ABZ: Birmingham [ends 29 October], Esbjerg, Groningen, London-Heathrow, Manchester, Norwich

EDI: Brussels, Copenhagen, Leeds/Bradford, London-Heathrow, Manchester, Zürich

EMA: Brussels

GLA: Copenhagen, Leeds/Bradford, London-Heathrow

LBA: Brussels, Edinburgh, Glasgow

MAN: Aberdeen, Edinburgh

BRS: East Midlands, Edinburgh, Leeds/Bradford

NCL: Brussels

LHR: Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow-International, Hanover, Manchester

Many thanks 'san diego'. Does that mean it is a pay bar service on BMI routes to TXL & VIE in economy?

Many thanks to those who replied with the BMI Regional route network, that was really helpful... what wasn't helpful was the that the thread had been irrelevantly combined with the BMI mainline thread and I couldn't find it for a while!

bmi flights to VIE/TXL offer complimentary hot food & drinks in the business cabin & complimentary sandwich & drinks in economy.

Flights to TIP offer complimentary food & drink in both cabins.

BMIR
 

Seems that NCL BRU and BRS-BRU are returning to Brussels Airlines as RJ85's from late March 2011.

Is this due to leases ending on a couple of 145's or they heading elsewhere in the UK?


Pete

There was a rumor of one going to SOU but no info about the routes. This is, of course if FlyBe don't increase frequency's to scare them off!:ok:

Tripoli
 

bmi's new service between London Heathrow and Tripoli will now commence on 21 February 2011.
The original start date of 1 December 2010 has been postponed in order to complete the necessary regulatory procedures and other operational preparations.

Its a shame the Tripoli route start date has been put back until feb. I hope this 'operational preparation' means better network connections, especially from ABZ. It would also be great if bmi could introduce one of its mid-haul aircrafts with a proper business class cabin on this route. They really need to provide a strong onboard product to fight off the stiff competition from british airways.
Anyone seen G-MEDJ recently? Its now back from EMA with its interior fully refurbished. The seats in both business and economy have now been recovered in chocolate brown leather. The curtains and carpet have also been replaced in different shades of brown, it all blends in very well. I must admit that it has made a huge difference to the old BMED worn out seat covers and looks very smart, very much in line with the new LHR lounges.

New Mid Haul Interior
 

MEDJ new interior looks pretty good if you ask me.....

Links to photo's below taken from somewhere else:

Business @flybmi Business Class on Twitpic
Economy The new @flyBMI interior in @Yarwoodleather Venezia Range Lea... on Twitpic

Much neater looking now. Looks like the product will finally be standardised across the fleet. I guess the short-haul A319/320's will recieve this colour scheme soon too?

As i've said before, bmi now finally seems to have a direction and the entire networks product offering is now much clearer. The only thing that does confuse people though is the LH code shares where it's a bmi aircraft with bmi crew but with LH service and LH seats. I think eventually an even closer relationship of the LH onboard product (meal/ drink & snack service on flights etc) could be mirrored across the bmi operation.

Repaint Update
 

bmi ex-BMED fleet Repaint Update

A320
G-MEDH: In EMA for Repaint
G-MEDK: Repainted :D
A321
G-MEDF: LHR-EMA-LHR ~ 8-25Jan
G-MEDG: Repainted :D
G-MEDJ: Repainted :D
G-MEDL: Repainted :D
G-MEDM: Repainted :D

Does anyone know what's going on at bmi regional?

Last week we were told that Stewart Adams (MD) has decided to pursue his career outside Europe. Rumour has it that he's off to Tiger Airways following the previous MD Crawford Rix and previous bmi baby MD Tony Davis.

We're not getting a replacement MD. The existing Engineering and Commercial Directors will take on additional reponsibilities and report directly to the Group MD -Wolfgang Prock-Schauer.

This week we're told that Bill Hanton (DFO) has resigned and the "entire management team wish him well in whatever he chooses to do in the future"

ln the meantime we're recruiting and promoting FO's for positions and aircraft that we don't have.

Truth or rumour lets hear it...?

When will we begin to see bmi's new short-haul seats??
 

TCX69 I've always been impressed with your knowledge of bmi's aircraft repaint/refurbish time schedules! Now that the mid-haul fleet refurbishment is in progress, do you have any info on when we will begin to see the new (lufthansa current) seats fitted into bmi's short-haul aircrafts? I take it that it would have to be after lufthansa have started installing their new seats on their aircrafts.

And this weeks leaver is
 

Lorna Bruce has also accepted a senior airline position out side of Europe, Tiger in Singapore?

She will me sorely missed or missed like a sore depending on your dealings with her, i wonder if latex man will be next?

I know this will be the wrong place to ask but..

Can someone tell me where to find out the Financial Results of BMI and in particular BMI regional?

This gives some info

You won't get much. Like many similar organisations, airlines and non-airlines, bmi produces consolidated accounts for public consumption. They file accounts for their subsidiaries with Companies House, and these are available for a small fee, but they don't have a massive amount of detail on them.

Only people inside the company will have the details.

TA

bmi new Midhaul Business Cabin
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5005/...000226ef21.jpg

bmi new Midhaul Economy Cabin
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5048/...7f0aa4cd3e.jpg

Currently 1 A/C out of 9 have been refurbished with the new cabin as pictured above. (DJ).

When all of the Midhaul A/C have been completed (by May 2011) then the shorthaul A/C will be done. They will be receiving new LH 'style' seats but in the same brown colour scheme as the new Midhaul seats. I will post on here the schedule when I know it.

Worked on DK yesterday, and although it's (finally) resplendant in the blue whale livery, the interior is still very blue.

Rumours are rife of a merger between mainline & Regional. Would explain the non replacement of all those managers. Perhaps we are atlast looking at some serious restructuring & consolidation.

