BA/bmi
 

Anyone read p51 of the Times newspaper which suggests a BA buy out of Midland ?

Appreciate your thoughts.

MoT

after the new aircraft order and the whole pension deficit problem could they really afford to do this??

As always if Sir M. doesn't want to sell (which unfortunately seems to be the case) then the company is not for sale and no one can buy a controlling stake.

I bet the management across at Virgin are in a cold sweat over this one!

I hope to god they buy bmi. Someone, anyone.

BA wants to buy bmi
 

This could only be good for BA and bmi. BA is at a serious disadvantage now behind AF/KLM.
bmi desperately needs to merge with someone, it is too small to survive the coming onslaught. AF/KLM will buy market share.

BA rather pointedly did not deny the claim, just chose to avoid the question.

"I hope to god they buy bmi. Someone, anyone"

Would that someone be in possesion of a bigger pair of balls than the current 'management'?? Years of pushing and hustling for Open Skies and then all the bluster when it happens about new airframes, recruitment and even that Midland Dodo, Commands!!

What now? No A330's until fleet commonality is assured (in 2009 at the earliest according to NT), a slow down/complete stop on recruitment and a top heavy pilot force being offered unpaid leave and to the chagrin of some of the more senior guys with 3 stripes, not more than 8 or 10 commands instead of the touted 50 or 60.

So, whoever has got that much in demand crystal ball in their possesion, give it a shine, have a look and let us know ;)

From The TimesOctober 18, 2007

Pact by rivals forces BA to seek alliesDavid Robertson, Business Correspondent
British Airways is looking at merger opportunities that could create a transatlantic super-carrier in response to a plan by Delta and Air France to shake up this lucrative market.

Aviation sources believe that BA is in talks with Sir Michael Bishop, controlling shareholder of bmi, to buy the British carrier. BA is also believed to be considering a renewed attempt to merge with American Airlines, despite two previous approaches being struck down by competition regulators.

The rumoured talks come as airlines prepare for the liberalisation

Here we go again

regards

Keepitlit

Ladyflyby

I presume from your comments that you are bmi mainline and would thus benefit greatly come any future sale of the company. Good luck to you, and I must confess I'd feel the same in your shoes.

The rest of us in the bmi 'group' are perhaps a little less enthused about any prospect of the company being sold off for the LHR slots, which is after all the only realy thing of value in the group.

Can't see BA (or Virgin or enyone else with a need for the slots) wanting Baby or Regional.

SMB is a shrewd businessman (we all know he's the organ grinder regardless of who he employs to face up the public) and has kept the company running and growing (albeit very slowly) for a good few years.
Having, along with a few others, successfully campaigned for 'open skies' he has seen the value of the LHR slots increase dramatically and has played the press well with 'talk' of new Longhaul routes. However, when it has come to the crunch of actually 'investing' in new longhaul A/C the company is stalling and coming up with all sorts of excuses.

WHY? I know what my money is on, and its nowhere near the 'sound bites' coming from management.

And they wonder why we're all looking for opportunities to jump ship..... :(

Oh he will still want to keep a train set to play with up in the hall so you wont be too put out if he does get rid of US

regards

Keepitlit

Wish I could believe that.

Perhaps I'm a glass half empty type.... must go do that Personality profile test again.... ;)

"Sir Michael Bishop has said he is considering options for his 51 per cent stake in bmi and is widely expected to sell within the next year. The airline could cost BA £750 million."

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle2681621.ece

Would'nt it be something, Bmed changing from BA uniform into bmi uniform, back to BA uniform agen!

Maybe thats why they did such a cheap job vinyling over the BA colour scheme on Bmeds aircraft, they look a right state.

When we do purchase BMI let us hope we make a better job of it than the sell off BAR to Flybe. To be fair this business theory has been doing the circuit for the last 2 years. Of course if Waterside could change all the T & C to BMI conditions a third of the cost would be recouped in 18 months. Alternately is it a smokescreen due to BA's apparent lack of interest now in IB.

Maybe when they sold BMED they had a half an idea they'd be getting it back. I would assume that, if they were to acquire bmi, the competition authorities would require them to sell a portion of the LHR slots, maybe half. But I suspect they'd claw some of them back through consolidating bmi services with their own, especially on the Scottish and MAN routes.

Would the Monopolies & Mergers people like this? What percentage of the UK market would this place into BA hands?

And as has been done before (with the acquisition of CityFlyer) the integration into the BA Master Seniority List will be determined by current order in the bmi list, slotted into the BA list at date of purchase of the new airline...welcome to the bottom of the list, guys.

Apart from the BMI/BMED and the First choice/TUI mergers are on date of joining with Balpa's bleasing. It would be difficult now for BA Balpa to do it a different way!

Seem to recall reading not long ago in the FT that Lufthansa has some kind of option to buy Sir MBs shares. Now if that came to pass BA really would have something to worry about.

SMB has his put option til the end of 08 the it reverts to Lufty
I dont think he will let them make the choice, he will put first

regards

keepitlit