Flybe-V1
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airsouthwest
You do always seem to be the voice of reason on here. From what I can see, your opinion makes complete sense - I am one of those hoping for the relaunch to be a success.
On a side note, it appears that Farrell, who resigned following the CAA news last month, was listed on Companies House as a 'partner' with Peachey being the 'director'. I am not experienced in this kind of business so please do correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'd guess that his departure is not the sign of failure that many news outlets want it to be. Amongst others, I remember one article which said that the airline was 'grounded' - that very same day, G-CLXC took off from Exeter!
You do always seem to be the voice of reason on here. From what I can see, your opinion makes complete sense - I am one of those hoping for the relaunch to be a success.
On a side note, it appears that Farrell, who resigned following the CAA news last month, was listed on Companies House as a 'partner' with Peachey being the 'director'. I am not experienced in this kind of business so please do correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'd guess that his departure is not the sign of failure that many news outlets want it to be. Amongst others, I remember one article which said that the airline was 'grounded' - that very same day, G-CLXC took off from Exeter!
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And I believe onwards to Abbotsford BC., to be converted to an air tanker capable of carrying just over 2600 gallons of retardant. They will (sadly) replace the airline's Convair 580 fleet.
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airsouthwest
The CAA report into their refusal didn't make particularly good reading for many other conclusions, IMO. They wanted to restart the airline and continue it as legal entity without any of the legacy debt. Further to that, the resignation of one of their directors around the time of that report does add fuel to the fire they were only after a few things.
It doesn't all quite add up, the EY administrators report state that whilst Flybe has been granted grandfathering rights the administrators will want to sell those to repay creditors.
If they can grab the slots and sell them we know, in pre Covid times, the value is huge. Air NZ sold their slot for $27m only last March. The potential value of the slots Thyme could gain far outweighs the costs of a few second hand Dash's and start up costs. (I appreciate they're currently only able to be used for a few destinations but I guess one could argue that was made by an EU court regulating the sale of BMI - could that be potentially challenged in a post Brexit UK courtroom?)
If they really wanted to restart an airline surely they could just buy the brand off the administrator and restart as a new legal entity / or start afresh with a clean new image?
The CAA report into their refusal didn't make particularly good reading for many other conclusions, IMO. They wanted to restart the airline and continue it as legal entity without any of the legacy debt. Further to that, the resignation of one of their directors around the time of that report does add fuel to the fire they were only after a few things.
It doesn't all quite add up, the EY administrators report state that whilst Flybe has been granted grandfathering rights the administrators will want to sell those to repay creditors.
If they can grab the slots and sell them we know, in pre Covid times, the value is huge. Air NZ sold their slot for $27m only last March. The potential value of the slots Thyme could gain far outweighs the costs of a few second hand Dash's and start up costs. (I appreciate they're currently only able to be used for a few destinations but I guess one could argue that was made by an EU court regulating the sale of BMI - could that be potentially challenged in a post Brexit UK courtroom?)
If they really wanted to restart an airline surely they could just buy the brand off the administrator and restart as a new legal entity / or start afresh with a clean new image?
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ASW there are suggestions the Heathrow slots have somehow been unlocked from the remedy slot restrictions, which means Flybe's administrators are claiming unrestricted grandfather rights to them. Barring some almighty 
up at Waterside, it is very difficult to see how this could be so, but that is what I keep hearing. If true then it explains why there's everything to play for.
I got hold of the notes of the CAA hearing a couple of weeks ago. There was a very telling line on Page 54 of the script where the chap arguing Flybe's corner said "The slots are essential to the business. Without them, there is simply no business. We can't operate at Heathrow without slots. We can't operate at Schiphol without slots there. And so on."
I suppose you can't really expect them to lay out their entire business plan in a publicly recorded hearing - who would? But with that type of language being used then there's clearly still quite a lot of shouting about slots going on. It's an interesting read.
up at Waterside, it is very difficult to see how this could be so, but that is what I keep hearing. If true then it explains why there's everything to play for.I got hold of the notes of the CAA hearing a couple of weeks ago. There was a very telling line on Page 54 of the script where the chap arguing Flybe's corner said "The slots are essential to the business. Without them, there is simply no business. We can't operate at Heathrow without slots. We can't operate at Schiphol without slots there. And so on."
I suppose you can't really expect them to lay out their entire business plan in a publicly recorded hearing - who would? But with that type of language being used then there's clearly still quite a lot of shouting about slots going on. It's an interesting read.
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airsouthwest
A heated post matey.
The main concerns on here & elsewhere revolve around the presence of Venture Capitalists which any balanced view would regard as "troublesome".
