Flybe don't contract cleaners at EMA?

Seems like a failing on Flybe's part if that's the case.

They do as far as I am aware but if cleaners are requested off schedule then you are at their bidding and they will turn up as and when they feel like it or are able.

Toon Boy
 

Is this about the airline or about grumpy passengers?
Get out more!
What about the visits to Waterworld... any info??

I am sure said issues will be resolved in time :) The trouble with the very system in which we live is that labour is demanded at times that are not convenient to the person who is providing said labour. Age-old capitalims-vs.communism debate :P

Fleet
 

I see another trying morning.

I could not help noticing the cancellations (ten noted network wide) and delays at BHX this morning and it is only just midday.

15% of the Dash fleet not flying this morning and in peak summer months this seems a little bit poor. Also 3 jets noted as on the ground and a 4th only flew for the first time at 11.52 - two 195's and two 175's (one 175 just got airborne on its first flight of the day).

I assume tech issues rather than crewing or weather related?

Although not a 100% reliable FR24 had 7 Q400's having not flown up until midday - one since 27 July (EXT), another 29 July (BHX), another 24 July (GCI), the others since early yesterday (MAN, BHD, SOU & BHX). I make that 15% of the fleet.

The two 195's not flying seem to show one at Manchester since 25/7 and BHX since 29/07 and the 175 at BHX since last night.

Therefore at one point today 17% of the fleet was not operating although with only ten cancellations and a few delays I presume not all 10 grounded aircraft were due to be flying.

NB. This is not counting two Q400's that started to fly late morning and the one in the paint shop.

I noticed that the cancellations were not so bad yesterday but I assume no desire for aircraft substitutions? (some have been available at times).

Update: One 195 and the other 175 which was not in service have been used from BHX this afternoon but still one more cancellation showing this evening.

Pete

Regarding the winter schedule is that all the flights released now ?

Just wondering about the ski routes they tend to operate to places like Lyon , Grenoble , Salzburg etc from some of the regional airports at the weekend seems rather late in the day now to put them on sale if they at all intend to ?

I was one of the victims of yesterday's cancellations and delays. Manchester flights were chaotic, and we were told due to staffing issues and tech problems, although this was far from clear. Stood in queues for several hours at IOM airport. Trying again today. Lots of unhappy passengers being forced to miss onward flights.

Looks like further delays today.

Certainly in the IOM it was just an unfortunate afternoon. Only one cancellation which was the MAN and a few delays in the evening sectors.

You only need an hour delay for it to mess up onward connection plans and with the exception of the STN the delays in the evening were mostly an hour give or take a few minutes. Delays therefore were not excessive, just a few at the same time and on routes where delays can be more inconvenient than others.

BHX was a similar story in that apart from the morning EDI was cancelled. It went a bit messy in the afternoon....I suspect some link to the late morning EGC which had an hour delay didn't help and caused a knock on delay to other sectors. On a Saturday at most airports if you start of with a small delay it just grows and grows.

MAN had more cancellations so was worst hit during the day. Two IOM sectors, a DUS and some others were cancelled.

The majority of the day in SOU and BHD was trouble free with the odd delay here and there which I suspect was caused by aircraft changes to assist with the wider network problems.

EXT and BOH was trouble free all day and CWL only had one minor delay.

Delays
 

Yes it has all started gain this morning at BHX but no cancellations as yet. Three hour inbound delay on EDI, two hour outbound but it seems that they might have taken the Inverness aircraft which now has a 150 minute delay, Biarittz just under one hour and Dusseldorf two hours.

Out of the seven Dash 8's not flying in the morning one did do a few sectors in the afternoon the other six did not move. However another couple seem to have taken the afternoon off. Two of the seven are flying today but joined by another one leaving six not flying.

