Go announces East Midlands as next base

[Electric Sky]

It has just been confirmed that Go is to make East Midlands it's next base. No details as yet on routes or start date.

Not good news for bmi with a low cost carrier moving into their back yard!

ES ;)

[flyingfrog]

Not good news for bmi at all.

Is there any idea of routes go will be serving?

[Stagnation Point]

Could be just what bmi need, something to judge the level of service, that bmi provides its customers with, against. Anyway will they be coming in with 9 or 10 737's to compete with bmi on all the routes that it flies to from EMA. Did they have that number of acft on the Dub routes that they are dumping?

As they say in Dub, "Good luck to them."

[crab]

If GO go to EMA they will probably market it properly and the large number of destinations from EMA will not be a well kept secret anymore.This should have a positive knock on effect for bmi at no cost to their existing marketing budget which seems to be quite low key for the East Midlands.

[simbad3000]

Electric Sky: Start date = Late May. Routes to be announced = Mid January.

[fast cruiser]

Is this good or bad for bmi!!!!!

What would you rather fly on a B737 or cramped ERJ 145!!

What would you rather pay for EMA-BFS, £200 or £50!!!

need I say anymore

[dundoniandean]

This should make BD sit up a little bit. I've never found their service outstanding and their prices aren't really all that cheap either. GO seem to have found a gap in the low cost market with a bloody good-sized catchment area. Perhaps BA and co at BHX will feel some of the same as BD are about to too??

EMA could prove to be a very good move for GO if they get the marketing and the routes right.

EMA - BFS, EDI, GLA, CDG, AMS, BRU would appeal to the cost conscious businessman and the likes of BCN, PMI, DUB (a bit doubtful for GO now I suppose), AGP, ALC, FAO, NCE could all be a hit with the current BD leisure passengers if the prices and times are attractive.

Now that people are aware that the low cost carriers are here to stay (well a few of them are anyway), they will try them out with confidence and all it takes is for them to like it once and then they re-book for next time.

Go GO (but be careful). ;)

[Navy_Adversary]

British Midland may not be happy but I am, I live only 15 mins away from EMA and have been waiting for some time for a low cost airline to move in. This now means I can spend a few weekends away in the Med when I would have been mowing the lawn :D

[salapilot]

Why haven't any of the low cost moved into Birmingham. I know ryanair have a flight to Dublin but thats it. Is it high landing fee's ? surely ryanair must be making profit on this route and their fares are very well priced....

[Electric Sky]

Fast cruiser

I take your point about the cost as bmi is very overpriced out of EMA. However, I think you will find a 737 with 148 odd seats in it far more cramped than an EMB145 with 49. At the end of the day it depends on individual passenger preferences.

I see Go as having two opportunities at EMA. They can either go head to head on the routes that bmi are already established on or they can compliment those routes by offering destinations such as Barcelona, Milan etc. that bmi don't serve.

Good news for EMA as an airport though.

ES ;)

[dundoniandean]

It must be something like landing charges at BHX that have made the low costs overlook it so far. You could ask the same for other airports with large catchment areas. LBA, NCL (only STN so far - come on!!) and surely GLA (the real airport) could use some more international destinations from the low costs - aren't people always on about the Scots being tight fisted anyway? (I'm not criticising honest - I'm Scottish!). If that's the case, who would appreciate low air fares more than us canny Scots?? :rolleyes:

[Tom the Tenor]

Good point about Glasgow, Beanflicker. There is a sizeable Italian community in Glasgown and it is absolutely amazing there is no direct link to Italy - surely, it would be a winner for GO to have, at least, a summer service to somewhere like Milan. Hope they try it soon!

[mccar]

Seems EZY will have two international destinations out of GLA early next year. Surely the others will follow their lead.

[simbad3000]

Beanflicker: BHX will not offer the kind of discounts that the low-cost usually airlines require. Ryanair do operate BHX but they pay the same as everyone else (shows how much they value the location).

[nitefiter]

Just been on the local TV news, seems bmi arn`t happy about this and have asked the Office of Fair Trading to have a look at it, as bmi suspect EMA are offering financial incentives for Go to use the airport.Who can blame EMA as bmi have just reduced the operation out of there?

[ 14 December 2001: Message edited by: nitefiter ]

[Anti Skid On]

Surely the smart way to go would be for the low costs to have a decent base (a la Easy and LTN) and have decent feeder services from LBA, GLA, etc.

It would be nice to have direct services from the regionals (I always thought those places with large student numbers would be a good bet - get them all off to Ibiza and EHAM for the weekend!), but Joe Public really can't be bothered and would rather nip off to First Choice and book a package!

[Doors to Automatic]

No offence to bmi but having recently paid £343 return for a day trip to Edinburgh and queued for 25 mins to check-in (whilst the economy wait was 10 mins)I would welcome some competition at my local airport.

[flyingfrog]

Why stand in that que for twenty five mins then, you can be checked in at any desk regardless of what ticket you hold. If there is no queue at the economy desk, the check in staff will call you over.

Also if you were only travelling for the day, I assume you would only have hand luggage, you can check in at the gate. I find that there are usually no cues there.

