Aurigny I heard today from a member of staff are to make up to 6 cabin crew redundant & are asking for volunteers amongst flight crew to take 3 months unpaid leave.

Mr Falla might be interested to know that a very well-backed offer was made for the Aurigny Group about 18 months ago, at a very good value, by a group whose purpose was to invest heavily in growing it into a true Channel Islands airline, still head-quartered in Guernsey but serving UK and European routes from both main Islands.

The offer was rejected out of hand by the Minister responsible, on the grounds that the Group was profitable and growing (both untrue at that time, if you really looked at the numbers), and that the Guernsey taxpayers were ready and willing to continue carrying the risk. They were then, as now, largely unaware of the true exposure to loss facing each taxpayer as a result of their Government's actions.

Guernsey is now stuck with a failing Group with a competitor coming up fast on the sidelines. It didn't have to be like that. To argue that events were unforeseeable is ridiculous. Of course events are unforeseeable; that's why you do not use public funds to take massive risks, as Guernsey did over Aurigny and is continuing to do.

Capot

Call me paranoid if you like, but don't you think the real risk to the people of Guernsey is having flybe as the only carrier serving the island?

flybe's goal is (understandably) to be the number one (probably only) carrier serving the UK regions and they are well on their way to achieving that, with talks now going on over BMI Regional, leaving just Eastern, Aurigny and ASW to tackle. You can discount Blue Islands as a rich mans play thing that will die with him if not before.

FOG

The proposal that Guernsey rejected was nothing less than the creation of a really strong CI airline, on the exisiting foundation that the Aurigny Group offers plus a very large investment, that would ensure that a truly competitive situation would be maintained, particularly vis-a-vis Flybe.

Aurigny cannot survive indefintely as things are and all that Guernsey is doing by keeping it running in its present form at tax-payer expense and risk is artificially prolonging its life. Sooner or later this has to stop, and this will eventually mean that Flybe does become the sole supplier.

Guernsey should not and cannot use any more public funds than the millions so far spent on Aurigny, to finance the growth that Aurigny needs to survive.

Blue Islands could not win a price war against Flybe, just as Aurigny can't win that, even if your prognosis doesn't prove correct.

Unfortunately those in charge in Guernsey seem to prefer to gratify their egos by remaining in charge of an airline, using, of course, other peoples' money to maintain that position. When it eventually fails they'll blame everyone and everything except themselves.

At present Flybe is simply waiting for it all to drop into their hands; they have much greater priorities in any case.

The states probably rejected a bid for aurigny 18 months ago because they were making a profit last year. Why sell an airline that had made money for the previous few years?
This year nearly every airline has struggled to make a profit with many going bankrupt because of the extreme set of circumstances that everyone has had to operate under and nobody managed to predict!

It hadn't. The figures were "massaged"; when you dug into them it was clear that the real situation for the airline was loss-making.

Any accountant will tell you that over the short term you can always present a much rosier picture than the reality, without breaking any rules, and any good accountant can always spot when this is done, given access to the data. But it catches up with you, and that's where Aurigny now is, exactly as was predicted at that time against denials by the airline's owner.

People don't like change when they're settled in and comfortable. They don't want to think about having to look for something new which may mean upheaval and moving elsewhere. I can understand that some want to believe what they are told but the writing is now on the wall. The management will wind it up when the time is right without giving a **** about the employees. The State will pay their pensions and all other obligations. Doesn't hurt the management one bit.

Aurigny will have extreme difficulty getting through this year without major changes occurring. The true figures are emerging and they do not make good reading if you are a tax-payer or an accountant.

Blueislands will always be criticised for being a "rich man's plaything" by those who don't want to accept that a company which was started because Aurigny pissed off a cargo customer on Alderney has survived, expanded and established itself as a local company with a future. Boohoo, get over it.

Has it occurred to anyone out there that the person running Blueislands has a great deal of experience of marketing and business strategy?

The only people who have anything to say about it are those at the top. Everybody else can pretend but it's a waste of time so why bother?

The underlying issue is not who is making money and who is not, it is who can keep going longer to make it profitable in the end. Aurigny will not be backed by the states for ever because the situation is becoming untenable.
If people are jealous of somebody else's wealth then do something about it and make your own. The days of comfy jobs for life and pensions are over.

