We will certainly need to see more business acumen at running regional airlines than they demonstrated whilst running the airline for the final 13 months or so of its previous existence. Fundamentally, people are just speculating as to where the money is to be made which will make the company so valuable at a stock market floatation. No one else seems to make any real money flying regionally in the UK. I remember a quote from Saad Hamad saying following the last floatation in 2010 they didn't make another profit again until 2016!

It's good to see some things don't change including Jamie's optimism as the chief cheerleader (and pot stirrer) for Flybe's reincarnation on here!

Unless there is a very radical change in the market between now and that time then the prospect of Flybe being floated is fanciful. From those fairly close to this, a trade sale in a very short space of time (less than two years) sounds to be the agenda. That requires a fleet ramp-up to be able to fly slots and therefore hold them in the absence of a continued Covid-19 slot usage waiver. That isn't my assumption by the way - that's the considered view of some involved in this project since Flybe failed.

Am also hearing rumours that a Manchester base / operation is off the cards as the airport won't play ball?

Flybe v1 had an awful history for those who bought shares on almost any date after the flotation in 2010. Declining share price, bailouts, desperate sale for peanuts, and eventual bankruptcy

There would need to be a very compelling story as to why anyone (retail or institution) would want to buy shares in a new IPO. A flotation after less than 2 years doesn't seem long enough to show good prospects, especially when aviation has such a poor history for investors. All seems a bit snake oil to me

Website
 

Flybe.com has just been updated. Very interesting is the part of the privacy policy that says "Some of the flights and services that we offer are provided by third parties". Code-sharing agreements already on the table?

Albert Hall

May I ask where you have heard this? As per ACL's allocation report, Flybe do hold MAN slots.

Many more parts to an operation than just holding slots. Many airlines are assigned slots and never use them. Norwegian had slots at LHR last year or the year before but never used them and gave them back.

I’d imagine the privacy policy with most eventualities in mind so it doesn’t need to be adjusted every time.

Presumably this return to the mainstream doesn't stretch to paying outstanding debts?

There are no o/s debts! This is a new business, wake up and join the real world of business / capitalism.

It's not right, but how the world works.

Well aware of that - I was referring to the cheeky :mad: and their 'short break'.

It certainly doesn’t extend to the shortfalls in the BRAL pension suffered by many despite Cyrus taking their payouts from the Flybe administrators as secured creditors. It may be legal but it certainly is not moral.

Albert Hall


I’ll cheerlead anything that gets the former Flybe crews back in the air. Roll on next year.

ATNotts

Same branding. Same aircraft. Same routes. Same staff. Same callsign! In their own words, "following a short break, returning".
But yeah, not liable for any of the mess they left as that was er.....flybe.
Jamie2009 Did you work for these guys before? Surely you're also out of pocket?

It's abhorrent, but why should the new Flybe be lambasted for simply employing the legal framework as countless others across all business sectors have done and continue to.

Why should they be given an easy ride when they've left plenty of people out of pocket and are now pretending nothing happened?

Carrying the brand over but probably done enough legally to prevent any TUPE claims from re-hired staff.

However, and I appreciate this is a weak defence, they are potentially providing employment in a sector particularly hard hit over the last 18 months.

Hopefully the majority of the roles will be in Birmingham too ;-)

I don’t think you can even say that with any certainty. If - as one poster frequently suggests - Flybe is going back to its old routes to try to position itself on them, the airlines now flying those routes won’t stand idly by. A short war will ensue, lots of money will be lost and then jobs will be lost at the end of it on one side or the other. Any employment increase will be transient.

Yep, exactly this.
Jamie, you need to take your head out of the clouds and realise exactly what your cheerleading here. If this outfit gets off the ground and does what it says it’s going to do, then there will be considerable impact on the other UK Regional carriers who are desperately trying to eek out a living in the UK market.

What’s your role/ relationship with the new Flybe can I ask?

Those carriers which have stepped in on UK business trunk routes at once daily frequency or less will need to make a choice. Twice daily morning and evening Mon - Fri (allowing for a full business day) is an opportunity for FlyBe 2.0 if the new incumbent(s) don't close that door. Fares are not the only consideration.

I think that applies to only a small number of markets - some of the Belfast flying with BA/EI, MAN-SOU with Eastern, MAN-EXT with Blue Islands and that's really about it. There is a much-changed market for domestic travel patterns and I do have to wonder whether these guys know just how much the landscape has changed during the time they've been out of it.