Virgin Express

[Fuwhead]

I hope Virgin Express have a good escape plan with the fall out from Swiss Air and soon Sabena it could be the making or breaking! :rolleyes:

[The Guvnor]

I could never understand why VEI was closed down an VEX allowed to continue - it would have saved a huge amount of costs and more importantly allowed Virgin to avoid those morons from BeCA - who have seriously damaged a number of airlines (including VEX) and have now destroyed Sabena.

Richard Branson: "It was the worst business decision I ever made".

[Billy the Kid]

Would be a shame to see the red aeroplanes leave BRU. Best of luck to Danny and the crews.
After VEI closure the company made a good go at a downsizing and it looked like they were slowly turning the corner. Just a shame that Virgin Express Ireland wasn't allowed to operate as a Franchise, then everyone would have made a packet.
I think that really at the end of the day Virgin group is to blame.
We've seen this with other outfits in the past, they start from small focused companies run by dynamic leaders and grow into large flabby groups, run by boards of grey men in shiny suits, who inevetibly screw things up and run off with the loot. Only to show up running similar operations elsewhere.

Any way to all my ex-VEI colleagues three questions:-

1. Does anyone have a contact for any of the former 'experienced management team'? - I need a note to verify my log-book.

2. Has Maxim stayed in business over the summer without the VEI table's revenue.

3. Is it true road-runner is working in the Blue Horizon?

[ 03 October 2001: Message edited by: Billy the Kid ]

[gyrohead]

BtK:

Your old pal DC is currently chairing a commited group currently in the process of setting up a new Irish airline venture (with a little help from the ex-Soviets and a few Yanks)! The operation will most likely run 737's and be a low fare type OP. That's if it ever gets going at all! :p

[ 03 October 2001: Message edited by: gyrohead ]

[rustbucket732]

For sometime the Russians have been looking into buying into an existing Irish op, perhaps it was even Aeroflot (failing that Transaero) that was interested in such a move. Well, nows the time, bargain basement as they say.
Guv?

[Capt Veeclean]

Guvnor,

It was the decision to close down VEI that saved Virgin Express - it plugged the drain hole through which huge amounts of money were disappearing fast.

VEX has turned loss into profit by downsizing and taking a lot of pain and now has a future. Good luck to them.

[Mad Mitch]

Capt Veeclean

Where is this profit and how much is it that VEX have made since closing down VEI.
Guv is right VEX and the BCA have been a basket case for years and VEI was sacrificed as the easier option. The only reason VEX continues is the Sabena codeshare where SN were daft enough to agree to buy 82 seats on every VEX flight. Now that SN are terminal that codeshare is finished.
While the other low cost operators GO, EZY, Ryan were expanding routes and fleets VEX were reducing theres.
The only chance they had of competing outside the SN codeshare was VEI as a creditable option to the above. A good company wtith hardworking and motivated people with a good low cost base that was never allowed the opportunity to progress due to the idiots at the BCA and weak management in BRU. Just look at the BCA actions over the last few weeks with SN, they never change do they.

Also Capt, what was this money that was hemmoraging at VEI. If you look at the figures of the 60million Euro loss last year aprox 2.4million was down to VEI. In my sums that means the Belgys lost 57.6.
Get your facts right mate, theres a lot of us ex VEI guys out there with good memories of what the BCA did to VEI. Nice to see them squirmimg now. What goes round comes round.