I am sure flybe did a great job in terrible circumstances yesterday but it is not an isolated issue, as Thursday also saw cancellations and delays and the "best" one was the four hour delay on BHX - Newquay which was eventually operated by an aircraft returning from a training detail which started around the same time the flight was due out. Cancelling training details must be expensive compared to paying compensation to the passengers.

Again I am sure a sound commercial decision was made but it just looks bad although I doubt the passengers were aware. Also it was unfortunate it was the same plane that was on the training detail and it matched the delay. Departed BHX 11.33 arrived back at around four and out to Newquay at 16.30 - Credit FR24 and flybe website.

Are management happy with this happening so often or is the deal with Bombardier that good?

Pete

But the idiot in charge says the Trash 8 is the future of flybe... :=

Funny how these things work, sack lots of loyal employees, fly
a noisy tech ridden fleet, but providing you cut costs the city
loves you... :D

Apparently there are no issues with the fleet, Bombardier has
fixed all the tech issues.... :ugh:

There are obviously some fleet issues of some sort. Flybe have leased in a VLM FK50 for what I understand is two months. It was in Manchester today.

Aha that would explain OO-VLF at Ronaldsway today!

Yes - take my earlier post, scrub out "Cello" and insert "VLM" :rolleyes:

Looks like Flybe are in trouble again today. I'm currently stuck at Manchester again hoping that the delay won't be more than the advertised 1.5 hours.

I was given the later MAN flight as an option but the delay was extended to 3 hours with no guarantee so I elected to fly to Birmingham the next morning (delayed 1 hour). This on top of miserable experiences of various friends and relatives is making me think of fairly drastic action, including cancelling all my upcoming bookings.

Owlery
Looks as if trouble follows you, remind me never to fly on the same flights as you


Ian

Or anyone I know! I think the problems are focused on the IOM as the Easyjet flight from Gatwick was also cancelled this morning. I flew Flybe twice a week through the winter and only had a couple of serious problems. I guess that they struggle when flights are fairly full. Anyway, the flight left just over 2 hours late: the crew weren't sure what caused the delay.

The F-50 seat maps are currently loaded for specific IOM-MAN-IOM and IOM-STN-IOM rotations through to 30/9/2015, with the aircraft night-stopping in IOM.

It also does MAN-AMS-MAN after the early morning IOM-MAN.

After 30/9/2015 everything reverts to Q400 maps. As far as IOM is concerned, it looks like a repeat to the DAT ATR-72 arrangement from last year, albeit that covered LPL and BHX.

Represents a significant drop in capacity on STN especially, just when the EZY schedule to LGW develops the usual seasonal gaps.

Flybe are all over the place again today with evening IOM-MAN and BHX flights badly delayed, amongst many others (Ireland and Scotland in particular).
Presumably staff will also be getting fed up with the current situation, not least the harassed ticketing staff at IOM Airport.
I've received an email from Flybe saying that the Manchester flight will be operated by VLM next week (confirming what Tonyq says above), so I hope that this is an effort to sort out the problem.


Otherwise I can see serious questions being asked by people with more influence than me.

I note what TonyQ says about operations post 30/9/15, however interestingly I have a STN-IOM flight on 9th October and I have had an email this afternoon that informs me that my flight will be operated by VLM. Might it therefore be around a bit longer, perhaps until the end if the summer schedules?

I agree that it represents a drop in capacity however given my previous experience of the stansted service, and overhearing cabin crew, it would appear that loads are often quite small so in reality I don't think the reduced capacity will be an issue.

My earlier comments reflect the seat maps. My son has had an e-mail stating that his flights MAN-IOM-MAN either side of Xmas (!!) will be operated by VLM, so I suspect that someone at BE has set the parameters for e-mails notifications incorrectly!!:ugh:

Thankfully I'm not flying this evening but Flybe's schedule looks a total mess with I think all flights delayed significantly. MAN to Belfast appears to be 4 hours late. So it's not just me! Anyone know what's going on? This seems unprecedented chaos bearing in mind the problems in recent weeks. The crew this morning had no idea what was causing the problems. Others have received the VLM email about various flights.

