IAG low cost airline being launched
 

Im i correct in thinking that that IAG group give the go ahead for IB to set up a low cost airline based in spain?

So what do you think of the following

BMI mainline aircraft A319's A320 to go to LGW to free up the 737's to then be transfered to spain?

BMIbaby to be renamed under the same brand as this new low cost carrier based in the UK operating to spanish routes??

It would then allow IAG group to compete more with easyjet and ryanair ?

Good luck to all the workers!

How about BMI will run as a separate airline under the BA AOC (having seen more than one airline on the one AOC elsewhere) and transfer the BA mixed fleet crew into BMI with all crew on the new BA T&C's, so they have crew on different T&C's working for different companies.

Paint all the aircraft in BA colours and have a sticker on the side "operated by British Midland International"??

......but not before you've furrowed around in the long grass for a while looking for a solution, then circled the wagons to make sure everyone's happy with it.

Sorry, you may go back to the subject of Business Air, I mean bmi Regional now!

Good luck to my ex-colleagues, you were the best and don't forget that. I hope it works out for you all.

It will be a very sad day when the last bmi fin flies out of LHR. :{

I hope you all get taken care of. Best job I ever had. :ok:

Just caught the back end of an interview with Willie Walsh on ITV Central local news, and I am sure he said that the Donington HQ and bmibaby were both included in the deal.

Why do IAG want baby - or have LH insisted? I cannot see the fit at all.

MD

Vueling is part owned by IB/IAG, why would they want another loco airline in Spain, Vueling and Clickair have only merged, so cant see that happening. Besides Vueling is suitable for anywhere in Europe if that was needed.

Isn't Vueling one of the subsidaries of Iberia? Last week they have announced a 3 x weekly service to Cardiff starting summer 2012. Could this be a sign of things to come as the only other UK flights are from Heathrow.

BMIbaby to be renamed Vueling Airlines?
 

Could work why not?

Just because Baby & the Donington Hall HQ are included in the deal does not mean that they are still required in the longer term.

BMI (Nov 1st 2011 onwards)
 

I have split the original thread to save the readers re-directed from Rumours and News to reading through 70+ pages of old posts.

Halfwayback

Douglas Fraser does seem to be getting better informed about aviation matters

BBC News - Concerns grows over Scottish air links to Heathrow

The Treasury believes that it, the Government owns the slots in the UK. The airlines believe that they do, and the airports believe that they do.

Something to get Mr webb out of retirement about??

If LHR isn't to get a third runway (which it isn't in the forseeable future) there is only room for one operator on domestic routes. With one operator you may well need regulation. The trouble is that EU (& UK) aviation policy is geated around encouraging competition which requires enough infrastructure. My view is that a monopoly operator could be forced to handle transfer traffic for competitors, although IAG would doubtless say that the same should happen at FRA, CDG, AMS, etc.

Some routes such as Cairo, Moscow & Saudi Arabia could make sense for VS. As part of the BA/VS tie up slots had to be surrendered (to DL) to provide competition on the BOS & MIA routes - although DL has just dropped one of the BOS frequencies. The same could happen here - I certainly can't see the transfer being allowed to go ahead without some surrender of slots.

I doubt that VS has the financial or mangement resources to take over bmi.

Presumably if IAG didn't want baby then it would have been disposed of before completion in the same way as Regional will be. IAGbaby doesn't sound too catchy does it? IAG also own 46% of Vueling but Vueling were walking into Cardiff as bmibaby were walking out!!!

To take the famous phrase: "It's the Slots - Stupid" To IAG, nothing else matters, slots and routes, even if they have to flip them around between fields and trade some out and in.

Look at the BA history of buying up UK regional carriers and then usurping the EGLL slots (Brymon and Manx to name but two - and there were many.)

The a/c can be disposed of the people absorbed and retired as needs be. IAG need to show GROWTH and if you buy in growth - it still counts. Not really but they will show that it does.

I have to disagree with that conclusion. An alternative deal for baby could easily be underway, just not so far advanced. I could imagine some language in the IAG preliminary agreement to the effect that it is anticipated that Baby will be disposed of before the final agreement is signed. The most urgent part of the whole deal is IAG/bmi mainline, to start the clock ticking on the regulatory evaluation so that BA can get their hands on the slots in time for Summer 12, so I can see why there was an urgency to move that forward. The pace of the Baby disposal is not so critical.

I don't believe that Donnington Hall will stay as the nerve centre of bmibaby or even bmi mainly as it is too expensive. With enterprise zones being earmarked around the England & Wales it maybe a cheaper option to move to one of these.

I know this is a long shot however it is possible

Vueling is a subsidiary of Iberia (IAG) and has announced that it is to operate Barcelona to Cardiff 3 x weekly from March 2012. And a week before the agreement in principle of IAG purchasing BMI. So could be the first move in a major expansion into the UK market for Vueling?

As part of the purchase bmibaby will become Vueling however the aircraft leased Boeing 737-300 / 737-800 will either be returned to the lessor or sent to Gatwick as they won't fit in with the Vueling fleet.

Due to duplication of some routes BA will be required to reduce it's fleet with the Airbus A319 of BMI and possibly some of the BA A319 being transferred over to Vueling. This will be the fleet renewal that many have called for at bmibaby.

The Airbus fleet of bmi, British Airways, Iberia & Vueling do fit well to allow for some tranfer around the IAG group.

Vueling 1 x A319, 47 x A320
bmi 9 x A319, 7 x A320, 7 x A321, (2 x A330 possibly to be moved to Iberia)
BA 33 x A319, 38 x A320, 11 x A321
Iberia 21 x A319, 28 x A320, 19 x A321, 19 x A340-300 (to be removed by Q4 2012), 17 x A340-600.

Future Growth

bmi (3 x A319 options)
BA (A mixture of options for A319, A320 & A321)
Iberia (2 x A330-200 to be leased but could use the ex bmi lease instead / 16 x A330-300, on order)

Bit of a long shot but it is very possible.

In the Statement from Wolfgang he indicated that the bmi Summer 12 programme will remain largely the same as it is currently planned so my money would be on the start of Winter12 before things really change

What is the likelihood of IAG simply closing Baby down?

It's a small, loss making venture with no assets. Who in their right mind would buy it?

Monarch?
 

When's the Monarch announcement then? :cool: