Is Flybe desperate?

[CaptJ]

Seen today in Belfast City Centre -

An enormous flat bed truck with Flybe advertising hoardings. Parked illegally, in front of Belfast City Hall. The truck was carrying an advertising hoarding. Adverts that are not strictly factually true. They may well have been true when they were printed. However, someone at Flybe knows perfectly well that they are no longer accurate.

Now to me at least, that's the actions of a desperate person.

(Sit back and wait for flybe flamers to arrive):E

[jabird]

Capt J,

Surely, we can't respond without at least a description of what the ads said, and preferably a photo?

[CaptJ]

I shall venture forth tomorrow, camera in hand. Ad makes much of their new £9.95 fares. Neglects to mention that easyJet has undercut them again. But veracity in their advertisments has never been a strong point.
"Northern Ireland's original Low-Cost airline" yeah right.

I doubt they'll get away with that one again though. Mr Plod will be along.

Flybe would be better sticking to what they are good at and valued for. Rather counter-productive advertising (very scarce)£9.95 fares on routes offering "Convenience" to business travellers.

[MOR]

Don't work for Big Orange do you...??? :rolleyes:

[ManofMan]

Capt J,
[Quote] "Ad makes much of their new £9.95 fares. Neglects to mention that easyJet has undercut them again".

What on earth are you taking about???? do you expect FlyBe's advertisement to mention that Easy-jets flights are cheaper???

Never heard so much tosh in my life!!!

[ALLMCC]

Capt J

These mobile advertising boards are nothing new - if the lorry was parked in front of the City Hall, then permission would have been granted by the City Council - brings to memory the time when a certain other orange tailed airline did exactly the same thing on the Sydenham by-pass directly opposite BHD - regrettably the lorry broke down and caused a massive traffic tailback as far back as Tillysburn!

Seems as if Flybe's audacity to compete on Belfast - Liverpool has ruffled more than a few feathers in Orangeland - after all BFS - LPL is one of their busiest routes!

[mysecretsmile]

All's fair in love and war - war is what seems to be going
on between FLYbe at BHD and EZY at BFS.

They seem to be going head to head on alot more routes (Liverpool being the most recent) Lets hope that they have large piles of cash to pay for this war as it isn't going to be cheap. I noticed on a recent trip past BHD that Flybe seem to have bought up alot of the high profile advertising billboards on the Sydenham By Pass & Bridge End - I can't see them giving these up as I am sure Easyjet would like to get their paws on them for themselves.

I've seen the mobile advertising units driving around in recent times for both Easy and Flybe.

Its all good for Joe Public with loads of cheap flights - but for how long can these companies afford to sacrifice profit to gain market share ?

[Hudson Bay]

Operating a Q400 is so much more cost effective than operating a 737 on a route of 35 mins. It is also quicker. The Q400 will be at 25,000 feet before the 737 is through 2,500 feet! This reflects in the schedules, check it out its quicker with flybe.

A 737 on a route of less than 1 hour in buisness terms is way off the mark. Its the wrong equipment and a very expensive aircraft compared to the 400. The 400 costs next to nothing on a route so short.

There is no way on this earth pax will go to Aldergrove when City is just up the road from the centre. £5.00 taxi fare from BHD against £25.00 from BFS. I know which I would pick.

It will be the Orange brigade that feels the pinch. There buisness plan domesticaly does not work. There European plan does because they have it right. I think it will only be time before we see Easy pulling out of the domestic market and concentrating on what they do best.

[Uncle Monty]

errr..

Which model doesn't work? The one with Q400s - lossmaking without the one off sale of LHR slots - or the one with several years of substantial and sustained profit making under its belt (£60 million plus predicted this year).

And as for BHD being the preferred airport - on those routes which are served from both airports - BRS, EDI, GLA, LGW, MAN, and LBA the BFS 737 opertor has more than 60 per cent of the mkt in all cases. And on EDI, GLA, MAN, BRS it is closer to 75 per cent.

Most is not on in four or even one in three!!!

[MOR]

Jeez what are you smoking, Hudson Bay

The Q400 will be at 25,000 feet before the 737 is through 2,500 feet!

How do you figure that one...???

A 737 on a route of less than 1 hour in buisness terms is way off the mark. Its the wrong equipment and a very expensive aircraft compared to the 400. The 400 costs next to nothing on a route so short.

Complete and utter nonsense. For your info, then:

FOC and DOC cost per pax:

737-700 - 33.0
Q400 - 40.0

(figures from flybe)

Also, the fuel burn per seat is the same for both aircraft.

If you don't believe me, PM me and I'll tell you who in flybe to contact to verify those figures.

This reflects in the schedules, check it out its quicker with flybe.

A schedule is a work of fiction invented by marketing people, and disapproved of by Ops people. It means sweet FA in this context.

By all means support flybe - I do - but try sticking to the facts.

[Scottie]

Why is it then on these 35 min flights I leave BFS, catch up with the Q400 out of BHD, overtake it and then become number 1 into my home base?

Are these Dash 8 drivers throttling back to allow me to become number 1? I don't think so.

Turboprops are cheap and the Q400 is very fast in **descent** but not as fast as the 737. We can give about 3-4000ft/min climb at 340kts, try doing that on a Q400! :}

[CaptJ]

MOR,

I certainly do not.

Unlike many contributors to this forum who clearly DO work for FlyBe.

I'm just not prepared to tolerate the marketing PAP that some airlines seem to think they can get away with. Flybe wouldn't be alone in that certainly. But they are the WORST.

mysecretsmile,

yes I get to see those hoardings every week. I don\'t think easyJet is too bothered. If Flybe is that dependent on advertising they will sink, fast. What drives passengers on low cost airlines is AVAILABLE cheap fares.
Despite the nonsense you\'ll see posted on here about the wondrous efficiency of the Q400, they can\'t make any money on a plane half full of people paying only taxes/charges.
Have they been cheating us on charges all these years? it used to be £35 -odd return for taxes/charges?

I\'m mystified as to why Flybe have picked this spat with easyJet. It makes no sense at all.

Edited: Please check your post BEFORE you press the submit button. You repeated yourself! :confused:

[ALLMCC]

Capt J

Flybe most certainly are NOT the worst when it comes to PAP - what about FR - they've attracted the attentions of the ASA so many times that it's difficult to keep count! - and Easyjet are just as guilty! If you're not prepared to tolerate the PAP, the I suggest you complain to the ASA!

As a point of interest, are you suggesting that all Easyjet flights to and from BFS are operating full? I know for a fact that this quite simply is not the case!

Finally, if I recall correctly, the current "price war" was instigated by Easyjet last week when they advertised fares of £11.50 - all Flybe did was simply to respond - if Easy were not bothered then why did they further reduce fares to £5.50 on NCL & LPL?

It looks like a David & Goliath scenario is ensuing and we all know who won that one, don't we? Oh and by the way, I don't work for Flybe or BHD!!

[The Greaser]

3000-4000 fpm at 340 knots in the climb!!! Blimey I wish my 737's could do that.

[Tower Ranger]

Capt J
Are you saying you have`nt noticed the "enormous flatbed truck" with the orange adverts cruising Sydenham bypass or most recently parked on the bridge at Dargan off ramp? I think driving at 5mph on a dual carriage way is a more desperate measure

Scottie
I don`t think the Q400 will be much slower than you to LPL as you`ll have an extra 16 miles off rwy25 and for some of the population the extra 20 mins( on a good day) to get to Egaa will make the choice for them.
BTW I believe the best time by a Q400 PF - AC is 26mins.

[flybe.com]

It's actually 18mins. :ok:

[CaptJ]

Towerranger,

I hadn't. Must be money in that business! I suppose its cheaper than renting billboards. Thats bad. Everyone wil be at it.