EUjet routes (Merged)

[serko]

Official announcment tomorrow, but expect

From Manston

Amsterdam, daily except saturdays from 1st of septmeber
Copenhagen monday to friday from 1st of september
dublin daily except sunday
Edinburgh daily from 4th oct 2004
Faro sat and sund from 4th sept
Geneva daily from 13th december
Girona(Barcelona)daily except saturday from 1st sept
Glasgow monday to friday from 4th oct
Jersey sat and sund from 4th sept
Madrid daily except saturday from 4th oct
Malaga operates sat and sun from 19th oct
Manchester daily except sat from 4th oct
Milan mond to friday from 4th oct
Murcia sat from 4th september sat and sund from 10th oct
Nice sund, mon wed, fri from 1st september
Palma sat 9th october
Prague sun, tue, thurs, sat from 2nd sept
Salzburg sat from 18th dec
Toulouse sat from 18th dec
Turin sat and sun 18th dec
Zurich sat 18th dec


--------------------------

from shannon

Dublin---daily except sat from 16th sept
Geneva--sun from 19th dec
Malaga--sat from 18th sept
Murcia--sat from 18th sept

[FlyingIrishman]

If that's true then it seems very ambitious to me. There is low cost competition on all their Manston routes from one of the bigger airports, namely STN and LGW, no doubt Ryanair and easyJet will be flooding the market with cheap tickets and their already better frequencies. We'll see anyway...

[bacardi walla]

I suppose though that punters in the Kent regions won't have to deal with the M25 or M11 to get to STN and M1 for LTN. We'll soon see but no doubt MOL will be offering his normal 1p flights soon. Mind you, how long can he afford such offers. His loads are well down. Even the -300's are going out half empty......

[737TG]

LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) - UK airport operator Planestation Group PLC has bought a 30 percent stake in Irish airline EUjet, the anchor airline for its international airport in southern England, Planestation said on Wednesday.

The acquisition led Planestation shares to rise six percent to 5.00 pence in morning trade, having earlier hit a 12-day high at 5.13 pence. The company has a current stock market value of around 100 million pounds ($177 million).

Planestation is buying the stake for two million pounds.

Low-cost airline EUjet will start European flights from Planestation's Manston airport in the southern English region of Kent in September, following in the footsteps of low-cost operators EasyJet (LSE: EZJ.L - news) and Ryanair .

"The important part is that we are working together. Because we own the airport, we wanted a flagship airline that uses it as a base," Planestation's Corporate Director Christopher Foster told Reuters. "This will help put Manston on the map."

The acquisition makes Planestation the second largest stakeholder in EUjet, after the airline's Chief Executive P J McGoldrick, formerly head of Ryanair (Dublin: RYA.I - news) .

[positive]

Irish airline EUjet today announced details of a new low fares scheduled service which will commence in September from its base at Shannon Airport and from its UK hub at Kent International Airport.

The airline will initially operate three return flights per day between Dublin and Shannon and weekend scheduled services from Shannon to Faro, Malaga, Murcia and to Geneva during the ski season.
EUjet will also operate daily services from Shannon to Kent via Dublin. Later this week the company plans to announce additional routes from its Kent hub.


The announcement was made today by EUjet chief executive PJ McGoldrick at a reception in Shannon Airport attended by Transport Minister Seamus Brennan and business and community leaders.

"This is a very exciting development for EUjet. The launch of our new service from Shannon will give consumers in the region access to a range of business and leisure destinations at low and very competitively priced fares. It will also create great access to the Mid/South West region," said McGoldrick.

"The existing schedule on the Dublin-Shannon route has meant that it has been impossible for people to fly to Dublin, or from Dublin to Shannon, spend a productive day there, and return again by air the same day. The launch of the new service should be good for business and good for the local economy in this region," he added.

EUjet, which is based at Shannon, was established in May 2003 and over the last year has gradually built up its operations. The airline currently employs over 130 people and it expects this to increase to 240 by the end of the current year, 50pc of whom will be Shannon based.

[XpressOne]

May 19, 2004
UK airport operator Planestation has bought a 30 percent stake in Irish airline EUjet, the anchor airline for its international airport in southern England, Planestation said on Wednesday.

Planestation is buying the stake for GBP£2 million (USD$3.6 million).

Low-cost airline EUjet will start European flights from Planestation's Manston Airport in the southern English region of Kent in September, following in the footsteps of low-cost operators easyJet and Ryanair.

"The important part is that we are working together. Because we own the airport, we wanted a flagship airline that uses it as a base," Planestation's Corporate Director Christopher Foster said. "This will help put Manston on the map."

The acquisition makes Planestation the second largest stakeholder in EUjet, after the airline's Chief Executive P J McGoldrick, formerly head of Ryanair.

(Reuters)

[bish-bash]

The press conferance has taken place at county hall this morning, as previously posted EUJET will operate 27 routes out of Manston, to include Man, Gla, Edi, Snn, Dub, Prague, Ams. also announced at press conferance, that Kent county council have taken shares in the operation.

First flights now scheduled for Sept/Oct 2004 :rolleyes:

[GoEDI]

Amazing! I can't find anything on the net regarding the press release. Their website hasn't been updated. Anybody got a link?

[serko]

the eujet website is now live http://www.eujet.com

[GoEDI]

So it is excellent! :D
Wow! EDI-MSE is devilishly cheap! £7! :ok:

[bish-bash]

Kent local news story.

Budget flights boost for airport


Kent County County is investing money in the new services
Plans to fly to 21 destinations from Manston Airport in Kent have been announced by a budget airline operator.
Irish airline company EUjet first mooted plans to use the airport as its hub in the UK in February.

Now it has outlined proposals to fly business routes to places such as Madrid and Milan with leisure flights going to Prague, Geneva and Toulouse.

