TUI / Thomson buy Coventry Airport

[LTNman]

TUI, the German travel giant that owns Thomson Holidays and Lunn Poly, will reveal an unusual departure today when it acquires control of West Midlands International Airport — otherwise known as Coventry airportThe deal, announced to staff last night, is believed to be the first instance of a tour operator taking on ownership and management of an airport.

The acquisition comes just weeks before TUI launches Thomsonfly, a low-cost airline with four aircraft flying out of Coventry to eleven holiday destinations in the Mediterranean and the Channel Islands, starting from March 31.

The company’s website is advertising flights to destinations such as Nice, Venice and Marseille from £8.99 excluding taxes and charges, and for £13.99 to Malaga. The cheapest flights, starting at just £3.99, are to Jersey.

TUI, which entered the UK in 2000 through the £1.8 billion acquisition of Thomson Travel Group, is expected to press ahead with plans by the airport’s owners, Air Atlantique, to update the site and build a £3 million terminal.

Despite its proximity to East Midlands airport, home to bmibaby, the budget offshoot of bmi, TUI is confident of strong bookings from the five million people who live within an hour’s drive.

Air Atlantique, best known as a cargo carrier, took over the airport in 1998 from Coventry City Council with a 150-year lease. But sharp criticism has been directed at its management of the airport and TUI’s arrival should improve the odds on Warwick District Council approving the new terminal.

It is understood that TUI has become increasingly frustrated at the threat to Thomsonfly’s plans posed by the breakdown in relations between Air Atlantique and the local authorities. The company is believed to view taking over the airport as the best way of preserving its position.

A source close to TUI said that the tour operator had no intention of buying any other airports and described the cost of buying and redeveloping the airport as “minimal in the context of the size of the company”.

[richterscale10]

Thank you LTNMan.........I have said it in the past - but no-one listened!!!!! This is the silver lining folks....it's all a goer!!!!

The buzz round the Airport has been this very story............the best of British TUI - you might need it!

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Whilst not wishing to be negative...but,

What do TUI know about running airports OR low cost airlines?

There seems to be no planning for the required facilities such as terminal and car park.

There seems to be no major untapped market to sell to with a brand that nobody has heard of flying from an airport nobody knows exists. And up against EMA that's saying something...

A non-daily service strikes of charter instead of schedule. The branding/marketing is anemic in the style of MyTraveLite. A few buses and billboards gets you nowhere. You need to be in all the papers every day, on the radio, on the telly, with a boss in the papers every week saying/doing something daft and preferably have your own prime time ITV series.

And Thompsonfly has to be the most half hearted unmemorable dreary pointless unimaginative name in the history of passenger aviation. It sounds more like an insect or potato blight - than an airline.

If this is the best that a mighty airline group such as TUI can come up with then Ryan and Ezy have nothing to fear on the continent whatsoever.

Good luck to all those involved though.

Cheers

WWW

[Flightmapping]

WWW,

Thomsonfly have sold over 100,000 tix so far, and this is twice their initial expectations, so they can't be doing too bad.

Coventry itself has been plastered with TOM ads on buses, billboards, bus stops etc. This is pretty effective imho, and the ads are very slick. They've been on tv too - EZ already have the "airline" programme, it would be very crowded to try and do anything in their shoes. And a few local nimbys have certainly heard about them!

Air Atlantique are afterall a freight airline company, so I'm sure TUI can do a better job of running a passenger airport than they did.

With WDC having dragged its feet over the terminal for so long, it will be interesting to see if TUI bypass them and go straight to the planning inspectorate.

A fresh start with a large and respected organisation should be good for TOM, good for the airport, and may even open up a more constructive dialogue with some of the anti-lobby.

The very first thing I would be doing if I was TUI is holding a public meeting to explain future plans to local residents. If TUI are going to give priority to TOM, that could mean some of the noisy freighters get moved on.

[Stand 22]

WWW,

So long as the seats are the right price, you could call the airline "the most half hearted unmemorable dreary pointless unimaginative name in the history of passenger aviation" and it wouldn't make any difference to the public.

Flightmapping,

Nice to see someone presenting the other side of the argument! Shame the press tend to overlook the positive side to CVT expansion and give coverage to this very vocal minority. I also had a good chuckle over the drug dropping argument :ooh:


Selling the leasehold to TUI was probably the best move Atlantique could have made. At least now they can distance themselves from any further bad press. I just hope TUI have what it takes to see this through.

