flybe.com
Last time I looked Max is 1020 RPM not 1050 RPM unless BHX have a souped up version of the Q400:D

The figures I have are:
Max 1020
Over Seed Gov 1060
and FADEC overspeed circuitry would control the RPM to 1120

dv8 - Thanks for pointing out my error, a slight confusion with the 200/300 settings, and I haven't flown the DHC8 for a while so it had slipped my mind. Previous post edited.:ok:

Brabazon - Whilst I admit my response above was a little off topic, it was offered to give a little insight to an enquiring passenger. You know the sort, they live on the other side of the flightdeck door and pay our wages!!

From today's Scotsman. Looks like Flybe are going to enjoy an increased presence in Aberdeen and Scotland.


Airline's new fleet expands Scottish routes

ALASTAIR DALTON TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT


NEW routes across Britain and to Scandinavia were signalled by Flybe yesterday as it used its largest-ever new planes order to underline its claim to be Scotland’s fastest growing airline.

Flybe said it was considering new Norwegian or Swedish links from Scotland, and a similar range of UK routes from Inverness to those that will be launched from Aberdeen.

Flights to Oslo, Bergen or Stockholm from Aberdeen, and possibly Edinburgh and Glasgow, could follow the £250 million order for 20 Bombardier Q400-78s.

Services will be launched between Aberdeen and Birmingham, Exeter and Southampton, as The Scotsman reported in November. Belfast flights have already been confirmed from March. Mike Rutter, Flybe’s marketing director, said it now planned to operate the same services from Inverness too.

He said a Boeing 737s order would follow, so larger planes could operate on the Edinburgh and Glasgow to Southampton and Birmingham routes.

Bombardier Sells 20 More Q400 Airliners to FlyBE: U.K. Carrier Cites Low Operating Costs, High Passenger Appeal
Thursday January 27, 9:33 am ET


TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Jan. 27, 2005) - Bombardier Aerospace announced today that U.K.-based FlyBE, one of Europe's leading low cost airlines, has placed a firm order for 20 additional Bombardier Q400 high-speed turboprop airliners. Delivery of the 20 aircraft will increase the FlyBE Q400 fleet to 41 aircraft.
The transaction announced today is valued at approximately $485 million U.S. and represents the conversion of FlyBE's 20 options to firm orders.

"The versatility of the Bombardier Q400 makes it a great aircraft for FlyBE," commented FlyBE Managing Director, Jim French. "Quiet, jet-like performance and great engineering will help us continue to deliver on-time flights and stay the most punctual airline on many of the routes we fly. It is also very economical to run and will be a key strategic weapon for FlyBE, in what is a very competitive marketplace."

"Airlines worldwide are facing tremendous economic pressures. The Bombardier Q400 changes the rules of the game. With 16 Q400 aircraft already delivering great value in the FlyBE fleet, their investment is testament to the Q400's spectacularly low operating costs, jet speed, and superior cabin comfort," said Steven Ridolfi, President, Bombardier Regional Aircraft. "The Q400 represents the way for the industry to grow the business and the bottom line at the same time. It truly delivers turboProfits."

FlyBE, based at Exeter in southwest England, serves 41 destinations in the U.K and Europe.

Today's announcement increases firm orders for the Bombardier Q400 to 141 aircraft. As of December 31, 2004, 88 had been delivered to 10 operators in North America, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region.

Flybe. seem to have identified markets that would once, never have been viable. I will be surprised if the EXT-LBA lasts, especially with the competition to the West Country from WOW.

In terms of new routes from Aberdeen and Inverness I am also unsure. How much market can there be for ABZ-EXT or INV-SOU??? I would also be surprised if an ABZ-ARN route could be successful.

I think there is scope for Aberdeen to Newcastle, Norwich, Birmingham, Stavanger and maybe Southampton at a push. Inverness however has muc less potential. Eastern already operate to BHX, and with easyJet coming in on the Belfast(unbeliveably!) is there really a market for 200+ seats Belfast-Inverness and vice versa daily????

I assumed they would be basing a few of the Q400s at Norwich and Southend. What about more international routes out of Jersey? Paris, Amsterdam etc.

Regards

Mike

the news is now confirmed on the flybe website...

http://www2.flybe.com/news/0501/27.htm

to quote one of the flybe management i met recently...
"the dash 8 sips fuel and goes like s*** thats why we like it"

This confirmation of the options might lead to a couple being based at NWI. Press announcements referred to BE's intention to make it a 'base' but the timetables suggest that initially all aircraft will be based elsewhere and fly in-and-out. Anyone know when aircraft will be based at NWI - I imagine this will lead to a ramping up of flight frequencies.

*j*

To quote the FlyBE press release
What's the significance of the "-78"?

To quote the FlyBE press release

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acquisition of 20 Q400-78 aircraft confirmed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


What's the significance of the "-78"?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

78 is the number of seats a DHC8Q-400 has

Fried Chicken

spagiola,

As Fried_Chicken says, the 78 bit i think relates to the seat config. The original 4 DH8D's that were delivered to BE arrived in a 74 seat config and were modified to 78. All subsequent deliveries have and now will be 78.
This is excellent news for both BE and Bombardier, and testament to the turnaround that the company and has acheived in a fairly small period of time.
However, whilst there can be no disputing the economics and speed of the 400, I for one am still a little concerned by the reliability and build quality of the aircraft. I understand that BE (like most carriers who have chosen this airframe) have had numerous problems with them, understandable given new type/pilots/engineers etc, but i hope that the next order of airframes will not require quite so much downtime as has appeared to have cursed the first 16/17.
That aside, its a positive step that will see BE be able to start to genuinely compete the larger locos, whilst enhancing their already considerable regional network.