Scheduled services are due to start in September with the firm hoping to carry 500,000 passengers in the first year.


'Good deal'

The flights were announced at a launch at county hall in Maidstone.

EUjet Chief Executive, PJ McGoldrick, said: "I think it is the right moment because there is a need regardless of what is happening in other sectors.

"Some airlines are doing very well and some of the Irish airlines are doing very well.

"We have done our costings and th with the current fuel prices we believe we can offer a good deal."

Other business route destinations include Manchester, Edinburgh and Copenhagen.

Malaga, Jersey, Zurich, Turin and Salzburg are some of the leisure destinations on offer.

Kent County Council is putting money into the scheme to help boost the Thanet area.





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[bacardi walla]

the website has no links leading to a recruitment section !!

[colegate]

Well, well, well, a local council investing in an airline. That will be controversial. If EU Jet succeed it will be seen as a great investmnet by Kent. If they fail if will be seen as an illegal subsidy. But either way it begs the question as to why it was necessary. If the business plan is so good why does the money of council tax payers need to be pumped into it?

It is also worth contrasting the start-up performance of Thomson Fly at Coventry ( far more modest even though it is part of the largest travel company in the world) with the plans of EUJet. Starting in the autumn does not seem like a good idea. Cash flow is always worse in the winter.

It certainly seems as if this space will be worth watching.

[bish-bash]

Barcardi walla, the interviews were carried out in Ramsgate last week, for various Manston positions. Try contacting personel direct at Shannon. The contact is a very nice lady by the name of Carole Foley. Hope this helps:p

[bish-bash]

Just been announced on local news that KCC's contribution for share holding is £100.000, out of KCC's investment fund, money is invested to promote development and jobs in the Thanet area.:confused:

[LGS6753]

15 flights a day on weekdays with F100s. That's 1500 seats in, 1500 out per day. They will need something like 70% load factor to break even, say 1000 people per day. In autumn and winter, in a sparsely populated part of the UK with a fairly low propensity to travel, that sounds optimistic for a start-up with no public profile at present.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'll give them 9 months, unless that is, they've got backers with huge pockets or have some brilliant tricks up their sleeve.....

[MarkD]

Would have thought a Shannon-Manston route would have been useful to rotate aircraft between bases and keep FR and EI honest?

[SNNEI]

MarkD,

There will be, but it will operate via DUB, so not much use really. It's not being sold as such on their site yet either.

[colegate]

I find it very odd that EU jet have not scheduled any possibilities on most of the planned routes for day round trip passengers. Dublin might be a possibility but obvious ones like GLA and EDI are impossible. This will exclude the businees element form its customer base. As Easy and Ryan have found scheduling to get the businness element, particularly at short notice is a vital part of their yield management practices.

I strongly suspect that EU would be far better off getting a small number of routes right to start with ( as Easy did) rather than start so many routes. It all looks rather high risk. But they have presumably calculated that flying all those F100's will be better than not flying them. We shall see.

[GoEDI]

It is possible at EDI becuase MSE-EDI is going to be twice daily on weekdays.

[the highwayman]

Just tried their website www.eujet.com - but it seems to have disappeared !! Hope it's not gone the same way as freshaer and flyjetgreen or whatever it was called. !!! Probably just a glitch or a technical fault.

I'm not sure about how popular MSE - DUB will be. I think when I looked at the times for that route earlier this week it was departing MSE at 6.15 am !! Cannot imagine too many in Ramsgate wanting to get to DUB that early and there are better options at present from LGW, STN and LHR. With no reliable public transport and having to depend on taxis I'd safely say any of the other London airports would be cheaper (if you included getting to/from the airport even if the seats are a bit dearer with EI or BA or even FR.

PJ mCGoldrick has plenty of experience in this business - I hope he has got it right.

[Tenminutes]

The website is alive and kicking !

[charterguy]

The website is alive and kicking !

So it is. Just tried it, and guess what ? No Amex cards accepted. I heard Amex are the only card issuer, who won't let the airline charge the cardholder well ahead of the travel date.

Anyway, why should an airline be sitting on customers money anything up to 6 or more months before the travel date ? It makes the airline appear 'cash rich' and hides the true financial picture. For recent examples see Duo, see Jetmagic, see Jetgreen, see ......

If McGoldrick's track record is anything to go by (see Transaer...) then I for one would want to use an Amex card.

To be sure !!!! ;)

CG

[jmc-man]

LGS6753,

You have summed it up well.

With both EZY and RYR suffering a drop in yields because of the aggressive response from the market, coming into an oversaturated area, operating from a poorly served airport is a recipe for financial disaster. Their average fares will have to be below those of EZY and RYR to tempt people away from the main airports, unless they plan to appeal solely to residents of Ramsgate and it's environs.

Why on earth does anyone think there's still money to be made in this market?

[bacardi walla]

jmc-man think we've been here before don't you ? Remember that so-called 2nd generation low cost airline at LTN called NOW which as it it turned out, should have been called NEVERFLY :rolleyes:

[gobfa]

Could it be that Eujet willl not accept Amex because they charge them a higher % than other card issuers.

My experience has been that Amex are at about double what other card companies charge, so there is a reluctance to accept their cards. Eujet therefore are not the only operator I have dealt with who do not accept Amex due to their charges.

As for your comparrison with other named carriers who have recently gone to the wall, surely you should also mention those still operating, you do after all get protection from credit card operators if anything goes wrong.

All airlines "sit" on money paid by passengers in advance of their travel, I think you will also find that the IT operators also offer a discount if you pay early. Why because it earns inerest for them and assists cash flow.

[bacardi walla]

Yes you do get protection form the card company, or do you? Will the FlyJetGreen punters be able to recover anything ?

