Collective NOW thread.

[Flightrider]

Now look to be thinking about a move to Manston. Various slot applications have been made overseas for the following:

Daily Malaga
Daily Alicante
Daily Faro
2 x daily Paris CDG
3 x daily Amsterdam

all from Manston and not Luton. I wonder if they've found some money at Manston?

[jmc-man]

A strange development. That would require a fundamental change to the business plan. Luton benefits from a developed "Low Cost" catchment, and is readily accessible. Manston is a whole new market and is significantly less accessible.

Going to be intersting to watch how this plays out, but ultimately it will all rest on NOW's ability to raise the capital funding it needs. I thought there was a stated deadline of Mid January for "make or break" decisions.

[Lite]

I would think its about time that Manston got a low-cost, no-frills airline.

The airport has a number of reasonably sized towns close by including Dover, Folkestone, Canterbury and the Medway Towns. Similarly the airport could easily put on a bus service to Ramsgate Station where the train ride to London is just over an hour.

Although this does rubbish the Now philosophy of flying to the main airport and not a "field in the middle of nowhere" but I hope that Now and Manston make a success, because between them they have a great team of people.

[**777lover**]

Hi,

Just a quick question what routings would you assume these planes would take and if need be what holds would they use? Also how much traffic does Manston get now as i know currently its only freight!

Thanks Dave :cool:

[LTNman]

I bet Luton Airport management will find this interesting seeing that Now have been occupying offices in an airport owned building for months at next to no rental on the promise of lots of new routes from Luton.

[Whippersnapper]

Where did this information come from? I haven't heard it before and am still with them (and still being paid too, before any smarta**e remarks come back). If it's true, it could be as a second base; the expansion plans were due to be rapid, and things are reportedly getting back on track.

[jmc-man]

I must assume it came from the slot co-ordinators at the respective airports. It might just be a bet-hedging excercise.

Whippersnapper, I think any discussion of "expansion" is a little premature until there is something to expand. Glad you're still being paid though. Any word on what has happened to the pilots?

Lite, reasonably sized towns will not be able to supply sufficient passengers to fill the flights listed, bearing in mind that all these services are available from various London Airports.

[Buster the Bear]

This has to be a New Year wind up?

Now have survived so far on Govt dept hand outs and Regional re-gengeration aid supplied via the East of England/EU. Luton is seen by Govt/EU as an area lacking in manufacturing since Vauxhall stopped building cars, so available funds are in place to create sustainable employment.

Now, a new PAPER airline moving to Manston, my mate at Wiggins (Sorry, Plane Port) will be laughing forever at me! The only company that owns a Black Forrest......gateux.....airport. Laarbruch.

Now! Ciao-Fly!

http://www.gifs.net/animate/bear3p.gif

I meant Lahr and Plane Station!

Whooops.

Now and Wiggins, my mate will hound me if true, forever!

[Flightrider]

Buster, I limit my wind-ups to 1 April. This is straightforward info.

Start dates for all look to be 25 May and as far as I can work out, it looks like two aircraft at Manston.

[Tarek Nor]

Whippersnapper

How are you still getting paid when the rest of
us got shaffted and are not ??

[CAP670]

Why would anyone want to fly from Manston to Paris when you can do it to the city centre from Ashford Intl and Eurostar in about three hours without fear of ATC delays at Paris, below-minima weather at Manston (no Cat 2/3), etc., etc.

As for 'London' Manston, it's firmly in the MoL book of definitions, being around 70 miles from the capital.

Personally, for an 'out of town' London airport I'd prefer Southampton (which has its own mainline railway station) or even Birmingham (ditto) if flying the other way...

As Now is still not taking seat reservations, does not have any aircraft and has still not received its AOC, this is all pure speculation. Applications may well have been submitted, but the proof of the pudding...

:hmm:

[Boss Raptor]

Agreed, with the MSE catchment area shared with Eurostar Ashford Intl. the MSE-CDG route seems daft to me

[MaxMet]

Anyone!






Never!:suspect:

[U/S President]

the airport could easily put on a bus service to Ramsgate Station where the train ride to London is just over an hour.
47 min over an hour to be exact. The fastest train from Ramsgate to London takes longer than those offered from Southampton Airport Parkway (1 hr 8 min) and Birmingham International (1 hr 32 min).

[Boss Raptor]

The Ramsgate rail service to London is appauling, I have never done it in 1h47, the more usual stopping train is slower even than this!

[Buster the Bear]

HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa

This has to be a joke, Now! moving to Manston.

Well Thomson/lyte/fly/flights/lite/budjet/Jet fly soon from Coventry, so anything is possible!

[A Very Civil Pilot]

Manston doesn't have much of a catchment area for passengers. To the North and East is nothing apart from North Sea. To the West are the Medway towns, but by the time you get to Rochester, it's just as easy to head along the M25/M11 to Stansted where there is more choice. To the South and South West are the likes of Canterbury, Dover etc, but again heading any much further West Gatwick becomes a better option.

Also I think the nearest ATM machine is in Ramsgate town centre!

[jmc-man]

The more I look at this, the more I see RED HERRING written all over it.

I suspect this is more in line with NOW ensuring they have some downroute slots secured should they get the finance sorted out.

[LGS6753]

JMC-MAN

You could be right.

Most of the aforesaid destinations are well-served by locos from throughout the UK, so Now would have a fight to win passengers over to them on these routes. However, unlike the destinations mooted on a previous thread (Lisbon, Bordeaux, Rotterdam, Valencia, etc), these already have known demand.

Perhaps the strategy has changed to applying their pricing formula to known 'trunk' routes, so they pick up late bookers put off by EZY and MON high last-minute fares. It's an angle, but a very risky one....

[Flightrider]

JMC-Man, it is indeed possible that this could be a red herring to secure overseas slots. However, if it were, the implication would be that Now is going head-to-head with easyJet on Luton-Amsterdam, Paris, Malaga, Alicante and Faro. If I were a potential investor (which I hasten to add that I'm not), nothing would send me running for the hills faster than the prospect of my money being used to fuel an outright war with easyJet.

[jmc-man]

Flightrider,

it would therefore be consistent with NOW's approach of flying in the face of all proven concepts of successful low-cost operations. So no change there.

Anyway, while there's no money, it's all just pie-in the-sky.

[Max Autobrake]

What is it that's "moving" to Manston? The President of Flight Operations' desk? Obviously Luton not big enough for NOW's "expansion" plans?

C'mon FLYMATE, spill the beans!

NOW news is no news, I sense another thread about to be closed.

[VIKING9]

MSE is a non starter for NOW, and that's official ! (allegedly)

[Woodman]

Very Civil Pilot's point is correct. There is too much sea in the catchment area. There's only around half a million people in the area of Kent to the east of Maidstone. Maidstone is considered to be more Gatwick catchment. Half a million total market is unlikely to provide much traffic for scheduled routes outside of the really thick ones. I might accept plans for a small aircraft connecting to Amsterdam/Manchester/Glasgow/Malaga and a frew summer charters to the mega-markets but anything more is pie in the sky, especially now that STN is going to have serious development. And it only takes an hour to get to LGW by road.
Manston will stay as a freight and maintenance base.

[No comment]

The coordinators shouldn't really be divulging plans willy nilly... chances are they're using dummy airports anyway to disguise the real plan!

[Tenminutes]

So is this a scam to show that NOW are likely to get up and running this year or are they likely to just wind the whole thing up as a bad job ?

Any further news on their new investors or have they run away too ?

[Buster the Bear]

I understand that the head folk from Now are touring the City for cash.

If you see a busker on the underground, it could well be the boss!

[Fatter Cat]

How NOW will ever get off the ground will be one of the greatest miracles of all time, if it ever happens.

As every day goes by, they seem to lose more credability. I was one of those hoping to see them succeed , as a bit of competition would be good for everyone.

But, how will they ever do it? Loads of people have jacked in stable jobs and started at NOW, only to be dumped once the spin stopped, and the hard facts of no money in the kitty, struck. The ex-Ezy staff can't go back and are all looking for new jobs, as is everyone else.

Who would ever trust them again.

[LTNman]

Apparently EasyJet are not going to base two extra Boeing 737's as proposed, but four additional from May 2004 with sixteen night stopping. Apparently this will make Luton FULL overnight so squeezing Now out of Luton

[omoko joe]

perhaps EZY will put 120 buses in Manston and squeeze them out of there too.:rolleyes:

[FEBA]

JMC-M
You are the font of all knowledge as far as Now intelligence is concerned. I agree with you, and others, that Manston is an obvious red herring. Couple of questions for you;
Who were the original investors that dropped Now at the alter and do you know who may take their place?
Cheers
FEBA

[LGS6753]

LTNman -

I don't think 16 EZY 737s will 'fill' Luton if they all night-stop. OK there are other night-stoppers, a couple of MON, an FR 732 and maybe a BY757, but by my calculations LTN has plenty of stands, without resorting to remote parking areas.
Also, not all LTN-based EZY 737s night-stop. There is one away in ATH and another 2 doing late BCN/AGP.

[LTNman]

Stands 1R – 9 = 10 facing the terminal
Stands 10 – 15L = 7 opposite the terminal
North Apron 40R – 42L = 4 stands
East Apron 43L – 48L = 5 stands and not 6 due to the easyjet tent
South Apron 18- 22 Harrods executive jet apron
Stands 16 – 17 Signature executive jet apron
Stands 31-34 Cargo Apron

I make that 26 stands available for the punters but in reality some of those stands will have aircraft on them that are in for maintenance.

For the summer Britannia have two 757’s based at Luton, Monarch have three aircraft of various types, Ryanair one plus what ever the other tour operators are going to base at Luton this summer so I make the place rather full. Can’t see much room for anyone else now who intends to night stop.

[OLNEY 1 BRAVO]

LTNman - entirely agree with your assessment of the position.

Two things to add:

1) Stand 9L is available again but can not accomodate anything of 737 size

2) During the peak summer season, Britannia normally have up to 4 757's based.

And of course this does not account for anything else that TBI might be lining up ... e.g. additional Ryanair 737-200's and of course the Babies (stands by for incoming from Buster!!!!).

