Mob,

How much of your excellent point above could also apply to the way some of them treat their customers?

Don't get me wrong, many no frills airlines have very good punctuality records, but Southwest's attitude is still very much of the caring, sharing company you talk about. Ryanair might keep telling us they have the least delays, the fewest lost bags, the fewest complaints (aided my making such complaints very hard to make), etc - but their attitude when things do go wrong is still - f**k off, you only paid 99p, what do you expect.

Now I don't expect to see JF using the f* word in public (come to think of it, what would happen to Ryanair employees who told customers to f*** off - instant dismissal, or promotion to the boardroom?), but I have heard of plenty of cases where Flybe too have not responded to delays in the most sympathetic manner.

An apology, an announcement, a smile etc - all cost nothing, but go a long way towards keeping the punters happy, even if everything is going t*ts up.

jabird

Yes, it's the same mentality. I have been present at meetings where lateness and PR was discussed, and it always came down to "well what do they expect for ten quid..." Usually said in jest, but you can almost sense the resentment towards pax who pay virtually nothing and then expect service.

The bottom line is that you can't easily combine low fares and excellent service in the Euro LCC model. The economies of scale aren't there, attitudes are entrenched, and the Brits don't get giving everybody the same excellent service. They usually fail at this by employing cheap (but generally hopeless) handling agents like Servisair and Aviance. They entrust their pax (on the ground) to people on horrifying wages, who are often severely demotivated. There is only one outcome possible.

I have to say I nearly went to work for Easy - I had the offer in my hand. I turned them down in the end, mainly because Stelios had handed the company to a management team who are probably competent, but lack any form of soul or personality.

Anyway, expect standards to continue to slip as money becomes tighter.

As far as Ryanair is concerned, I wouldn't travel with them unless there was no possible alternative. I'm afraid I don't have a lot of faith in either their business or safety cultures.

Easy are slightly better, but only slightly - although their training department does appear to be excellent.

The first 737,looking very nice!


http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=314841

It's funny how with basically single or dual type fleets you can get very used to a livery on only one or two types of plane - a definite double take when you see this one :)

Any firm news on where it's being based and what ops it's in for?

*j*

Flybe have applied to the CAA to lease a Hola 733 EC-IOR from 27th March until 18th May to cover crew shortages.

Therefore this will presumably be their first taste of 737 Ops.Anybody know where it will be based?

BHX maybe? if not EXT or SOU

I was really looking for an answer,not a guess!

Oshkosh George

SOU has never, so far, been mentioned in the 737 trial yet.

The two bases to have 737's are BHX (2) and EXT (1).

I thought all three were being provided by Ashtrays-are-us...... but i guess now this new Hola a/c has appeared it could be based at either airport.

Anyone else know?

BPM

Yes,I think this is an unplanned 733,so there will possibly be four,depending on timescales of the others entering service.

G-STRE/I not far away,haven't heard of the fourth as yet. Could conceivably be ZK-SLA,which Astraeus have leased from 7 April for the summer.

OG....

well you know way more than me and most of my collegues!!!!

I gather the RJ's might not be as imminent as once thought so that could explain the lease of another a/c.....

We'll see. I shall look out here to find out more!!

BPM

The First 737-300 (G-STRE) starts flying for Flybe today the 24th march Operating from BHX. The second Astreus aircraft is due to join Flybe from Sunday and the Hola airlines a/c positions into EXT on saturday to operate from Sunday on the Exeter routes.

brgds
W.G

G-STRI is the second 737 to go to flyBe. First one is G-STRE and this will be operating the inaugural services from BHX today.

When is the JetX MD82 lease due to end & what a/c is likely to replace it at SOU?

"crew shortages" for what? I thought they always intended to use a 733 during the summer from EXT so whose crew shortages are they referring to? Also what routes is this a/c going to be used on?

The Jetex MD82 finishes on saturday and positions back to it's base after operating the scheduled service.

The Hola airlines 737 will operate the EXT/ALC/AGP/PMI/FAO flight's and is operating in place of the planned 146 which was due to operate the first part of the summer schedule untill the third 737 was due to join us from Astreaus.

brgds
W.G

WG

and what news is there from the EXT mothership about the RJ's?

The conversion training seems to have stopped......

If they aren't going to arrive when the schedule expected them to arrive how will the shortfall be filled?

BPM

Thanks W.G. by the way I presume your username is related to one of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's finest?

rgds Brabazon

Brabazon - It most definetly is as is yours too, pity they cut the mighty Brabazon up would love to have one of those mighty beasts.

brgds

W.G

BPM
 

Well,as the third Astraeus wasn't planned just yet,the Hola would presumably be the stop gap for the RJs. But I haven't checked when the new routes from EXT were to begin. If not until May,then I guess the Hola will be doing something else!

I have now checked and see that the new routes start at the end of March,so assume that the RJs were due on these routes until the third Astraeus took over in May.

Oshkosh - the Hola airlines a/c is to operate the routes that Jetex have been operating via EXT over the last month which was previously operated by the Exeter based 146 last summer that then operated useing a SOU based 146 on a W Pattern over the winter.

brgds
W.G