My comment about NOW or NEVER, is aimed at merely pointing out that I hope EUJET don't end up like them - a non starter. I know they are already a fairly well established ACMI carrier, but there is a big difference between the 2 kinds of operations. This new venture will see them out in the open fields, alone and defending themselves against the likes of EZY and RYR.

With ACMI flying, most of the costs are covered by the client carrier so less of a risk.

While on that subject, the severe reduction in UK based ACMI carriers leaves a gap surely waiting to be filled? Will EUJET still carry on with ACMI work when they start their low cost operation?

[Jes]

The Jeremiahs are off again.

Amex is a ludicrously expensive charge card: why anyone uses it I don't know. I certainly don't accept them in my business.

I live near Manston, and used to travel to Luton (as well as the BAA airports) for flights. The MSE catchment area, if there is such a thing, extends way beyond Ramsgate, and Kent is a major destination. In east Kent we have the coast, Canterbury, Dover Cruise Terminal, countless language schools etc.

What is happening is the development of new markets, in addition to the switch from other airlines. My company is bidding for work in Dublin. If we are successful, I can fly and get a full day's work in with no hotel costs. Over a year this saves a lot of time and money. I shall be visiting Manchester by air rather than the train as at present.

It is clear that bookings are doing well, as a lot of prices are starting to creep up.

[The_Bean_Counter]

What the f*** is the Dover Cruise Terminal

[charterguy]

Disagree

We have Visa, MC and Amex. They all charge roughly the same.
But as I said earlier, Amex won't entertain the loco practice of charging the cardholder six months before the flight takes place,
effectively sitting on the pax's money for all that time. Because if the airline goes belly up, the card issuer has to foot the bill for six month's worth of bookings (as cardholders would seek refunds from the card issuer). So start-up locos are not a good risk for credit card companies.

CG

[Pilchard]

FYI 'duo' accepted AMEX (and AMEX accepted 'duo'!). And they do charge a higher fee.

[fj1]

Dover Cruise Terminal is a place where big floaty things dock

[serko]

does anyone know how bookings are doing?

[bish-bash]

any-one had a job offer yet?

[serko]

Saturday 29/5/04 Daily Telegraph Travel Section

Holiday makers looking beyond the summer to an autumn city break can take advantage of the low fares being offered by a new airline, EUjet. In September the Shannon-based airline will launch the first wave of its services from Kent to 29 European destinations – and on seven of nine routes we surveyed, its fares were the cheapest.
EUjet may prove a threat to EasyJet and Ryanair, which have traditionally had a strangle hold on the no frills market in the south east. At just over 70 miles from London, Kent International airport in Manston presents a realistic alternative to Stansted and Luton for holidaymakers living in and around the capital, EUjets Chief Executive P J McGoldrick, formally head of Ryanair, forcasts that the airline will carry 500,000 passengers in its first year of operation from Manston.
On all nine of the routes surveyed, EUjets return fares cost less than £50 including taxes. Its £28.78 ticket to Amsterdam on the opening weekend of the service (September 3-6) is the cheapest. The most expensive is £47.88 for a return to Copenhagen – still £5 cheaper than EasyJet`s equivalent fare from Luton, half the price of BA`s from Gatwick and one sixth of BMI`s from Heathrow.
EUjets services to Madrid, Edinburgh and Milan begin a month later. On the opening weekend October 8-11 its £39.65 return to Madrid represents a saving of more than £26 on EasyJets equivalent fare from Luton, £55 on BA from Gatwick and £70 on BMI`s from Heathrow. EUjet was undercut on two routes – to Dublin and Milan.
Many of the savings made can be attributed to lower taxes on flights from Kent.
Passengers flying to Girona with Ryanair from Stansted pay £22 in taxes, while those travelling with EUjet pay £16.
Savings will also be made at the airport, where parking is cheaper. For example, leaving a car for a week at Kent International costs £20, compared with more than £50 at Stansted , Luton and Gatwick and £76 at Heathrow.
EUjet will also be operating services by the end of the year to Manchester, Glasgow, Palma, Malaga, Jersey, Murcia, Faro, Geneva, Zurich, Salzburg, Turin and Toulouse.

[the highwayman]

Serko,

Nice bit of PR - getting to all these destinations as cheap as they say will be very nice - the trick will be getting home again - and if the last two Irish start-ups are anything to go by (Freshaer and FlyJetGreen) any intending PAX would be advised to bring some details of the dearer rivals with them - just in case. At least they have a proven record of getting you home.

I wonder how bookings are going.

[CAP670]

C'mon guys - who the hell drives from deepest Kent to catch a plane at Luton??

And whilst Manston & EuJet may well dent some of the market share at Gatwick and perhaps also, to a lesser extent at Stansted, frankly, nobody's going to drive down to Kent Intl from north or northwest London just to save £5 on the airfare and £10 on car parking!

Nevertheless, what a vote of confidence that Kent County Council has actually invested £100K - instead of seeing the Airport as a source of cash that can be easily milked.

Shame some of the leeches in Luton's Town Council don't have the same vision as the council members in Kent!

Good luck to venture and its far-sighted backers...

:ok:

[SNNEI]

Highwayman,

OK so we've had two failed start ups. Does that mean every airline that comes from Ireland is doomed by your logic?? That's a funny comment to say the least. We are home base of Europe's largest airline in terms of Pax carried now you know! Also, EUjet have a nice record in getting people home: they've been doing so already for over a year now. Some just cant seem to get it into their heads that this is not still a paper airline: it's been flying for the likes of Air France, Germanwings, Volare, SkyEurope, Flybe etc etc for over a year as well as doing charters.

Might I inform you I have it on excellent authority that bookings are doing absolutely fantastic!

