Blue Air cancels flights and blames Brexit

[Spanish eyes]

Report in the Independent

Brexit uncertainty has forced a European airline to cancel flights to the UK, leaving British holidaymakers stranded. Romania’s Blue Air, which links several UK cities to destinations across Europe, reportedly informed passengers hoping to depart from Liverpool that their flights were cancelled.

A spokesperson for the city’s John Lennon Airport said “the current Brexit impasse" meant the carrier had been "unable to receive the necessary clarity” to offer the flights. Dozens of passengers expecting to fly to Rome and Alicante complained their flights with Blue Air had been cancelled on Wednesday night but tickets were still available to buy online.

While Blue Air will continue to operate flights between the two countries, services from the UK to any other country could be affected if the UK leaves the EU without a continuation of current EU legislation.

Blue Air currently serves Liverpool, Luton, Birmingham and Glasgow in the UK. Affected passengers said they were told by email all Blue Air flights to and from Liverpool after 28 February would be cancelled due to "operational reasons".

Blue Air flights between Luton and Turin are also expected to be affected. Neither Blue Air nor the Department for Transport responded to requests for comment. One of those affected, Andy Barton, tweeted: "They're [Blue Air] not answering the phone to anybody; they sent a form in Romanian to claim a refund, then block me on twitter so I can't contact them." Another stranded passenger, Dale Swinson, wrote: "Worst treatment I have ever had, left me in limbo on a holiday that was a present for my girlfriend and the customer service when you finally get through is atrocious!" Seats for flights with the airline are still available to buy online.

Tickets for an Alitalia flight to Rome "operated by Blue Air", listed to depart at exactly the same time, are also available but for more than double the price. A spokesman for John Lennon Airport said: "Blue Air has successfully operated its based aircraft for two years in Liverpool serving a wide range of routes."Unfortunately, as a Romanian Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holder, the current Brexit impasse means that the carrier has been unable to receive the necessary clarity regarding their ability to operate seventh freedom services which are currently possible under EU Open Skies."The carrier will continue to serve Liverpool John Lennon Airport and will increase flights this summer to Bucharest and Bacau."

Seventh freedom services under the EU Open Skies agreement refer to flights between countries which are not an airline's home country.

[LTNman]

And there was me thinking that Brexit happens on 29th March.

[FFHKG]

This has already been reported on the LPL thread which will lose it Blue Air based aircraft.

[LGS6753]

Luton-Larnaca flights bookable through the summer. Luton-Turin only seems to be operating this week, and on 23rd March.

[LTNman]

So clearly has nothing to do with Brexit then apart from the airline looking to shift blame.

[SWBKCB]

So clearly has nothing to do with Brexit then apart from the airline looking to shift blame.

Blue Air don't know whether they will be able to operate flights from the UK after 29/03 - they probably will, but can't guarantee it. They might think this is an acceptable risk for the LTN flights which could easily be switched to another, intra-EU route, moving an entire based a/c operation is a bigger risk. Not an unreasonable stance.

[LTNman]

Have to ask the question why start cut backs now unless a route was making loses and Blue Air wanted to blame outside factors.

[SWBKCB]

Or perhaps they've been hanging on till the last minute as they expected a deal to have been made by now?

[LTNman]

Most folk would not view now as the last minute. More to this than meets the eye I am thinking.

[compton3bravo]

As a Romanian airline they will be unable to operate from the UK to another EU country apart from Romania unless they have a UK operators licence. As only one aircraft was based at Liverpool it was probably uneconomic to apply for a !icence. That is why the Luton-Turin service cannot operate unless an agreement is reached by 29 March. All to do with Brexit LTNman.

[SWBKCB]

So clearly has nothing to do with Brexit then apart from the airline looking to shift blame.

Most folk would not view now as the last minute. More to this than meets the eye I am thinking.

There might well be, but it is disingenuous to say that Brexit will have had no impact

[paully]

It might be all to do with Brexit but I`m with LTNman, there is more to this than meets the eye. I suspect the non Romania flights from Liverpool were poor yield, so right timing right excuse, I`m afraid

[virginblue]

So what? The added uncertainty regarding Brexit has tipped the iceberg and so having a LPL-based aircraft is no longer a viable business case. You will hardly find any business judgment these days that can be monocausally linked to Brexit. Brexit is a contributing factor in many cases that will result in a change of direction for businesses.