[ 14 December 2001: Message edited by: sartbimpson ]

[ 14 December 2001: Message edited by: sartbimpson ]

[Beavis & Butthead]

bmi is right to hold a grievance with EMA if it is true that Go have been given financial incentives to base at the airport. BM has been at the airport since it's beginning and has been an instrumental and crucual part of it's success. This does not mean that they should get special treatment but they at least deserve to be on a level playing field! Shame on you EMA if you have offered such incentives to Go.

On the positive side, good luck to Go ... lets hope EMA can accomodate both airlines.

[wooof]

Who are bmi? I've not seen any adverts for an outfit with said name! :eek: :eek: :eek:

[682ft AMSL]

For airports with establsihed 'full service' operators, following the the low cost route is something of a gamble; and the bigger the size of the established operation, the bigger the gamble it is.

Low cost operators will demand reduced landing & handling fees as well as a contribution to marketing & promotion costs in return for setting up a large scale operation. Unsurprisingly, existing airlines are likely to be cheesed off if they are not receiving similar deals. More so if the low cost airline is going to compete directly with them on particular routes.

At airports like LPL, PIK etc, the decision was simple. More recently however airports like BRS and EMA have invested in attracting a low-cost operator - suggesting that they believe there is limited future growth from 'full service' airlines or that they can accommodate the two types of carrier simultaneously.

At bigger airports such as MAN / BHX, the size and range of the existing full service network means it would take a sustained and fairly dramatic reduciton in traffic from establshed operators for the low cost option to become attractive to the airport authorities.

682

[dundoniandean]

I understand what you are saying about the likes of MAN and BHX not wanting to entertain low cost carriers when there is a demand for 'full service' carriers from these airports. However, would you not agree that the low cost carriers have made such an impact, in the UK especially, that whichever airports they fly from suddenly attract passengers from further afield than their expected catchment areas. If these carriers continue to expand in such a successful manner (I don't think it's going to slow down just yet), then BHX will feel the pinch from GO at EMA and the traditional airlines at BHX will have their work cut out. A similar thing to easyJet at LPL v's MAN. Not many airlines can afford to keep a route that isn't pulling its weight these days. If GO do things properly at EMA by way of routes and marketing, then I don't think that BD or BA will be able to deny suffering as a result of GO's presence.

How long until there is a real low cost longhaul carrier in the UK again?

[682ft AMSL]

The issue for these airports is that to go down the low cost route risks jeopordising the existing business model. How does MAN or BHX offer an incentive package to a low cost operator without damaging their relationship with existing "full service" airlines like BA etc?

682

[P.Pilcher]

I seem to remember talking to a taxi driver at BHX not so long ago when he told me that it was cheaper for passengers to take a taxi ride to Luton and fly with Squeezy to Edingurgh than to take the cheapest service from BHX. Now EMA is much closer than Luton to BHX and the taxi fare is only about 30 quid. ;)

[Buster the Bear]

Manchester can offer a brilliant deal to Go, it is called East Midlands, which is part of the Manchester airports group following on from thier purchase from National Express.

Manchester's low cost base to compete with Liverpool.

Could the next airline announcing services from East Midlands be Ryanair?

As an aside, Monarch Crown and easyJet compete from Luton on the Palma and Malaga routes very well, each suplementing the other.

[Electric Sky]

Buster ... you are quite right! Is East Midlands trying to become the first "low cost airport"? Manchester may be using the airport primarily for cargo,charter and low cost which would be a kick in the teeth for bmi british midland. I am only speculating but there wouldn't be much of an EMA if it hadn't been for the support of Midland during the years.

The MD of Manchester was recently MD of EMA and he should be careful not to be too fickle to one of his most loyal supporters!!

ES ;)

[OLNEY 1 BRAVO]

Re the post from Buster the Bear, easyJet and Monarch do both fly Luton - Malaga but sadly Monarch stopped flying Crown Service to Palma some years ago - before easyJet started flying the route I hasten to add.

[Arkroyal]

B&B has a valid point. How can anyone justify cheaper airport fees for any of the low cost operators, and expect the longer established airlines to pay more? (And thereby subsidise the competition)

These operators were once 'start-up' airlines who arguably deserved special treatment. They are no longer in that position, so how can this bias be fair?

[Nightstop]

Go has just applied for EMA to Prague, a very popular destination that should do well :)

[Electric Sky]

They are advertising on the local radios now as well. I understand that they will be basing 3 737-300s at the airport from May.

ES ;)

[nitefiter]

bmi,s idea was to reduce aircraft operating cost,s with the 145,s but to increase frequencies to maintain yields.They have done nothing of the sort by removing 4 145,s and
have a load of Fokker,s sitting idle most of the day and cancelling flights on a day to day basis.
The airport has to survive like any other buisness and you cant blame them for wanting to attract new airlines.
in the last few days i have heard more about Go through advertising than i have ever heard from bmi, can one assume bmi are not interested?

[Buster the Bear]

Prague is definitely one of the new Go routes from East Midlands, according to the 'new non-EC' route application web site.

[glider insider]

if that was the case then Go would also be doing PRG from BRS and EDI as well as they have been granted permission for these months ago!