[Buster the Bear]

I am sure Mr Webster and Mr O Leary will require hospital treatment once they have recovered from a huge laughing session.

Ryanair are removing reclining seats and window blinds to save money and reduce ticket prices, whilst TUI are investing in an airport and its infrastructure. How bizarre!

TUI are going to require mega usage of thier new terminal to make any money form their adventure into UK low cost!

What a mega cock up, TUI state thier intention to use Coventry without the infrastructure being ready, sell tickets, then have to buy into the airport in order to save face.

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

[teachin]

As long as TUI fiddle the figures to make sure the acquisition of CVT does not fall into the start-up costs of Thomsonfly.com, then I see it working. If however the costs of buying the airport eventually get passed on to the Thomsonfly.com start-up costs or even heaven forbid get passed on to the passenger tickets then I see it as the most expensive start-up in aviation history.

Sounds to me that TUI have been forced to buy CVT in order to start-up at CVT, surely as wiser move would have been to jump in at LTN where they have their main base and the market can take more traffic from LTN as NOW seem to be foundering and not getting started at LTN. Someone at Thomsonfly.com/TUI hasn't been watching the developments at NOW close enough. What a missed opportunity.

Maybe TUI should invest in NOW at LTN and launch both airlines eventually dumping the one that doesn't work-My bet would be on LTN/NOW working as long as properly funded, which at the moment NOW isn't.

[thoma-hawk]

:mad:
Buster Have you beed fed today?

I think you are really the most wise, loveable & cuddly, brown bear in all the skies.

Maybe you should run EGBE and lock all them lunatics that call themselves managers up in the zoo!

You get my vote:ok:

[Fly-by-night]

A very interesting development, if true (I haven't seen it officially announced anywhere yet).

It would certainly go a long way to reverse the PR problems the airport currently faces. It also shows that TUI is serious about this project.

For the biggest travel and leisure group in the world (airlines, travel agents, hotels & shipping), a small plot of real estate in Warwickshire is pocket change.

Whether they can turn a profit from it and compete with other LOCOs in the area remains to be seen though.

[EGBE]

Buster,

Please explain how removing seats and window blinds saves money?

Many thanks!!

EGBE

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Any fool can sell a 100,000 cheap seats to the sun in January.

The test is what their loads are like on a Wednesday in November. Without a decent domestic and business aspect to the network then the answer will be 20% even if they give them away.

Thats when you go bust.

Here is Cheltenham I've seen didly about this airline. Go had a top London agency running an award winning advertising programme for 4 years at a cost of £25m. Cinemas, TV, every paper, most of the magazines, buses, the tube the whole shooting match. They just managed to be number 4 on the list of airlines people could list off the top of their head in the street.

I really do wish this venture well as I have friends flying for them.

But this is not how one would wish to start up is it?

Cheers

WWW

[Cyrano]

EGBE:

Ryanair is not talking about removing seats, nor was Buster (who referred to "removing *reclining* seats"). The issue is about fitting simpler seats which don't recline, i.e. are lighter/less prone to break/cheaper to maintain. I assume it's the same argument for window blinds (not that I am defending Mr O'L on this matter).

The only way Ryanair would remove seats would be if they were allowed to carry passengers standing up - that way they could fit a lot more in.

[EGBE]

Cyrano,

I am aware of that, my question was "how is that going to reduce costs?"

Anyway, i suppose I'll answer my own question here by adding the fact that if there are no reclining seats, the reclining 'bits' won't go wrong, therefore less engineering required.

Not sure that would make a huge difference though.

Anyway, on a slightly more on topic note, have just heard on the local news that TUI have bought CVT airport. More info will be aired on the lunch time news.

Interesting stuff!!

EGBE

[52 North]

Although this does look like a panic measure (and probably is) by TUI to ensure that their Thomsonfly startup goes ahead, in the long run it could turn out to be a good bit of business. O'leary is always banging on about how airports are his biggest headache in terms of their charges, the obvious answer would surely be to buy your own base airport, put in a decent management team and run not only a profitable airline but also a profitable airport - and have complete control from top to bottom. TUI are the first but will they be the last?

CVT is centrally located with probably the best road connections in the country, people would be willing to use CVT from a huge area (100,000 bookings in the first 2 months give us an idea). Instead of the farce which Buster might want to put forward and which still might happen for the first few months as things are getting tight for the start up date, in the long run, TUI may have just put themselves in a very strong position.