[LGS6753]

LTNman -
Your maths are spot-on, and I agree there could be a problem with 16 EZY night-stoppers.
But all the tour operating aircraft (BY, AMM, most MON, MYT etc) are utilised at night, returning between 0000 and about 0700. In my view, the crunch time would be at about 0600-0700 when the night stoppers are getting ready to depart and being joined by late arriving night charters.
The terminal will be pretty chaotic then too. When are TBI going to open the upper floor of the terminal?

[CAP670]

I think you'll find that four additional 'finger' stands capable of accommodating x 1 each B737-800/A319-size aircraft, will be constructed at Luton east of Taxiway Delta, opposite the current East Apron.

The fitting out and opening upper storey of the 'new' terminal building is dependant on additional services/operators taking the annual passenger throughput above (I think...) 8M (planning consent) as is the construction of a boarding pier and air jetties to serve the North Apron stands and the north side of the East Apron.

The additional services/aircraft were Now and Ryanair, neither of which has materialised. Therefore, TBI's plans remain on hold until the expenditure can be justified.

Unlike a certain Big Airports Authority, TBI doesn't cross-subsidise its Luton operation (loss-making East Anglian airports from other more lucrative locations...) and unlike that Big Airport Authority, it has to pay the hard up Luton Borough Council, £3 for every passenger it attarcts into using Luton, before any cash comes into the airport operator's coffers.

This compares with around £2.70 for each passenger using the cross-subsidised Big Airport Authority's East Anglian Regional Aerodrome...

Manston?

Well, it DOES have a fantastically long runway...

:hmm:

[LTNman]

Unless TBI has changed its mind the idea was for 2 new aprons each the size of the east apron. The plan shows one apron with its entrance opposite the east apron with the second one opposite the short-term car park. Both would be fed via Taxiway Delta. Both are marked out for 6 stands each but then the north apron shows 3 stands and not 4. This would give the airport between 12 and 16 extra stands depending on what was parked there. The plan also shows the short-term car park as another apron with a further 6 stands and a terminal exension in front of it but then the airport would loose all parking in its central area.


If easy do base another 4 aircraft at Luton then this would push the airport into making the commitment for a new pier. Whatever happens they are going to have to build a new Immigration Hall as Immigration has been shouting loud about cramped conditions. The immigration hall is planned for the side of the new terminal fronting Taxiway Echo and can only be fed with passengers by extending the existing pier that fronts the old terminal. I have a hunch that the work will start in the next financial year so come April expect to see something happen.

[VIKING9]

Despite all this, NOW won't be going to Manston. But then will they be going from Luton ???? :\

[jmc-man]

I believe one of the last posts from the NOW camp talked about confirmation of an Investor within 2 weeks ( I think it was late December) or shelve the whole project.

So, shelved or not? Is anyone left to get the project under way again?

There was the small matter of a case of champagne to be delivered, or a hat to be eaten.

Anyone got any news?

[bacardi walla]

jmc-man You are just waiting to gloat aren't you. Tell the whole world that "I told you so" or words to that effect. However, my sources close to the LTN camp advise that a positive announcement will be made next week. They also advise that new staff are slowly being taken on. Someone actually joined them this last Monday, in what capacity, I don't know. We may all be proved very wrong and they might just start up, albeit a bit late - ok a year later than originally planned http://www.stopstart.freeserve.co.uk/smilie/deal.gif

That said, have you got 2 glasses http://www.stopstart.freeserve.co.uk/smilie/guin.gif

[FEBA]

JMC Bloke
You're the harbinger of gloom aren't you :* you must enjoy it. Why didn't you answer my last post?

[jmc-man]

FEBA,

Sorry, I don't follow.

A NOW employee told us here that an announcement would be made during the first two weeks of January as to whether this project would progress or not.

I just wanted to know if anyone had heard.

I think the "Gloom" is more closely felt by the people made redundant over the past month or so, many of whom are still out of work.

What was your last question?

[FEBA]

Now moving to manston (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=113906)

[FEBA]

Thread promotion

:)

[jmc-man]

FEBA,

Oh, that question.

I have no idea. Apart from the South East Development fund Grant,(£350K I believe someone said) I have no knowledge of any other serious investment in this project.

Back of a fag packet calculation leads me to think this is all the money they had and it has run out over the last few weeks.

Of course, without any "official" information, this is pure speculation on my part.

I do know it's a bad time to get anyone interested in investing in the airline business.

[Flightmapping]

Maybe I've missed this on earlier posts (nothing in this thread), but could someone please explain Now's take on the fundamental laws of supply and demand?

Fixed pricing will result in empty planes in quiet periods, and the "£5" supplement won't go anywhere near stopping massive overcrowding in the busy summer months. People might not like paying £200 for a one way Ryanair flight, but they are well aware that there are plenty of other flights for £1, and most consumers understand how these two balance each other out.

Some of their routes are also highly suspect - LTN to MAN anyone? As already pointed out, Manston has to be one of the worst possible locations for a passenger airport - surrounded on three sides by sea (but not a popular tourist beach in sight).

Wherever they are going to be based, they seem to have a very dodgy business plan. And why on earth is taxpayers' money being used to help them start up, sorry talk about starting up?

[bacardi walla]

I wouldn't take any notice of the proposed routes shown on the website. They are the original routes that were planned way back in March 2003. As for Manston, NOW is not going to be based there and I doubt very much if any flight will operate through there.

Fixed pricing will work only if they support routes that are not flown by anyone else, i.e. LTN-BOD or LTN-LIS. People will pay the fixed fare because there is no other option other than use another airport.

Don't get your hopes up either. I think NOW is a dead duck waiting to have it's feathers plucked :ok:

[FEBA]

So when is this pipe dream going to be wound up ?

[bacardi walla]

Lets say next week shall we ? Those people still in the office in LTN must surely be wondering where the next pay cheque is coming from. I suspect the money is about to run out and there is no real sign of a new investor. Looking at the website it makes you wonder why they haven't removed the URL altogether as it currently shows misleading information.

[Mark Lewis]

Anyone inside got an update for us? People at STN I know saying the planes have been repossessed...?

[Oscar Duece]

A bit difficult to repossess something they never had !

Well it's the 28th did people get paid, terminated, ?

[jmc-man]

In the absence of any further information, we must assume this project is now dead in the water.

Wrong plan, wrong time, wrong place.

Sad.

[Buster the Bear]

Horrible, to be taken along for a ride! I understand that the orange folk do not want thier old staff back?

I still look forward to being on Now!'s first flight

[teachin]

Apparently not dead in the water. A friend of mine says there will be some positive news in the next few days.

[FEBA]

I've heard the same thing. How do you like your hats cooked JMC-Man :E
Good luck to all the Now management team, looking forward to a positive announcement soon.

[bacardi walla]

Forgive me, but how many times has the aviation world heard those immortal words "positive news" ?? More to the point, how many times have we heard it on Pprune about NOW ?

[jmc-man]

How on Earth could anyone define a
Reliable NOW source

in the light of past events.

Tragic.

Let's hope more people don't get duped into making potentially limiting career choices.

[FEBA]

JMC Man
I'll ask you again, how do you like your hats; cooked or raw.
In your gloomy world, life must be one long Dickensian christmas. I hope for all of those involved with Now that this news is true. I have a good feeling that it is.
Bah humbug to you.
FEBA

[Say again s l o w l y]

Looking at this from a completely neutral stand point, I've got to agree with JMC_Man.

Whilst NOW maybe potentially a fantastic company, at the moment it is lousy. All the nice words in the world mean nothing to the people who have to pay mortgages/send kids to school.

Nothing I have read or heard has convinced that NOW is viable in anyway. I desperately hope that it is for the sake of the people who left safe jobs to follow this debacle.

They are the ones who have really lost out in all this mess. NOT the management who should have known the risks in the first place.

As an investor, I would wait until they are desperate and then go in with a financial aid package to get the best deal possible from the current management. Lets hope that this is what is currently happening and that all the staff get something positive finally.

[bacardi walla]

But surely any new investor would insist on removing the current management, i.e. them at the very top, and replace them with people who actually know what they are doing. The people on the website, well, they have clearly messed up so far........

[FEBA]

You might be right BW, but something's happening out there, it's going to be interesting to see what it is ;)

[jmc-man]

Teachin,

you could not be more wrong ...

GO announced in December 1997, started selling on schedule in February 1998, started flying on schedule in April 1998.

Now announced in March, and re-announced in August and Re-announced in September and ....and ....and

Interesting marketplace at the moment with both Easy and Ryanair showing a drop in load factor and average yield.

I can't imagine what sort of investor NOW might have found, based on their track record so far.

And , Teachin, you might want to look at some of the previous NOW threads before deciding you want to work there, particularly the details of people like yourself who joined with great enthusiasm, only to find themselves laid off in the lead up to Christmas.

[LGS6753]

Interestingly, in RYR's third quarter results statement, they blame loss-making start-ups for some of the price competition they face.

Whilst I can't think of many direct competitors on RYR routes that fall into that category (MYL is the exception), they have obviously suffered a drop in yields, and expect them to go down further.

Looking at where locos are successful, it's to bucket and spade destinations, where they are taking over from the charter boys. The 'business' destinations are less successful (looking at Jet Magic, HLX, bmibaby, possibly Jet2).

My original optimism over Now's chances of survival has diminished because of market trends, its pricing model and its lack of financing. To succeed with Now, any backer would need deep pockets and lots of patience.

Best of luck if they start up. I'll be flying with Now from Luton (as SLF) given the opportunity.

[Powerjet1]

From this morning, website seems to be off-line. Temporary or what ?

[VIKING9]

Temporary, it works NOW ! :zzz:

[Fatter Cat]

Maybe the BIG announcement will be how many of the briefly employed staff have got new jobs, and where they have gone!

I understand that there can't be many bods left, as one if not more, off to Brittania, and the TrM alledgedly off to Africa!

[bacardi walla]

I heard a great one recently, NOW want to lease planes to other airlines !!!!!!!! Laugh? I nearly cried !!

[carlos vandango]

Heard very recently that there is now a plan to do low cost longhaul. That sounds a bit like a contradiction in terms to me. Found this website also by accident:
www.nowairlines.com/
The plot thickens. Anyone know if they are related??

[Frankfurt_Cowboy]

That'll be wind...........

[jmc-man]

You are a strange lot, you really are.

You hear second hand rumours about an operation that has singularly failed to live up to any of it's promises or commitments that it has made over the past 11 months, and all you can think of is making me " eat my hat".

