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Flybe have just posted the following info on its website:

Flybe Announces Base Changes

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FLYBE ANNOUNCES BASE CHANGES

Airline to stop jet flights from Cardiff, Doncaster, Exeter and Norwich, but will continue with Q400 flying
Current flight cancellations are unrelated to this decision

Flybe today announces the details of a base review as part of its previously stated strategy to reduce its aircraft fleet and return all of its 118-seat Embraer 195 aircraft to its lessors, of which six will be returned this financial year.

The 78-seat Bombardier Q-400 will continue as the backbone of Flybe’s network, being the ideal aircraft for the regional network it provides to connect the UK and the UK regions with the rest of the world.

The following airports are impacted:

Exeter - following discussions with the airport, Flybe will cease jet operations with effect from the start of the 2019-20 Winter programme. The last jet flights will therefore operate on Saturday 26th October 2019. This will not impact the Q400 operated schedule out of Exeter, nor the existing base structure

Norwich - as with Exeter, Flybe will cease jet operations with effect from the start of the 2019-20 Winter programme. This will not affect services at Norwich operated by Flybe’s franchise partner, Eastern Airways.

Cardiff & Doncaster - Flybe will cease jet operations out of these airports with effect from the start of the 2019-20 Winter programme. Flybe currently has a base at both airports to service its jet services. Once the jet flights cease Flybe will close these bases, but will continue to offer flights to and from both Cardiff and Doncaster on Q400 with aircraft and crew flying from other bases.

Flybe would like to stress that the current flight cancellations being experienced are not linked to this decision and are the result of a combination of other factors.

Flybe CEO, Christine Ourmières-Widener said:
“Our fleet reduction has always been core to improving our profitability. We are committed to assisting all our affected employees across the impacted Flybe bases. We remain fully committed to Exeter, Cardiff and Doncaster airports and will continue to offer a comprehensive choice of regional and European destinations operated by our 78-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft”

on a Dash 8 maybe
nice

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Flybe CEO, Christine Ourmières-Widener

When can we expect her to be replaced - surely she has presided over a failing airline?

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Originally Posted by fjencl (Post 10437664)

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-fl...-idUKKCN1RF1NT

Given BE's earlier official statement that they will continue to operate some routes at these airports (operated by non based aircraft) this Reuters report would appear to be factually incorrect in claiming BE are to "end flights" and "not fly" from these airports any more

Quote:

Originally Posted by 22/04 (Post 10437659)

When can we expect her to be replaced - surely she has presided over a failing airline?

and completely demolished the majority of shareholder value in doing so. You would have to question how long the Chairman has, as he presided over the fall from the initial offer price all the way down to 1p.

Ryanair should pick up the winter sun routes from those UK regionals, load factors are good.

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Originally Posted by LXGB (Post 10437719)

Ryanair should pick up the winter sun routes from those UK regionals, load factors are good.

Nervous pax’s are going to flock to ryanair and easy , no doubt about that , Virgin were sold a right pup.....

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Originally Posted by Brigantee (Post 10437740)

Nervous pax’s are going to flock to ryanair and easy , no doubt about that , Virgin were sold a right pup.....

it’s because of the sale to Virgin,Flybe are in the situation they are today . Many flight deck leaving non hub bases due to uncertainty about redundancy at regional bases

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Originally Posted by Brigantee (Post 10437740)

Nervous pax’s are going to flock to ryanair and easy , no doubt about that , Virgin were sold a right pup.....

It has possibly been discussed earlier in the thread so apologies if I am asking a silly question - but do we think VS have offered the £2.8m or whatever it was to get their hands in BE's LHR slots and then they bin the rest of the non-LHR routes?

Pax will be fully entitled to claim the EU 361 cancelled flights compo (less than 7 days before departure) plus hotac and meals if stranded I would think on most routes, and compo for the so-called ops and tech delays (incl no crew)

gonna cost Flybe a wad of ££££

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Originally Posted by jmccrew (Post 10437766)

it’s because of the sale to Virgin,Flybe are in the situation they are today . Many flight deck leaving non hub bases due to uncertainty about redundancy at regional bases

You are forgetting that recruitment would have been a problem before Virgin and Stobart came along, because the company was going down the pan. No wonder they are struggling now.

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No. They have said they will support routes that make money long term. The strategy at CWL and DSA was questionable - and a way of using up E195s on unfavorable leases. However further unprofitable routes will go in time I suspect.

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The strategy at CWL and DSA was questionable - and a way of using up E195s

Don't think there have been 195's at CWL or DSA for a while now?

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Originally Posted by Wycombe (Post 10437886)

Don't think there have been 195's at CWL or DSA for a while now?

Since December for Cardiff and over a year at Doncaster.

What has happened to the CAA's attitude that they would not accept an AOC holder who "did not have the resources to operate their public schedules". This requirement was what led to sub-chartering in whatever capacity could be found, at considerable additional cost, to cover scheduled operations that the carrier themselves found they did not have crew/aircraft/whatever for. The only excuse for cancellation was "zero comercial load", ie no bookings at all.

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Originally Posted by rog747 (Post 10437774)

Assuming this crewing issue isn't resolved anytime soon, are more cancellations each day likely to become the norm in the coming days/weeks?? If so will indeed be costing them mega £££££££

Is this going to be the NWI nonsense again of paying students to fill planes just to reach quots so no penalties to pay the airports!!!

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Assuming this crewing issue isn't resolved anytime soon, are more cancellations each day likely to become the norm in the coming days/weeks?? If so will indeed be costing them mega £££££££

If it's a long term, chronic shortage of staff and not some short term blip due to sickness or hours, they'll need to start looking at adjusting their forward schedule, surely? There again, if it is a structural shortage of crews, why didn't they see this coming.

Surely they didn't just wake up one morning and find they had no crews? :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWBKCB (Post 10437986)

This issue is the chronic incompetence of upper management. Bad decision after bad decision, incapable of listening to the people on the ground. Crewing shortage has been apparent for a while, couple that with the lack of news and and uncertainty and crews have been leaving in droves. Feel really sorry for cabin crew in the bases that are closing as they will find it harder than the flight crews to find work.