The big problem is getting planning permission for the new terminal, the farce caused by Atlantic over the temporary buildings and runway means that the chance of CVT getting the permission for the terminal is diminishing, however with TUI's lobbying power and ability to offer the locals some sweeteners, any planning rejection should hopefully be countered on appeal. (I may be being a bit optimistic there, the planning decision is what it all rests on now)

Cheers
52N

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Why are people getting excited about 100,000 sales?

Three aircraft means 33,333 sales per airframe over a 6 month period.

6 months times 4 weeks times 7 days equals 168 days.

During each day each aircraft will operate 6 sectors so thats 3,024 sectors to fly.

Each sector carries 125 seats so thats a total of 378,000 seats available to sell.

Now. I really really don't want to be Mr Party-Pooper but it does not seem impressive to boast you have sold 27% of your seats at this stage. You've had all the start up media splash. You've had the free publicity from the NIMBY protestations. You've blown a good bit of your advertising and promotional budget and sold many of the seats at low low promotional prices.

And then you boast about selling 27% of your Apples?

Cheers,

WWW

[MarkD]

Who says TUI have to keep CVT? Just get it up and running, push pax through and wait for the bids. If Thomsonfly works, CVT works and thus CVT becomes worth buying. Plus TUI unlikely to "gold plate" upgrades the way MOL accuses Aer Rianta of doing at Irish airports...

[Ex Oggie]

Its been no big secret that TUI have been looking into buying into CVT for a few years now. Along with a number of other operators, they were too many complications as I understand it. If gossip serves me correct, part of this was just how much, in terms of responsibility and assets, would be included in the deal. 'Hypothetical' example, if you want to run an airport, you don't want to buy a freight operators undertakings.

The fact that TUI has bought a controlling stake is no great victory. It was simply a last ditch attempt to salvage the start up of their operation after consistant mis-management of the expansion, they needed to take control, and pronto! No suprises there. Hopefully, they should now be able to rescue the problem free launch of the operation by having far more control over policy.

I, personally, from my experience of CVT, have little doubt that they can operate and expand (although limited) a low cost airline. There are no real problems with the airport, the infra-structure, the airspace or the punter availability. But I really do think the keywords are 'limited' and 'appropriate'.

Not sure how much this cost, but the figure I have heard is less than £10 mill. This is small change to TUI, and has most likely saved them money in the long term.

Again, I really hope it works, because apart from anything else, sounds like a job I quite fancy!

Oggie

[Stick Flying]

WWW
Cant help but detect a hint of low cost rivalry in your posts. I am sure that 100,000 seats aint enough to run a low cost airline over summer. But I dont think they have stopped selling seats for the next 6 months have they.
We all know the seats sold closer to departure are the ones that really make the money. So I dont think you can criticise the amount of tickets sold when they arent even operating yet. So lets all hope they are successful enough as we can ill afford any failures in the current industry.

P.S. where the hell is Coventry?

[Daysleeper]

ot sure how much this cost, but the figure I have heard is less than £10 mill.

For sale 1 airport plus a bucket of trouble, price 1 pound.

[Joe Curry]

I was under the impression that an airline cannot 'buy' a
UK airport? - TUI have in-house airline - a technicality?

Didn't Easyjet get knocked back from buying LTN a few years back.?

[LTNman]

So TUI now owns an airport. I wonder if they will drop some of their IT flights from Birmingham and EMA next year and introduce IT flights from their own airport instead of using someone else’s.

As for easyyjet, they wanted to build their own terminal at LTN that in their own words resembled a bus station, the council said no.

[brabazon]

LTNman, I think you're right - the difference with Luton is that the Unitary Authority has a stake in it and felt it unwise for one of the operators to have a stake in it. Mind you the new terminal isn't the Taj Mahal which Stelios tried to portray it as before it was built. From the outside it looks like a tin shed, and the inside's not stunning.

Also Coventry isn't used by other airlines who may be upset by on of their rivals owning the infrastructure. Don't think Atlantic Airlines/Air Atlantique etc will be too worried about TUI owning it, but BHX and EMA may be!!

[P.Pilcher]

Sorry - I cant help it - I feel I must answer "Stick Flying's" query by suggesting that he consults some elderly Lufthansa pilots.

