A strangely positive spin on Flybe basically pulling out of the Channel Islands where it all began for them.

Huh? Flybe are handing over all channel islands flying to Blue Islands? Where are we getting this?

Skipness obviously not right now but I think that's where we're eventually heading. Hamaad has no interest in the Channel Islands whatsoever, that was clear from the base closures.

Franchise
 

If they are a Flybe franchise based in the CI it makes sense that they would operate all the current Flybe routes to and from the CI.
Why would they sign up otherwise?

BI operate to SOU, BRS, LCY, GVA (and between the islands) only in their own right as far as I know.

BEE still have a pretty big operation - to all corners of the UK (esp in Summer, and esp. from JER), which would need some serious expansion from BI if they were to take all of that on.

Well with the Stobart venture of Southend they didn't really pull out of London - in fact set up base just down the road in LCY. It is going to be a connect the dots carrier, just like Loganair (and the sometimes surprising routes they have been doing over the last couple of years)

The deal is not even done yet. The press release talks about an MoU, not a contract. Even Saad Hammad talks about the "planned relationship." I think something has bounced them into an early announcement.

Loganair is a flyBE franchise based in Scotland but that doesn't mean that they operate all the current flyBE routes to and from Scotland. If flyBE is making money on routes to the CI, they have no particular reason to give those routes up. BI needs this deal much more than BE, in my view.

I think some of you on here need to educate yourselves on what a franchise actually means.

Couldn't agree with you more Coffin Corner. It does not mean under any circumstance that they are operating all CI routes, it's like saying that the Stobart Air franchise operates all routes to Ireland for BE, which is obviously not true.

Come on guys, simple organisational understanding wouldn't go a miss !

Like Loganair, they no longer want the overheads of a whole booking and marketing structure and realise that in some cases, franchising means economies of scale and shared risk. When and if this goes through, expect some major headcount pruning where flybe will be taking on the booking platform and the online sales.
Blue Islands started out as highe(er) quality and self handling, and sadly and predictably found the maket won't really pay for that. Hence they need to do something to put their struggling business onto a more sound footing, and that's to get into bed with a bigger partner.
As seperate companies and the bigger partner, flybe won't be handing over any profitable routes to the Channel Islands to anyone unless it has a larger synergy to the business.

Flybe have today launched the NWI-EXT flights today as part of the government funding, flights operating 6x a week, starting on the 24 March, return for about £34, operates on the Dash 8

EXT-NWI
 

Mmm, pardon me for being cynical. How popular was the EXT-NWI route last time it was operated? Average? Probably the Q400 was slightly too big. However.......

Firstly, great way to position the crews to and from NWI to operate the relevant parts of the EXT-Spain-NWI-Spain-EXT W pattern.

Secondly, reduces the cost of having to overnight them in hotels in NWI or Spain, and extra allowances which would be due.

And thirdly, oh, well we'll carry a load of punters too which will make the whole thing relatively profitable.

If they hadn't struck the deal to operate the 195's out of NWI, would they be operating EXT-NWI? Probably not.

But......as I personally know someone who is desperate for the route to be reinstated......well good luck to them.....and really, if they can make it pay this time and there's a demand, why not?

As you posted it really is a win win for flybe operating the route, and can't disagree with your points you made! with it also been given the government funding as well which will again reduce the cost down in terms of prices etc, Flybe must be quite happy really

LPL base closure.
 

Can anyone confirm it is just the base closing and not a withdrawal of flights?

LPL base
 

It isn't a base so it can't close. What are you referring to?

Liverpool is a crew base. The cabin crew were telling me last month that they hope this base expands as they only fly between Liverpool and Amsterdam.

On Amadeus GDS.
From Monday August 1st, daily flight Manchester to Lyon (France)

Schedule:

BE3233 MAN 11:05-13:50 LYS ex7
BE3233 MAN 11:55-14:40 LYS 7

BE3234 LYS 14:25-15:15 MAN ex7
BE3234 LYS 15:10-16:00 MAN 7

eye2eye5


That will surprise all the Flight and Cabin Crew who turn up there daily to work :eek:

Anyway - not for much longer - base closure notice just published with affect personnel returned to previous bases...........

