are good especially for connections, i know many people in Bournemouth who would use them to connect to the rest of the world, whereas if they drove to Southampton to connect they may as well just go to LHR or LGW. The connections to USA via DUB with EI were incredibly poorly advertised.
In relation to the parallel routes with SOU, i disagree, the DUB route was operated by FR for many years however EI have just stopped their flight. FR also did PIK and then EDI for years with 738's.
No idea why they have chosen to operate some routes like Deauville, especially with the ferry from Poole right by.
I think the AMS and CDG routes are good especially for connections, i know many people in Bournemouth who would use them to connect to the rest of the world, whereas if they drove to Southampton to connect they may as well just go to LHR or LGW. The connections to USA via DUB with EI were incredibly poorly advertised.
Join Date: Aug 2014
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Perhaps in hindsight they would have been better off just moving the complete LGW operation over to STN and not bother with expensive forays into LCY.
The only competition they would have had would have been the low frequency GR flights to JER/GCI which I'm sure could easily have been seen off.
Maybe this approach would have worked, maybe it wouldn't. Perhaps it would have worked in part. But I can't see it being any worse than their current haphazard approach across multiple airports following a break in service.
It was that break that allowed EZY to have an early departure from INV which probably undermined BE's comeback into LCY, and resulted in BACF staying on IOM.
They might even have made a decent fist of STN-EDI had they wanted to against an EZY that isn't too bothered about STN. This being before FR entered the arena of course.
I also think they have neglected an opportunity at SEN. The NQY route last summer showed that good loads (and as far as I could tell decent yields) could be achieved where EZY failed through overcapacity. I don't blame them for moving it to STN this year where clearly they've been given a better deal, but I believe they could have successfully had a stab at EDI, maybe another couple of domestics. Despite the woeful frequencies of DUB, loads according to CAA stats really weren't that bad.
The only competition they would have had would have been the low frequency GR flights to JER/GCI which I'm sure could easily have been seen off.
Maybe this approach would have worked, maybe it wouldn't. Perhaps it would have worked in part. But I can't see it being any worse than their current haphazard approach across multiple airports following a break in service.
It was that break that allowed EZY to have an early departure from INV which probably undermined BE's comeback into LCY, and resulted in BACF staying on IOM.
They might even have made a decent fist of STN-EDI had they wanted to against an EZY that isn't too bothered about STN. This being before FR entered the arena of course.
I also think they have neglected an opportunity at SEN. The NQY route last summer showed that good loads (and as far as I could tell decent yields) could be achieved where EZY failed through overcapacity. I don't blame them for moving it to STN this year where clearly they've been given a better deal, but I believe they could have successfully had a stab at EDI, maybe another couple of domestics. Despite the woeful frequencies of DUB, loads according to CAA stats really weren't that bad.
Full list of Flybe Regional Air Connectivity fund applications:
Dundee-Amsterdam Flybe Daily return 01/04/2016
Derry-Birmingham Flybe Weekday return 25/10/2016
Leeds Bradford - Edinburgh Flybe Double daily return except Saturday single daily return 01/04/2016
Newquay - Leeds Bradford Flybe Daily return (mwfss) - summer 3 daily returns (MFS) - winter 01/04/2016
Norwich - Charles de Gaule Flybe Daily return 01/04/2016
Norwich - Dublin Flybe Double daily return weekdays single return weekend 01/04/2016
Norwich - Exeter Flybe Daily return 01/04/2016
Southampton - Lyon Flybe Double daily return weekdays single return weekend 01/04/2016
Southampton - Munich Flybe Double daily return weekdays single return weekend 01/04/2016
Dundee-Amsterdam Flybe Daily return 01/04/2016
Derry-Birmingham Flybe Weekday return 25/10/2016
Leeds Bradford - Edinburgh Flybe Double daily return except Saturday single daily return 01/04/2016
Newquay - Leeds Bradford Flybe Daily return (mwfss) - summer 3 daily returns (MFS) - winter 01/04/2016
Norwich - Charles de Gaule Flybe Daily return 01/04/2016
Norwich - Dublin Flybe Double daily return weekdays single return weekend 01/04/2016
Norwich - Exeter Flybe Daily return 01/04/2016
Southampton - Lyon Flybe Double daily return weekdays single return weekend 01/04/2016
Southampton - Munich Flybe Double daily return weekdays single return weekend 01/04/2016