Blueplume

from my information Aurigny staff never have had a state pension, aka a civil servant, just a money purchase scheme and standard pension the same as any other person in work in Guernsey.

jobs for life don't exist either. Aurigny was always a good company to work for and the staff looked after(so rarely left) although things has changed over the last few years, as now it is state owned management have to be accountable even if some of their decisions recently haven't proved to be the most profitable (ie the shed) to the States of Guernsey.

Blue Islands with their excellent product and Aurigny should be able to both make a profit offering a reliable service to both locals and visitors on the various routes and should not get into silly immature spats. There is a much bigger operator which would like to see both operators disappear for their own non local gain.

hapzim

You're absolutely correct, Flybe would very much like to see both disppear.

My point is that there is no point in wishing for things to change. If changes are not made then Aurigny will be in a lot of trouble and may be forced to give something up. It will be painful but will probably be the only way to ensure survival.

Nothing wrong with the brand, just needs sprucing up a bit.

OK BP so when are Blue Islands going to merge with Aurigny as the Channel Islands superpower. Will it really happen in 2009 or is it just another pipedream:)

A comment about FlyBe: this too started off as a "rich man's plaything". Johnny Walker was the rich man, and I think even he would be surprised about how big it has become.

There is some sort of unpleasant business ethos lurking in FlyBe, which I cannot decide whether it is good or bad. On the face of it it is bad, but I guess they feel they have to do it. And that is to encroach on other operator's routes and bully their way to the prime position on it. They have done it in Scotland and Cornwall and probably other places as well.

Another point about the fares on FlyBe usually being higher than AY on the LGW route. FlyBe are not a low cost airline, whatever they like to say about it. Their yield management is excellent and they charge quite a lot of money for tickets. They are regularly higher than BA on the JER-LGW route, and it is hard to get a cheap ticket on any route out of Birmingham, BHX-GCI/JER being examples.

Passengers fly on their flights because in the UK no-one has heard of Aurigny. If they had heard of it, they wouldn't be able to pronounce it! FlyBe is relatively well known, whilst Aurigny isn't. Therefore FlyBe can attract more UK emanating passengers, and, of course, these pax have to fly back again.

Riverboat...

I think your post describes Flybe better then any other post/advertisement/article/whatever. An airline which describes itself as low cost, but is actually quite expensive, bullying its way into regional services etc.

I honestly think the product of BE's success is due to its PR and not due to its services. I just wish that GR could say that its services could generate it enough profit without ridiculous PR (a la Flybe)

GR has been the lifeline of the islands, especially Guernsey, for many years. Offering routes, on which profitability may have been called into question, or may have been a pain in the arse to operate. But they did it for the good of the Islands, during and before the States of Guernsey ownership.

A merger with blueislands would be detrimental - it would leave the islands with one airline (monopoly), presumably run by someone/some company who's overall concerns are with profits, other than the ease of transport across the rocks.

I think competition should be encouraged between the two airlines. GR in particular need to realise its almost it 2009 and modernise their business into a modern day operation. If not, the States are in very real danger of ditching them, and Blueislands will become the major player across the islands.

This post kinda spans a few points of view, but I think is fairly representative of the Islands at the moment...

I feel I should point out the common misunderstanding, Flybe are a low cost airline just not in the traditional sense like ryanair and easyjet. What they are most certainly not is a low fares airline, they are using a clever play in words in their advertising.

Blue Islands look as if they are taking on two ATR 42s permanantly. With the majority market share on the inter-island routes and an expanding route network surely this only leaves Aurigny in business with the sole purpose of protecting the Manchester and Gatwick routes? Is it therefore not time for the States to hand over Aurigny to Blue Islands? With the ATRs that appear to be joining Blue Islands the Aurigny fleet is the perfect fit. The majority of the Trislanders could be retired, maintaining just those required for the Alderney operations. Surely it's time that Aurigny was run for profit, because if it goes it alone against Flybe I can see only one winner.

Blue Islands will run the company as a business, and yes, that will mean cuts, but at least Guernsey can keep it's Manchester and Gatwick routes without having to maintain an unprofitable airline that lost over £1 million in just 8 months this year!

Are they taking over the 2 from sky blue? or is it more a joint venture.
I guess they would have to change their name to Sky Blue Islands :ok:

Captainyonder

"Blue Islands will run the company as a business, and yes, that will mean cuts, but at least Guernsey can keep it's Manchester and Gatwick routes without having to maintain an unprofitable airline that lost over £1 million in just 8 months this year!"