LPL
 

Care to elaborate, ETOPS? My understanding is that the AMS is the only flight to overnight and that the aircraft is based elsewhere. AMS remains on sale on the Flybe website.

Probably will use Manchester crews


Ian

LPL
 

Thanks Ian....does that provide greater operational flexibility (I.e. larger pool of staff to use)?

The future of LPL-AMS is commercially sensitive info which I'm not entitled to.

The crew base cut-over is in about a months time and I would expect a public announcement soon.

LPL
 

Thank you ETOPS, much appreciated.

Flybe daily from Monday, August 1st on Hannover to Lyon (France)

Schedule:

BE3142 HAJ 10:45-12:50 LYS DH8 D
BE3143 LYS 13:25-15:35 HAJ DH8 D

Flybe daily from Monday, August 1st on Hannover to Malpensa

Schedule:

BE7325 HAJ 16:10-18:10 MXP DH8 D
BE7326 MXP 18:50-20:55 HAJ DH8 D

Wonder if there's a new base coming to Hannover, with 2 new routes to Milan and Lyon?

Quite a late start so is the aircraft inbound from somewhere in UK
then finish with a late return to UK maybe MAN or BHX

I see Republic have just filed for Chapter 11 protection - wonder if this will affect the remaining transfer of their -8 fleet?

Flybe HAJ
 

Interesting development. HAJ has some good business travel, but not enough to sustain daily A319/B737 ops. Lyon is a bit of a surprise, MXP is a pretty good choice, other thinkable routes would be ARN, PRG, WAW, SZG, VCE, FCO, NCE, DUB, BUD; with Spanish destinations probably a push for he Dash8. All of the aforementioned destinations have been served from HAJ before, generating some good uptake, but not sufficient for the 150+ seats planes.

Flybe are basing one Dash 8 in HAJ


Dublin has been done by Aer Lingus last year and always had high loads but for some reason they gave up!

The HAJ routes look to be W patterns, no sign of it being a base...

According to HAJ Intranet News one Flybe Dash 8 will be based in Hannover


Quote "
Nonstop nach Mailand und Lyon

flybe verstärkt Präsenz in Hannover mit zwei neuen Zielen und einer stationierten Maschine


Ab dem 01. August wird die britische Fluggesellschaft flybe mit Mailand Malpensa und Lyon täglich zwei neue Nonstop-Ziele ab Hannover anfliegen. In diesem Zusammenhang stationiert die Airline eine Bombardier Q400 an unserem Flughafen, die Platz für 78 Passagiere bietet. "

Flybe HAJ
 

Number of options then for BE at HAJ, if it was indeed a based aircraft:
1) they add another morning destination for the based a/c (UK destination likely too far for the ca. 90mins sector length)
2) they change the BRU schedule from HAJ so that morning flight continues to be done from HAJ, but afternoon and evening flight from BRU
3) ??

Overall HAJ presents a good test balloon, as BE have had one plane overnighting for many years as part of SN ops there.

Isle of Man
 

Anyone know what Flybe's game plan really is for the Isle of Man?
Stobart on all flights in a few months' time, but apparently VLM are now also coming to operate some flights in March to MAN.
Beginning to look like a heritage aircraft route....?

LPL-AMS gone from the rest system from 28 March.

Press release re. the above:

Flybe | Corporate | Media | News archive | FLYBE STATEMENT 160301

Love the way they try to make it an environmental as well as financial decision - yeah right.

LPL-AMS
 

Was always a stupid decision by them. Not going to compete with the orange lot on that route.

Passenger wise, they're holding their own at MAN, with KLM to boot. Weather they're making money though - only Flybe knows.

Personally I can see little wrong with the Flybe statement. Quite reasonable to say that flying a plane with only a few seats filled is unsustainable in both economic and environmental terms.
However the word 'reasonable' for some posters on here is not part of their vocabulary.

It's naive to think this would be anything other than a financial decision.

I'm not actually criticising that, my point was that trying to dress it up as something else looks a bit silly.