Cazz-fly is correct
 

The future of low cost flying add, is designed to drive sales this Summer and as baby will continue to fly from both CWL & MAN until the end of October this year it will continue to promote its flights in both of the above in addition to the much larger scale advertising being rolled out across the midlands.

The add is quite funny, i won't paste the link here for fear of falling foul of the Mods, but if you click on the bmibaby website, click on the space ship and about a quarter of the way down is the "here" link which then goes to you tube, have a look at the faces of the people in the slow lane as the baby pax wizz by in the fast lane!!

Just waiting to see the reaction to the new Summer routes for next year!;);):D

INKJET do these new routes apply to both EMA and BHX? And why will there be a reaction to the new routes? A move from bucket and spade to destinations a bit more unusual? I really hope BHX gains as there are so many gaps in the European route map from there and Baby I think could be the ones to fill at least some of them :ok:

Baby are on record stating that one aircraft from CWL will go to BHX and one from MAN will go to EMA with the other two night stopping in BHD, not based (yet)! so there will be new routes to follow from both EMA & BHX for next Summer.

I would expect some city break routes from BHX next year. There are some very obvious gaps at BHX.

I see FR have dropped BUD from EMA, will Jet2 or baby pick up that? always seemed busy, but with FR numbers mean nothing

Definately the ''supposed'' new routes from BHX to Rome, Barcelona and Lisbon are definately overdue at returning to BHX. Other routes im sure many people would like to see back in the network are Madrid and some French routes (i.e some of the soon to be ex MAN routes). I feel Budapest would most likely suit BHX better as they then could have BHX to focus on city routes and a EMA to have a focus on sun/holiday routes. Though as you have pointed out INKJET, if baby don't jump in on it at EMA then that leaves potential for LS, should they decide to add city routes at EMA in the near future?

Website Problems
 

Have been trying to access the website since last night to change a flight with no success, I could access the site last night but nothing would load, this morning I can't even get on the site, the home page won't even load. Any ideas?

The bmibaby website is working fine for me at 09.29.

Monarch's still full of rumours that we're taking over baby, and that we have 9 737-800 on order to do flying from regional airports. Fits in with baby closing the MAN base.

Website
 

All OK now TSR2 - maybe my ancient laptop just can't cope with the future of low cost flying!

The Monarch/Baby rumour sure is an interesting one - but I have my doubts that it will go ahead, then again we don't know how keen LH are to get rid of them, they have made it clear in the past they are only interested in the profitable parts of the BMI acquisition. IF it did go ahead this could create quite a strong airline with a good range of key UK airport bases - wasn't there meant to be some big MON announcement across all the bases this week?

If it did go ahead as has been rumoured how interested would Monarch be with BHD ops.I believe the STN route is underperforming already.

I'd be very surprised - but stranger things have happened and I can understand Luftie wanting rid. So we could have Mr Monarch flying from Gatwick & Manchester with Baby Monarch from the other regions....:eek: and I've not heard of any Baby announcements planned in the near future.

Gayfriendly,

There is a big annoucment planned for the 25th May at 11am, management have told staff to set the date in their diary for exciting news regarding the future of the company, the annoucment will be broadcast live from the engineering hangar in Luton to all bases and key office locations!! Exciting stuff!! :ok:

It is wise never to say never, but it's very unlikely

As for LH getting rid of the unprofitable bits of bmi then mainline would be firsat in line me thinks!!

Low cost airlines rely on constant expansion, baby has done nothing but contract in recent years.
The fleet is ancient, fuel hungry and in desperate need of upgrade work (ACARS upgrade to comply with CPDLC, stringer AD's etc) which will cost at least a million quid per airframe.
Engineering work and some back office costs are covered by Mainline and accountancy jiggery-pokery.
From a pax perspective, the cabins are clapped out and generally fairly dismal. Fares do not in general have a big enough differential from full service carriers to be attractive and the Belfast half-base is just madness. The concept of Fortress Midlands is deeply flawed at best, hopelessly optimistic at worst.

There are a lot of good, highly talented people at bmi, sadly very few of them appear to be in upper management.

I am willing to bet that bmiBaby will not exist this time next year.

G AWZK
 

Another Ppruner that's going to have to eat his hat!!

Your argument is deeply flawed, whilst FR model requires constant expansion WW do not, least you forget they are now part of the LH family which is the EU's most profitable airline group and have over 700 aircraft, WW pays it's share of engineering and back office functions not the other way around !

With a group fleet of 60 plus classic's do you really think we are unaware of AD's in the pipe line and dont have plan to address these issues?

Have a read back of the baby thread and every 6 months someone makes the same comment about "willing to bet they won't be here next year" history says otherwise!!

The ZB rumour more likely a smoke screen for acquiring LS it has been pointed out many times that there is nothing to buy at WW the aircraft are all leased all property is now with in Dony Hall and the name bmibaby could hardly bf used by anyone else ?

I think the Summer 2012 release will show you that they will very much be around next year, but thanks for your concern

The word plan and bmi in the same sentence...:rolleyes:

Time will tell who is right inkjet, but DLH are not impressed with a number of things that are happening within the bmi group.

G-AWZK - "Time will tell who is right inkjet, but DLH are not impressed with a number of things that are happening within the bmi group."

The source to back this statment up is.....what are they unhappy with then, The state of world affairs that are hitting the plan that they do have in place?

As it's LH running the show, your saying there not happy with themselves!

Have you had a bad expereince with WW by any chance? :ugh:

New Routes
 

BHX - LIS 2pw
BHX - BCN 4pw

Lots of expansion at EMA inc NQY, GIB & CFU.

Wow well done bmibaby!!!

Also, (I know its been going around while now but it's doing the rounds again) could the rumour regarding a couple of frames from sister bmi be related to the new services too? I know they will have 1 extra 733 at both EMA and BHX and I know the 733 is more than capable of operating these new routes, however it could help them with higher capacity.

Some might remember WW did have use of one A319 and one A321 a few summers back - this was when WW operated about 6 (+2 BD frames) from MAN. I don't think there is the capacity at mainline to lend WW frames. Even at the weekends, as BD tend to send the short haul aircraft on charters and use the ERJs on the domestics. Unless BD pulls down a lot of the mid-haul flying over the next 6-12 months, BD frames operating for bAby is unlikely.

Maybe a little history lesson is needed here.

When baby was set up back in 2002, LH as a major shareholder did not want it created. Bishop, being Bishop, stuck two fingers up at Frankfurt and went ahead anyway, the reasoning being that it would be a blocker for EZY and FR at EMA. As it turns out, FR now have nearly as many aircraft based at EMA as WW have in their total fleet. When DLH were forced into buying the bmi group they did everything possible to stop the deal, and once they were forced into it, the first thing they did was try to sell it off, however the years of lack of investment didn't make it an attractive buy. Now that WW are living in Hastings House, instead of Tiny Town, it will interesting to see if any further cost savings will result. Given that the "strategy" seems to evolve on a day to day basis, and since the last financial figures were released the control of the group appears to be moving to Frankfurt rather than Donnington, I don't give baby much long term chance.

DLH have been looking for ways to offload baby since they got it, and there are some big ticket items coming down the chute that may well be the final death knell.

As to how I know this? Well I have been around a bit, and spent enough time on the third floor at Donnington Hall to see the writing on the wall and if you think that a low cost carrier model doesn't need to expand you are deluding yourself. The bmi group cannot sustain a low cost model, it has enough difficulty running a "conventional" airline.