Are you really going to believe anything you hear from these people , based on their track record so far? What on earth could they possibly say to convince the aviation community that they are serious at this stage?

So, for all those who missed it first time around.......their business plan is flawed, they lack serious aviation/business experience, and overall they lack credibility ..........IN MY OPINION !!

Let's see something tangible.....like a website offering bookings.....or an aircraft painted in the NOW livery.....before we start discussing my lunch menu.

Really....

[FEBA]

their business plan is flawed
Not flawed enough to stop you from habituating this thread :confused:

I doubt very much that you have seen their business plan, so we can value your judgements as highly as Now's.

Honestly.............

[Flightmapping]

"I doubt very much that you have seen their business plan, so we can value your judgements as highly as Now's."

I don't need to read a business plan to KNOW that fixed pricing on all sectors is never going to work. The original no-frills airlines went against the trend because there were good reasons to - e.g. out of the way airports were cheap & less congested.

Now's pricing structure ignores the basic rules of supply and demand - with or without competitors on their routes. The moment they start changing their prices to fill all those empty winter flights and reduce summer overcrowding, they have lost their key differentiator, and leave themselves wide open to be squashed by their bigger rivals.

[Waggon rut]

Some of you must see that not all people will want to travel with easy/ryan for some good reasons. Go, has gone and they did have a market share, the level a little up from the two others some people will pay more for that, how many people remains to be seen. I think they have a good chance.

[bacardi walla]

Has anyone ever considered that maybe the fixed price theory is now NOT the plan for NOW and that maybe they have changed their tactics. I hear tomorrow is the day for news to be released, not announced, but released. The 737-300's flown by Buzz for RYR will very soon be on the market, so are others. It could be that NOW have secured their aircraft, finance and strategy. Let's wait and see.

jmc-man none of this will affect you, so why get heated about it ?

[FEBA]

Teachin
I note from your location that you must be staying up very late ;) .
When you speak to Now (44 845 4589 737) would you kindly ask them for a definitive start date. We're all dying to know.
Many thanks
FEBA

[PPRuNe Towers]

BW, I wouldn't want to put words into any poster's mouth but I do see a consistent theme.

Whether people like it or not JMC man has consistently aimed his [?] thoughts at the average line guy or cabin crew considering employment.

Any of you can use the search engine at night to check for yourself. It is an unfortunate facet of this forum that it is dominated by those who think the airline world is a sexy business. It appears to have a significant preponderance of those who just love airlines and air transport.

JMC Man seems consistently to address those actually feeding and clothing their families in front line jobs. To establish a little emotional distance from this thread may I suggest you study the thread on Jetmagic - do you see any significant input from those in airside jobs or simply the disappointment of airline business fans?

Your mileage may vary,

Regards
Rob

[bacardi walla]

I don't have to study any thread. I, like others on here, am just fed up of constant battering that some give. Yes, it's an open forum for items to be debated, but unless people have fact surely it would be better to say nothing until such time they can substantiate what they are saying. I for one have freinds very close to NOW and what I post on here is justified IMHO.

Thank you.

[jmc-man]

Bacardi Walla,

an interesting perspective.

Can I just re-cap a few things.

I posted
So, for all those who missed it first time around.......their business plan is flawed, they lack serious aviation/business experience, and overall they lack credibility ..........IN MY OPINION !!

Note the last three words....I put them in capitals deliberately.

Now, when it comes to posting " facts", lets have a look at :-



However, my sources close to the LTN camp advise that a positive announcement will be made next week.
Bacardi Walla 17th January


I think NOW is a dead duck waiting to have it's feathers plucked
Bacardi Walla 23rd January


I suspect the money is about to run out and there is no real sign of a new investor.
Bacardi Walla 23rd January


Forgive me, but how many times has the aviation world heard those immortal words "positive news" ?? More to the point, how many times have we heard it on Pprune about NOW ?
Bacardi Walla 30th January


But surely any new investor would insist on removing the current management, i.e. them at the very top, and replace them with people who actually know what they are doing.
Bacardi Walla 30th January


I heard a great one recently, NOW want to lease planes to other airlines !!!!!!!! Laugh? I nearly cried !!
Bacardi Walla 31st January




You need to be consistent. I made it very clear what my Opinion is. How much of what you posted above was Fact?

You seem, based on the above, to be agreeing with me in many instances.

I also had friends in NOW, and I had to talk to them just before Christmas when they were laid off. Not a pleasant experience and not one I would wish on anyone.

I repeat, the only way people should accept NOW as being real should be hard evidence, namely, as I previously mentioned , A Booking website accepting bookings, or an Aircraft painted up ( which would mean a lease has been signed. Any other " announcements should , in my opinion , be treated with a healthy dose of scepticism

[FEBA]

JMC Man
You still haven't answered the question, again. Have you seen the Now business plan?

[jmc-man]

Their "plan" is publicly available on their website.

The " flaw" is their pricing structure.

.....in my opinion.

[bacardi walla]

I merely go by what people at NOW tell me, I then make my judgment - in either a positive or negative way. Like jmc-man I am very doubtful as to whether this venture will fly or not. To lodge my personal opinion as it stands today, I'd say it won't. But that opinion may change by the end of the week when more facts are forthcoming.

It's up to me if I want to be consistent or not. I don't need jmc-man to tell me what I should be.

Why not all wait until the FACTS appear from within the NOW building. That may or may not be this week, it may or may not be this month.

[bacardi walla]

teachin I heard the same only a few minutes ago, BUT, I will wait to see what happens and await yet another posting from jmc-man ;)

[jmc-man]

Bacardi,

If we were to wait for a "fact" from the NOW building, we'd wait a long time.

Lots of promises and announcements, but nothing else.

I think the consensus seems to be to wait and see. But I also get the feeling we've been here before.....quite a number of times in fact.

In the meantime, I will continue to offer my opinion and observations.....as I've said often before, feel free to ignore them.

[bacardi walla]

jmc-man yep, agreed, lots of "this will happen this may happen" scenarios but from what I heard yesterday, the next announcement will be to say.......well, lets wait and see shall we?

Needless to say, we will all see the result in due course in the form of the new website being released and seats going on sale (at what ever pricing they chose), an aircraft painted up in their chosen livery (which is not the one seen in an enthusiast magazine recently), or we won't.......:ok:

[trainer too 2]

BW just regarding your quote: The 737-300's flown by Buzz for RYR will very soon be on the market, so are others. It could be that NOW have secured their aircraft

Just to let you know that at the moment I can supply you or NOW with 164 737's for sale or lease including 38 737-300's, 18-737-400's about 4 -700's and lot of -200's So not having been able to secure aircraft in today's market would be more than stupid!:\

[Powerjet1]

No 'news' released yesterday then, as intimated by others on previous threads.

[eagerbeaver]

why all the speculation? If something is due to be announced then it will be when the concerned parties decide to do so.
It is anyones' guess what and when it will be....

JMC-MAN it was I that first offered you a hat, it is still on offer and your new dining exprience draws ever closer!

[Oscar Duece]

I notice you deleted your last post teachin.

So you go from not knowing anything about now in your first post to knowing all about the people in the office in the last.

Only registered in jan i see as well. Do you think we're that short sighted.

With you antics here I hope your not the part of the company writing the business plan.:ugh:

[jmc-man]

Eager,

Speculation? Well speculation (and expectation) happens when a number of people come onto this board and on a Thread about NOW, state that an announcement will be made "in the next few days".

So when "the next few days" pass with no announcement, people start asking what happened to the " announcement".

Your offer of a hat is kind. Can I remind you that I volunteered a case of Champagne when ( or should I say, if) they operate their first flight. My offer still stands.

So far, my concern about the viability of this whole project has been borne out by the failure to get it financed and airborne.

I'm afraid in the absence of anything else, speculation is all we have.

[bacardi walla]

Hey, where is my last post? Someone has deleted it and I would like to know why from the moderator !

[eagerbeaver]

JMC-MAN

I think your posts are educated and precise with respect to your point of view, and so far you have been close in your predictions. I think you know your stuff but i disagree with you, i think NOW will fly, I think the management are excellent and hard working. What they are trying to achieve is extremely difficult (look at GO with their £25 million start-up budget, BA backing them up etc etc.)

WRT to the hat/champagne we could exchange on the day of NOWs' inaugral flight? I am fond of Cristal or Bollinger.

FLYMATE? any word from you?

[Say again s l o w l y]

Another 7 page thread and still no airline. I can't believe people are still being taken in by this shower. If they had had the money, then we would have seen something long time ago, but as they obviously don't, then it is unfortunately a dead duck.

I hope all the guy's and gal's who left good (read safe and 'real') jobs find something quickly. As to the management, they should be ashamed of themselves as it is not just them who took the risk. If they had nailed down the finance properly in the first place then no-one here would be arguing and their 'employees' wouldn't have been left up the creek. (Unlike themselves I would suggest.)

[Flightrider]

Just to say, all of Now's slots at Luton have been cancelled for the summer. Not sure by who, but they have disappeared.

[FEBA]

JMC Man
As per EB Bollinger for me too. Suggest we meet at LTN, maybe outside Easyland.
Cheers
FEBA

[eagerbeaver]

Flightrider

When were these slots cancelled? Are you 100% or could they be in the process of being re-negotiated. I thought Luton ATC does not require slots as per Heathrow etc (unless they are airways?)

[Tarek Nor]

Flightrider

Runway slots are required for LTN. Coordination done by ACL.


Eagerbeaver

I think you'll find that flymate has left the building, and possibly
the country.


Say again s l o w l y & trainer too 2

Most of the mangment are decent people. The bottom line is that
most of the problems stem from just one of them. Unfortunately
his ego, has cost a lot of people time and money.

[bacardi walla]

Tarek Nor yep, there's only one person to blame but lets face it, the said person will still be included when (if) they get airborne......I'm surprised the new financiers allow him to stay.

[wheelbarrow]

And who is the troublesome manager?

The ex Virgin EXPRESS "Training Captain" or someone else?

wheelbarrow..bit close to the line. H

[jmc-man]

Strange that when I say things like that, I get pasted.

:D :D :D :D :D

[Flightrider]

All overseas slots have now disappeared as well - no slots held anywhere.

Now you see it, Now you don't?

[bacardi walla]

......and how do you know all overseas slots have been cancelled when the destinations had'nt been released ?

