Sounds like there will be an ‘announcement to media’ next week at Airlines 2050 Conference.

OK lets stick to facts ............
We are very nearly at the 15th of October. A large venue has been hired in Exeter and everyone who is anyone has travelled down there to her the big news.
I'm worried that not all FlyBe people will hear good news hence my previous post wishing them good luck

First glimmers of news will set the tone I think.

Nothing yet ?

"Virgin Connect"

https://virginconnect.co.uk/

In 2020 Flybe will become Virgin Connect, your new go-to name in regional flying.

https://www.headforpoints.com/2019/1...irgin-connect/

More info there.

Good grief. Customer Service in our DNA, passionate, exciting, driving the company forward.
As opposite to peddling it backwards I guess ?
Same old PR spin. They regurgitate this positive wording rubbish time after time.
And it's not even original. Anybody remember BAcon, a former UK regional carrier ?

Good luck to all involved. I'm just not quite sure sufficient profitable connections are in place to link with the big brand owner.

People I know would describe it as ‘Fur coat and no knickers’... Lots of fluff, without actually saying much.

And the big order that was announced on here for A220.????????
​​​​​​Always sounded like hot air ...

As Swiss has just grounded their entire fleet of A220s for urgent engine inspections- maybe there isn't a need to rush to A220s just yet?

More detail due this evening - I'm thinking this will be a long term project to gradually alter FlyBe into VSC.

Wont be a quick fix.

I'm sensing a lot of buyers remorse of Virgins part here. The glacial pace at which anything is happening tells me that they don't really have any idea as to what they want to do with Flybe.

There is a clue in the name, Virgin Connect, not Virgin Regional...connecting with VS being its focus.

Any updates on Blue Islands and Eastern Airways, will they still continue under the Virgin connect/flybe umbrella ????

I would imagine the plan will be to set Virgin Connect up similarly to the US network carriers. Similar to Delta Connect, United Express, American Eagle etc...

Bump! Cheers guys ;)

Virgin's main base is Heathrow where slots are unavailable unless you spend huge quantities of money. Bmi found out 10 years ago that flying anything under about 150 seats doesn't work when slots cost so much. Dash 8s on a large scale just won't work at LHR

That leaves just Manchester which has plenty of people but a fraction of the corporate cash, and is much more focussed on leisure routes (ie business travel for big cash is much rarer). Lots of PR fluff but I'm struggling to see a profitable business plan in this. Anyone able to enlighten me ?

You do realise slots are not going to be available for a long time? They are only making around 3 a week at the moment, and it will take a while for that to be increased significantly. There is already a sizable backlog with orders about to flood in. Amazing how long its taken airlines to realise that the only clean sheet design narrow-body jet for decades might actually be the way to go :rolleyes:

Works for AF at CDG and KL at AMS?

Getting the largest and most dominant regional airline in the country for peanuts and inheriting a much lower cost base in the process to build your feed from sounds like a good move to me.

Slot pairs at AMS or CDG do not sell for $75m a time like they do at LHR.

I would not read too much into the "Connect" part. BA Connect did no feed BA at LHR or LGW, despite the Connect part in its name.

And how will they get slots at LHR? You cannot just give them a call and they will hand you dozens of slots on a silverplate, even if you are Scrooge McDuck. And we are not talkig about "slots" for an additional daily flight or so, but about slots that are suitable for running a proper hub and spoke operation feeding VS longhaul flights.

This evenings update doesn't add much to what has been released already apart from a clear indication of "downsizing" - no hint as to how big that might be. Also I'm now convinced this will be a relatively slow transition so no major fireworks immediately.

Agreed. 'Connect Airways' is the name of the holding company on the initial buyout so unless they had a comprehensive business plan from day one (and the length of time it's taken to roll the brand out suggests they had no such thing) it's just a name.

​​​​​​Of course Rivet Joint, that was my point. I never expected any investment/ order but reading on this forum it was seen as a hot option... despite the current Swiss set back I think 220 is a super plane and well do great.

From this morning's news:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50066255

Plus all what we have heard from Virgin hints at no change, but at business as usual:

"At its heart, Virgin Connect will be passionately focused on becoming Europe's most loved and successful regional airline".
"As Flybe, we have been connecting passengers across the UK and Europe for 40 years...Virgin Connect will continue our work as Europe’s Largest Regional Airline."
"We will differentiate ourselves in the regional market upon rebranding next year."
"We will remain true to our heritage and reason for being, which is offering essential regional connectivity to local communities."
"We’ll be saying goodbye to purple and hello to red...whilst continuing to connect the regions & our passengers to what matters most."


Btw, the Virgin Connect brand already exists for a Virigin broadband operator in Russia. So I guess flights to Russia will be out of question....

EXTLCY
 

Flybe have regularly reduced some services from Exeter during January in the past. There are fewer business passengers flying during that period apparently.

Virgin Connect
 

The way they revealed their news in a football pitch with no reference to air travel left me thinking they were more disconnected than connected

Not a football pitch but a rugby pitch. Exeter Chiefs who Flybe sponsor and do charters for.

From the picture they used a drone to capture that image. Would Exeter Airport have welcomed that so they could get a photo in front of a hangar or similar infrastructure?

Imagine someone actually got paid for producing that load of ****. Embarrassing is an under-statement. The word '​underwhelmed' comes to mind. I could do 20 times better than that myself, and I've got no marketing skills whatsoever. I think the management need to be a little more enthused about their new airline.

As a total outsider, but someone who works in "big business" I would say that they have deliberately kept this somewhat low key, due to the circumstances - that could, and I suspect already have, impacted some staff adversely.

Flybe (even as they stand today) provide so many connections around (and outside) of the UK that nobody else does, and that people rely on, that I can't see an overnight/wholesale change to feeding VS/Delta etc. long-haul only.

We are already seeing a 'slimmed down' airline with regards to route network/inventory and this will probably be slashed even further when S20 is released. As discussed previous, I really cannot see how the new business will make money from their long haul bases (MAN/LHR) as the majority of regional traffic doesn't feed in to these hubs. Could understand if BHX was also a VS hub but instead looks like this deal has been done in readiness for runway 3 at LHR and greater slot allocations!

That's a big bet then given current climate change motivations

I thought "Virgin Connect" was a rather select dating site . . .:O

A £2.2m gamble they may see as worth taking!

Oh, sure - though a risky play for a route so dependent on commuters; guess the assumption is that the train product is now so dire they'll always come back. Though my info may be out of date as the flights are still on sale