I think you'll find that Willie Walsh works for IAG. IAG is not an airline. It's a holding company. The decision is whether to allow bmi to continue operating as a part of the IAG conglomerate or integrate it into one of the groups airlines. Quite obviously BA would be the candidate for that. But as fas as I can see that decision has not been made yet. If you were WW would you allow bmi to continue in its present form? I think not. Would you allow it to fly as a brand with 'help' from BA ground staff (synergies) while the main focus on expansion to the as yet under utilised markets takes shape over a longer period of time within BA? Possibly. Or would you enter into a massive expansion very quickly to absorb all the slots that are left post regulatory interference and bring all the aircraft into the BA fold as soon as possible? Three ideas. One of them is a non starter in my opinion. Listen to the WW statement at the start of this process and the one given today. There is a subtle difference.

Does anybody else think that the two owners of Eastern Airways might have a financial finger in the pie?

Mr Huxford has been lurking around Aberdeen on almost a daily basis for a couple of weeks now - when most people in the company have never even seen him before. I wonder if they are putting money into Granite.

BA will need extra slots for long haul expansion in the long term. If economic forecasts are correct I don't think that BA could fill extra a/c in the next couple of years even if they had them on order.

In the short term expect to see additional frequencies on short haul.

With additional slots they may be in a better position to build connecting banks but LHR will never be a classic hub airport.

On the issue of integration I can understand BALPA wishing to integrate the operation but how will the question of seniority work? Entry date to either BA (or BCal) or BD which would be great news for BD pilots (BA pilots probbaly not so happy) or some more complicated formula? If the latter could be interesting.

Hmm...Huxford, Lake, Woodley & Ross...sounds like a firm of Accountants! ;)

Eastern do have Embraers again...then again, it may be all (mince) pie in the sky. But T3 have been pretty quiet of late.

BMI Pilots to become BA Pilots Now?
 

Probably already been answered several times, but will BMI pilots now be absorbed into BA and become BA pilots? Is there an integration plan based on seniority?

Agreed. For all the talk of long haul expansion this will happen slowly over a period of years. If there were really lucrative long haul routes not yet served by BA, they would have moved short-haul capacity to LCY/LGW to accommodate them at LHR.

The 787s will arrive late next year and will be suited to new long haul routes. It is likely that the retirement of some 767s and 747s will be deferred to support long haul expansion.

As for pilots, I think BALPA and its members will be pragmatic enough to accommodate the relatively small number of BD pilots in the BA seniority list for the sake of retaining one workgroup.

I expect BD cabin crew will remain a separate fleet.

Will BA try to absorb all the BMI slots into T5? AFAIK, there isn't the room. Does this open the possibility of a 3rd T5 satellite, or will BA split their operation again across T5 / Heathrow East?

Unless us-as poor suffering pax on BMI get to know soon what the issues are in terms of schedule ops we will all walk from BMI quickly (or even quicker than what we have been!)

If we have tickets on BD metal what does this buy out by IAG mean?

Come to think about it - if we have LH tickets with "operated by BD" for travel in April/May can we expect schedule/plan changes?

And finally - sob sob - what about us FF? Now before others say "that is not important" it is - due to the loyalty of many pax with BMI they have survived as long as they have - even though euro routes have been cut back in a sickening fashion over the past 10 years....


Nivsy

IAG hopes to be able to accommodate the bmi operation into T3 when T2 opens.

Its quite fair to say that IAG bought bmi for the slots at LHR, but I think there is still a value in the actual brand.
BA at Gatwick has had a bit of an identity crisis over the last few years, so what about the idea of merging that with bmibaby, and renaming the whole operation bmi? Creating a 'premium' low cost-carrier, but still able to get miles etc... Leaving all the cream for LHR, using 'British Airways'

Just thinking aloud! ...

I can still hear the whining of VS that they were unable to get bmi and no doubt they are preparing their a/c for the latest slogan. I hope that BD's brand will survive but all I would like to know is where did BD go so wrong? I think it was when they bought British Med that it may have started but I will be interested to hear others. I flew with them a few years ago and they were a good carrier. Better than BA in most respects.

My thoughts are with the BD employees who despite the outlook have had a narrow escape from joining VS.

The exposure to Middle East turmoil was unfortunate but it was only one part of the story, including:

1. Poor brand presence/marketing. The quality of the branding/marketing was way behind that of BA and some of the ad campaigns (remember the "Heathrow's 2nd favourite airlline ads?) were truly bizarre.

2. Woeful IT/revenue management.

3. Constant chopping and changing of the customer offer, eliminating business class, complementary catering for "Blue+" etc. A salutory lesson for all airlines.

4. Loss of "mainstream" destinations that gave the airline broad network appeal.

Ultimately Lufthansa's heart just wasn't in it. If they had appointed a really strong manager who has prepared to rapidly push through whatever changes were required to make it work (after all it has plenty of expertise in revenue management and so forth), things might have been different.

Indeed a shame, I always prefer BD over BA on my MAN-LHR hop. But in all fairness, the domestic market hasnt just shrunk due to trains, but I can now fly from MAN usually more cost effectively by avoiding LHR. The fact I can save £2500 on my first class tickets to Aus by going Qatar from MAN vs LHR to Qantas/BA makes it a more attractive offer nowadays.

BMI
 

The only thing i care about is will i have a job next year? Hopefully us engineers will be kept on but who knows!?

Isn't there supposed to be an announcement on Friday 23rd? I guess we are not going to hear anything different from what we know now.

Do we jump or wait to get pushed???

AIG will be ruthless and probably keep only the majority of the pilots and CC. The monopolies commission will roll over, after a short period of time, and allow the merger (throwing a bone of a few slots to Virgin).

In time BA will increase prices beyond a joke because they will have NO competition on domestic routes and will then try to acquire more slots/airlines.

A sad day for the public in general.

I thought that Easyjet provided fairly good competition on UK domestic routes to London (albeit not into LHR). They show no sign of going away. There is also the thing known as the train. which has largely killed off O&D air passengers from both MAN and MME to London.

:ok: completely forgot about the 77W's Skipness. It will certainly be interesting to see how it plays out. I reckon we both agree that for the forseeable future, BA won't have the frames available to swap a massive tranche of the BD slots to new long haul destinations. I think I read that EI's A319's were coming online to help them retire the A321's from the fleet?

EI-BUD, I wondered about T5 capacity and I assume it will be a juggling act. Perhaps they will shuffle some less important routes or those that have less connecting traffic down to T3 to makes space for all the domestics and most important long hauls at T5? Im not sure how things work out with transfers between T1 & T5 at present?

Good luck to everyone at BD and hopefully the majority of your jobs will be a little safer than they are now if this deal is approved.

AC

BA have stated

"Possibility to co-locate bmi mainline capacity at Heathrow in the Western Campus (T5 / T3) with the rest of IAG, after T2 phase 1 completion in 2013"

Do IB have any spare capacity that could be painted Blue?

Hey, EGAC, you make a good point, re they could move services with less connecting traffic to T3, I wonder is this the case with the current services of BA to and from T3, like Madrid is one I think. Is an extention being done at T5 for BA?

I was amazed to learn recently that BA now operate all services on LHR BCN and Iberia dont fly the route!! Slightly off the topic I Know.

A321 are staying for now.