My reply to both your personal assertions are wrong & then wrong but with safeguards for those who could be set to lose yet again.
Good luck
A heated post matey.
The main concerns on here & elsewhere revolve around the presence of Venture Capitalists which any balanced view would regard as "troublesome".
My reply to both your personal assertions are wrong & then wrong but with safeguards for those who could be set to lose yet again.
Good luck
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airsouthwest
I acknowledged that they're restricted currently as BMI remedy slots but I suggested as that's an EU ruling was there a possibility it could be challenged in a post Brexit UK courtroom.
Flybe sold Gatwick slots for millions, they sold 3 to Vueling for £4.5m in 2019 and 25 Gatwick slots for £20m in 2013. Those Heathrow slots, 44 in total, would have some value attached to them in a normal aviation environment. Admittedly they're quite hard to price, the administrators, EY, can't price them and have them listed as 'unspecified' value.
I acknowledged that they're restricted currently as BMI remedy slots but I suggested as that's an EU ruling was there a possibility it could be challenged in a post Brexit UK courtroom.
Flybe sold Gatwick slots for millions, they sold 3 to Vueling for £4.5m in 2019 and 25 Gatwick slots for £20m in 2013. Those Heathrow slots, 44 in total, would have some value attached to them in a normal aviation environment. Admittedly they're quite hard to price, the administrators, EY, can't price them and have them listed as 'unspecified' value.
Maybe the authorities are starting to question why these slots continue to slip back into the custody of BA when they have effectively done a venture capitalist job themselves of relieving these slots from smaller regional operators and converting some into lucrative long-haul. Its strange how BA are the custodians or effectively trustees of these slots and yet WW was one of the first to stick the boot in and call Fybe's request for a Govt load on a commercial terms a "blatant misuse of public funds" and this happened just before Flybe potentially gained grandfather rights. If these slots are supposed to be a "remedy" against BA's monopoly at LHR, why has BA effectively been given effectively trustee status over them and yet they spend a fortune on lawyers trying to ensure that they stayed out of the hands of regional operators?
Last edited by biddedout; 30th Mar 2021 at 07:04.
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I'd have to agree. How can the remedy possibly be judged to have been successful if after nearly 10 years, the slots at one of the most coveted airports in the world remain firmly in the hands of the original holder. There are certainly questions to be asked as to why this is the case and whether the original remedy fulfilled its purpose. I would also say that IAG aren't the only factor here, as the HAL charging structure has basically made it hugely punitive to operate anything smaller than B737/A320 aircraft reducing the ability of a meaningful and viable competitive challenge having any likely success.
as the HAL charging structure has basically made it hugely punitive to operate anything smaller than B737/A320 aircraft reducing the ability of a meaningful and viable competitive challenge having any likely success.
It could be argued that at least six or seven of the slot pairs in question were gobbled up by BA and converted to long haul when they bought regional operators BRAL and Brymon. When they eventually tired of regional flying, they flogged it all off to Flybe. Great, job done, decks cleared and slots making shed loads of money. Only when they saw another opportunity and gobbled op slot heavy BMI did the authorities spot that the monopoly was becoming a little too obvious. When Flybe CEO Saad Hammad started moving into LHR, BA must have woken up and realised the possibility that he had a cunning plan and there was a crack developing in their aim of protecting empire LHR at all cost. Making money with Dashes into LHR would be difficult but what if Flybe developed more alliances with competitors? From then on, and realising that grandfather rights were imminent BA probably had it in for Flybe. Could it be that the CAA have never come across this complex scenario before and they are simply more scared of BA's massive legal guns than Flybe's?
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SWBKCB
Because they could/can only be used on certain routes. The reason they became available was to ensure competition on routes which BA and BMI served once BMI became part of BA. Most of those routes are regional routes.
of course, an airline with a large holding of slots - Lufthansa or SAS for example could buy these slots, shift their slots around and then make a pair which would be better suited to long haul ops and sell them off or lease out that pair while operating these slots on their short haul flight. One way of making it work.
Because they could/can only be used on certain routes. The reason they became available was to ensure competition on routes which BA and BMI served once BMI became part of BA. Most of those routes are regional routes.
of course, an airline with a large holding of slots - Lufthansa or SAS for example could buy these slots, shift their slots around and then make a pair which would be better suited to long haul ops and sell them off or lease out that pair while operating these slots on their short haul flight. One way of making it work.
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biddedout
BA still have less of a share of slots than most of their rivals have at their home bases and London is one of the most competitive markets in the world. BA we’re not scared of Flybe and a couple of Dash 8s. Flybe was losing money for years. It wasn’t BA suddenly thought it was going to succeed and killed it off. It was a badly run airline.
