I used to work for the old Maesrk Air, left in 2002. But they were a great bunch to work for. Management were a bit sus and shifty for my liking. Treating pilots and cabin crew like mushrooms most of the time.

Best of luck to all the crews, hope you find work soon. If you can hang on Thomson Fly is coming to Robin Hood Airport. That's where I'm headed when it opens next year. Until then make do with Cov, provided they get their terminal building planning issues in order.

Hosties look on the bright side, plenty of lap dance clubs in Brum it's good money and you can still use the uniforms.

RHD.

I worked with them in the brief Brymon European days until we de-merged 8 months after formation and BA made me redundant. Great bunch of folk then and im sure still are. Richard King ops manager...great guy.

Best of Luck to you all. as people have said 'when one door closes etc etc'

seems a shame it was done overnight and so quickly???

RHD
I'am outraged at your comment quote 'Hosties look on the bright side, plenty of lap dance clubs in Brum it's good money and you can still use the uniforms. ' unquote! Perhaps you think all the pilots and engineers should become rentboys?
Bad timing
Bad taste
Bad manners
Bad post
You should be ashamed!

I too left in 2002, in those days with a binliner full of dosh and all.
I would just like to add that no one has mentioned Dave Roberts so far.
I can thank the man for giving me my first break in aviation and the 13 years that followed.
OK so he's so much the worse for having picked me, but he was a very pleasant boss to have.
Cheers Dave and good luck if you need to work that is!!!

I feel sure that few if any of those who have lost their jobs will bother to read any of this thread. Surely the 'DUO' staff must have realised that from the outset the venture was up aganst it particularly using the CJ700 or whatever it is. Sound economics dictate that it is volume, the number of seats you can fill and a 70 plus seater cannot compete. Some of the staff must ask the DUO management about the failure. Blaming BA and Maersk is rubbish and not the answer. Lets hope they all find jobs.

As an ATCO who works the EGBB / DTY / HEMEL area, let me pass on my regards to all the "FlyDuo" crews who were amongst the most obliging, cheerful bunch that fly around.

Good luck for the future and hopefully I'll be speaking to you all again soon.

Yes sure we were up against it. Who isn't?

The CRJ's were not the aircraft of choice. They were purely what was left when Maersk pulled out (if they ever did???). The company was in the process of evaluating the CRJ's replacement when this happened.

I still find it very strange how we were never allowed to know who the backers actually were. We were always told that it was commercially sensitive. This was understandable when we first started as the company wanted to keep the cards close to their chest. Nearly a year later though we still knew no more. Why this was the case when we were all so called 'shareholders' I do not know.

Bobblehat - Great talking to you all. Never once got a Mike Sierra Kilo...... or a Delta Uniform Oscar...... call from UK ATC. Thanks for your help, understanding and patience over the years. We'll miss you all.

What a sad day, and out of the blue as well.

A kind skipper at Maersk (cheers Steve ;) ) gave me two jumpseat rides, one to Milan and the other to Copehhagen. The whole 737-500 experience, from walkaround to shutdown back at base, as you chaps see it. This PPL-er was indulged far beyond the call of duty! And what a ride! The pocket rocket -500, great crew, great view and an unforgettable experience.

I just hope that the boys and girls affected find themselves back in the game soon.

RU

Duo guys and gals, I know its little consolation now you've lost your jobs, but take it from a regular passenger mainly to Geneva - you were the best! I hope you all find work again quickly.

Sadly, the airline market is now dominated by passengers who want something for next to nothing. When an airline like Duo comes along, which really offers passengers something EXTRA and still at a good price, the sceptical public take time to realise. My perception was that GVA was picking up, but its just a huge shame it wasn't picking up quickly enought.

Andy

Sad, sad news..
Having worked for them during the Birmingham Executive, Birmingham European, Brymon European and Maersk bits, I can say without hesitation that I've never worked for a better outfit.
Great staff, both in the air and on the ground.
Good luck to all those looking for jobs.

Dom Joly,

"Bobblehat - Great talking to you all. Never once got a Mike Sierra Kilo...... or a Delta Uniform Oscar...... call from UK ATC. "

Neither should you, as unlike foreign ATC units, NATS have the full callsign name printed on the Flight Progress Strip....

Very sad to see Duo's demise. I have never worked for the group in any of it's guises, but have seen them come and go over the years here at BHX right from their initial startup.

They have always come across to me as a thourougly friendly and professional bunch, and I think they will be sadly missed on the BHX scene.

I've been there twice myself over my carrer guys, and know how it feels. Best of luck to all of you, and may job offers come your way soon.......

30W

Not at all NATS ACCs yet ... but maybe some day in a few years time :ok:

Sad to see Duo go .... spoke to a few flights the night before the bad news and the crews seemed as cheerful as ever.

Lets hope something arises from the ashes. The UK aviation industry always seems good at doing that.

Very sad to see the demise of FLYDUO, hopefully you guys and gals affected will find something soon.

No doubt the slippery bar stewards managing the ex airline will also be on the look out for the next opportunity to screw up, I'm sure we'll here from them soon on these forums?!

Dom saidMaybe, although why the rest of the card companies' customers should pay for the crash is debatable.

Many more will have paid by debit card to avoid the credit card surcharge. They will not be protected.

The timing is cynical to say the least. Take the maximum revenue before a holiday weekend, shut up shop before delivering the goods. If a market trader operated like this you'd have a different view.

It may or may not be fair to blame the Duo management of many things - but don't think Arkroyal's accusation of choosing highest cashflow point to close can be justified.

Any revenue increase generated by the bank holiday weekend would:

1) occur some weeks beforehand (little bank holiday type booking is conducted in the week before)

2) be quite low the week before a bank holiday, which is generally quite slow in terms of new bookings generated - and rush tends to be after the bank holidy for immediate business traffic

I suggest the 'end of the month' was more likely to be the generator and presumably identified by either the bankers or the backers as such.

Incidentally, it is more and more common for the credit cards to hold an airline's funds for some time before releasing them to the airline (one month is common and I have heard of one case of three months - albeit the latter was a seriously dubious outfit whose set-up and early failure before even turning a wheel was featured on these pages previously). I have no idea what Duo's position was.

Tim

Fare points. Rather better handled than Gill, who, I believe, got a free month's work out if their team before wrapping up just before pay-day!

Ironic that Maerk/Duo's old 737-500 G-MSKA http://www.airliners.net/open.file/220609/M/ has turned up down the road at CVT as G-THOA http://www.airliners.net/open.file/548730/M/ and will maybe be driven by a few of it's old drivers!

Good Luck to all in securing employment soon.

Could not believe Duos advertising campaign though. Huge posters with a duck on a lake! Looked more like an advert for a soft ware company than an airline!

What ever happened to the £6.8 million given to duo from Scotland

Duo - Ducks
 

F***ed by the ducks - For those of you in the know - this was not about the operation. Sadly the inability to sell and market the brand in the begining with the cash available was the problem.

Product great - staff dedicated (mostly) - Idea and market position spot on - customer wanting to buy the product - Given time and money there would have been a new chapter written in UK aviation. Sadly some other b***er will now do it and clean up.

Lesson - Tell your customers what you are doing ! Good luck to all