Maybe not a merger, just a closer reign over the management of Regional? WP-S was interviewed a week or so ago for Business Traveller (here) and seems pretty clear that Mainline, Baby and Regional all have future roles to play as part of BMI and the LH group...

Intriguing that Regional "will serve" international routes. I would have hoped that LH hubs would mean decent multiple daily departures to FRA rather than the patchwork services to CPH and BRU....

In a previous interview WPS said that if FRA got an additional runway there would be oppertunities for Regional to operate from a number of regional airports to FRA. There is, however, only so many passengers who want to fly from ABZ, EDI, GLA, LBA etc to FRA. I guess the frequency would reflect demand.

Mainline & Regional share a brand (however weak). It makes no sense to me to have duplicated management structures. Merge the companies, have 2 fleets & 2 payscales but offer better career progression (FO Emb - FO A320 - Capt Emb - Capt A320) & reduced infrastructure costs. Simples.

Baby on the otherhand has a stronger individual brand & different core values. It makes sense to keep them seperate, possibly differentiate a little more between the 2 brands.

The new runway (~ 9,000 ft) opens at FRA next year. And I don't consider FRA as a particularly appealing destination either, but BMI Regional could become a real competitor for long haul destinations from the UK regions if they had a organised feeder system through FRA. Right now, if you have a choice at all, you're usually looking at BA through LHR or KL through AMS.

Tripoli
 

The new tripoli flight was planned to be operated on a319 but I've noticed on flybmi.com that it is now being sold on a320, Does anyone know if they have decided to put a midhaul aircraft on it to provide a better business class product (to out do ba club europe style on that route) or will it be a regular shorthaul aircraft with 3:3 config with the middle seat left empty in business?

According to rumours, there are plans that BMI will not only operate on behalf of Lufthansa between MAN/BHX from FRA with effect summer schedule 11 but also from MUC starting winter schedule 11/12. Anyone able to confirm?

(I thought we had discussed the FRA rumour earlier in this thread, but I cannot find the posts).

There is little sense in having crews and aircraft overnighting in the UK when you have your own airline which can operate the routes. On LHR-VIE for example OS operate the first flight to London, while BD operate the first flight out of LHR.
Another thought is that BD has little O&D market of it's own and LH could probably put the aircraft out of other hubs to better use.

Wonder if we could see bmi take on the full hog of FRA/MUC/DUS/STR/HAM from MAN?

Also, this will require 2 based units, as FRA is 4 daily and I think MUC is 3 daily?

If your going to base 2 units, wonder if this could pave the way for MAN to become a base per say, and have the aircraft maybe do a VIE/MAD or something in the downtime?

BMI Frankfurt
 

I just assumed that three flights would be by BMI A320 and the 09.00 inbound to BHX & MAN would still be LH mainline or in BHX;s case possibly Cityline Embraer. The A320 could do eight sector days starting at 0600 and finishing at 23.00 but it is very tight and of course the flights have to fit into the Lufthansa departure banks at Frankfurt and this might not work.

Brian

As for BHX & MAN Munich I have not heard that one. It would be bad news for spotters but good for the number of seats available from BHX, as it is currently 2 x 86 seat CRJ9 and 1 x 116 seat 195 (or 190). Three daily A319 or A320 might be a tad much for BHX but you never know.

Pete

Yes and no. From what I have heard, the idea is more to boost BD's performance by providing work for them without any commercial risk. This type of work is not new for BD as they have already based, e.g., an A320 away from home in CGN to serve the LHR route on behalf of Lufthansa.

Wasn't there also talk about BD taking over some more of LH's routes from LHR?

Will be interesting to know how the logistics of BMI at MAN operating for LH. They operate out of different terminals and BMI self handle in T3 where as LH are handled by Servisair in T1 ??

I believe the ramp for BMI is Servisair as well. Mind you even sister bmibaby has a different handling agent in Menzies at T3.

About BHX/MAN - FRA...

Is it already confirmed somewhere those flights will indeed be taken over by BD?

I've checked several booking sites, but for both routes, I only see LH aircraft loaded for S11?

Also, does anybody know if the wetlease contract with SN on the BRS/NCL - BRU route will be extended? From the booking websites, it seems both routes will be operated by SN again as from S11, although no official communication whatsoever is available on this matter either?

I have flights booked MAN-FRA for June 2011. Nowhere does it say flt operated by BD

Does it really matter if an official announcement has been made yet or if an itinerary states which airline is operating the flight. Yes, a lot of readers on here are aviation enthusiasts and regular travellers so it could be of interest but the vast majority of every-day passengers do not know what airline they are flying on , let alone the type of aircraft:ooh:

Frontcheck - it's actually an EU legal requirement that customers are made aware of the airline operating their flight, particularly where this differs from the marketing carrier actually selling the seats for it. So, if services are to be operated by bmi, Lufthansa are obliged to disclose this to passengers booked and yet to book.

Once it is or at least IF it is confirmed, yes passengers will be informed, most likely via email something along the lines ''your flight is now scheduled to operate with our sister airline bmi british midland...'' I feel people are getting ahead hof themselves here at the minute because nothing has been confirmed on when or if this is definately going ahead by Lufthansa just rumour.

customers can be " made aware of changes to what airline is operating their flight " right at the last minute. from experience in past years bmi have chartered in a titan aircraft and passengers are advised of this at check in and boarding. they are made aware of difference to service on board, seating etc.

Bmi Glasgow
 

bmi to stop flights to lhr from gla summer 2011 waiting for axe to fall again.:ugh:

Do you have a link or a source for this info..............???

There's a Hell of a lot of codeshares on those flights into STAR partners at Heathrow. Still if it means Air Canada have to serve Scotland with their own metal again.....

Wow no more BD001....we shall see.