Well, Cityjet has 14 Avro RJ85 to choose from for, if I am not mistaken, a route network that requires 4 or 5 at most (are the Avros used on any other routes than DUB-CDG/LCY and LCY-FLR). If you have just three E95 that are all needed to run your daily schedulesm back-up options are slightly more bleak....

I fly WX about 4 to 6 times per month, and not once over the last year have I experienced any tech issues, not once, nada.

I have flown BEE about 12 times since they announced using those E195s and I can honestly say I've experienced 5 tech issues, 3 resulted in fairly significant delays, the other two they pulled both flights after stringing all the pax along for 3 to 4 hour tech delays. Me and pax left high and dry to try get back home to Essex. Ended up buying Are Lingus ticket to Gatwick and the other was Cityjet into City.

Those Cityjet avro's are dated but plenty of them and they do an excellent job ensuring tech events are limited or rare.

Whereas at Stobart Air, it's been a complete and utter disaster running those three E195s.

Cityjet have more crewing issues than anything else, plenty of Avro's sitting around. They've had to contract Jota across the summer extensively to cover the staffing void. In my experience Cityjet provide an excellent and reliable service.

From April you won't have to choose Stobart/FlyBe again. Ryanair do, despite some recent publicity, operate a very reliable and on-time operation. In fairness Stobart do run a pretty reliable operation for Aer Lingus with the ATR's. I think it's mainly the SEN E195s that have been a bother. There have been teething trouble with the E195 operation, but this was never the plan. Originally WX were to operate a number of their SSJ-100s from SEN. The marriage was called off at the last minute the deal fell apart. I hope once RE take over the operation of all 3 aircraft and possibly source a spare things will improve.

Stobart must be thanking their lucky stars that the Cityjet deal fell through. The E195 serviceability may have given Stobart grief, but that was as nothing to the problems Cityjet faced with the SSJ100 on the Brussels Airlines contract. Plus two years on Cityjet have effectively pulled out of own b rand schedule flying.. What will Cityjet do with those SSJs when they come off the Brussels contract at the end of March ?

ive heard a lot of stobart first officers make the leap to aer lingus, is this true and does it happen often?

As posted on the Southend thread & from the Irish Independent...

Stobart Air pulling 2 EMB 190`s from SEN...services to Malpensa,Venice,Budapest & Prague to cease.

3rd `190 to continue SEN/DUB.

Link to the Irish Independent story

Stobart to pull two Flybe jets

Ah yes, but which of the three will remain to service the SEN - DUB goldmine route? One of the two G reg'd or the one EI reg'd aircraft. They need to select the aircraft with the best maintenance performance. Judging Stobart Air's fleet management performance to date, I remain doubtful they have the potential to deliver a reliable, punctual and consistent service on that route. I could be wrong, but experience to date speaks volumes.

I'd say the Irish registered one and then lease the UK ones out. I wonder if Flybe would be interested in them or maybe Loganair?

There won't be any UK registered 195s with Stobart by that time. G-FBEF & 'H will return to Flybe once EI-GGA & 'B have been delivered over the next couple of months.

I am assuming SEN-DUB will continue until the end of the Winter season only. Surely continuing alongside Ryanair would amount to commercial suicide?

So just to to clear this up. Stobart will remain the ''proud' owners / custodians of three 195's, but only one of these is currently in operation with them?

The other two are not in service as they are still undergoing pre-delivery maintenance with Flybe so, yes, only one of the purchased three is in service with them currently. When delivered the other two will replace those currently leased from Flybe.

That's correct. The other two, still ex-Flybe, are due shortly and they then too will become EI- registered. The current two G- registered (EF/EH) are currently leased from Flybe and may return to them. I say may, as obviously Flybe are also disposing of this fleet as soon as the leases are over and are all expected to have left Flybe by January 2020 - (Thankfully!)

With no extension on the Flybe / Stobart Air franchise partnership looking likely, it's going to be interesting to see how that fleet gets used. Short term ACMI and Ad-Hoc charter work may well better suit these E195s better than a "heavy" scheduled timetable.

I think flyBe is the only game in town from a franchise point of view, but given the cancellation of the IOM contract and the changes at SEN I don't think the relationship is that great. I don't think Aer Lingus Regional makes much sense on rotes from SEN to Manchester, Glasgow and even less to France. I can't see it being used on routes to Europe from SEN.
Im surprised that Stobart have decided to continue on the DUB-SEN route with the E195. Its going to be tough to compete with Ryanair on that one. It seems like Stobart find themselves in a similar position to CityJet - decent routes but the wrong brand/infrastructure to operate them with.

I think the statement that one 195 will be retained at SEN to operate the DUB service relates only until the end of March 2019 when Ryanair commence operations at SEN. Part of the deal may be that Stobart will continue SEN-DUB until Ryanair take over, simply to maintain continuity of the route. I cannot see Stobart continuing to operate SEN-DUB after that time.

SEN-DUB is one route that might make sense as an Aer Lingus Regional route - plenty of UK regional routes to Dublin where RYR and EI/EIR compete