Although it seems out there, i would appear that when EI leave Oneworld next April that BA is gonna start a code share up with BD on DUB and BHD routes.

Don't know if this is true just something i've heard around the airport.

Belfast-Heathrow
 

To me Aer Lingus would be the better option to Heathrow as passengers could make connections with BA flights, but they have to be able to sort the whole Ryanair thing out first. If Heathrow has extremely low slots left, they will not want Ryanair in let me assure you! Ryanair would want to expand in Heathrow, but would never be able to. And anyway I don't think many people would fly out of Heathrow with Ryanair, they fly to about every european destination there is out of Stansted and exactly the same routes out of Luton. Infact if Ryanair got into Heathrow, there would be civil war with BA winning. Do you really think BA are going to give up their long haul slots to a bunch of cheapies? I don't think so!

Back to Belfast, more people would happily choose the connections with BA than the Star Alliance. If bmi continue to loose money on BHD they should pull off the route altogether and that would give way for Aer Lingus to step in from BFS, I mean why try to suffer competition if they can't manage on their own? With so many new direct routes from Aldergrove continuing to grow, the big thing now unfortunately is that people will avoid Heathrow at all costs, and that does play a very big part in the current significant passenger drop. Back years ago when BA and BD both flew to Heathrow, passengers did fly because there was no direct scheduled flights from Aldergrove apart from AMS. Anyway I'm sure something could be worked out to keep LHR flights from Belfast.

rubbish.......based on a 25 minute turn round it would not happen....get the slots ..sell the slots..end of.

LHR/BOM May05 - Oct06 R.I.P.
 

:uhoh: Well its finnally happened due to the sick A330 LHR/BOM has now be suspended indefenatly.

Any thought what they should do with the slot whene they actually do get G-WWBM back after December ?

BMI - Too expensive; therefore fewer passengers!
 

BHD Flyer,

BMI passenger numbers from BHD are failing for one main reason only..... cost!

I work for a consultant and we regularly have people travelling between Belfast & London for business meetings (Both London-Belfast-London & Belfast-London-Belfast).

It is well known by both ourselves AND the company that books our travel that BMI is the expensive option. We simply no longer consider BMI when booking flights. Easy etc will always be cheaper, no matter how far away the actual date of travel is from booking time.

In the business sector, where profit is important, there is simply no excuse for wasting money on a more expensive produt that is essentially the same.

It is unfortunate for BMI that the recent re-structuring has also left the customer somewhat confused as to what exactly his/her money is buying. The low cost /no frills airlines leave no doubt and continue to do it cheaper. Like all succesful business ventures, BMI needs to indentify which market it is chasing and then provide and market its product accordingly. This is not being harsh or unfair to BMI, this is simply how business works.

Regards,

Shuttlebus

BD to Lhr from Bhd
 

Shuttlebus

Agree with your comments completely. The fares and charges on this route are a joke. I have frequently flown to London on Easy for less ( total fare) than the BD charges excluding the fare. The additional charges ex Bhd are around £50. What really amuses me is that when they moved from Bfs to Bhd, one of the main reasons that they gave was that the charges at Bhd would be lower and the pax would see the benefit. Have you seen the benefit? What a joke. Also, now that they have a monopoly on this route, they are behaving like one. High fares and poor service, or at least that is my experience. I for one have little sympathy for their problems on this route with falling pax nos. I hope somebody else has the chance to start Bfs - Lhr. They will get my business.

True Blue

Branson - We're trying to buy British Midland
 

Think I heard this correctly:

Richard Branson saying on Radion 4, in passing, that he is trying to buy British Midland. (1735A 21 Oct)

Anyone know more?

He probably wants the LHR slots for VS or SQ. Can't see him trying to compete much in shorthaul in the UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/bot...ttomline.shtml
Here is the link to the radio interview.
Sounds like it just slipped out.
(it's in the first few minutes if you don't want to listen to it all).
:ok:

Sorry, it's not for sale.
 

For a deal to be done there needs to be a buyer and a seller! Unfortunately Sir Michael neither wants nor needs to sell. He has too much planned for the future and I doubt that Sir Richard could put forward an offer that would tempt him anyway; unless anyone knows differently?;)

You must have a hotline direct to Sir Mike there Dr Spin, unless you're on the board how can you possibly know what your management are planning?

Dicky is a one man publicity machine. I believe less of what he says than what Sir M says and that is saying something.

Although the "bearded one" is undoubtedly a very rich man, he no longer owns the majority shareholding in the vast majority of "Virgin" companies, he earns royalties from having his name and Virgin associated with the product.

I doubt he has sufficiant funds to make a straight cash offer for BMI and would have to do it through a financial institution in the City, which would cost him a substantial sum.

However, if he did come up with a decent offer, it would be the board of BMI Sir Michael would have to worry about, not Richard Branson.

Purely on the basis that the owners might now be at retirement age what is the future of British Midland?

I would doubt that Sir Michael wants to hand over his company to Sir Richard let alone anyone else. However, he's got to pack up some time so what are the likely alternatives? Presumably he would be loath to wind the company up and retire. He must want to exit the industry in a dominant position. How about the other owners? Do they not have families with inheritiances to consider?

Alongside the Walker family and Branson he's a great survivor but what is his exit strategy?

With this story now out in the open, this week one would expect some more in dept statment being made.

Well I, for one, would like to know what any suitor plans to do about the £69 million pound deficit in the pension fund.

Is anyone thinking of contracting the management of the fund to a private company?

I would like to know!

If I recall correctly, Branson has wanted to merge and/or buy BMI for about 15 years. Sir Mike (it has been regularly reported) has never wanted this and only discussed matters to be polite. He continues (it has been regularly reported) to desire to be the second force in the UK airline world, for both short and long haul. He shows every sign of wanting to die 'in harness' and there are doubtless notes for succession in a safe.

Sir Mike has done very well over the years to establish BM and has been most unfortuante to have been fighting the establishment and regulatory groups most of the way. Whilst pax like myself continue to wonder just why the hell BD and VS have not done a deal loooooong ago, he owns the shares and is entitled to play his own game.

I venture to suggest that the opportunity to make a deal will soon be past, mainly because FR will have pulled the rug out from under the domestic biz and the international biz is too small. The consolidation of the Euro airline world is already behind natural commercial sense and, as many have said before (myself included) if Sir Mike continues to wait for the right deal, he will be left with no deal at all.

My expectation is that this opportunity will also be allowed to fail and BD will slip another notch lower. Very sad.

What about the baby ?
 

I dread to think what would happen to baby if a BD/VS merger (or takeover) were to happen ...

I suspect that the unfortuneate love child might be put up for adoption - and even worse, could very well be sent to boarding school to be 'taught' losts of lessons by that nasty headmaster who lives by the river Liffy ... ;)

I would aim to purchase the 50% -1 share not owned by Sir Michael first.

That may well be the way SRB may go, i seen to recall that SK & LH mentioned getting rid of the share holding in not to distant pass. I can see the conbined force of VS and BD working, they are a very good fit, and dont really have any competing routes, exept BOM from LHR. If this was to happen, do you think it would mean the combined airline being in STAR or out altogether and what would happen with the SQ shareholding, would it go up or down % wise.