[wheelbarrow]

Hawk,

Sorry. Wasn't thinking....:(

Still, I wish that this saga would fly or die!

[Dirty Harry]

Interesting to see the Now thread still going, and I hear that so is the airline. Sources from within tell me that its full steam ahead with launch planning underway. It seems that whatever problem they had it is resolved now. Same source tells me that many of the staff are back in at Luton HQ with others being contacted to assess their interest in joining.

I wish Now all the best, it can’t be easy getting an airline started in this climate, lets hope they do it.

Tarek Nor
Not sure which one of the managers you are accusing of causing all the problems, but as a friendly ppruner I would suggest you either support your accusations with fact, or remove them quickly before you find yourself in deep water. From one of your earlier posts I see you may have worked for Now, you seem to be very disgruntled over something.

[Buster the Bear]

What next, www.fly-now-hop-bear-freedom-ciao.com?

AS MOL recently stated, that there are too many "Low cost" flooding the European market and making losses that will not allow these new airlines to survive.

As the interest rate rises and the 'plastic pushers' find that they cannot meet their monthly debt, the one area to cut back on for them is lo-co air travel.

Flying has become too easy (Pardon the pun). Plastic cards account for 96% of MOL's business.

When the Lo-Co bubble bursts, as it surely will, there will be a major re-adjustment. subsidies from regional authorities and airports will not allow airlines to exist, they need good yields.

I have no idea about Now's plans, but they need a lot of money and should not aim to make a profit for at least 3 years.

That aside, I want to be on their inaugural flight and sincerely wish all their staff, every hope that their career path will bear the fruits of their endeavours.

Anyway, my local Lo-co was cheap, now it is inexpensive, two completely different things.

[bacardi walla]

I was in the pub last night with a friend who is joining NOW and she has been told that they are seeking additional funding and that news should be arriving soon. Strikes me then that they don't have what is necessary to start up.

[wobblyprop]

So, does that mean they got some funding in Jan after the first lot pulled out or are they still looking from Jan?

[bacardi walla]

It's all a bit vague really. I don't think there are as many people back in Halcyon House as some make out, clearly people are working there and obviously being paid, but what's happening with the funding, structure, recruitment and source of aircraft is anyones guess. I'm still waiting for Flightrider to advise how he can say all slots have been cancelled when nobody actually knows the destinations to be offered.

Dirty Harry your post about Tarek Nor............he was dropped from a very high point by the person who employed him. I can see why Tarek Nor is disgruntled but that's between him and the person who laid him off. I hope though that he has found another job where he will be looked after (is there such a place?)

Here we are nearly another 10 pages and as someone else mentioned, no airline yet. Come on NOW - prove everyone wrong and get airborne !!

[Frankfurt_Cowboy]

"My friend at NOW tells me they got 40% more money than they were actually asking for"

Well isn't that great? So was it Rainbow Finance or Dial 4 a loan?? Is there a spanking new Bush DVD player in Halcyon House?

[bacardi walla]

teachin who told you about April? I don't think anything has been decided yet.

[FEBA]

There's a connection between Now and Hop. It would be interesting to see how the commercial tie up between the two would work out. Sounds very exciting to me.

[bacardi walla]

FEBA Hop is planning domestic I assume and NOW, is European. Is this Go all over again or something ??

[eagerbeaver]

FEBA

are you making this up? The people involved in the two companies are totally unrelated, NOW is luton based, HOP is planning on having its base at EGSC, different aircraft, different route structure. How could it be?
How you managed to come to this conclusion mystifies me, unless you have intimate knowledge which in that case i am sure the companies would not appreciate you telegraphing.

Although few things suprise me.

I am interested to hear your thoughts

[Dirty Harry]

Bacardi Walla,

Thanks for the info on Tarek Nor, he/she is clearly showing an emotional outburst. It is though my understanding that many staff were made redundant, so Tarek Nor is surely just one of them. I am personally waiting to see if Now get going in the next few weeks, then I will seriously consider them if given the opportunity, as despite all the comments I think they have potential to go places.

[bacardi walla]

Dirty Harry I believe Tarek Nor was made redundant which like the others, was a shame.

As for a connection with HOP - I personally can't see it. 2 completely different business plans and ideas although the ex Buzz man (TC) did leave NOW to HOP off and do other things ! Who know's, there may be some sinister connection here and yet again, only time will tell......:mad:

[first time flyer]

The only connection between Hop and Now is that the Buzz man tried to give Now some pointers as a short term consultant. I understand the ex VEX "Captain????" didn't want to listen too hard.

[FEBA]

It's nothing more than speculation really, based on the TC connexion and the similarities in fund raising. That said, a business relationship between the two would make perfect sense, wouldn't it. :cool:

[eagerbeaver]

FEBA

O I C, i never met this TC in question but from the sounds of things he sounds a good bloke to have on board. The NOW management are an excellent group of people they will get the show on the road i am positive of that.

Why would it be a good link up? Most of the population can fly to the main UK hubs with a particular airline already then get a connection to an international destination. HOP to me, appeared to be offering an alternative to CAR/TRAIN/BUS to commute around the UK mainland. That market is fiercely competitive. You can get the train London to Brimingham 60 mins or so for about £30 and you get right in the centre of most cities, airports and not in city centres where most people want to travel.

Will HOP ever get off the ground? I have not heard much about it other than a few things about offices at cambridge where i instruct. Sounds a good idea but could they make it work? I would imagine they would use ATR's or D328's, can you make money will half full aeroplanes?


All said and done i would fly with HOP i hate driving and the trains are ****e.

take care

[jmc-man]

Still no big announcement from NOW.

The HOP proposal is a non-starter. Ask anyone who has tried to successfully operate 30-40 seat aircraft around the UK. It is impossible to get the unit seat costs low enough to compete agains surface transport, unless you have a reasonable European operation as well, or have a well developed niche.

Formal link-ups with Low cost operations do not work either. Anything that involves transfers has a cost, and can delay flights, both of which are a complete anathema to the Low Cost Model.

Stansted has turned into an un-official low-cost hub on the basis of the number of operators. But even easyJet will not formalise transfer between it's OWN flights because of the costs and operational complications.

Meanwhile........

I checked the search engine last night when it was working. This will be the 4th 10 page+ thread on an operation that APPEARS no further forward than it did last May.


Eagerbeaver, I have to assume your view that the "NOW management are an excellent group of people" must be based on something the rest of us don't know. Because so far they have nothing to show for their "excellent" work. Would you care to share a view on their "achievemments"? I am particularly interested in your view on their decision to offer jobs to people when they wern't funded, thus requiring to make them redundant again within months. "Excellent " or what?

[first time flyer]

Jmc Man, as you like a little wager from time to time i'd be happy to do the Hat vs Bubbly bet with you on Hop:ok:

IMHO Now is a Never, it's dead and gone. Given the performance over the past year they will be highly unlikely to attract finance now to fund the thing particularly when there are a whole raft of starts chasing money out there that have better plans.

Me, I am just sorry for all those that got taken for a ride.:sad:

[FEBA]

EB
I enquired about a ticket on the train, Nottingham to Manchester AP ........................... cost £65. I reckon there is business potential there eh :cool:

JMCM
For a luddite you're a fascinating individual. You claim to be in the know yet when questioned about your knowledge of the Now business plan you get caught out :zzz:
Paradoxically you're good for business, keep the negative stuff re Now and Hop, coming
Cheers
FEBA

[bacardi walla]

It would appear that despite some previous posts, NOW have in fact NOT got the finance they desire. Meetings are still taking place so nothing is set in concrete.

What NOW then :confused:

[jmc-man]

We need to ask FEBA, or Dirty Harry , or maybe teachin, because obviously they KNOW whats happening in NOW, and I am just a Luddite (???) who obviously knows nothing.

......except I have, so far, been right.

Must be nearly time to start NOW Thread Mark 5.

[bacardi walla]

Maybe we do need to ask FEBA etc etc but I had it first hand that finance is still to come. Maybe the insiders are being fobed off by the managers in the hope that money will arrive. And yes, we are approaching page 10 and still no airline to show for it.....:{

[FEBA]

JMCM
That's a neat little side step, I'm impressed. Sadly I'm no more in the know with Now than your good self, remember I haven't made any knowledgeable claims re their business plan as you have.
My attraction to this thread is pure curiousity as to your paranoia of any new start up venture, Hop as well as Now. I note you haven't made any comments regarding Flyblu's intentions BHX - Florida six times a week, which is strange considering your nom de plume. Come on spill the beans, why are you so interested in Now ?? :E
Regards
FEBA

[Meeb]

jmc-man:

The HOP proposal is a non-starter. Ask anyone who has tried to successfully operate 30-40 seat aircraft around the UK.

You might be right, but Hop plan to use 60-70 seat aircraft... Try to keep up mate... :rolleyes:

[Flightrider]

Latest I hear from a venture capital source is that they are still looking for funding and nothing firm in place. A large number of potential investors will now not touch it as it has dragged on too long, but I suppose they only need one with a few million to say yes.

[Waggon rut]

Good to see the Rumours still flooding in!, really your source has no idea.

[runawayedge]

Have followed this thread with interest. Am not near enough to offer comment. Thoroughly entertaining though. Have joined the JMC camp. My only thoughts.....

How Now Brown Cow...

[Dirty Harry]

JMCMAN,

Sorry I do not have any special knowledge, just a couple of friends who are involved. They all speak very highly of the management team and seem to have a great deal of respect for them. So all I can say is that your comments do not seem to reflect the general opinion of the employees, who lets face it must be better positioned to judge.

Not heard much recently, been away flying a lot though.

Wish them all well whatever happens.

[FEBA]

Strange :confused:
Nothing heard from JMCM regarding my last post. I wonder why?

[eagerbeaver]

FEBA

My guess is he is out trying to find the best deal on champers'

Once again mine is Bollinger, a 54 preferbly.

Big things are to come..........

[Flightrider]

Aah Waggon Rut, that would be why a few venture capitalists who had originally turned it down were recontacted in recent weeks just to make sure their answer was still no? There are very few things that would make anyone run away faster.

Of course, I suppose it could be a lead backer trying to syndicate some of its proposed investment to reduce its own risk.....

Don't dismiss it out of hand.

[jmc-man]

FEBA,

been away at the day job. Still nothing new on NOW then? Oh dear, never mind eh? You have made "knowledgeable" claims about new investors and plans to start.