[LTNman]

That is why the Luton-Turin service cannot operate unless an agreement is reached by 29 March. All to do with Brexit LTNman.

OK, I know there is going to be a simple answer but why is Turin affected and not say Larnaca? Why pull flights now which is 6 weeks before they have to when there might even be an agreement? What happens if there is an agreement, does Blue Air return to Liverpool? Somehow I doubt they will.

[davidjohnson6]

Taking a sympathetic view to Blue Air, I imagine they need to make substantial decisions now as to where aircraft will be based over S19 and have a pretty good idea of their summer schedule. They might wish to leave room for minor changes later but when passengers expect a lead time of a few months between tickets going on sale and a flight date, they can't wait

Any pulling of flights has to be done 2 weeks in advance anyway, and with little obvious sign of agreement between Westminster and Brussels, it's getting close to crunch time for small airlines operating 7th freedom routes between the UK and the EU27

[GROUNDHOG]

Have a small leak in the conservatory roof.....I blame Brexit.

[22/04]

Even if there is more to it than meets the eye - there are going to be a lot of businesses not betting on the UK when there is a relatively "strong and stable" EU out there with a market size ten times bigger.

[rowly6339]

Even if there is more to it than meets the eye - there are going to be a lot of businesses not betting on the UK when there is a relatively "strong and stable" EU out there with a market size ten times bigger.

A strong and stable EU hahaha that made me giggle thanks for the laugh.

[BACsuperVC10]

It might be all to do with Brexit but I`m with LTNman, there is more to this than meets the eye. I suspect the non Romania flights from Liverpool were poor yield, so right timing right excuse, I`m afraid
​​​​​The Liverpool to Rome route was pretty well patronized .Many of the other routes were duplications of Ryanair , Easyjet or both. Frankly I would say as a fairly unknown airline unless your going to Eastern Europe, they would have had their work cut out for them competing. I'm sure Brexit won't have helped matter either.

[ZULUBOY]

[QUOTE=rowly6339;10391958]

A strong and stable EU hahaha that made me giggle thanks for the laugh.[/QUOTE

The EU has been very strong, stable and unified in it's Brexit negotiations with the UK.

[LTNman]

Even if there is more to it than meets the eye - there are going to be a lot of businesses not betting on the UK when there is a relatively "strong and stable" EU out there with a market size ten times bigger.

And there was I reading that the EU was heading back into recession and that France had recalled its Ambassador from Italy while counties in Eastern Europe won't do what they are told by EU bureaucrats. Meanwhile London's 6 airports are all planning massive expansion despite Brexit. No one is saying that on March 29th there won't be issues but they will sort themselves out.

Also remember when the minimum wage was introduced with institutions and some politicians saying it would cause mass unemployment. Well they didn't get that right did they.

[El Bunto]

Any pulling of flights has to be done 2 weeks in advance anyway, and with little obvious sign of agreement between Westminster and Brussels, it's getting close to crunch time for small airlines operating 7th freedom routes between the UK and the EU27

And what a responsible airline would have done is to position-out its aircraft and lease-in a charter to cover the Liverpool flights until 29 March.

But as usual, we see that the 'contract' between an airline and its cutomers isn't worth the pixels on the screen. The airline can do what it likes and the passengers can pound sand.

[LTNman]

Luton-Larnaca flights bookable through the summer. Luton-Turin only seems to be operating this week, and on 23rd March.

No one has yet to come up with an answer as to why Brexit stops Blue Air flights to and from Turin while Larnaca is unaffected.

Going back to Blue Air and its Liverpool based aircraft. Would the same issue not also affect Ryanair with its UK based aircraft yet they are opening a new base at Southend.

Just to be clear I am not saying there isn’t a Brexit factor if the airline is thinking there will be a passenger drop caused by less people wanting to fly but cut backs are due to commercial decisions and not Brexit barriers to flying which was hinted in the Independent newspaper report.

[SWBKCB]

And what a responsible airline would have done is to position-out its aircraft and lease-in a charter to cover the Liverpool flights until 29 March. But as usual, we see that the 'contract' between an airline and its cutomers isn't worth the pixels on the screen. The airline can do what it likes and the passengers can pound sand.

Maybe govts could get their acts together and give airlines a proper regulatory framework to work ijn rather than indulging in games of checken with the economies of nations?

No one has yet to come up with an answer as to why Brexit stops Blue Air flights to and from Turin while Larnaca is unaffected.

I think they're hoping for a deal which will allow Turin to operate but have a plan to switch it to another route if it can't.

Going back to Blue Air and its Liverpool based aircraft. Would the same issue not also affect Ryanair with its UK based aircraft yet they are opening a new base at Southend.

That's why Ryanair UK has been set up

[BACsuperVC10]

From Liverpool most of their routes were duplications of Easyjet or Ryanair or both. Whilst they were popular destinations they flew to, out side passengers going to Eastern Europe , this airline was relatively unknown compared to FR and Easy, however I'd find it hard to believe that they couldn't sell seats to Malaga for examp!e .They still managed to get between 70 and 85 % load factor on LPL- ROM which isn't too shabby. The Brexit uncertainty can't have helped things, and has now been mentioned by Blue Air , Flybe and Bmi regional as a reason for their respective problems.

[LTNman]

But they will be using in the main Irish registered aircraft. So how many UK registered aircraft does Ryanair actually have? How many UK based office staff does Ryanair employ at its UK HQ?

[Navpi]

Most UK aviation is actually expanding, I assume therefore that must also be as a result of Brexit?

[22/04]

I think the UK will at least initially be rather more lenient towards non UK aircraft operating from the UK to elsewhere than the EU may be after the year end if there is a hard brexit.

If the worst comes to the worst Ryanair UK will have at east eight months to re-register the aircraft operating UK routes.

[SWBKCB]

But they will be using in the main Irish registered aircraft. So how many UK registered aircraft does Ryanair actually have? How many UK based office staff does Ryanair employ at its UK HQ?

That's what they hope to do, but they will have plans in place to change quickly if they can't - just like they did with Ryanair Sun which was set up just to do 'bucket and spade' flights from Poland.

As things stand, my understanding is that there is no regulatory framework for flights between the UK and the EU27 after 29/03

[Barling Magna]

Most UK aviation is actually expanding, I assume therefore that must also be as a result of Brexit?

flyBMI....? I guess you mean most other UK aviation.

[mike current]

Most UK aviation is actually expanding, I assume therefore that must also be as a result of Brexit?

It's been expanding since 2011. There was no sign of Brexit then. The impact of Brexit on UK aviation, whether it will be positive or negative, will be measured in the months/years to come.

[Cat Techie]

Most UK aviation is actually expanding, I assume therefore that must also be as a result of Brexit?

One has to look at the balance books of UK airlines, both long and short haul operators to see what mess they are actually in. Look at our regional operators. FlyBe - Brought out before it collasped. Eastern Airways - Bristows are keeping it afloat. BMI Regional - gone. Yes, it is the result of Brexit, the devaluation of the pound over the last 3 years, the removal of carbon tax exemptions by the EU for regional carriers that has happen now, the accumulations of which are helping tip companies over. Only good thing about Brexit would be to bin the 3 hour tech delay compensation laws. However the Tories do that? Fat chance.

[Pain in the R's]

Germania, Primera Air, Skyworks, VLM, Air Berlin, SmallPlanet, Niki, Darwin Airlines.....

Maybe Cat Techie thinks Brexit caused these airlines to go bust in the last 2 years. That would be the claim if they were UK based airlines.

[TOM100]

Diana's death - Brexit

[Fairdealfrank]

And there was me thinking that Brexit happens on 29th March.

You're having a laugh, look forward to EU parliament elections.



Diana's death - Brexit

Indeed! At last the truth is out.

[Council Van]

.They still managed to get between 70 and 85 % load factor on LPL- ROM which isn't too shabby.
For a cut price airline that is atrocious.

[BACsuperVC10]

If it was Easyjet or Ryanair they would have certainly carried more passengers, Blue Air is still a new entity for non Eastern European passengers from Liverpool