[Buster the Bear]

I think that you will find that Luton Borough Council have invested quite a bit in the major infrastructure upgrades of recent times? The people of Luton still own thier airport, TBI and its partners run it as a concession.
http://whipsnade.co.uk/picturelibrary/jpeg150/br/brown_bear_120_wide.jpg

[bmibaby.com]

CAP670 there are a number of people who have to use Stansted & Luton to get cheap flights that are still not available from Luton.

A good example of this, are people who travel to Zurich. Following the closure of the LGW route, a lot of people from Kent & the general LGW catchment area have been forced to use Luton for cheap flights. Now Manston will provide an alternative.

[sweir19]

CAP 670
looking for cheap flights, most budget hunters in Ireland fly via UK for better deals.
Why not via MSE?

[bish-bash]

Have any of those interviewed in May for a Manston position, recieved a job offer yet?:(

[Flightmapping]

Does anyone know what a/c EU Jet will be using?

[bmibaby.com]

EuJet are owned by debis airfinance, who are leasing a substantial number of second hand Fokker 100 aircraft to the airline for uses on the Manston no-frills flights and for ad-hoc charter work.

[chabu]

Hobby-wise (Aircraft spotter) i booked a flight in/out Kent, so i have a chance to fly Fokker 100.

Total cost for this daytrip is 42 Euro's. (AMS - Kent vv)

Am wondering how the airport looks presently (last visit 1995).
Car hire will be diffiucult if i understand correct as there is no agent at the airport......

Hope by September there's something to spot.... ;)

Bye, CU.

[serko]

Chabu,

keep an eye on http://www.kia-m.com/ this is the airport website which is being worked on at the moment. I expect there will be car hire available directly form the airport by the time eujet starts.

[bacardi walla]

Anyone actually been offered a job with EUJET yet? They've gone a bit quiet of late......

[serko]

if the prices for some dummy orders I've placed are anything to go by booking are doing very well. Especially for the leisure destinations.

[wingandprayer]

Heard from a reliable source that 5 captains have resigned in the last week with 1 yet to tell the company. Believe that only a few (3ish) experienced fokker drivers with the rest less all new convertees. will they be able to crew their start-up from manston/shannon?:{ :sad:

[bacardi walla]

this might explain the quietness of late...... watching this one with caution from here on.

[charterguy]

I heard EU Jet operate aircraft in Italy. Can't imagine captains walking out on a job in Italy what with all those nice girls and the good food ?

[bacardi walla]

Nice girls and good food don't pay the bills at home......

[Jes]

First EUJet F100 due at MSE 11.35L today from Norwich

[serko]

EUJet says ready for Sept launch
Thursday, July 08 08:19:55

(BizWorld)

EUJet, a new airline founded by a former Ryanair executive, said it is ready to launch in September.

The Shannon-based airline headed by PJ McGoldrick said it plans to fly regular services to Manston airport in Kent. The owners of the airport, Planestation, are 30pc shareholders in EUJet.
The Irish Independent this morning reported that there were concerns over the future of Manston after its losses rose last year and amid a boardroom row involving an ousted chief executive.


However, EUJet said the concerns were overstated and that they will be ready to launch in September.

Planestation is investing UK£6m in developing the airport and plans to build a new terminal and parking facilities. Pre-tax losses at the firm rose to £17m in the year to the end of March, up from £12.8 previously, the Indo said

[bacardi walla]

serko maybe tell us something we don't already know ! Like why it takes 3 months to review and assess applications ?

[PBD 1]

Very interested to hear if any cabin crew have been taken on for the EUjet Manston base for ops from the 1st of September onwards. Flight out of Manston leaves for Bergamo on the 9th 1430z, post "A" check.

[aeroground]

cabin crew training starts 12 jul first course

[serko]

Ticket demand high ahead of EUJet launch

by Business Editor Trevor Sturgess
TENS of thousands of tickets have been sold for flights out of Kent International Airport as it gears up for a jobs and passenger boost.

Six weeks before low-cost carrier EUJet launches its first scheduled services out of Manston, managing director Mike Halper said bookings were ahead of expectations.

The first flight will take off from KIA on September 1. Four routes will be served initially, building up to 22 by Christmas.

There will eventually be 60 arrivals and departures every day by Fokker-100 aircraft carrying up to 108 passengers. The first flight will leave at 6.15am, the last at 10pm.

At a news conference held in the airport terminal, Mr Halper was not prepared to disclose the precise number of bookings "for commercial reasons". But he said it ran into "tens of thousands".

He said: "Our bookings have greatly surpassed our expectations. We are very pleased and encouraged with what's transpired in terms of our booking position."

Early bookings had come mainly from Thanet residents, but they were now coming from across the county and beyond.

Mediterranean destinations are proving popular, with strong demand for Prague. Business bookings to Manchester, Edinburgh, Dublin, Milan and Copenhagen are expected to pick up nearer launch day.

EUJet has already recruited 60 cabin crew in Kent, and Mr Halper said it would need a further 90 staff by October, building up to a full complement of 200 by March.

He was delighted with how things were going at the airport and was confident that passengers would have "a hassle-free experience".

PlaneStation, the owner of KIA, is investing £3m in terminal improvements in the run-up to September 1. They include an enlarged check-in hall, advanced baggage screening system, cafes, VIP lounge, "kiddie's corner", and duty-free shop.

A new car park covering 15 acres will accommodate 2,000 cars. There is land for a further 2,000 cars as the service develops. PlaneStation will charge passengers £5 a day to park their vehicle, or £20 a week.

Airport director Alastair Robertson said everything would be ready for launch day. Now it was concentrating on training existing staff and recruiting 100 new people over the next few weeks. They will include air traffic control assistants, firefighters, security staff, baggage-handlers and customer services staff, boosting the total airport workforce to more than 200.

He said: "This is a tremendous step forward for the airport and our team have responded with enthusiasm and commitment of the challenge of meeting tough deadlines.”

