This weeks Flight (page 59) has an advert placed by Electra Airlines (Greece) looking for 757-200ER Pilots and Engineers for 'immediate entry'. No mention that you will be based in Scotland or for that matter that you will be flying for Air Scotland!!! All CVs are to be e-mailed or faxed to their Athens office.

I have a gut feeling that we will see this new outfit being crewed by foreigners. A good image for what is being called Scotland's own airline. I agree with Meeb... Scotland has guys that would be ideal for this set up and we don't want to let Electra tinker with the train set. Electra will probably be paying sub UK salaries and as a result UK guys and girls will not be interested. A great shame but I hope this is a temporary arrangement and that Air Scotland actually has the intention of setting up their own AOC.

Hello
So has the launch gone ahead today as planned ad is the website now fully operational for booking?
Luke

DUE TO A LAST MINUTE TECHNICAL HITCH, THERE WILL BE SOME DELAY. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON IT, AND THE SITE WILL BE LIVE VERY SOON.
PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE........[

it would appear not....

Doesn't inspire confidence, does it? Has their press conference gone ahead?

Press launch is tomorrow (weds) at 11am at a hotel in Glasgow.

Just had an email from Air Scotland promising seats on sale from 4.00pm Wed 15th January (my mistake in original message - typo). At least their mailshot software is working!

They are promising flights from GLA, EDI and PIK to Barcelona, Palma, Alicante, Malaga, Tenerife and Fuerteventura. No timetable available yet.

.........Wednesday 14th :confused: :confused: January???

Hello
Thier website now seems to be active with the fault message now gone-any idea of timetables and frequencies?
Luke

errr yeh - the timetables on the website! :confused: :confused:

Air Scotland seem to be doing well! Their Website is now saying:

'DUE TO THE NUMBER OF SIMULTANEOUS VISITS TO OUR SITE, IT IS RUNNING VERY SLOW.
IF YOU WISH TO BOOK YOUR SEATS NOW, PLEASE CALL OUR CUSTOMER SERVICES STAFF ON 08453 45 45 46.
WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.'

Hope their flights aren't as slow as their website!!!!!!!:)

Give them a chance..........oh and the 757's, they are from Electra in Greece :rolleyes:

No-frills airline sparks price war with £25 flights



IRN BRU and Tunnock’s Tea Cakes will be among the inflight offerings from a new, Scottish, low-cost airline which was launched yesterday.

Air-Scotland.com confirmed it would start scheduled flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow to six Spanish destinations from March. Services from Aberdeen will begin in May or June, while the airline could also operate on other routes from Prestwick. Future plans include flights to the Caribbean and Australia.

The airline’s arrival is certain to spark a bitter price war with Globespan, which will face competition on three of its routes from Edinburgh. Globespan’s new airline offshoot, Flyglobespan.com, will also operate daily between Prestwick and Palma against its rival’s thrice-weekly service from Glasgow.

Air-Scotland.com said its fares would start at £25 one way, while Flyglobespan.com’s begin at £49.

Dhia Al-Ani, the Iraqi-born owner of the Glasgow holiday firm group behind Air-Scotland.com, said he hoped to acquire a wide-bodied Boeing 767 to start Caribbean flights from November. Services to Australia via Dubai and Singapore could follow in two to three years’ time.

The internet-based firm will use two Boeing 757-200 planes owned by Electra Airlines for its services. The new airline, which is based in Glasgow, said it expected to fill some 60 per cent of seats with charter passengers on this year’s flights, which end in November.

Mr Al-Ani’s Luxuryclass travel group, which includes Viva Holidays and Discount Holidays, previously used other airlines for its package tours. Air-Scotland.com will fly from Edinburgh three times a week to Barcelona, twice a week to Palma and once a week to Alicante, Malaga and Fuerteventura. It will fly three times a week from Glasgow to Barcelona as well as Palma, and once a week to Tenerife. Its Edinburgh services will compete with Flyglobespan.com on the Barcelona, Palma and Malaga routes.

Mr Al-Ani said he expected the services to attract more Spanish visitors to Scotland. He also pledged to offer other Scottish produce on board to promote the food industry.

He said: "We are hoping to be a Scottish national carrier, but with a lot more destinations in the future."

The businessman added he was disappointed not to have received Scottish Executive assistance under its £6 million route development programme, but the Executive said talks were continuing.

Globespan last night warned that the routes may not support two airlines. Tom Dalrymple, its managing director, pledged to match its rivals’ prices. He said: "Air-Scotland’s decision puts us into an aggressive, head-to-head stance.

"I hope the market is big enough for both of us, but I am not certain.

"Scotland is a small population area, and if there was an easy market here, one of the other low-cost airlines like EasyJet or Ryanair would be operating on these routes."

Donal Dowds, the managing director of BAA Scottish Airports, which runs Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports, said the new airline would be unlike previous "Scottish" carriers, such as British Caledonian, because it was based north of the Border.

He said: "This is a very different proposition and I think it has tremendous potential."

It just keeps getting better! Web site now says:

'DUE TO THE NUMBER OF SIMULTANEOUS VISITS TO OUR SITE, IT IS RUNNING VERY SLOW.
THE SITE IS NOW CLOSED OVERNIGHT FOR MAINTENANCE.
WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.'

The new airline, which is based in Glasgow

err, no, the 'airline' (word used loosly) is based in Greece.


Donal Dowds, the managing director of BAA Scottish Airports, which runs Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports, said the new airline would be unlike previous "Scottish" carriers, such as British Caledonian, because it was based north of the Border.

This 'gentleman' should be ashamed to mention the hallowed BCal in the same sentance as this bunch of amateurs.

A good idea for a new Scottish airline is going to be destroyed by this bunch of muppets - mark my words.

Now let me see if I understand. The airline is a Scottish airline, but it is owned by an Egyptian(or Iraqi). He is in partnership with a Greek Charter Airline, but it is owned by a Belgian!

Well I think I've got it!

:confused: :confused:

Buster I'm glad you get your news from the best sources, but would be even happier if you credited the piece. It's from The Scotsman, and written by my colleague Alastair Dalton. :) :)

Meeb, I winced when I read Mr Dowds' comments, too.

Good to see they understand one of the basics of being a low cost carrier - ie common fleet. Four a/c and 3 types?!?

DOH!:eek:

THE SITE IS DOWN:confused:

The website crashing is no big surprise. It happens to the big boys too. Ever tried booking at www.ryanair.com during one of their big giveaways? The way the site was initially presented was a bit amateurish though.

I am a bit surprised about the choice of routes. Why compete with flyglobespan to Barcelona when the likes of Madrid and the Italian cities go uncovered?

I thought it was interesting they state 60% of seats will initially be filled by charter passengers. Along with the routes chosen, aircraft type, the (apparent) one hour turnaround time and the stated intention to progress to other aircraft types and intercontinental routes, it looks like Air Scotland is a hybrid charter/low-cost airline rather than a 'pure' loco like Ryanair.

I've got no complaints about the intention to sell Irn Bru, Tunnocks cakes, etc. on board. I've often sat on planes, sipping my coffee and munching on Irish chocolate or scones with Devon clotted cream, and wondered why Scottish companies are so poor at promoting their goods. So if they manage to sell some extra Scottish produce and generate a few extra jobs then fair play to them. So long as they have black pudding and tattie scones with the breakfast :p

Good luck to Air Scotland and Flyglobespan. The more the merrier!

I have been involved in setting up the first ever B757 ops in Greece: Venus airlines.We operated flights for Kuoni Switzerland (not only) from ZRH.If Electra works on the lines of Venus it is very likely to end up just like Venus:in the rubbish bin.