[Apologies to Bunny (David) Gunson]

P.P.

[jmc757]

I first heard that thomsonfly were starting from CVT long before they launched to the public. Around the time the "Britannia Express" topic was hot on this board. At that time I also heard that TUI were looking into buying into the airport. So not too sure if this is a "desparate measure", perhaps more of the wider picture.

In the Cov Telegraph today a WDC spokeman said "We had lost confidence in Air Atlantique as the airport operator"... so maybe they are feeling in the right hands the airport could work. Coventry City Council also quite pro airport.

Good for TUI, good for the airport. Lets get a decent operation going here.

[LGS6753]

This is a short-term panic decision if there ever was one.

First, what are the synergies between Britannia/TUI and owning CVT apart from the TOM operation? (None)
2. If it was a planned move it would have been completed more than 6 weeks in advance of the launch date.
3. There has been debate on these boards about the viability of operating 737-500s from CVT. Any hope of fully laden 757-200s?
(No)
4. HLX has not been a runaway success (its debut at LTN was little short of disastrous). TUI management can't afford any more fiascos like that!
5. In the event that TOM is successful, will CVT ever be able to be more than a minor base for a few 737s? An operation the size of EZY at LTN (14 aircraft based?) would require many more quick turn-round stands, a much larger terminal together with car parking, bus services, and a cash machine. Judging by local opposition to the current limited plans, they will only be constructed after a major battle.

Sorry to sound negative, but I'm a doubter.

[Stick Flying]

PP.

Sounds like an interesting tale. Red faces involved?

[GW76]

I cannot believe everyone thinks this is going to be a disaster.
First it is now a well tried formula.
Second, do you not think one of the biggest travel companies in the world have not done their homework ?...come on. They will have the top guys in all field from accountants, architects, engineers, everyone ensuring the logistics are in place.
I think it will be, for its initial relative small size of an operation, a real success. By all accounts, it will be relatively easy, barring nonsense at planning permission, to quickly increase the size of the operation, even if that means adding a few more Portakabins and a bit more tarmac.
Watch and wait. Theres no use knocking it until its given a chance. BY have excellent relations with the larger airports and have no need to move to CVT.:hmm:

[BombardierCR7]

Why did TUI choose Coventry? It's obvious, they wish to stick the knife in the MyTravel group. Where better than to split the midlands catchment area in two as a start. TUI cannot lose, those pax they pull of EMA and BHX are only onto their own flights out of Coventry, but they will still pull many from other tour operators/loco's in the area as a bonus, but the bottom line is they know every passenger off a MYT or MYL flight out of either airport (be it loco or IT) is another nail in the coffin for MyTravel. TUI know that the demise of MyTravel has the potential to reap rewards that makes the investment in Coventry looks like small change.

Maybe if they get rid of MYT, that'll be the end of ThomsonFly - job done! Hannover 1 Manchester Utd 0.

They were well aware of the limitations of Coventry, or even of the management, they are not stupid. Most people thought EMA was the back up plan - why? TUI gain nothing!. It seems now like buying the airport was the back up plan. Maybe it was all planned, maybe they were in negotiations with the council all along to get rid of Air Atlantique - who know's! time will tell on that one.

From a marketing perspective, "there's no news like bad news!" If we all listned to the Ryanair bad press - they would have gone bancrupt a long time ago.

There's a lot more to this one than meets the eye!

[Frankfurt_Cowboy]

MyTravel, Manchester United? I think you'll find it's Rochdale, in every sense of the word!

[BombardierCR7]

What or who is Rochdale?

[MS99UK]

3. There has been debate on these boards about the viability of operating 737-500s from CVT. Any hope of fully laden 757-200s?

If you look at the fleets of the other TUI brands, Neos, Brittania (Sweden) & Hapag Lloyd, you'll notice they are quite similar. Me thinks the B752's may be replaced by 737NG's at some point.

MS99UK

[richxby]

Hehe, I hope it all goes to plan, cause my training course starts soon! Remember some of us want and have to make this work, so stop putting us down lol, we'll show ya!!!