He accepted that local roads around the airport were not good enough and PlaneStation was talking to Thanet council and Kent County Council about upgrading roads.

"Road systems will need attention as business develops,. We are in discussion with the local authorities about how that may be achieved.”

[Baron rouge]

.Anyone actually been offered a job with EUJET yet? They've gone a bit quiet of late

A friend of mine working for another company that hired EUJet for one month or two explained me they had a lot of flight cancellations due to A/C unserviceability and lack of crew, but apart from that I had an interview in january and since than no news at all ... there is obviously a big problem with a part of the management team.

Hopfully there is plenty of work for F100 captains and pilots

[Adam55]

EU jet doing nicely as far as we know - we are eight first officers currently being type-rated on the Fokker 100 over in Amsterdam, and being paid nicely for it !!!!!!!!!:ok:

[hasta lueGO]

EUJet were offering interviews for last Wednesday at a LHR Hotel for the position of Inflight Base Manager for Kent. This position was advertised on aviation jobsearch although it didn't appear on their own web site - not sure what the result of those planned interviews were.

[Jes]

Some changes already!

Mon-Fri 2 x daily through services Manston and Shannon via Dublin

Milan airport is now Bergamo

Girona only served till 9th Nov. From 10th Barcelona Airport.

[bacardi walla]

Are this crowd seriously recruiting ? Having sent my details months ago I am still no further to being invited for an interview or being rejected. All I get is e-mails saying "we are still evaluating applications"........

What is going on ?

[Adam55]

They have surely been recruiting recently. There are now 10 second officers undergoing type rating in Amsterdam - we hope to start line training in 10 days. Dont justs end your details, everyone does that - if you want a job be persistent, thats how it works. Good luck Bacardi Walla

[Jes]

Let's celebrate the start of EUjet services tomorrow, 1st Sep. Two F100s are at Manston already, with the third arriving late tonight.

Best wishes to all in the company.

[Danny_R]

Best of luck to you boys and girls at EUJet!

[conradmueller]

I hope they don´t make such a mess like they did with the wet lease of a Fokker 100 to V Bird

[irishmafia]

roster on a 24 hour notice, at least four capt seriously considering moving(would have done so earlier but f100 rating worthless), senior management resigning, ops controllers also working notice, numerous rumours of bills not paid and v birds displeasure with them may be made official. Apart from that the grass roots people are great and I LURRRV it. (but will be very suprised if it lasts past christmas)

[colegate]

By any standards this is a risky venture. With EZY starting to struggle at LGW because od competition getting very much hotter EU Jet looks very exposed.

[VIKING9]

Aren't this shower supposed to commencing operations today from MSE? Seems like everyone is evacuating via the main exit even before it gets going.

[colossus]

Very low visibility in the media for the last 24 hours, cannot find any reference on the BBC website (or anywhere else much), so they don’t appear to be making a lot of noise and making the most of the Launch.

Very disappointed if they don’t feature on the SE News this evening.

Given the multiple challenges they face, I would guess they would have wanted as much exposure as they can?

Any news from those at the coalface?

Wish them luck, lets hope they pull it off

[sparkymarky]

Hope it's going well.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3616804.stm

[LTNman]

Let's celebrate the start of EUjet services tomorrow, 1st Sep. Two F100s are at Manston already, with the third arriving late tonight.

It never made it as it diverted into LTN

[brabazon]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3616804.stm

So that's how they're saving money, the link shows a DC-8 being loaded with cargo!!!

You would have thought someone could have got hold of a shot of an F100, even if not one at MSE.

Any news on loads?

[rmo757]

So died they actually launch today or what?

[LTNman]

Their 'live flight info' page is interesting. It seems that it just links to their timetable. It stated that their first flight to AMS arrived on schedule at 0805 this morning, when in fact it was at 0859.
It then said that the return to Manston departed on schedule at 0850 which was 9 minutes before it landed in AMS.

[fj1]

Lots of media both Merdian NEWS and SE-Today
+ Radio Kent (For the Last Six Months)

RADIO KENT had a Desert Island Disc type program with EUJet Boss last Sunday. This Sunday they are Live from Manston.

Its also been on KFM and Invicta. IIRC KFM were giving away 50K with EUJET

+ Plus lots of Stuff in the Press.

[iceman51]

LTNman
It seems that it just links to their timetable
You are right!
Their "live flight info know how" is no more that their timetable (strange use of the word live , isn't it?), of no use to their customers unless ...they mean that notwithstanding what is published in their timetable, these are the flights actually operated for the day and in the next 48 hours :{

Than, shall we say their schedules are just a little bit flexible ... :E

[irishair2001]

Heard from a friend of mine who works ground ops at DUB, that EU-Jet innaugural flight arrived DUB today with 78 pax on board.

[APG]

Flew on the first AMS flight yesterday morning approx 80 pax (didnt look as many on the DUB flight) Bizzare 5KG only weight limit for hand luggage, which only seems to apply at MSE, no questions asked at AMS.

Both aircraft scheduled for 06.15 departures but both had to wait for take off apparently London had lost our (AMS) flight plan. Finally arrived at gate at approx 08.55L 50 minutes late, did include driving up a dead end on to stand though :) Cabin crew will have to work hard to get the trolley service completed with the small flight time, the orbit over the North Sea gained them some extra time to tidy up after the pax.

Flew back on the 18.05 to MSE approx 30 pax again not really enough time to carry out the trolley service even with this ammount of pax! On arrival found the doors to arrivals locked :D Nice queue of pax, luckily nice and sunny though, nobody on passport contol either.

Hope they are able to make a success of operations out of MSE, its been turned in to quite a nice little terminal.