BA still have less of a share of slots than most of their rivals have at their home bases and London is one of the most competitive markets in the world. BA we’re not scared of Flybe and a couple of Dash 8s. Flybe was losing money for years. It wasn’t BA suddenly thought it was going to succeed and killed it off. It was a badly run airline.
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SWBKCB
...because most of them came from BMI's services to Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and therefore the majority of the slots are restricted to these routes for the first 3yrs of any operators use. Of course, if the slots are not taken up by another operator then BA can use the slots for whatever long haul or short haul route they choose. If the remedy was designed to offer meaningful competition and after nearly a decade the majority of the slots remain with the original holder, I think it fair to question the success of the proposed remedy in the market.
I guess that Brexit may give Thyme OpCo a mechanism to question the remedy assigned to these slots and linking into the Government's proposed 'levelling up' agenda, they may just have the ear they need to get their voice heard.
...because most of them came from BMI's services to Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and therefore the majority of the slots are restricted to these routes for the first 3yrs of any operators use. Of course, if the slots are not taken up by another operator then BA can use the slots for whatever long haul or short haul route they choose. If the remedy was designed to offer meaningful competition and after nearly a decade the majority of the slots remain with the original holder, I think it fair to question the success of the proposed remedy in the market.
I guess that Brexit may give Thyme OpCo a mechanism to question the remedy assigned to these slots and linking into the Government's proposed 'levelling up' agenda, they may just have the ear they need to get their voice heard.
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If we're being cynical I would have said Thyme's old director, old Etonian Farrell had more than a sympathetic ear at the government. His association with Ben Elliot, chairman of the Tory party, gives him a direct line.
Lucien Farrell's previous history suggests he has no interest in revitalising Flybe. He wants to make himself more money and he won't see a return quick enough on overseeing a regional UK airline. You could argue maybe he wants to sell a profitable airline but the fact he resigned from Thyme OpCo the very day the CAA refused to give the new airline the old AOC, and with it any chance at certain slots, perhaps suggests otherwise.
I'm not anti Flybe, never have been. I liked the old airline and would have loved them to stay afloat and survive but I find it very difficult not to be cynical about the aims and intentions of the people behind the attempt to see the airline restart.
Lucien Farrell's previous history suggests he has no interest in revitalising Flybe. He wants to make himself more money and he won't see a return quick enough on overseeing a regional UK airline. You could argue maybe he wants to sell a profitable airline but the fact he resigned from Thyme OpCo the very day the CAA refused to give the new airline the old AOC, and with it any chance at certain slots, perhaps suggests otherwise.
I'm not anti Flybe, never have been. I liked the old airline and would have loved them to stay afloat and survive but I find it very difficult not to be cynical about the aims and intentions of the people behind the attempt to see the airline restart.
I cannot imagine EY being too keen on allowing someone doing a smash and grab while they are busy trying to extract as much value as possible for the creditors (not very good for their reputation). Likewise, a pension scheme with a funding hole and a pension regulator taking a keen interest in not going to be keen on letting this happen. The pension regulator has been embarrassed before in these situations and I doubt they will let it happen again.
Albert Hall
The 2nd paragraph which I have highlighted is very damning, if it does indeed accurately reflect the notes from the hearing correctly. It points firmly in the direction of someone (Thyme OpCo) being more interested in making a fast buck than reviving an airline, and perhaps the leasing cost of a couple of Dash 8s is chicken feed in comparison with what htey hope they could earn from retaining and flogging off the former FlyBe slots.
I have been quite keen on the idea of a "new" FlyBe being resurrected from the ashes of the failed model, with, or more likely without, the name FlyBe but a bunch of venture capitalist sharks just out to turn a (handsome) profit, probably at the expense of the debtors of the former airline leaves a particularly nasty taste in the mouth.
The 2nd paragraph which I have highlighted is very damning, if it does indeed accurately reflect the notes from the hearing correctly. It points firmly in the direction of someone (Thyme OpCo) being more interested in making a fast buck than reviving an airline, and perhaps the leasing cost of a couple of Dash 8s is chicken feed in comparison with what htey hope they could earn from retaining and flogging off the former FlyBe slots.
I have been quite keen on the idea of a "new" FlyBe being resurrected from the ashes of the failed model, with, or more likely without, the name FlyBe but a bunch of venture capitalist sharks just out to turn a (handsome) profit, probably at the expense of the debtors of the former airline leaves a particularly nasty taste in the mouth.
But there is just a chance that the venture capitalists might actually be willing to stick around for a while to try and help the venture succeed. Of course they will be interested in taking some profit out later on, that's what they do but it doesn't mean they will flog it on day one or even with the first year or so.