I have been reasonably positive about Thomsonfly, and I think Flyblu might have a niche. At least they are selling, and an AOC application in place. Easier market to start into at the moment with the dollar where it is and unlikely to go anywhere other than down.

MEEB,

still not sure the economics work.....but I stand corrected.

DIRTY HARRY

I don't expect my comments to reflect those of the REMAINING employees. I certainly think I might reflect the view of the former employees though.

EAGERBEAVER

Sorry to disappoint, but the champagne has been drunk already ( JMC-man junior mark 2:)), however, should there be any change in NOW's plans, I'll still stand my round as promised.

[VIKING9]

So, how is it that other new start ups in Europe can get funded and launched when they say they will launch and yet NOW can't :confused: I for one am rapidly losing interest in this project which is a shame. At one point I was considering joining them but the poor track record thus far has given me food for thought.....

It will soon be one year since NOW announced themselves to the aviation world and they have nothing so far to show for it except a few people in the offices at LTN, a proving flight that happened last year which proved nothing and by the close of 2003, employees out of work. Not terribly good signs by all accounts, I think most people would agree that this project is probably set to be doomed. I'd like to be proved wrong, but...........:(

[FEBA]

JMCM
So you're going to buy the first round eh! I respect your integrity however the declaration shows signs of stress. I would suggest that you hurry along to your mortgage broker for finance on the first round.
Chin chin :ok:

[Goldstone]

I said months ago that NOW had no chance of getting airborne. Same is still true.

[wobblyprop]

JMC MAN,

Congratualtions on the new addition to the family. I'm glad there is some positive news from this thread.

About 2 weeks ago, I was looking forward to reading something on the now website about a launch, still hasn't happened. I''l raise my glass of bolli to your addition instead ;)

[Powerjet1]

Heard from a well informed source that this week is 'make or break'. Things apparently have started to come together over the last couple of weeks but if it is enough to allow the airline to move forward towards launch, they will know this week. If not, it really seems Bye Bye for Now.

[VIKING9]

Think maybe it's time to say "bye bye"..... but hey, prove me wrong someone :rolleyes:

[FEBA]

V9
Is this an FYI or just a hunch. :uhoh:

[VIKING9]

I'll tell you at the end of this "crucial" week. No finance is yet fully in place so make of it what you will.

[FEBA]

V9
It's a Sunday. How do you know this?

[bacardi walla]

Why is it that nobody has answered the earlier question and that is, how come other European start ups can get finance, launch and get going when NOW can't ?

FEBA He know's it's Sunday, the calender says so ;) This time next week we will all be saying the same old thing that has now covered 11 pages of this thread. Will they or won't they :mad:

[VIKING9]

FEBA This week coming is allegedly the crucial week, but then it will be the week after and then the week after that and ............:oh:

[jmc-man]

Wobblypop,

Thanks....a goods night sleep would help as well :)

Guys, 10 days ago I posted this,

Speculation? Well speculation (and expectation) happens when a number of people come onto this board and on a Thread about NOW, state that an announcement will be made "in the next few days".

So it looks like all we will get here for the forseeable future is "My friend told me" or " a bloke down the pub said"....

Whatever happens , it won't be soon. As Flightrider has pointed out, all the slots that were requested have lapsed and so have been withdrawn. So they must start from scratch to see what SUmmer slots they can have, allowing for the fact that the slot conference for Summer 04 was held months ago.

There's still some Bolly left.....

[Flightrider]

Next problem is going to be aircraft procurement. 737s are shifting very quickly - the three ex-easyJet/Go aircraft that were originally heading to Now have been placed with Air Asia/Malaysia. Between Air Asia in Malaysia and Thailand, the Chinese carriers, FlyMe in Sweden (four 737-300s), bmibaby taking two to replace 737-500s and others expanding their fleets, availability of 737s is rather less widespread than it was three months ago.

Still, we wait for news......

[FEBA]

JMCM
You may right and as time drags on it's increasingly likely that you are, but then anyone could have worked that out for themselves. What bothers me is that none of your negative posts are backed with a single shred of evidence. So if you are unable to support your claims with fact, why do you say them?
You still haven't answered my question regarding your inverse interest in the start up activities of Now. If you want to gain creditability with your readers then a bit of glasnost wouldn't do your case any harm.
Tip to reduce baby crying sleepless nights, get Mrs JMCM to drink guinness, if you are feeding naturally. This tip from an Irish midwife who had seven of the little sods. It works, I can vouch for it.
Cheers :zzz:
FEBA

[Wing Commander Fowler]

Stops the wife crying too - I can vouch for that!! Hehe.... :E

[jmc-man]

FEBA,

The only "facts" I have ever posted here, centre around announcements from NOW. Namely the date and time of their start dates, which they fail to live up to.

The rest of my posts are "opinions", which, as I have said many many times before, feel free to disagree with my opinions.

I don't want or need "credibility" from my "readers". Most of the time my "opinions" are proven accurate by NOW's inability to get going. Strangely enough, it is the opinions of others that are suffering credibility problems, particularly those who keep telling us about iminent announcements and finance ( without the benefit of an "facts")

[trainer too 2]

Flight Rider, if you had looked at my posting of the 3rd of Feb you would have read:

BW just regarding your quote:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 737-300's flown by Buzz for RYR will very soon be on the market, so are others. It could be that NOW have secured their aircraft
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Just to let you know that at the moment I can supply you or NOW with 164 737's for sale or lease including 38 737-300's, 18-737-400's about 4 -700's and lot of -200's So not having been able to secure aircraft in today's market would be more than stupid!

The lastest count was 168 rather than less aircraft available... :p

[FEBA]

TT2
Doubtless you have 168 assorted B737's in your garage, but are you able to provide them at the right price.
I suggest you do as Teach says and give the Now team a call.

[eagerbeaver]

Has there been any developments today? c'mon who has got the goss?

[VIKING9]

The word NO springs to mind - again :rolleyes:

[Monde]

At this stage of the game for S04, no airport slots anywhere
=no flights at all.
October it is then.....!!

[jmc-man]

Teachin,

This has been my MAIN gripe with NOW. Whatever the disagreements over business concept, bases, aircraft etc, it was immoral for people to be offered contracts, on the strength of which they resigned jobs, when there was no financial backing in place to back them up.

Back at the very beginning of ALL the NOW threads, I poiinted out that I had been party to just such a start-up in the past, which left me and a number of good friends high and dry. Luckily, I was able to recovere the position.

Someone, somewhere should put their hands up and apologise for ruining people's lives like this, and EVERYONE should be wary of offers of employment from start-ups that are not fully funded at the time of offer.

Sad situation. I hope your girlfriend gets a job soon.

[FEBA]

JMCM
With regard to your last post I entirely concur. It is immoral to offer people jobs in an insolvent business. This is a great pity for all concerned.
FEBA

[trainer too 2]

Dear Teachin:

all seemed funded

you gave the answer already. It either is funded or it is not.. start ups are tricky and hence better avoided..

[LGS6753]

If you had ever been involved with raising funds, you would know how hit-and-miss the whole exercise can be. Funders often don't fully commit until the last minute, and will often offer both words and even letters of comfort.
An offer of funding can be withdrawn at any time without notice, and for any reason. Often the reason has nothing to do with the subject business (other investments not performing/better opportunities elsewhere/investor sentiment/international politics, etc).
Entrepreneurs are forced to continue with their plans in the expectation that promised funds will materialise until the cheque doesn't arrive as expected.
Now have actually done well to be continuing to seek a backer despite an evident setback. Sooner or later though, the cheque has to arrive,

[bacardi walla]

Sooner or later though, the cheque has to arrive, maybe the people at NOW should have ensured the cheque HAD arrived before announcing a launch almost a year ago.

Still no news and the "crucial week" is ticking by and with Thomson/TUI setting up in CVT (on the door step so to speak) I wonder if the management at NOW are having 2nd thoughts :confused:

I see FLYMATE has gone quiet :ok:

[jmc-man]

LGS6753,

You are right , in many respects. Entrepreneurs can have a wild ride balancing the progression of a business plan, against offered by not committed funds. However, ETHICAL Entrepreneurs will ensure they are careful not to risk anyone elses livlihood in their own drive towards successful completion.

What NOW should have done is sent everyone they wanted to come and work for them a letter explaining exactly where the process was and the risks involved when they were sending out contracts. Then, individuals could make their own mind up about how much risk they wanted to take for the potential reward of being an integral part of a start-up operation. I would think there might even be a case for misrepresentation here, if any ex employee wanted to pursue it. It is against the law to trade while insolvent, and the issuing of contracts of employment is considered trading.

FLYMATE

I am sorry for what happened to you. Any company would be proud to have such enthusiastic supporter as part of it's team.

Please, though, don't believe that anything that takes place on this board would be considered by Investors as grounds to support ( or otherwise) a new airline project. The due diligence process for capital investment is extensive and exhaustive, involving industry experts, banks, market analysts and even business psychologists.

The opinions, rantings or posturing of anonymous contributors on a web based forum don't carry much clout in the real world.

Hope you get sorted with a job soon.

[panavia]

I too am i redundant c/c member of NOW Airlines, but it has to be said, they keep us updated Weekly and the seed fund of 6Million is due anyday.... But although a great team, maybe its time to walk away from the risk of it going belly up! i dont need to be made redundant from the same company twice, especially when cabin crew is my Dream,

Good luck to Everyone, at Now Airlines, and maybe when they are a lil more established i will be back,

Happy flying guys and gals

[bacardi walla]

....and just how far will £6,000,000 go :confused:

[Lite]

bacardi walla it might be a point to remind you that when easyJet were launched in 1995, the airline was started with £5million of Stelios' money from Stelmar tankers, which allowed him to wet lease a pair of Boeing 737-200s.

[bacardi walla]

and that was in 1995, and he knew he had money from Stelmar Tankers to fall back on. Lease rates are fairly low these days but there's the other costs to consider too. So, I ask again, how long will £6,000,000 last ?

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Go-Fly was on course to loose £40m in year two. And that was a runaway success.

Starting airlines is expensive. I wonder why anybody bothers?