[surely not]

What is bizarre about a 5kgs hand baggage allowance?? A lot of airlines limit hand baggage to 5 kgs. Why do people expect to be able to carry unlimited hand baggage onto an aircraft, it is a fcuking hazard if it falls onto someone from an overhead locker! Why should the poor person who boards last not have anywhere to stow their hand luggage because some inconsiderate person has used up all the overhead locker space?

[charterguy]

Why should the poor person who boards last not have anywhere to stow their hand luggage because some inconsiderate person has used up all the overhead locker space

Shouldn't pose a problem, especially if there are only 30 pax on board. :D

[Jetscream 32]

So how long is it going to take with only avg 30 pax, low fares and a 109 seat a/c with an avg hourly rate of $3000 USd per hr to go belly up?????

Answers on a postcard. :} :p :ok: :8

[flapsout]

Ah come on now Jetscream, 80 out 30 back is an average of 55.

But hey lets not let basic arithmetic get in the way of a good rumour....:ok:

[charterguy]

Lets just hope their 'scheduled' F100s are more reliable than the 'charter' ones which they operated for Italian tour operators. Loads of pax got seriously 'plssed off, some stranded, some suffering delays of more than 40 hrs.... Might get away with that on IT charters, but not on scheduled services !!! There is no such thing as a free meal, you get what you pay for. At $50.000-75.000 per month, F100s are about as cheap as it gets. And of course, there are plenty in the desert. So we will probably see many more 'me-too' low cost startups from airports you have never heard of.

[Jetscream 32]

But when your lease rate is only 10% of the DOC based on 300 block per month, it does not bode well.

Gotta say there seems to be way tooooo much bad vibe for them to be able to turn it around into a credible LCC, but hey what do i know?

What i do know is that starting from MSE at the beginning of the winter season is either very brave or very dumb?

Wait and see i suppose.

:8

[Low life]

With ref to Ops Controller working notice, it is not through problems with the company, quite the reverse.
I am working my notice through personal reasons and am gutted I will be leaving the company.
This is going to be a slick Operation

[bacardi walla]

So why are Ops Controllers leaving then ?

[BABDUCK]

One is going to fly with another airline
The other one is really for personell reasons and nothing to do with the airline, in fact if it was up to him he would stay,
Whats the big deal with them working their notice, people move in this industry all the time.
Today the company flew its first full load 108 out 99 back on a 108 seater, how many start ups have done this within three days???????????

[fred flinstone]

There's a subtle difference between Italian charters and a scheduled operation - the italian charters have interferrence outside of EUJ when inevitable problems occur which does not always give the best solution.
Left alone, euj ops can properly trouble shoot problems on their OWN routes and come up with workable solutions.
Regarding loads, there are many established routes that carry less than EUJ's first flights and it must be factored in that people will take a while to pull theselves away from the better known carriers and try something new.

Why not give a positive response to a new scheduled airline and give it time to prove it's worth?

[The Real Slim Shady]

Fred, Exactly what were / are the external influences ????

Strikes me that the operation in 2003 in Italy worked; in 2004 it didn't.

Care to give us your opinion on what had changed?

[fred flinstone]

I meant the charterer interferring with trouble shooting problems and sometimes making things worse

[The Real Slim Shady]

That perhaps explains why the adage "the customer is always right" doesn't apply in your case.

Surely though the problems in Italy, and in Germany, which have been presented on the forums, can't all be blamed on the client company?

What was the real cause of these well publicised misfortunes? Will the same problems just recur at Manston ?

Difficult times ahead by the look of things.

[Jetscream 32]

Average 30% load factor, mmmm suits you sir!

Looking at the schedule that equates to a cash burn of £100,000 per week, which equates to deep pockets or bust within 20 weeks more likely 10-15, unless someone can tell me the yield is really fantastic on fares of £50 using a 109 seat jet??

Standby to pull the yellow and black handle?

:\ :8 :bored: :{

[surely not]

you seem to be hoping that they fail J32...... why?

[Jetscream 32]

sn

Certainly not hoping they fail, just cant believe the project with the a/c size they are operating and have a couple of really good friends who work on the ground @ MSE.

Not only that but when another airline fails it just spreads more doom and gloom in an already difficult industry.

BTW never worked for them, never applied, never needed to?

;)

[XpressOne]

Really can't understand all the negative posting regarding the new services offered by EUJet ex Kent International.

Travel to/from the airport is extremely easy and avoids the M25/M11 car parks in the mornings - car parking is right outside the terminal and easy/friendly check-in. On return rapid baggage delivery and no queues at Immigration/Customs.

Seat pitch on aircraft extremely generous,with leather seats and the ability to block your seat (at no additional cost) when you make your reservation.

Anyone living to the East of the M23 or South of Dartford will find the options offered from Manston hard to resist and with Easyjet pulling off CPH/ZRH routes these routes become attractive to anyone in the LGW catchment area rather than driving round to LHR/STN.

I see a great sucess for Kent International but only if the general public get behind their "local" service and realise that they can avoid the congestion at LGW/LHR.

Perhaps a few of the charter operators will also look at MSE where morning/peak operating slots are still available with the full facilities now on offer at MSE.

And before anyone asks I don't work for EUjet - just appreciate the chance to look at alternatives to the slog round to LGW/LHR & STN.

[PBD 1]

At Manston, I think its quite possible to park your car, buy a ticket, walk to the teminal, check in and then buy a cup of tea (white no sugar) in 15 minutes no problem! I am sure there a lot of hard working and dedicated people at KIA and within EUjet lets hope it works out for all of the folks down there. Good luck!:ok:

[runawayedge]

When an airline goes to the wall it in my view damages our industry as a whole, what with all the recriminations and negative publicity. It appears to me that since this thread began there has been a desire from certain quarters to see that happen to this airline. As an outsider looking in it is all too easy to identify shortcomings in a start-up scenario. I can only assume that the management of this company along with the airport are applying all their collective resources to ensure success. Let us not forget the staff who have taken chances to move to a new airline, I hope your future brings permanency and security. Let us not also forget the value added jobs created as a result of this venture along with the economic benefits it will bring to the region. There is a lot riding on EUJet. I would like to raise my glass to you all and wish you every success for the future. It would delight me to no end to see my fellow ppruners row in behind me and send similar wishes to you all through what will be a long and difficult winter. We look forward to seeing you in the summer!