How much profit do you think Blue Islands will have "made" this year?

I am well aware that Blue Islands haven't made a profit this year, but that is mainly due to the operation of the wet leased Dornier 328. If Blue Islands is taking on it's own ATR 42's as I'm lead to believe they are then I believe they will be a profitable operation. ATR's are generally low cost aircraft to operate and without the extra cost of paying another operator to run the services for them I truly believe that Blue Islands will become a profitable company.

Are they still doing freight routes for the Royal mail and jersey post ?

Flybe Interisland
 

Published in the CAA OF2 this week:

The following application has been received:
GTB 28 Flybe Limited to vary the conditions of its licence to operate passenger and cargo flights between GUERNSEY and JERSEY

What are they after & how will it affect Aurigny?

They can't start carrying passengers inter-island, competing with Blue Islands or Aurigny, without permission from both Jersey and Guernsey Governments. So who knows, certainly nothing heard on the grapevine.

This will be a variation to the permission they already have it currently restricts the number of pax they can carry between the Islands. Another atempt by flybe to dominate.

Re launch of dropped routes.
 

Two routes, Guernsey - Nottingham & Jersey - Stansted which were dropped by Aurigny a few years back are to be reinstated in the airlines schedule from Summer 09.

New Service?????
 

Jerbourg

When will Aurigny tell the world there is a Jersey to Stansted service as on there web site it shows you route via Guernsey.

Will it a direct service? or is a false piece of advertising?

Jersey-Stansted
 

Current fare (Via Guernsey) is c £180. Better be lower than that to attract the punters.

I take it its EMA?

Might be viable from GCI but with baby already on the route is it a good idea?

EMA is Guernsey only & STN I was told will be a GCI-JER-STN -JER-GCI routing. I don't think the website has been updated with the new direct service as yet.

How long will this one last?????
 

Jerbourg

So if it is Guensey-Jersey-Stansted-Jersey-Guernsey will it work?

The flight will be leaveing Jersey late morning 1130 or 1200ish so what traffic are they trying to pick up?

I understand the Guernsey-Stansted-Guernsey is not well surported due to its timings so will this work?

Aurigny did operate twice a day to Stansted four years ago but did not give it time to make the route work before they pulled the plug, so how many months will this operate before the plug gets pulled? like a number of routes Aurigny have operated in the past out of the Islands.

BALU

Ithink you will fin that the STN route is well supported out of GCI, the exception being at this time of year, but then that applies to most routes out of the islands.

They could do Dublin direct Monday - Friday as Fly Be only appear to be doing it on a Saturday from Guernsey.

Jersey - Stansted
 

Out of interest just dialled in a return flight Flybe JER-LTN mid-week in April. Came out at c £86 total, bags included, so keen competition there. I don't think Guernsey pax will support the service as much if they have to route via JER.

Jerbourg

If the route is well supported from Guernsey why route the flight via Jersey?

Who knows, maybe the frequency will be upped to two a day from GCI, one maybe via JER? Time will tell.

How come if GR are losing millions the owners are prepared to chuck more money at it to see losses increase further on new routes:confused: GSY EMA at least bennefits GSY. What does JER STN do for GSY:confused:. Sounds like its still the mad hatters' tea party down there:}

I have it on good authority that the Jersey - Stansted aircraft will leave GCI approx 1000 & operate GCI-STN-JER-STN-GCI.

Guernsey East Midlands route now available on their website, no sign of Jersey Stansted though.

The GCI-LGW route is going 5 times daily for the summer.

Guernsey - East Midlands is a strange move. It was dropped by Aurigny a few years back. Are they receiving a kick back from the local government to re-introduce it I wonder?

East Midlands - Guernsey
 

I would imagine there must be some form of support for the route's re-introduction; a daily service with an ATR72-500 is certainly ambitious, I would have thought they might have initially gone for 3 or 4 flights per week to determine the demand for the service?

EMA
 

GCI-EMA was very successful for AUR when we had the Saab's, high load factors & mostly full at weekends. Route was given to us on a plate from BMI. Eight rotations a week if I remember correctly. Never did understand why it got dropped - crazy decision. However I feel its now going to take a while to build up this route after a 6/7 (?) year gap.

East Midlands - Guernsey
 

The route was last operated by AUR in 2004 during which 18,145 pax were carried.