Cheers

WWW

[bacardi walla]

WWW my point entirely. How can a new airline hope to start up with £6m? I would have thought nearer the £40m mark would seem reasonable.

panavia Has Mr W kept you informed with this weeks events? What do you mean by "seed fund" ? Is someone leading you up the garden path with this news ? Tread carefully my friend. Starting an airline is not easy and requires skills that far out weigh those that most people have. Reading over the threads that NOW has generated on here, and this one is already 12 pages long, I'd say confidence with the management team is at rock bottom. You only have to look at the calender to tell you that.

monde how do you know that NOW hold no slots when the 3 letter ICAO code for NOW has not been released?

Good luck to all, cos today is Friday which means including today, there are 3 days left in this "crucial week". :ugh:

[eagerbeaver]

bw

£40 MILLION seems a little excessive for just start up costs, the reputed £6 million would be reasonable but leave no room for luxuries.

Monde

i was under the impression that luton had no slot system, therefore only block times would be required for ATC purposes and eurocontrol (airways co-ordination) - but correct me if i am wrong. Also the lack of a released icao code does no help.

I suggest we all stop speculating because none of us really know

JMC - ethical entrepreneurs ? is there such a thing? you dont get businesses off the ground by being ethical - you take risks and do what is required to make it work (within reason of course)

[Flightrider]

Right, time to get a few facts straight. There is some absolute utter rubbish being spouted here.

If you care to look here (http://www.iata.org/NR/ContentConnector/CS2000/SiteInterface/sites/sked/file/fdc/SC113_Final_Delegate_List_Airlines.pdf) , you will see that Now Airlines Ltd (code NWX) is listed as an attendee at the IATA Slot Conference in November.

Luton is a Level 1 coordinated airport, which requires airline operators to submit their schedules to the coordinator (in this case, Airport Coordination Limited) for data collection purposes. Website at Airport Coordination (http://www.acl-uk.org) will confirm this to any doubting thomases on that score.

NWX applied at Luton for the Summer 2004 to operate a number of routes. As of today, it holds no slots at Luton for Summer 2004. It also applied at a number of overseas points, including a high-frequency run to Brussels, Almeria, Valencia and other points listed in the Luton slot submission. These had all been cancelled two weeks ago, but a small slot holding has been reinstated in recent days:

Manston-Paris Orly twice daily from 25 May (application still held on waiting list at Paris Orly as no slots available)

Luton-Brussels twice daily with both flights running at about the same time in the middle of the day with effect from 6 September.

Happy now? Or should that be Unhappy Now?

[panavia]

The £6m seed fund will just get the thing off the ground, they have 2 investors one of which is Sweedish? who will be giving them 40% more than they orriginally applied for, the due dilligance has been complete and the money will allow them to Grow Faster, and safer than they had hoped, although im not hanging around, although communication between now Ex crew and Lars W (MD) is good, i just cant take a risk, and am hlaf way through my training with a reputable airline. i just hope the people who took the HUGE step to move down here get to work for the company, i was unaware that Halycon house had been gutted, so who knows, a time line is due to be realeased on Sunday, so i should know more by then, and untill they are fully opperational and making headway, then i may think about re joining.

[bacardi walla]

More speculation then.

Halcyon House has been gutted, is that because of the planned refurbishment (which is odd considering they have no income) or have they been booted out by LTN Airport ?

MSE-CDG ?? And who will fly on that ?

[Lite]

Having spent the last summer with Air Atlanta Icelandic, I have been pleased on many occasions to use Manston Airport.

Whilst the airport may not be as close to London as perhaps Stansted or Luton, its a nice little airport with good facilities and an excellent & competent management team and staff who couldn't do enough to help.

Having stayed in touch with some of the management team who I had the chance to lunch with when I asked for a guided tour of the airport last October, I have been told that the airline is in talks with a new upstart carrier although its unlikely to be Now, I've been told.

I would doubt that MSE - ORY would work as its just as easy to catch the Eurostar from nearby Folkestone. However, Med routes as well as some domestics & an Amsterdam wouldnt go a miss!

Here's hoping MSE get their loco soon!

[bacardi walla]

teachin wrong people at the top, not down below ;)

[panavia]

To anyone awaiting news on NOW AIRLINES. today is the day, wait no longer, the e mail i pressume will arrive at about 4-7pm, so good luck, if there is no contact then.... im staying away!

If there are any NOW crew out there?? Will YOU be joining, what do u think of NOW, and do u trust them?? Let me know what u think

:ok:

[panavia]

Absolutely, im not going anywhere, the Airline im with now is great, really good bunch of people, a management team that acctually care, if now airlines does well i may re join in a year or two, but i wish it Every success, lets just hope Low Cost (or second generation low cost as NOW have said) isnt being run into the ground by the likes of BA or BMI offering very low EU prices,

We shall see

[bacardi walla]

Come on everyone, you honestly think news will be released today ??? My money is on them saying "updates this week coming" or words along those lines. That would say it all.

[Powerjet1]

Well, did anybody here anything or is it a case of 'No news is bad news'.

[teachin]

Well, no news, which wasn't unexpected as no news came last Sunday. This is now turning into a terrible nightmare. Do any of the other ex NOW employees think now that they were literally taken for a ride by NOW management? To say nothing is absolutely disgusting, as those involved were given an upbeat email 2 weeks ago, practically assuring success this time round. But to say nothing for 2 weeks even to say "definite news next week etc" is deploreable. Doesn't the top man realise he has ruined so many lives and he knows that many hang on his every word to turn their situation round. No conscience whatsoever.

[panavia]

Well Guys and Girls, today i think was crunch time, 2 weeks on and no E mail, sommet not right there!!!!

I did send MR W a nice little e mail for him to think about,

but i think its now time to walk away, i wish u all the success, lets just hope Lars can acctually find it in himself to send one final e mail and say, Sorry guys but i f***ed up,

i doubt it,
and yes Halycon House is EMPTY

no one will ever know if we where taken for a ride! they didnt gain any financial up from us! so who knows
:\

[bacardi walla]

Anyone from LIA care to make comment? Maybe if NOW have decided to throw in the towel, the ex GO team may want to take it up themselves and make a serious "go" of it. Lets face it, without certain people involved, it may just get off the ground. Think a new name would be beneficial though.......:confused:

NOW is, at this rate, dead.

[jmc-man]

Bacardi Walla,

The ex GO people were mainly, I undrstand, in the operational area, rather than the finance end. I still think the business concept was flawed, obviously a view shared by investors.

I think it might be time to close this thread.....doesn't look like there will be much to talk about.

[bmibaby.com]

I have to agree that there are large flawed parts of the now! business plan and that people have been messed around now for over a year, so unless the company gets a major overhaul of its ideals, then I doubt the company will ever get off the ground.

An idea that I think could work for now! would be the PEOPLExpress concept of ultra-low-cost.

Like Ryanair almost:
take advantage of airports that need your business,
take advantage of the leasing companies that need your business,
take advantage of your passengers by just giving them a seat, anything else from a newspaper, a drink or checked & interlined luggage comes at an extra charge!

Also PEOPLExoress had the innovative pricing system of "peak" and "off peak" whereby depending on what time you caught one of the regular flights, the price would fluctuate.the basic service an airline delivers could be boiled down to the simple process of transporting a passenger from one point to another by means of an airplane. Anything else, whether it be an in-flight snack or checked baggage, for example, could be treated as an extra service which the customer would have to pay for. Under this model, PEOPLExpress charged US$3 for each piece of checked baggage and 50¢ for a soda or a coffee. The extra-large cabin overhead bins dissuaded customers from check bags and thus allowed to make faster turnarounds thanks to a reduced load and offload time.

Simplifying the airline's procedure was key to achieving lower unit costs. The airline's fare structure provides a good illustration of this principle, with only two fares available on a given route: peak and off-peak. The highest tariff was applicable on weekdays between 07:00 and 18:59, while the lower fare was charged for the rest of the day and the weekends. Furthermore, there were absolutely no restrictions of any kind, such as a minimum stay-over or a round-trip ticket purchase. PEOPLExpress' low and easy-to-understand fares were instrumental in luring incremental traffic – passengers who would otherwise be taking the bus or not traveling at all; many PEOPLExpress passengers had never flown before. Purchasing cheap, second-hand airplanes, flying them over 10 hours a day, and reducing the service to the maximum were all key factors to keep profitability margins high in light of the incredibly low fares.

[bacardi walla]

Yes I agree with jmc-man about the ex GO people being mainly operational types. I also agree with the PEOPLEXPRESS theory but NOW had one fundamental issue that needing dealing with right from the start. The COO was the wrong man for the job. Maybe a nice guy, maybe a good pilot. As a businessman I reserve judgement but then having made so many announcements, job offers, launch dates, promises and finally redundancies then the ability to carry out and hold on to all those previous mentioned items (other than the last) just leaves me thinking "wrong man for the job".

LW was (and maybe still is) obviously drawn into believing that this airline can get off the ground but despite what I may have said in the past i.e. being positive, I have to say I firmly believe NOW will not fly, at least not with the present structure.

The business plan although on the surface appears to be flawed, could well work IF they had chosen the right destinations, the right timings, the right pricing. There is plenty of room for loco competition and maybe soon, another loco will be born out of the ashes of NOW's fire that has just appeared to have gone out.

Bye for NOW :ok:

[JW411]

Don't talk to me about the People Express model! I was based at JFK on DC-10s when they were in their prime and my American colleagues were convinced that they were run by the Moonies (a religious cult). As soon as they got on the ground the captains became baggage handlers and the cabin staff drove tugs etc.

Anyway, one night my wife HAD to get back to London and the only seat I could find was First Class on People Express to Gatwick. It cost me $411 one way but I was happy that she was going to get home on time and took her over to Newark to catch the flight.

She settled into her first class seat (747) and was asked if she would like a drink. "A gin and tonic would go down well" said she. "$5.65 said they, and by the way, how many bags have you checked in?" The first class meal was priced at $32 or so so she wisely decided to have a couple of drinks and go hungry.

Believe it or not, the captain was having an FAA upgrade check and the FAA ops inspector came back to eat and sat beside my wife. They tried to charge HIM $32! He told the Queen Bee that she had two choices; "either I eat for free and your captain has a chance of upgrading or.................!".

As has already been stated, they went belly-up in spectacular fashion so don't ever use them as a business model.

By the way, they also turned out to be amazingly sexist. They made huge publicity about the fact that they had the youngest lady 747 captain (if not the only one) in the world until she scraped a pod one day and then her feet did not even touch the ground.