[northfront]

Eujet celebrates super first week.....................

A week after the first Eujet flights took off, east Kents new link to the rest of Europe is being hailed as a great success.
Up to eight budget flights a day are now taking passengers to five cities, including Copenhagen,Dublin and Amsterdam.
By the end of the year 22 cities and resorts across Europe will be within reach in less time than it takes many to travel to Gatwick or Stanstead.
Edwina Kilford, spokesman for Kent International said the success of the flights had exceeded all expectations.
Its been a brilliant first week.
Passengers are bustling in and out all the time and the airport is really busy.
One particular nice surprise is how quickly our new staff have settled into their roles.
They have responded to the challenge with tremendous enthusiasm and are delivering a first class service to passengers.We knew we had employed good people and they have gelled very quickly to make strong teams.
We have had a lot of positive customer feedback and everyone is excited about the future.
Most of the staff have been recruited locally, and EUjej have teamed up with Thanet College for training courses.
EUjet spokesman Phillip Bosley said the airline was making Manston a viable contender as an alternative departure airport.
He hit back at criticisms that the airline was not doing enough to attract incoming passengers.
He said 'Our ultimate marketing strategy is to make Kent International attractive as a departure airport for local people and that is what we have been concentrating on.
We have made some efforts to market the service abroad, and that is the next stage of the proccess.
Canterbury is a world famous destination and the airports proximity to it is a big selling point to foreign visitors.
Members of the Clipgate Flying Club who flew out on the inaugural Eujet service to Dublin believe the service has a bright future.
Club secretery Bob Nunn said 'As well as our eight pilot members there were another six pilots on board the aircraft, which is a measure of our confidence in the airlines quality of service and in the prosperous future success of the enterprise.
Flights to Shannon in Ireland start on Wednesday with Manchester,Glasgow and Edinburgh joining early next month.

[Copenhagen]

Do they have a cash machine in Manston?

[MarkD]

rather bizarre article in today's Irish Independent with PJMcG claiming Aer Rianta approached EUJet about DUB-SNN with EI due to leave the market, but they now see EI have no intention of leaving DUB-SNN and are dropping the route and refunding bookings.

all seems odd to me... especially as some of those DUB-SNN flights might be positioning anyway.

[northfront]

copenhagen,

no cash machine yet - but under negotiation
http://www.london-manston.com/p_cash_dispenser.html

ha det
northfront

[Eh Hello?]

It appears EUJet learned nothing from Aer Arran's experience a few years back - they may as well just have changed the heading in the Aer Arran's press release explaining why they pulled out of Dublin - Shannon.

Lingus will stay there for as long as they need to comply with the Shannon stopover as it costs them nothing to carry domestic passengers - why should they step aside and turn away business. Having them clearly blocking the development of regional services to Dublin helps (albeit in a small way) the case for ending the stopover rules.

Personally, I'm amazed EUJet threw in the towel so early - total extreme from Jetmagic's approach to poor routes so can't be a bad strategy!

[HZ123]

Southend has a cash machine and has had it for the last year or so. Trouble is the terminal has no passengers apart from Saturday.

[surely not]

It's still got the old £5 notes in it hasn't it ? :D

[king cotton]

What about this one ?!?
*******************************
Dear EUJet Staff Member:



EUJet is one of many startup airlines but with a major difference. Its
management has an impeccable pedigree of bankrupt airlines which they helped
bankrupt and one is led to the reluctant conclusion that EUJet is either a
scam for the owners to bleed the business dry before it blows up or else a
severe case of the blind leading the blind and even worse the blind having
egos the size of a Boeing 747 but with a Section 41 failure imminent.



In my view, EUJet is run like a lunatic asylum and if it continues the way
it has started it will not even last the winter. The incompetence of the
commercial and marketing department is unbelievable and it is touch and go
whether or not it exceeds that of JetMagic. And in case anyone thinks othewise a British Airways background is not exactly a good reference.



This letter, like EUJet is doomed to failure as nobody will pay the
slightest attention. It has been carefully written and it is written with
the hope that people will read it, think about it and ask questions. If it
stimulates debate, causes change and rescues the airline it will have been
worthwhile. It would be a pity after all the work going into for EUJet for
it to go under when they are so many devoted people at ground level working
their butts off to try and make it succeed. However, in my view, and I am a
long time at it, only radical restructuring, right now, has a chance of
pulling the chestnuts out of the fire and the cancer may be so far gone as
to be terminal.



AIRPORTS:

Manston Airport has been chosen as the main base. Whoever chose this
airport needs their head examined. There is no way Manston can succeed. It
is too far from anywhere, has no public transport and has no market. Any
idea that load factors of 70-80% can be obtained from this location are
totally fallacious.



And as for running a bus at 3 a.m. from Bluewater to Manston the mind
boggles. Why anyone would want to go to Bluewater at 3 a.m. to pickup a bus
to Manston is beyond comprehension. But it illustrates perfectly a thought
process.



ROUTES:

The routes chosen are routes that no other airline would operate - or is
likely to. Apart from Shannon to Dublin the routes do not have any
established market. To make matters worse the schedule chosen is made up by
people seeking the maximum utilisation of aircraft without any regard to
commercial considerations.



