I am a regular passenger on BA Connect services, particularly on the Southampton-Manchester route. I choose BA Connect out of choice as I have flown Flybe quite a number of times and was not impressed. I am truly dreading any future flights on that route now.

BA finally leaves the regions
 

The writing has been on the wall for ages. Many of us have been saying that all the base-closures and fleet run-downs were simply a way of preparing BACX/BAConnect for sale.

How ironic renaming BACX as BAConnect when in reality BA was trying to dis-Connect BACX from BA. More like BADisconnect.

It's taken BA 5 years to achieve this objective which was started by Rod Eddington moving the Airbus out of BHX, the B737 out of MAN and the RJ100 out of LGW. British Airways has finally left the regions.

A great shame for all those who were happy working for Brymon, British Regional Airlines and Manx. It's not surprising many of them don't trust BA.

Who will operate the LCY routes? Will these routes be operated purely by BA secondees? The RJ100 leases expire in 18 months time, will they be replaced by Airbus 318 or will this be the time to wind-up the LCY operation?

I think if they do stay on the IOM the Manchester route would be very important and they would soom see off Euromanx


G-I-B

Read the Regional press releases on the Flybe site. Cutting through the spin they will tell you a lot:

- lots of talk of commitment to JER, GCI, BHX, MAN, SOU, NWI, EXT, LBA etc. No such wording on the BRS release
- bases with at least 10 a/c at BHX and MAN
- "lifeline" routes like LGW-INV, LGW-IOM to be retained
- intention is to retain BACON IOM Maint Base, to "supplement" EXT

Old news to those of us in the know!!. Bye Bye BA. PMSL,;) ;) ;)

A few months ago Evans stood up in front of the Isle of Man business community telling us all how committed BA were to the IOM. He found much scepticism - how right we were.

They bought Manx Airlines, ended our LHR link, cut back on just about every other route, and then introduced the ridiculous BA Connect concept where business people ended up paying more for less service on the LGW route. And he thought this was a good thing for the Island?:bored:

If ever there was an individual with his head up his own a$$, then it was this man. :*

Interesting to see BA retaining a 15% stake. WW is not daft, I should think he is a little nervouse of losing influence over all those peak time slots at BHX and MAN. Who knows when they may need them.

As ground handling going to flybe isn't part of the deal it wouldn't suprise me if they go the other way and move to BA, the same way American did as part of one world, not by choice but as part of the contract.:(

BA will form a new company to operate London City routes with the current RJ flight / cabin crew being given the option of moving to this. Believe to be based in Edi....

Not quite. BA is going to retain 10 RJ100's after they've sold off BA CON to FlyBE to operate routes to/from LCY. WW just said at their presentation this morning that they will expand the number of destinations they serve (out of LCY) and increase the frequencies to those they already serve (EDI, FRA and MXP)

A 15% stake will give BA no control over the slots. They may have negociated a position on the flybe board but that would only be to represent their interests.

Trade IN
 

With the breaking news of Flybe to take over BA connect will Flybe trade in the EMB145 fleet against more EMB195????

Reading the various Press Releases it is safe to assume that flybe are paying ZERO to aquire BACon. The press release says:-

In other words BA are handling over the entire business to flybe in return for a 15% in the enlarged company. Depending on the terms of the float BA will either get this back in cash or retain a 15% shareholding in the listed company.

It would also seem that BA will fund the costs associated with returning EMBs and Dash8s to the lessors.

It sounds like a good deal for flybe. They get crews, routes, bases and (for a short time) fleet capacity tio help them grow.

The only costs that flybe will have incurred in this acquisition is for various professional services (lawyers, merchant bankers, other advisers, etc, etc)

Hope so the difference on flying on a EMB145 and full size airliner makes all the difference as they are so cramped for anyone of over small size

G-I-B

I'm struggling to understand the before and after network maps they've published. The "after" one doesn't show destinations such as AMS and SZG and shows the routes from EXT as being only GLA, DUB & MAN :confused:

m.

I'm trying to make sense of the aircraft numbers they quote, and they don't quite add up. Using Jethro's excellent site I reckon current numbers are:

BA Connect:
4 146s
8 Dash 8-300s
28 E145s
(and 10 RJ100s, but these all seem to be tied to the LCY operation from what has been said and not part of the deal)

Flybe:
12 146s (2 due to retire by the end of the year)
25 Dash 8-400s
1 E195 (1 more due in service this year)

This totals 77 aircraft expected to be in service at 1st Jan, when they hope to complete the deal (compared to the quote of 82 when the transaction is closed on the Flybe website). They then expect to consolidate to 70 aircraft by the end of 2007.

Flybe currently have announced total orders for 45 400s (including the 25 mentioned) and for 14 195s (including those above), plus 12 options. Thus they will either take beyond the end of 2007 to retire the BA Connect aircraft, or will exercise the 195 options AND accelerate their delivery (the last of the first 14 195s is currently due in 2009); or will take longer to retire the 146s currently with Flybe than I thought.

Regional Press Releases
 

includes Inverness.....

notable exception is Liverpool......

The route map does not make any sense. For example, no INV at all, but lots of routes from BRS that has not been mentioned in the press releases as a future market.

How about slots and apron space at LCY ? Do they expect that existing carriers will fit their Fokker 50s with floats to make rooms for their RJ100s ? I am under the impression that at peak times it is now close to impossible to get additional flights into LCY, mainly because of the limited apron space. So they may be able to employ another one or two RJ100s, but five or six ? As long as the apron extension is not finished at LCY, I do not see how this can happen.

The Flybe press releases for each base makes interesting reading if you are in BRS then it doesnt look good as there seems to be no commitment to that base from Flybe.