Close, it's 5U-BAG (I know, I know, I ought to get out more.......)

Must agree about the pictures, I can almost see my mum's house in Alvaston!

I heard on the radio today that FlyBE have bought out BA Connect, could be interesting for the airport. TFS is the thin end of the wedge, or do we lose it back to BHX?

BA
 

BHX has a daily ZB 321 (214 seats?), it would be total madness to compete and the BE deal does not include GB. However there are
plenty of rumours flying about re a GB/BMED announcement in December.

Pete

Perhaps this new pier will be for the Ryanair flights, though I was under the impression they were content using the stands serviced by boarding gates one through five. If this new pier is for Ryanair, I can imagine there will be no airbridges, probably a very spartan interior, maybe built in a "temporary building" fashion like "the tent" check in hall currently used by EZY/FR. There were some rumours floating around in the summer that FCA were moving out of "the tent" to consolidate their position, with the ticket desks & CUSS machines, into the main check in hall, is anything coming of this, particularly as Ryanair are going to need more desks themselves.

Ryanair are supposed to be taking over the First choice desks in the 'tent' to give them the extra check-in area for the new destinations

almost professional

Is that confirmed almost prof? I see no alternative considering the increased Ryanair check-in desk requirements from Feb 07.

Yes, First Choice will be moving out of "the tent" apparently in January to make way for the new Ryanair routes which are starting in February. Already, at certain peaks in the day we have to use more than the currently branded Ryanair desks to check-in passengers. Not sure whereabouts in the main check-in hall FCA will be moving to, more than likely where they were before, ie the desks directly opposite the First Choice Holidays ticket desk for the shorthauls, and then using the Thomsonfly 767 desks for the longhauls.

Everyone at Menzies sounding very gung ho about getting the FCA contract, though at Servisair we've been told we're pretty safe with it given the good relationship we've developed exemplified by the plethora of awards from air2000/First Choice we've received over the years as a good station. The one we've been told to watch out for is EZY, though EZY have just renewed their contract with Servisair at BRS, so hopefully the same will happen here.

I was under the impression that First Choice's management were extremely impressed by Menzies' operation when they had a look round in the middle of the summer, and that FCA only have a 90-day notice period to give to Servisair before cancelling the contract, so potentially we could see Menzies handling FCA by March, even if it hasn't been announced yet. From what I can remember First Choice Holidays actually have their own staff at the airport, unlike MyTravel & Thomson it's nothing to do with Servisair's subsidiary Airport Agencies.

Menzies are really the big up & comer at the airport. There will always be the old incumbent contracts at Servisair, but everything is pointing to Menzies really ramping things up for Summer 2007, including the consistent rumours about bmibaby's ground staff moving over to them as early as January, with baby also potentially going onto the CUSS machines by next summer.

There's a lot of change going on within baby at the minute to bring costs down, and we've been told to expect major changes, including a number of new routes for BHX - both currently served by the bmi group as well as brand new cities. The sixth aircraft for EMA appears to be back on after a lot of rumours we wouldn't be getting one because of Ryanair's expansion, and we should know for concrete by December. Manchester aren't getting any more baby aircraft at this stage, so it's between CWL & EMA for one of the new 3 aircraft which are coming.

easyJet won't expand from here unless they need to. The current set up with three based aircraft on the routes that they fly have been stable, successful and with repeat regular customers for a couple of years now, so why change the formula? Admittedly, it does look like they're in a rut, particularly with some of the very exciting destinations they serve elsewhere and the new Ryanair routes, but why expand for the sake of expanding? It has been publicised in this post that easyJet's contract with the airport signed by Go Fly is up for tender in February, so this will likely either see the airport simply resign easyJet to base aircraft here for longer, look at expanding to more based aircraft, or could see the airline chose to base aircraft elsewhere. Given EZY's successful crew base here, I doubt the latter, though DSA are aggressively looking for more business, and may have a better business case than we do at EMA.

Everyone at Servisair is very concerned with the rumours of Menzies' massive expansion, including their blood lust for two of our contracts. If as you say, FCA management really want to move to Menzies, it will be a shame as it's a very nice contract for us, particularly with the longhaul 76's, and the expansion next summer into one or two new markets. We're yet to hear anything definite, though if there's only a requirement for 90 days, I doubt we'll know anything until December. The expansion of Ryanair & Thomsonfly will soften the blow in terms of staffing numbers, though it will still be very sad to lose this long-standing contract, and recruitment it seems is about to begin for next summer already...

Word has it that EMA is in talks with 4 airlines with regards to flights to India. the 4 airlines are based at different airports and management are trying for an Islamabad service in the not too distant future. PIA maybe transfering from BHX?????

Anyway

Regards all

Stu

Islamabad will be via Karachi and the service won't start until at least April next year.

Who with TRSS????? please dont say UK International Airlines!!!!! Do you know something we dont?????

Regards

Stu

have heard on the rumour mill that after xmas baby will be charging pax to check in bags? once again this is another ploy to copy ryanair!!! why start charging when alot of passenegers decide to fly with us rather than ryanair purely for that fact!!! surly if baby want to continue its growth and become the best low cost airline they ned to start thinking of their own creative ideas to increase revenue rather than hidden costs here and there!!

Where did you get your info from Stu? Let's hope the talks bear some fruit soon....

this is the only one i can show you but i did get told this by a friend who works for the airport group

http://www.thisisleicestershire.com

search for 'airport' and its the second story down

Alternativly i could paste an extract if required

Regards

Stu

Thanks Stu! I think there is definitely demand from the East Midlands for a service to the Indian Subcontinent, let's hope they can pull it off!

Fingers crossed. All i could imagine is either Air India transferring to EMA from BHX (doubtful), Jet (Never gonna happen i think), someone like Air Slovakia doing a via routing or maybe someone like Etihad or a US airline offering both ways poss. Thats the only way i could see 4 airlines in talks unless Kingfishers first international route, when its allowed in the next few years.

Also im interested in what the real slim shady said about Islamabad via Karachi. could this be PIA moving up the M42?????

Regards

Stu

This rumour has actually been on the cards for some time, I think bmibaby management have just been waiting to see how easily accepted it was when flybe & Ryanair introduced the move. This follows bmibaby's policy of providing all the things that a legacy airline would provide on the route, such as; assigned seating, business lounges, a full bar service, 20kgs baggage allowance, but whatever extras you want you simply have to pay for them. I've also heard that proper meals such as English breakfasts may well be introduced in the near future, I suppose all things that help baby remain competitive with the likes of Monarch & flybe.

If the sixth aircraft does arrive, I'm wondering what new routes we can expect. My money is on us gaining a twice-daily Aberdeen (potentially killing off T3) as well as one or two of the yet-to-be-announced destinations from BHX. Perhaps the flybe/BACON merger may cause bmibaby to rethink EMA.

Not sure what you mean :confused: Re-think in a good or bad way for EMA? :confused:

PS - just seen India news article in local Leicester Mercury.

In a good way, the Ryanair basing of additional aircraft meant that expansion from BHX was going to be a no-brainer given that the most significant competition in a number of markets was going to be BA Connect, whose management were so focused on trying to make money that they'd back down from any form of competition. Of course, bmibaby now have to put up with flybe who have a far more efficient fleet, wider route network, better frequencies on most routes - though both airlines are widely known in the area and seem to be equally well liked.