Taking first Kent to Amsterdam there is no market for a 6.15 a.m. flight to
Amsterdam much less one home at 10 p.m. in the evening. It is unlikely the
midday flights will generate much load. Accepting for a moment that one
could achieve 70% on 202 it is unlikely that over 40% will be achieved on
201 which gives an overall factor of 55% which is not remotely near break
even. On 205 and 206 the outbound load factor will be about 40% due to the
late departure whereas the return will be about 30% at best giving an
overall of 35%.



It is worth noting that the 201 is booked at 1h 50 m whereas the reverse
flights are booked at ten minutes longer. Somebody has not told ops that
Amsterdam airport at that hour of the morning is prone to delay and 2h. 15
would be a more realistic timetable.



With regard to the Dublin route this has to be a disaster as 6.15 is too
early for the first flight out for the market and there is no market from
Dublin to Manston at 8.45 p.m. in the evening.



The next rule which is being ignored is that you cannot make money on one
flight a day e.g. Kent to Glasgow.



I could go on but in my view the time to call a halt to Manston is now as
the cash drain will be horrendous.



Turning to the Shannon to Dublin route, in my view this route cannot be run
profitably without a PSO. Everyone else has tried and failed and there is
no reason to think EUJet will do any better.



Let me go further. Take September 22 for example. EU have flights at
0645, 1000 and 1900. Yet there are 1200 seats on offer by other carriers
in large aircraft between 0700 and 1000 at 0700. 0815, 0830 and 0900. The
maximum load factor therefore on two of the three flights is about 40% and
as for the 1900 flight you can forget it.



To simplify EUJet are adding 600 seats a day to a market. This is an extra
25% on a route which is known not have a market of even EUJet alone much
less the other three quarters. And as for running Fokker 100 aircraft on
that route, forget it! Toy aircraft cannot compete with A300's and B 767's,



Simple mathematics puts the cost of operating this route at ?10,000 -
?12,000 per day. Revenue will be about ?4,000 giving a deficit of guess
what? The same aircraft will lose a further ?3,000 per day so on average we
can estimate that the aircraft will conservatively lose ?10,000 per day.
Multiply this by 5 aircraft means ?50,000 per day down the drain. That is
about ?1 million per month. Let's be generous and divide this by two and
you still arrive at an annual loss of ?6 million per annum. Bear in mind
that one is now heading into the winter and in six months time the drain
will still be in the millions. The accounts of the company show no prospect
of this money being available so something has to give.



When I was young I would look at figures like this and say "that management
are geniuses because they must know something I don't know". Now with age
and experience I look and say "The Bloody Fools!"



The catch twenty two of all this is that if EUJet lift their fares to
breakeven levels based on 70% load factor they will get no passengers and
the fares they must charge to get passengers are so low as to be totally
uneconomic. You cannot take people from Shannon to Dublin at ?10, Dublin to
Kent at ?25 or Amsterdam to Kent for ?28 and make money. It simply cannot
be done and defies all the laws of economics. They are not a low cost
operator but want to charge low cost fares. A guaranteed recipe for
disaster.

[flapsout]

Other side of the fence is always interesting: This email came from a well known character:

For those of you who do not know this gentlemen, I would like bring to your attention a couple of points. This gentlemen is notorious. Everyone from the Irish travel trade all know him and for not necessarily the right reasons.



I've known of him when I was Chief Executive of Ryanair and the rumour is that he is still banned from travelling with Ryanair. I will not add any of my own opinions on this gentlemen and just provide you all with a couple of details that are in the public domain. It is stated by the press that by December 2000, he had 35 convictions against him. I do not know what that figures stands at now.



I will leave you with some quotes from an article written in the Sunday Business Post in July 2001 about a trail taken against him:



"The Judge in the case , Mr Justice Smyth said in his judgment that Grimes had "sought to justify a course of conduct which displays a most serious lack of commercial probity". Grimes displayed a sense of "gross negligence or total incompetence". Smyth described Grimes's actions as "reckless and in disregard of ordinary business ethics". They were "not mere oversight or misjudgement" but were "quite deliberate". Grimes, described by Smyth as "well-seasoned as a personal litigant" -- has taken a number of legal challenges in recent years. Last September he failed to win an injunction blocking consideration of a resolution at last year's Eircom agm granting share options to company directors. In February 2000 he argued before the High Court that a national newspaper should be banned for carrying advertisements for "adult massage". In 1998, he pursued a High Court action against Cork county council to overturn a rule limiting the number of motor tax applications to four per person at one time. Cork engineer Dr Michael Grimes has been disqualified by the High Court from acting as a liquidator, receiver or examiner of a company for seven years. Mr Justice Thomas Smyth said the Cork man had acted "in gross dereliction of his duty" and "in serious breach of commercial morality".

[Cyrano]

OK, I'm confused. Flapsout, are you suggesting that Michael Grimes is participating in this forum? Otherwise, why are you posting this here? What's it got to do with EUjet?

(and good luck to EUjet - hope the new operation works! not least because some excellent former colleagues of mine are working there now! ;) )

[flapsout]

Cyrano,

The email was sent to EUjet by Michael Grimes........

David

[MarkD]

Michael Grimes is associated with this website, which has some "pungent" views on certain companies...

http://www.kellstransportmuseum.com/

[Cyrano]

David:

Thanks. Now I understand...

Best of luck,
C.

[Jetscream 32]

I think you will find that EUjet changes hands during Oct / Nov and that the fleet will be reduced to 2 for the winter @ MSE with a few "w's" added and the others offered out for charter?

my lips are sealed ;) ;) ;)

[bish-bash]

OK jetscream 32, some of us are on the hook, tell us what you know, who is going to buy an airline with no track record, and why would you bale out of your new operation so quickly? :sad:

[northfront]

jetcream32 -
''not another airline'' - hhhhmmmmmmmmmm???

[fj1]

Planestation Group has bought the remaining Shares in EuJet