Anyway my prediction is that in a few years time, CVT will be renamed TUI international (operated by Britannia!). The runway will be extended to about 60000ft, linked to the one at BHX hehe. BY will have all 32(?) aircraft based there, which'll please the locals....all those 763s on approach at 3am!! All BY flights will operate ex TUI (the new code for CVT!) and the entire Coventry city centre will be bulldozed to make room for new car parks. In addition to this the Aviation park will receive all of MYT/MYL's aircraft which will go on display as a reminder and will occasionally operate the Friday night PMI. Which will deliberately go Tech and be subject to a 12 hour delay to recreate the authentic feel (sorry couldn't resist a dig lol!)

Just a few ideas I had lol!

[bacardi walla]

But will the Hermans in TUI land (HAJ) Ops send the a/c to the correct airport. I mean, CVT, fairly close to BHX same as LTN is close to STN and PMI is close (ish) to BCN. Engines and chartered 747's springs to mind :rolleyes:

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

As I said I wish them success as I have friends there who have taken a gamble to work for the enterprise. If Cov can be turned into a viable low cost hub then thats grand - its a shorter commute than at present for me.

But.

You simply cannot cannot put a positive spin on the current situation.

6 weeks from launch and:

You have no terminal, no check in, no car park, no baggage handling.

No signs for pax to follow, no branding on the site, no cash machine, no coffee shop, no WHSmiths, no Bureau de Change.

You do have the local councillors vowing to close you down, the planning department refusing your terminal plans and Stop notices being slapped on your current portacabins.

And this is being organised by a mighty Teutonic company worth billions?! Should've hired Heath Robinson.

Forget about pilots, industry people, people who read PPRuNe and people who live in Coventry - NOBODY knows you can go on holiday from Coventry airport! I bet less than 5% of the population of the Midlands even knows that there is an airport there...

Hell, - Buzz struggled for years to get anybody to notice them and that was out of Stansted 'the low cost airlines airport'.

TompkinsBeetle will have to spend 10's of millions to make enough people aware of the product. This is doable.

But not if the product involves parking on Coventry High St and catching the number 82x Bus to portacabin 52f round the back of Hangar 12 - just past the DC3's....

However, on the bright side, this does put them leagues ahead of Now as they do actually have crews, aircraft, sales and finance in place.

This'll make an interesting book if it ever works - thats for sure.


WWW

ps Like the MYT angle - but surely not?

[GK430]

Haven't you all noticed - UK airports make profits and see sustained growth year on year apart from the odd blip.

An operator having its own base must have many advantages. Now, apart from making money of the ticket sales, they'll see revenue from all the car parking and commercial concessions. Interesting to see what they do with Jet A1 - they won't be paying any into the airport's coffers for the supply. They won't have to be saddled with a third party handling agent - they can do their own. They won't have to apply for slots in competition with other operators. The economies are bound to reap benefits.

Okay, they have to get it all up and running and ensure that their clientele aren't put off and repeat custom is secured.

HLX are sure to operate from the homeland and what about setting up a maintenance facility to cater for the whole Tui fleet positioning in and out empty and no airport fees.

NEMA and BHX must be peering over the parapet.............pondering.

[brabazon]

Rochdale is a town in Lancashire - north of Manchester. I guess it's where David Crossland set up Airtours, but someone may correct me.

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

If owning your own airport was such a wonderful asset to an airline then how come fully vertically integrated airlines such as BA have never done it?

Low cost airlines are supposed to do one thing and do it well. That is to run a very tight scheduled operations, without frills, distractions and overheads. They tend to franchise out anything that is non-core to the business.

They don't get involved in anything that isn't selling tickets direct and operating each aircraft. Minimum complication, minimum expenditure, minimum staff, minimum service.

Keep it as simple as possible, just like a bus.

What they do not want to do is run the whole shebang from the carparks to the terminal to the refuelling to the freaking air traffic control. Thats the obsolute opposite of the business model!!

But then - I know nothing about running an airline so good luck them.

Cheers

WWW

[baps]

WWW,

you are right low cost airlines do need to keep it simple but thomsonfly is not buying the airport TUI is. OK i know they are one and the same but i'm sure that TUI will put in a management team to run the airport completely seperate to Thomsonfly's own management.

At the end of the day seems like a bloody good plan. Pick up the airport cheap and then start a lowcost airline giving you cheaper or maybe no landing fees and a return from all the pax you bring to the airport. Should work I think. As for the future there's not too many airports left with no low cost airlines so maybe thomsonfly are looking at finningley for their next base.

