JMC Bloke
You're the harbinger of gloom aren't you :* you must enjoy it. Why didn't you answer my last post?

FEBA,

Sorry, I don't follow.

A NOW employee told us here that an announcement would be made during the first two weeks of January as to whether this project would progress or not.

I just wanted to know if anyone had heard.

I think the "Gloom" is more closely felt by the people made redundant over the past month or so, many of whom are still out of work.

What was your last question?

Thread promotion

:)

FEBA,

Oh, that question.

I have no idea. Apart from the South East Development fund Grant,(£350K I believe someone said) I have no knowledge of any other serious investment in this project.

Back of a fag packet calculation leads me to think this is all the money they had and it has run out over the last few weeks.

Of course, without any "official" information, this is pure speculation on my part.

I do know it's a bad time to get anyone interested in investing in the airline business.

Now business plan?
 

Maybe I've missed this on earlier posts (nothing in this thread), but could someone please explain Now's take on the fundamental laws of supply and demand?

Fixed pricing will result in empty planes in quiet periods, and the "£5" supplement won't go anywhere near stopping massive overcrowding in the busy summer months. People might not like paying £200 for a one way Ryanair flight, but they are well aware that there are plenty of other flights for £1, and most consumers understand how these two balance each other out.

Some of their routes are also highly suspect - LTN to MAN anyone? As already pointed out, Manston has to be one of the worst possible locations for a passenger airport - surrounded on three sides by sea (but not a popular tourist beach in sight).

Wherever they are going to be based, they seem to have a very dodgy business plan. And why on earth is taxpayers' money being used to help them start up, sorry talk about starting up?

I wouldn't take any notice of the proposed routes shown on the website. They are the original routes that were planned way back in March 2003. As for Manston, NOW is not going to be based there and I doubt very much if any flight will operate through there.

Fixed pricing will work only if they support routes that are not flown by anyone else, i.e. LTN-BOD or LTN-LIS. People will pay the fixed fare because there is no other option other than use another airport.

Don't get your hopes up either. I think NOW is a dead duck waiting to have it's feathers plucked :ok:

So when is this pipe dream going to be wound up ?

Lets say next week shall we ? Those people still in the office in LTN must surely be wondering where the next pay cheque is coming from. I suspect the money is about to run out and there is no real sign of a new investor. Looking at the website it makes you wonder why they haven't removed the URL altogether as it currently shows misleading information.

Anyone inside got an update for us? People at STN I know saying the planes have been repossessed...?

A bit difficult to repossess something they never had !

Well it's the 28th did people get paid, terminated, ?

In the absence of any further information, we must assume this project is now dead in the water.

Wrong plan, wrong time, wrong place.

Sad.

Horrible, to be taken along for a ride! I understand that the orange folk do not want thier old staff back?

I still look forward to being on Now!'s first flight

Apparently not dead in the water. A friend of mine says there will be some positive news in the next few days.

I've heard the same thing. How do you like your hats cooked JMC-Man :E
Good luck to all the Now management team, looking forward to a positive announcement soon.

Forgive me, but how many times has the aviation world heard those immortal words "positive news" ?? More to the point, how many times have we heard it on Pprune about NOW ?

How on Earth could anyone define a
in the light of past events.

Tragic.

Let's hope more people don't get duped into making potentially limiting career choices.

JMC Man
I'll ask you again, how do you like your hats; cooked or raw.
In your gloomy world, life must be one long Dickensian christmas. I hope for all of those involved with Now that this news is true. I have a good feeling that it is.
Bah humbug to you.
FEBA

Looking at this from a completely neutral stand point, I've got to agree with JMC_Man.

Whilst NOW maybe potentially a fantastic company, at the moment it is lousy. All the nice words in the world mean nothing to the people who have to pay mortgages/send kids to school.

Nothing I have read or heard has convinced that NOW is viable in anyway. I desperately hope that it is for the sake of the people who left safe jobs to follow this debacle.

They are the ones who have really lost out in all this mess. NOT the management who should have known the risks in the first place.

As an investor, I would wait until they are desperate and then go in with a financial aid package to get the best deal possible from the current management. Lets hope that this is what is currently happening and that all the staff get something positive finally.

But surely any new investor would insist on removing the current management, i.e. them at the very top, and replace them with people who actually know what they are doing. The people on the website, well, they have clearly messed up so far........