0[]

circlesquare,

Most of the initial teething problems have been sorted and the Q400 is now very reliable.

Cheers :ok:

Call me a sceptic if you wish but I cannot believe that the Flybe plan has any chance of working. One o fthe things that is important in every sort of business today is focus. Easy has it. Ryanair has it. Their focus is a very important part of their success.

But what focus does Flybe have? Is it a very short haul specialist operating primarily short domestic routes and routes to the near continent? If so the Q400 is probably a good aeroplane. having said that I am suspicious as to why such an airline should have committed itself to more than 25% of all Q400's ordered. What is so wrong with the aeroplane that so few companies have ordered it?

But that is not only what they are doing. They are trying to mix that business in with jet operations from several cities to much more distant destinations. That destroys any focus that they have. So one management team will have to be trying to run two separate businesses. That will never work.

Then you have what seems to be an entirely reckless expansion programme. They regularly run advertisements which show that more than half their routes will be new this year. Not only do they have to try and make money out of those but they have to write off their useless investment in all the routes that they are giving up. How many millions did they invest and waste at LCY?

To me it is an airline that is going nowhere.

chipsbrand.................... you're a sceptic.


I would suggest that the reason that Flybe have 25% of all Q400's ordered is that they are part of an elite group of airlines that haven't been seduced by the CRJ and EMB products with poorer operating economics. It was a brave decision and deserves success for putting bottom line ahead of the sexy public image of a jet. You only have to look at the problems besetting airlines operating the regional jets. Perhaps the question should be 'How did so many get it wrong?'

The fact that they very quickly adjust schedules and routes would seem to contradict the view that they are reckless with their planning. On the contrary, it suggests that they keep a very close eye on the business and act quickly to safeguard it.

Apart from having 2 x Fleet Managers I cannot see that operating jets and turboprops in a company should be that difficult. It isn't uncommon to have a mixed fleet.

I don't work for Flybe but I wish them every success.

chipsbrand,

I've gotta join the 'sceptic' bandwagon!
To me the plan is working. The fact that FlyBE are still around when 3 and a bit years ago it seemed likely that the company would fold is part proof enough for me. They have bounced back from the CRJ fiasco, a complete rebrand...twice I know... to start competing on other locos patches... something I never expected them to do. Combined with the posting last year of a turnaround from significant losses (for a company of its size) to profit over this time (and before I get shot down here I am aware of the AF/LHR slot issue as raised on another thread), as well as the introduction of what looks like ending up being a 40 odd fleet of Q400's, are not the signs of a company without focus.
LCY was an excellent market in the heady days of business class regional service, and the money the FlyBE (JY at the time) ploughed into it probably offset numerous losses that they were encountering across the rest of the network. Indeed i remember travelling myself on their EDI-LCY to find the 146 full with more business than economy.. It's just that LCY is not a low cost model airport to operate into.
I've gotta agree with surely not that the rapid adjustment of schedules to maximise revenue is a clear indication of how much they are keeping a close eye on the market and the yields they produce.
Yes they have clearly made mistakes in the past, but appear to be learning from them and not repeating... time will tell.

0[]

Well done Flybe ! - I think the plane order is a tribute to the success of Flybe management from turning around a close to failing airline in the form of British European to a successful, profitable (?), low cost regional airline.

Especially given the number of critics that said they would have their lights put out by Easyjet & Ryanair.

The Q400 aircraft gives Flybe the opportunity to operate thin routes that 737's couldn't. The passengers obviously have no objections to flying on the aircraft either given the large numbers now using them.

They obviously plan to roll out many more new routes to utilise these new aircraft and with possible 737's in the pipeline the future has to be looking reasonably positive for all staff.

I have watched Flybe's transformation over the past couple of years and have been very impressed with the progress they have made.

They are bringing the lo-fare experience to a lot of smaller regional airports which otherwise would be denied the opportunity, mainly because they could never provide the pax needed to fill an aircraft of 737 size at a frequency to make such routes work.

Another constant source of amazement for me is their rapidly evolving domestic network covering routes that the sceptic would never imagine could possibly work. Who would have thought Exeter - Newcastle would work but seemingly it carries loads of 80% plus.

On a personal note, I used Flybe for the first time last year and was very impressed. I have already booked more flights in May.
It all adds to the pax numbers.

Good point - let's not forget the 737 based low-cost model is not the only one. Other LCCs with bigger jets would find it tough to have a go at NWI, for instance (which is why this is one of the last UK airports to get an LCC).

Good luck BE... I admit I am cautious about an expansion into bigger aircraft ops, but then the domestic network should now be a strong footing to fall back on.

*j*

The Q400 is starting to pick up nicely orderwise, QF have recently ordered a bunch as have Japan Air Commuter and ANA.

Now if only Bombardier would put their twin hobbies of internecine fighting and moving jobs from Ontario to Quebec down long enough to launch the C-Series and get started on a CRJ rethink...

Well glad to see more coming,absolute pain in the arse at first with technical issues but seems as time has gone by and FlyBE getting to grips with them they have become more and more reliable.
Although FlyBE must have plans if they are still recieving Q400's from hte previous order and another 20 ordered!! Be interesting to see where/what routes they fly.


Regards:D

Will also be interesting to see how they crew the a/c! What with the way current staff are being treated, and hence the high resignation rate, they'll have trouble keeping experienced crews on the Dash.....