[volrider]

I know a lot of jobs are riding on this event and I do worry that TUI are jumping out of the pan into the fire...
Coventry has nothing really going for it. Lousy roads, try that A45!!! No parking no terminal no facilities and an airfield littered with carcasses and wrecks! no taxiway, aircraft back tracking on a small runway. The list is no doubt longer than this. However they have sold a lot of tickets but how many people will book again when they cant park, cant get a drink and end up in a porta loo as if they were at some sunday car boot market! I find it amazing that TUI are willing to invest in this rundown airport that has sadly no future when within spitting distance you have two well established full featured International Airports?
Sadly I cant see anything positive out of this. If as suggested its a "nail in the coffin of MyTravel" then what will TUI do if that company does cut its losses and stops?? Will they do to Coventry what BMW did to Rover group?? Run to BHX and leave Coventry to rot even more??
Love to see the faces of the passengers as the 737 passes by the rotting remains of the Electras and other wrecks on the airfield that will inspire confidence...not!

[colegate]

Pocket Money for TUI. It will give them control of a very well located airport. Getting good airport management will not be a problem. Investing in a good low cost terminal will not be a problem either.

[GK430]

www

Sounds like this whole saga is getting to you:{

[5150]

Forget about pilots, industry people, people who read PPRuNe and people who live in Coventry - NOBODY knows you can go on holiday from Coventry airport! I bet less than 5% of the population of the Midlands even knows that there is an airport there...

I heard they've sold over 100,000 tickets......

What's yr point www?

[Ex Oggie]

Having a Terminal up and running is not essential to the launch of the operation. If the worst comes to the worst, they can go onto Operation "Coach Ops". Its been done before, its a pain in the a**e, but it does work.

The car parking can be sorted too, without too much problem.

Won't impress the SLF, but at least they get their flights on time (or nearly!)


Oggie

[alfalpha]

In the short term who owns CVT isnt going to solve the problems of getting this operation running on time and safely. In the medium long term then maybe more resources and better management may make a difference in some areas.

In the short term the runway isnt as long as had been hoped, even the temporary the terminal facilities are not complete and the infrastructure (car parks etc) is not in place. The planning authority are sticking to the rules and will do so no matter who owns the lease.

There will be days when performance will be fine from here but there will be days when they will need to tech stop too. There will be days when they will divert for want of CAT II/III. Surely not a good way to run a low cost operation.

For the foreseeable future at least this jet commercial operation will be operating through uncontrolled airspace in IMC and worse still VMC weather 7 days a week. On the extended centreline of or in the vicinity of CVT are Wellesbourne, Snitterfield, Bidford and Long Marston (does anyone still operate here?) and Husbands Bosworth. I'm not sure which would be more worrying, the mode A aircraft not talking to anyone or the plastic gliders not painting at all. For me its a game of odds. On a one off flight, fine. But when the weather is marginal VMC or when its Sunday afternoon and its glorious if you do it often enough then you will get airproxes. Lets hope its only airproxes.

[teachin]

Let's see. Hot days like last summer, the aircraft full in August will have to tech stop after take off from CVT to Malaga! Delay incurred, inbound, a delay say in Malaga, passengers checked in for rotation number 2 at CVT. 131 passengers delayed 4 hours on the ground waiting, where do they get their hot food for delay? The loos will overspill. Then the next rotation passengers start arriving to check in, but there's no car parking, the terminal is full, can't get a drink or money out to buy food. I see awful problems on a day like this, and let's face it. Days like that do happen. And Britannia as good as they are when all is running well, are notorious to be awful at recovering situations when they go wrong. I see problems ahead...

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Personally I would like COV to become a good low cost base as its in my commutable area and all pilots like to have 'options'.

1) 100,000 tickets is peanuts, nothing, drop in the ocean.

2) No car park, no terminal, no coffee shop and we are 6 weeks away from launch.

3) The runway and no Cat3 is going to create tech stops and diversions and thats going to make the programe fall apart.

4) Does it make business sense for TUI to own both the airport and the main operator there? One can only male a profit at the exact loss of the other...


I'm wishing my friends with them well and hope it prospers. It sure as heck isn't going to worry my employer so another 737 operator up the road is good news for me.

But its hardly the slick serious proposition I envisaged upon first hearing that Britannia were starting up a low cost arm. I had in mind 4 737's into EMA, killing off BMI Baby and ditto at MAN. Maybe a big push at BHX who don't even have a LCA!

But not this.

Cheers

WWW