[bacardi walla]

.....and how many years ago did they go "belly up"? The world has changed since them days.....:oh:

[jmc-man]

Teachin,

it wasn't Dirty Tricks, it was just a bad decision. The Low Cost model doesn't work with Long Haul, it's impossible to get the average yields up. The optimum sector length for the low cost model is about 1:30. Once you go beyond that, you need to be in a niche market to achieve good, all year, average yields.

People Express was a successful domestic carrier in the US, who just got carried away with their own self belief. Their Trans Atlantic operation killed them.

Definitely moving off topic.

I suppose the next thread will be something like " Now - Wrong Time, Wrong Place or Wrong People?"

Most of my friends there have found other jobs. Hope the others have more success soon.

[panavia]

I did acctually get a "Feed-Back" e mail from Mr W, although had to ask for it,

TO begin with i had every belief in Now! or was it the management??? im not a business man, i was shown a product!

But i really dont think NOW AIRLINES will fly, i know a few "Insiders" who have now Left and gone back to Easy Jet, and i can assure you, they where TOP people, have NOW called it a day??!!?? who knows, only time will tell, but yeah a Re-Name would be imperitive, or the Now concept will always be the NEVER concept, not a good leg to start off on!!!!

[eagerbeaver]

I used to work for Now, but i dont know anymore than anyone else here. I am just gutted as it was my first job and i never got the chance, it was a great place to be while I was there. I got a trip to france and lunch.

I dont see the point for a name change as the public wont have had much contact with the airline - and if they fly i would bet a million pounds that they will receive hundreds of applications again. Things are quickly forgotten.....take ezy or ryan, you find many people moan but there's always a large queue of people waiting to get in.

Less of the personnal stuff as well.

Teachin'

I doubt anybody who left easyjet would have gone back, surely you leave a company for a reason, not just on a whim?

[jmc-man]

Eagerbeaver,

The people who went back to easyJet did so because it was a JOB and it paid a SALARY which they needed to pay their BILLS.

Obviously NOW was not in a position to offer the same.

[Stan Woolley]

None of the pilots went back to Easyjet.

[iain8867]

Well I have to say I have read all this thread with great interest, Some supports of Now seem to have waivered! I can't really talk about the management team at Now as I didn't get to know them that well with the short time I was there, I understand the product they were offering and I think it was and still is a good idea.

The people I knew at Now were a few of the pilots, all the No2's and No3's and the Crew mangement. The only reference I can offer is that if the finance management team are as focused and bonded as them then this airline will fly.

I am still in contact with some of the people in the office and a few of the crew, and most still think, it is going to be slow, Now will take to the air.

I may be luckier than most as I have secured myself a crew position at another airline, but I will not say that I won't return to Now when it is airborne.

I may be wrong, I may be right, and I don't dish dirt cause I was laid off, nor will I hold a grudge. I really do hope that Now gets in the air and that people that were interested in the airline will go back, we were a great team.

I have to admit I miss a lot of the people. and it would have been the crew, flight deck and customer relations personel that would have made and will make this not just an airline but a great airline.

so now I have posted I will probably be called misguided and other such comments, but this is how I feel. I may be but I won't give up hope on them..................

[panavia]

When i was at my interview last year for NOW, i had a great day, and the people they chose to help get thier airline in the air, where a really good bunch of people, i to keep in touch with a few people and eagerly await every feed-back although i have been taken in by another Airline which i love, Now was the first airline that acctually employed me, i wont forget that, but at the moment i need security!!! but one day im sure i will re join!

See you soon guys/girls

[Tarek Nor]

Another nail ?

Seems that the supposed first a/c G-IGOC has
been registered G-ZAPV with Titan.

Lets face it - its over!

Hope everyone has found something better to
do and we can put this farce behind us.

[panavia]

The Feed-Back e mail should be arriving soon, although i think it may be the plan to let NOW just fade out, without telling anyone! at least its the way it seems to b e going!

I have been employed with an amazing airline, hope the rest of the NOW crew have too!

good luck !

[bacardi walla]

A friend of mine received an e-mail from LW on Thursday last saying "an announcement would be made in March". She replied "what, another one? That's 6 in 12 months and nothing to announce that is positive is surely not worth announcing".

It's dead and it's high time that NG declares this project a failure and moves on, but not to another airline. Nobody will back it financially with the track record NOW have secured themselves.

Why wait for yet another briefing? NOW is like a cake. Half baked and thus not worth tasting.

:ugh:

[teachin]

Well we know what tonight's briefing will say, may as well just copy and paste us the previous emails. There again, LW might not bother this time as he didn't bother last week and I only got the email after asking him for it direct. He claimed it went out to all, but now from reading between the lines he didn't send it out...So the game continues.

[bacardi walla]

teachin give it up, it ain't happening. Read what Tarek Nor last posted. Ok, G-IGOC ain't going to NOW but neither is anything else.

I actually feel a little sorry for LW - he's obviously been drawn into things that he doesn't fully understand. Maybe he needs to be enlightened by people who do know how to obtain finance and start an airline.

eagerbeaver glad you had a nice day in BOD, nice lunch and all. Shame the punters who were going to book with NOW didn't have the same experience.

Change the management structure and it might work.

:suspect:

[panavia]

Well no email last night! not all that suprised, maybe i will fire off another request e mail to MR W, see what he has to say for himself,

I too feel a bit sorry for the guy, he really believed this could happen,

Who knows! maybe one day, NOW Airlines will fly!

But for now, im taking a step back!

[panavia]

NG's ventures normally end in tragidy... or so i have heard, i have just sent off an email to LW asking for a weekly update, i will see if one arrives, if not, a strongly worded letter will follow, asking for some REAL answers and some sort of timeline, as the TOP DOGS in this venture i would hope the had some sort of timeline set out, even if it is a little sketchy, i will keep u posted!

[bacardi walla]

Everybody listen. This project is dying rapidly and the confidence has gone through the floor. A friend received an e-mail from LW, as mentioned above, saying another announcement would be made in March. If NOW had a decent, well respected finance team and a "top" man at the top, then LW would have himself an airline by now. But, alas, he doesn't and all that is happening is that more and more people are losing faith in LW let alone NOW itself.

panavia you may well be right about NG. This one is clearly failing. Timelines are announced and then come and go, so really they should just say nothing until they have some positive news. Either that or shut it down.

[FEBA]

Teachin and Panavia
I think you have hit the nail on the head. Why do you think investors would be detered by this man?

[bacardi walla]

FEBA possibly because he doesn't actually know the full ins and outs of financing a new airline. Plus, the previous investors lost their confidence as a result of this, hence, new investors will tread very carefully indeed.

It ain't happening unless LW wakes up and does something about it. Reacting to requests on e-mail is not exactly what I would call good communications with his staff, but at least LW sends them.

[panavia]

This is a pretty contreversial topic, and i am almost 100% sure MR W looks at this as regularly as me.

I really do think he is trying his best, and really do think he believes this venture of his will pay off!! Okay so its taking a while, but one day im sure it will, and Never Airlines will become not only one of the biggest topics on here, but a very good airline,

But then again!!!! who knows

C'Mon Lars... dont let all the people you made so many promises too down!

[bacardi walla]

Believe me, LW does read this thread and actually thinks it's having a positive impact on the set up of NOW. Either he knows something we don't or something is seriously wrong. Lets hope he knows more than he's letting on.

Come on Lars, get this thing airborne. People are losing faith, lets face it, if you do get up and running soon, you will have to recruit all over again and that could potentially take up to 3 months from the date you say go.......:rolleyes:

[teachin]

I agree with bacardi-walla. Come on Lars, get rid of whatever the investors are seeing is wrong with the set-up. Once you take decisive action to get the investors fully behind the venture, the funding will be there and you can call upon all those loyal guys who you told to "hold" whilst you got this up and running. We're all with you. We believed in it so much to leave other good jobs. We'd need positive proof you did it this time as the last time seemed you had it in the bag, but then it went quiet..

[jmc-man]

Teachin

get rid of whatever the investors are seeing is wrong with the set-up

Well, the way most investors ( at least institutional investors ) work, is that they would look at a business plan, and meet the lead promoters of the plan.

If they had a problem with any member of the lead team, they would make that clear at the early stages. If , however, they were not convinced that the project might "fly", they would just politely decline.

So suggesting that the Chairman gets rid of whatever the investors see is wrong might be hard to do, if they saw the whole investment plan as wrong.

I still believe that the idea of starting a Low cost airline in the backyard of Europes biggest with a fatally flawed pricing structure is the main reason why investors are stepping back. Even basing in Manston might at least have given them a niche to grow into. However fixed pricing would have major drawbacks on cash...the lifeblood of low cost airlines.

Hope nobody minds if the champagne goes back to the cellar for a while.

[teachin]

Fair point about the fixed pricing jmc-man, surely they would have pointed out a doubt to them in their due diligence and maybe they would have changed that policy.

I still think it's a good venture and hope they convince their investors to give them the nod. If after a while the fixed pricing wasn't bringing in the bookings they could change that policy in time to get cash-flow coming in. Nothing I am sure is set in stone re: fixed pricing.

I still think it is something else we don't know about as to why 2 sets of investors have backed out.

[FEBA]

JMCM
You need to qualify your posts so as not to mislead
So suggesting that the Chairman gets rid of whatever the investors see is wrong might be hard to do, if they saw the whole investment plan as wrong.
In your opinion

I still believe that the idea of starting a Low cost airline in the backyard of Europes biggest with a fatally flawed pricing structure is the main reason why investors are stepping back. Even basing in Manston might at least have given them a niche to grow into. However fixed pricing would have major drawbacks on cash
In your opinion

I dispute your fixed pricing arguements, especially with regards to the business sector and last minute bookings. I think that the market would favour such a pricing strategy. It's worked in many other industries so why not aviation?

[jmc-man]

FEBA

The first part is not an opinion. I am not saying that investors saw the whole plan as wrong. I am saying that it would be hard to " get rid of the part they don't like", if they just don't like the plan. See TEACHIN's post earlier.

The second part is obviously my "opinion" because I start the sentence with " I Believe.... "

The problem with fixed pricing is this :-

1. Your early bookers can get far cheaper fares with other carriers

2. There is no incentive for anyone to book early to get best value, thereby no cash pot to run your business.

Now there may be other industries where this works, but you must remeber that seats on flights have different values for different people. For the leisure traveller they want cheapest flights and can be flexible with their travel. The business traveller wants to be able to book at short notice and be able to change at last minute.

