Flybe developments
 

Flybe are basing a 146-200 at EXT to operate their CDG, LBA and NCL schedules.

The SOU based ARJ100s will operate to:

Malaga
Dublin

so far!

Regards

Mike

thought a B733 was being based at EXT too?

so thats 1 B733, 1 142 and 2 DH8-400's at EXT.

will ARJ-100 operated all 3 daily DUB flights?

Nakata77

Flybe will be initially be basing 1 Q400 and 2 146's at EXT (1x143 and 1x142) from the end of March. The 142 will be operating CDG and domestics with the 143 doing the AGP/ALC/FAO/PMI and BES to start with.

The 737 will come in for the bulk of the summer peak when the 143 will leave EXT. This will leave 1x737, 1x142 and 1xQ400....CDG route is doing very well as are the other recently introduced routes NCL, LPL and LBA. EDI goes double daily for the summer too.

I thought they were going to use Q400s on CDG, NCL and LBA.

Is EXT-GLA allways operated by a Dash8-400?

yes WOWBOY

Newcastle will in fact have more seats on offer than Glasgow this summer!

Regards

Mike

What is the seating capacity of the Flybe 142s and 143s?

In another thread it is suggested that the use of 146s on some Flybe routes is not capacity-led but the result of insufficient Q400 crews. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

MV,

Of the three flight sectors I have taken with BE in the last two years, 2 were operated by 146s / RJs, despite being listed as Q400s in the timetable. On both occassions, there seemed to be a "busy Q400 worth" of pax, which made the 146s look quite empty.

Finally got to try out the Q400 on new year's eve.

Don't know how accurate my sampling is - based on my personal experiences, BE are the most unpunctual airline out there, but I know that not to be the case in the broader scheme of things!

How is the new SOU-MAN route performing? Given that it was thought to be a Dash 8 operation when it started, but seems to be largely operated by 146s now, it would seem to be doing well, but I know appearances can occasionally be deceptive.

Seems to be doing OK, watched a very full 146 load up at MAN last week, although the fares do seem to be on the low side. Then again so are BA's...

I may be wrong, but I think the 142s have about 90 seats and the 143s have 110?

Graham K, close but JP has 142 = 97 seats and 143 = 112 seats.

I presume that BE know which aircraft they intend to use on a route when they put it up for sale, otherwise how do they manage their revenue and capacity?

Flybe in Chaos
 

Flybe today pulled the Southampton - Cherbourg route because of a shortage of crews. In addition 4 aircraft will be wet leased to assist with the summer schedule. Over one hundred new pilots are being trained and a further 40 are being sourced via Parc etc.

More routes are to be chopped next week. I hope they will be ok.

HB, the Southampton-Cherbourg route has been pulled because forward bookings were awful.

Do the "four wet-leased aircraft" include the three 737s that were going to be wet-leased anyway....if so, you can hardly argue that those are due to lack of crews!

Er, the flybe website says nothing about this and it is still bookable online!

Not sure what you're on about!

:confused:

Funny how the airline says the route was being pulled cos Cherbourg airport couldn't honour some deal.

I thought it was a wind up that someone posted on BHX crew room. I just translated it as saying no crews therefore no route.

Bit of a blow for Cherbourg to loose that route - anyone likely to replace Flybe on it?

If there is going to be more routes being chopped next week what routes will be chopped?
Could there be any cuts from EXT?

Have heard they canned the sou-cer due to chamber of commerce refusing to pay for security upgrades required. As for their fleet expansion where are the RJ100's and B733's?????? Rumoured that the first RJ is going to be G-JEBU and 111Y.

G-JEBU RJ100 c/n E3234 ex G-CCTB and TC-THB of Turkish A/L.
G-JEBV RJ100 c/n E3236 ex G-CDCN and TC-THC.
Both registered 15th Feb,ex storage,leased from Trident Jet Leasing.

Update....

The route may be back on again following Sea France Ferry's anouncement not to operate the route. Board meeting today!

MD80 in Malaga today operating under a Flybe code to SOU. Was it going round the Islands when it got back???

Punctuality is good though. Last week 66% of flights departed on time.

RJ's will be in SOU for the summer. Two Aircraft initially. Both the Aircraft are in the hangar in EXT.

BHD- LPL route exceeding all predictions. Consideration is being given to increasing the frequency.

Good to see the BHD - LPL is doing well - no doubt, Easy & BFS won't see it that way though.

No prizes for guessing this is one of many reasons why BFS have mounted a legal challenge to prevent the passenger cap at BHD being lifted.

Just for the record, the ferry company concerned is Brittany Ferries which was supposed to be taking over P&O's Portsmouth-Le Havre route! SeaFrance is on Dover-Calais - haven't seen any prospect of FlyBe having a go at Lydd-Le Touquet which I guess would be the nearest alternative air route.....

Sad, I know, but got to keep the facts straight.

While Brittany will not be replacing P&O on Portsmouth-Le Harve they will do/have done on Portsmouth-Cherbourg so I doubt them not starting the Le Harve route will make BE want to go back to Cherbourg, particularly if security has stopped them starting the route. Not something you compromise on just to sieze on a commercial oppurtunity

Drove past Kemble today, white-painted G-JEBV parked up next to another RJ. Both a/c have been there for weeks.

Hudson Bay,

That MD80 you saw doing the SOU run. Was that because two flights were combined or due to lack of crew/aircraft.

If its due to lack of crew, me thinks the company may wanna rethink the selling back of leave.

Someone please tell me which hurts more. A PROPER day off payment or the wet lease of a big shiny jet.

The last operational letter that we got suggested even more wet leases are in the pipeline, and thats not the Astraues 737s that its talking about.

JAR
 

Well,not for much longer!

MD80 was covering because many of the 146 skippers and FO's from Southampton are on a RJ differences course in Birmingham. Not sure when they're going out for the sim session but i imagine its quite soon.

Saw about four captains and FO's at Hammond House....so that should account for an aircraft.

Thought they were looking at the new their Monarch crew room:E

It maybe that the RJ's won't materialise. The aircraft have extensive corrosion and Bae Systems are reluctant to finance the repairs. I think it might be back to the drawing board.

The MD80 wet lease looks like continuing for some time to cover the Spanish routes. It's not a cheap aircraft and I guess that is why the Ops Director is off sick.

One other point of note is a possible 6 month contract out in Italy. I can't really say anymore than that but watch this space!

Looks like there will be more BHD - LPL rotations. It has been given the ok, down to commercial now.

Forgive my ignorance but it is not somewhat unusual for an airframe only around twelve years old to suffer serious corrosion? Or is the 146/RJ particularly susceptible to this?

First two RJ's are at EXT and are registered G-JEBU and G-JEBV.

First conversion couse almost complete so i'm pretty sure they'll materialise.

BPM

These ex-Turk A/C were "retired" from service due to the mentioned corrosion problems a few years back, the airline not being happy with BAE that the A/C had corrosion after a short while. Knowing this, one would have thought Flybe would have ensured that BAE would pay for repairs before wasting a months worth of manhours, similar happened with an ex- Cityflyer A/C a while back.

Over the years Flybe Engineering at Exeter have repaired many corroded wings on 146 family aircraft - both in their own fleet and those of third parties. I'd imagine that they could well be world leaders in this role!

I should also think that Flybe would have no worries about the level of corrosion in these RJ aircraft. Repair is cheaper than buying a new aircraft! I understand that engineers have visted Turkey and have conducted some corrosion repair on-site.

Beauport Potato man.

Be realistic, these Aircraft are badly corroded. If they can be repaired it will be many months before they come on line.

All the conversion courses have been cancelled for the time being. The corrosion is much worse than first thought. Yet another blow for the Airline.

More resignations today now Easy has started to recruit.

Good news is that the Airline continues to make money and figures show an increase of 13% in pax numbers.

If the RJ's do not go online in March Flybe could be looking at very large compensation payments.

As I understand it under the new rules £170 is payable for over booking a flight. As the RJ seats 112 pax and the 146-200 only seats 97 pax (they don't have enough 300 series aircraft to cover the late RJ's). I make that 15 Passengers off loaded per flight working on a 6 sector day for the aeroplane that is compensation of £15,300 per day per Aircraft. Together with the current wet leases I can't see the company making a profit with those costs.

I think they have thought of that and that's why the wet lease a/c may be operating throughout the summer depending on the outcome of the RJ situation.

Trislander the wet lease aircraft is being used to cover the current shortage of crews it is not nor was it intended to cover the no show of the RJ's.

Anyway its still going to hurt the bottom line.

hudson bay,

well you're obviously much more in the know than me, and i apologise for posting what i believed at the time to be a true statement.

BPM

Flybe could ask the new head of BA for some of his RJs - Willie got rid of the 146 at EI after all!