MAN to BHD this evening is being diverted to BFS, so probably the flight tomorrow morning for this aircraft will be delayed as crew have to fly it down from BFS to BHD in the morning
Appears to be a regular occurrence on BHD MAN flights....delays

Gazmo,


I think it is going back to MAN from BFS...


EI-BUD

Thanks EI BUD you are correct, arriving at 23.30 at BFS and should depart just before midnight

Severe delays reported this morning again for various flights - many at Southampton, I hear.


A VLM van has arrived on the IOM after a journey from Belgium and staff are staying at the hotel where Flybe staff (used to?) overnight. Presumably they are delivering equipment and setting up the airport operation.


The picture seems to be clearing a little. It's only conjecture based on Flybe's evasiveness and my observations, but I guess that a few Flybe aircraft are presently grounded whilst waiting to have their VLM livery applied - hence the delays. It looks to me like VLM will take over Flybe's British flights and Flybe will focus on international (European) operations.

Owlery
Can you expand on what you mean by VLM taking over Flybe`s
British operation, do you mean ex IoM

Ian

I'm only guessing, as information about the root cause of the crisis is being held back, but with the disruption being so widespread it looks to me like it's more than just the IOM routes.

Sorry Owlery, but I think that you are drifting into the realms of fantasy there!

It appears that BE have some short term, peak season shortfall in resources,(probably both aircraft and staff) so have outsourced one aircraft's worth of work to a third party, who specialises in this type of activity, as part of their business model.

Perfectly normal activity. Ryanair, easyJet and BA all do it regularly

Surely, if the sort of fundamental shift in the operational model that you suggest was in the offing, then it would be subject to some sort of Stock Exchange announcement or update.

The VLM is being leased by Flybe, simple.

No Flybe aircraft are being painted in VLM livery. What an odd thing to say?

Why is it odd? I said it was a guess so obviously I could be wide of the mark. But judging by the chaos, Flybe seem to be short of aircraft. Also Flybe are unwilling to explain what the main problem is, leaving the reasons open to speculation and rumour (this is a rumour network, remember). And why do VLM have to bring a van across if they are merely leasing a plane to Flybe?

Peak season shortfall in resources could partially explain it but the disruption is too severe for that to be the main reason (unless major incompetence is in effect). I don't see other airlines having such persistent and serious delays and yet it's the same season for them.

Delays
 

Now into the 6th straight day of delays at BHX, a slight change of problem, as three jets have not operated this morning albeit one is the spare 195.

Two 175's out, one since mid-afternoon yesterday's Berlin and another that last flew last night. Both covered by Q400's (Stuttgart, Edinburgh & Jersey) but the subsequent Q400 schedule is up the spout.

Delays out to Glasgow (Glasgow aircraft), Inverness (BHX aircraft), Deauville (BHX aircraft), second Jersey and Newquay. Not helped by the late arrival of the Isle of Man aircraft as well. delays between 60 and 150 minutes.

Is there seems to be a reluctance (cost) to use the Cello aircraft that has been on the ground BHX for the last few days?

Pete

Or could it be that Cello have not been paid yet for their recent flights for Flybe and are reluctant to operate for them until payment is forthcoming?

I would guess at spares and maintenance crew.

ian

I had a similar email last week for a MAN-IOM flight in early September, followed by another email today saying the first was sent in error and that the flights would be operated by Flybe after all.

What is going on?

What I said in post #142 above. Someone at BE, seems to have set the parameters for advising the change to VLM, for specific flights, incorrectly and they are now rescinding the incorrect notifications.

You've got proof of that potentially libellous statement I assume Compton?

Owlery...rarely have I read such garbage on a thread (and I've been on the Jet2 thread!). VLM are covering a fixed line of flying for a defined period of time. End of.

Good post Tartinton:D