All successful low cost airlines rely on the early bookings to bring in cash. It is a proven concept (Ryanair, Easy, GO etc)

So someone trying to get investors into backing a business which flies in the face of "PROVEN" finance model would IN MY OPINION have a difficult time.

Of course , NOW's problem with getting investors might be for completely different reasons altogether.

[Buster the Bear]

So when is thier first revenue flight? (When Buster gets his bus pass!!!!!!!).

[bacardi walla]

Buster the Bear it will be long after that :p

[CaptAirProx]

I agree with Jmc, the likes of flybe turned themselves around from the poo by adopting that policy. They now have cash flow and money in the bank earning interest b4 the flights left the ground months ahead.

[teachin]

Well no updates now for over a week. Maybe they think if they keep quiet then all the disappointed employees will just fade away like the venture. They deserve better...

[bacardi walla]

Why is everyone relying on receiving an e-mail update? What happens to those people who don't have e-mail? If the management at NOW were professionals, then they would send out updates on a regular basis - by snail mail, you know, that thing the postman brings every morning except Sundays ;)

As I said before, it's dead so I think everyone involved directly or indirectly, should do themselves a favour and move on. The management at NOW have let a very good bunch of people down, very badly. Mr W, sit back and assess what you (as top man) have done. Maybe prove everyone wrong one day and show us your airline operational.

Best wishes :suspect:

[Max Autobrake]

... and somebody should do us all a favour and close down 14 pages of :mad:

Just how many different ways of saying "They are a great bunch of people there will be an announcement tomorrow what a bunch of idiots they let us all down now they are moving to Manston all the management have left I've got a wife and kids to support they led me up the garden path their pricing policy is fatally flawed there will be another announcement tomorrow its all back on track they've got the finance no they haven't :ok: :ok: good luck" are there?

:{

[teachin]

Sunday used to be update night from NOW. The last few weeks nothing has been forwarded to the loyal employees who went to NOW with the expectation of an airline up and running, and funded for operations. This was not the case, it was an airline on paper, with no funds, but the employees at no point were told there was no money. The managers took on staff hoping that the funds would be negotiated in the mean time thus making the lack of funds irrelevant. A very cruel and deceptive way of setting up an airline.

So the crunch came and no operational airline, all the work had been done, all was needed is the money. It didn't materialise. Now we are told they are renegotiating and announcements in March should shed light as to when they finally launch. So do we get the news tonight? Or do we get let down yet again? We wait and see....

[panavia]

Well tonight is the night, Teachin, i doubt the news will arrive on the first sunday of the month, LW said March my bet is he meant the end, if there is no news, i will be e mailing him yet again to find out why,

I will keep u happy listeners up to date, maybe a lil better than LW himself!

[bacardi walla]

Why waste your time waiting? Move on and get a job with a proper airline, one that WILL get off the ground or is already flying.

It's a case of NOW Amateurs.:\

[jmc-man]

This is all a bit tragic.

On March 11th last year, I posted this on the first NOW thread...

This must have had easy jet guys laughing in their coffee this morning.
Their Chief Operating Officer was last seen as a First Officer with Virgin Express.
Apart from the suspect line up, the economics of a single fare operation just don't stack up.
They would need consistent load factors in excess of 95% just to break even.
Shame people like this are allowed to waste people's time and money

Seems horribly prophetic now.

I think this thread should be wrapped up.

[Chillwinston]

Having read this current thread and the ones prior I just feel for the people caught up up in all this whom have give up other secure jobs to be treated like this.

I believe (for what its worth) that the founding idea of NOW was a different twist on a tried and tested theme and may of worked, the investors seem to of pulled the plug, for what ever reason and for the bean counters and management to treat employees in this way is disgusting.

JMC-Man has voiced his opinion from the start and fair play to him he was proved right but his last post is uncalled for, for former employees to read that type of self indungent and arrogant post is nearly as bad as the way the management of NOW have acted.

Not a slag, just how the last post comes across

[bacardi walla]

"Time for bed" said zebodee :confused:

Let's face it, we are all tired of reading what boils down to nothing. This so called new airline called NOW has failed and what's more, the management have failed big time. Who in their right mind would go and work for them even if they did have millions behind them. I would say quite a few really, but only if the ex VEX man wasn't there. Yes, I know I will get my wrist slapped by Senor Moderator but hey, it's the truth......

My guess now is that LW is in the process of winding it up and the next so-called announcement will be "we've decided not to proceed blah blah blah" and blame something else for their failings.

http://www.stopstart.freeserve.co.uk/smilie/toilet_claw.gif http://www.stopstart.freeserve.co.uk/smilie/sulkoff.gif

[FEBA]

JMCm

Ironical post :confused: The bit about laughing into their coffee may be an observation from one who was there or yet more speculation from one who is not in the know.

However if Easy found the whole project so laughable and implausible as you claim why did they go to the vast expense of deliberately retaining aircraft that were ear marked for Now airlines?

Also you discredit the doyens at Easy by suggesting that they casually dismissed a proven fixed fare strategy as something of a joke. The above paragraph endorses the inaccuracy of your dis-beliefs.

Why don't you ask the financiers who disposed of Go just how desparate Easy was to monopolise their market position by paying more than handsomely for Go. Same goes for O' Leary as well.

I suspect that the disinformation that has been bandied on this thread has more to do with fear of competition from Now and adequately explains the start up set backs.

[panavia]

I recieved a Nothing to declare e mail from LW today, and it stated that the next e mail would be next week! so at least they are coming,

Lets wait and see, They do have investors who have agreed to agree, they are now in the stage of signing the document, however stupid i may sound, and although i have another CC career that i love, i do think NOW will start up, it may be Winter Schedule before they do, but i have belief, and i think a few other ppl on this forum do to, Lets just wait and see, we all have other careers or money coming from somewhere, im in no rush, i just might think you guys will see NOW airlines aircraft gracing the skies yet!!!!!!

Be optomistic, LW is still there, and so are the Number 1's

[Little Friend]

How many hours on the 737 have you or the CC or LW got then....

[VIKING9]

I am reliably informed that LW = zero http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/contrib/edoom/sleeping.gif

[teachin]

From another thread about B747's at Luton yesterday:

"You have all got it wrong:

News embargo until April 1st.

NOW to launch low cost service from Luton with B747's!"

[Tenminutes]

"News embargo" Nothing new there then........ when will this company be open to it's former and new employees or is it completely dead and Halcyon House is now empty ??

[bacardi walla]

I think Halcyon House is still occupied but can't confirm this. I'd say it is dead though, for this year at least. Even if they made an announcement to advise a launch date, it would take at least 3 months, maybe more, to get even close to starting. Maybe by then, LW would have woken up and seen the day light and got wise :confused:

[eagerbeaver]

I hear december...... Halycon house is still occupied just by not many people.
It would be wonderful to know exactly what happened and why it never got going, they had everything in place and then it stalled with horrendous consequences.

You never know, stranger things have happened.

[Tenminutes]

Woop woop - pull up !!!

Just heard that NG is working for Excel @ LGW........

[Buster the Bear]

This thread, just like the paper airline, needs deleting Now!

So where are the announcements (as promised by Now! folk via this thread) of Now starting flights soon?

http://whipsnade.co.uk/picturelibrary/jpeg150/br/brown_bear_120_wide.jpg

[The Southend King]

Of the 3 senior Flight Ops people in NOW, one ( as mentioned) is with EXCEL ( I believe it's his first command ;) ), One is with us in ChannEx, and the third is with Helios. Looks like they're sorted then. Hope everyone else was as lucky.

[Tenminutes]

Did LW ask NG to leave or did he go to Excel by choice? I wonder then if NOW will get going......

[teachin]

Anyone heard anything about NOW? Are they now dead or anyone know if they are likely to get back on track?

[crash_1983]

Not so sure, after LWs cancellation of the weekly update, im kinda in the dark... maybe a little e mail to him, may enlighten us a little!

[bacardi walla]

Last I heard, which was on Sunday, was "nothing new to report" and that came from LW, but not to me you understand. To a friend.

[teachin]

Seems its a shame hes pulled out of updating. There again, most of the updates were not full of much information, just to keep waiting. I hope he's quietly working away and he might pull something out of the hat to surprise us all...

[bacardi walla]

well it's Easter soon, so maybe a rabbit will appear :p

[Tenminutes]

Hey teachin is the building empty yet ? My guess is that LW is about to give up.

[teachin]

Was there today, all the lights were out and nobody was in and it was office hours. As for giving up, I don't think its completely dead yet. Many other airlines in the past have had troubles getting started, once the hurdle of funding is overcome,(and I know they are working hard to overcome this) then I anticipate a launch, Just when I don't know, but I wouldn't nail the last nail in the coffin yet.

[bacardi walla]

Lights out, nobody there and it was office hours. That tells you something surely ? I think the fat lady is about to sing :rolleyes:

[crash_1983]

Why would he need an office???

He has no staff, LW is trying for the funding, and am sure he has himself, and a couple of select others working behind the scenes!

And im sure u can do all that from home?

Cant you?

[teachin]

Very true, getting the funding involves going out of the office and into meetings. Was a bit weird though to see the offices in darkness after seeing it always a buzz of activity. As for LW, he's a very determined man. So we should encourage him....

[FEBA]

Its all gone very quiet. What's the latest on NOW, is it officially dead ??

[teachin]

Haven't heard anything at all from them, but I haven't heard its dead either...No news is good news? Anyone in the loop care to share?

[trainer too 2]

No news is good news? No news = dead?:rolleyes:

[Optimus Prime]

Its over stop hanging on.


Go be free get on with your life.

[bacardi walla]

Sadly, and as mentioned previously, I think the fat lady is about to sing which would indicate that "it's over".......

[Tarek Nor]

The fat lady has been singing for weeks......you just
couldn't hear her over the sound of doughnuts been
munched :yuk:

[Caslance]

About to sing???

She's finished singing, got a taxi home, ordered and consumed a take-away pizza and is now relaxing in a nice hot bath with a rather pleasant Cabernet Sauvignon........

[bacardi walla]

But not in Bordeaux which was one of NOW's destinations. I wonder if Excel sell doughnuts :ugh: