NOW? News?

[tailscrape]

All has gone quiet on the western front. I am still waiting to get my contract.

In fact, I am puzzled, because I still do not know what the package is yet they want to apply for my airside pass!!!!! I may not join yet!!

Anyone heard anything at all?

[jmc-man]

Listen up.... at the risk of repeating myself.

NOW is not financed yet........and the finance requirements will rise dramatically with an October start. Just look at the easyJet losses for the Winter period. The CAA Consumer Protection Group (formerly the SRG) will require a significant increase in finance to get through the first winter

NOW's "unique" sales point is the fixed fare.....how come no other Low Cost Operator uses this? Because it doesn't work....the basis of success of Low Cost operators is Cash Flow, get lots of cash up front. Why would anyone pay in advance for a NOW ticket when they can buy it on the day for the same price.

NOW's route planning is flawed. It has chosen routes previously tried by Low Cost operators which have had limited or no success. I understand why they are doing it, to try to stop an immediate war with Easy, but they will get hammered by Easy anyway, having decided to start up on their doorstep.

NOW are still lacking a credible team. I know they have recent success in attracting a couple of senior GO/EASY people, but the GO guy had no further career opportunities available to him, and the Easy Guy has been dicked about so much I know he has been looking elsewhere for some time. Notwithstanding that....they still don't anyone who the CAA would accept as an accountable manager under an AOC.

I wish them well in their endeavours but I would urge caution to anyone giving up a good job to go to an airline which such serious gaps in it's business plans.

Be careful out there


jmc-man

[NOW GUY]

I was told that I had been successful after my recent interview in June. I got a letter in early July saying that I had got through the recruitment stages. I've been in constant touch via e mail with Now. We chat and I keep up to date with a few bits and bobs. My ID stuff is in and being processed. I'm told my contract will be ready to be signed on July 21st. As they are recruiting more Cabin Crew on 19-20 July, I suppose they want to do all the contracts together. So things are beginning to happen.

JMC Man, are you city financial wizz kid? I think the one price for all idea is great. No more sitting next to someone who paid 3 shillings and sixpence and another who paid full whack for a seat. I liked the ideas Now presented at my interview day. They sound very exciting. The advertising campaign looks up market and slick. Whereas easyJet are "billboard" slogans and "cheap and cheerful", Now is aiming to more discerning customers. Not wishing to diss you JMC man, and seeing that you work for a charter airline, you should understand that some of us who have applied to go to Now, wish for something new and different, and Now will certainly be that. The recruitment interview I had with them was hard and gruelling, with many tough questions. They knew exactly what they were looking for: People who have ideas, can input ideas into the team, not just blend in with the charter mentality, which is now "two a penny".

The routes you seem to know about are not cast in stone, they are subject to approval and so may change. As for paying on the day of departure, that would be lovely, of course by that time, the seats will have all gone, then what? No one has tried the fixed one price fare as far as I know, so let them try it and see. I for one would be happier sitting next to someone who had paid exactly the same, as you both get exactly the same service on board.

Now plans at a later stage to offer a two-class option, with pre-paid meals for those who want them. They are flying to the airfields that people want to go to, not Godforsaken airfields in the neighbouring country and saying you are only 45 minutes away from Vienna(the new Slovak Low cost airline flying to Bratislava). Now will be up-market with leather seats throughout the aircraft. They will have dependable handling staff, actually on duty when the flight departs and arrives, unlike easyJet outstations where there is no one to be seen from easyJet. With easyJet, you're on your own. When easyJet started up, they said they would never be successful, and look. Now takes the best of easyJet and British Airways and leaves behind the worst of easyJet and British Airways. Now Airlines have targeted and aim to be clearly in the middle of the two markets, up-market but value for money.

All these options Now plan to offer don't to me sound like an airline that has not thought through what it plans to do, the ideas sound fresh and sensible, and I for one can't wait to get started at Now. Tailscrape, I look forward to meeting you at Now.

[Powerjet1]

Heard Friday that online booking was due to start w/c 21 July .

[tailscrape]

Well, seems to be a big difference of opinion!:O

Anyone else got any thoughts?

[NOW GUY]

Tailscrape, just a bit disconcerting when people are sceptical about something and post opinions without really being from the business world. It's just a cabin crew member or a member of flight deck who thinks he knows it all. Is he in touch with the people at Now? No, I keep in touch with them by e mail and on two occasions been to their Luton offices to say hello and drop off my references for my ID,so my information is grounded on fact, not as in the case of JMC-man on what he "thinks" to be. Need I remind JMC man that JMC isn't such a big success having gone from its original Flying Colours/Caledonian merger, then JMC and a terrible reputation to now Thomas Cook, yet another excersise in re-branding. Maybe it's the people they need to change, not just the livery and name of the company. It's sceptics and pessimists like that, that Now are NOT looking for to join them.

[jmc-man]

Intersting point of view , NOW MAN.

Firstly, you have no idea as to my background. Just because I currently fly for a charter airline doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about.

I have done a lot of work studying business plans of low cost carriers. I have worked with some of the individuals involved in NOW.

I have studied the NOW plan, and my opinions ( as that is what they are) are based on comparisons with the other successful ( and unsuccessful) Low Cost Operators.

So, all I am saying is this ....

1) They are not funded yet

2) The business plan will require huge levels of capital to enable NOW to survive the first two years

3) The ticket sale concept ( from a cashflow point of view) is seriously flawed

4) No-one has been issued a contract yet which of course matches up with point 1 above as issuing a contract would make the directors personally liable to meet the contract.

5) If they think the biggest Low Cost airline in Europe is just going to sit around and watch someone move into their patch at Luton and do nothing they are incredibly naive.

So, for my fellow professional pilots and crew, my advice is very simple.....do NOT make any commitments until you see the colour of their money. The industry is littered with well intentioned start-ups who just failed to understand their market properly.

Has anybody deterrmined when their COO (designate) ever got his command ?

[tailscrape]

jmc man,

fair comments. And well put. So, I have no problem with your views. In fact I appreciate them.

As a jmc'er myself, I am in no hurry to f?ck things up for my career.

Anyhow, moving on:

How do other Pilots and crew feel about this delay in NOW sorting things out?

[In trim]

JMC man makes some very valid points - particularly in relation to cashflow.

The traditional LCA model encourages early booking in the way the yields are managed. There is nothing with the NOW fare structure to encourage anyone to book early.....that's a lot less cash sitting in the bank on a day-to-day basis, and we all know that in this business even the most successful companies work on very narrow margins, so this cashflow situation will have a major impact.

[Whispering Giant]

Not wanting to sound to pessimistic of this new outfit and i wish them all the best of luck - but i wonder if they really know how to set up a airline, they may have an AOC or even be operating of of someone else's AOC but from my sources i have learnt that they did not know let alone apply for the license's to operate the route's thet they want to operate from IATA and the DETR which they are required to do so in order to operate as a airline.

I hope that as a airline they do succeed - time will tell. :ooh:

[expedite_climb]

NOW-Guy,

No need to bash jmc / thomas cook just because 'jmc-man' upset you!

JMC isn't such a big success - Really, jmc / tcx seem to be doing pretty well from where Im sat (which, dare i say it is probably better informed than you).

JMC and a terrible reputation - what ? The most on time charter airline last year ?

You are obviously not aware of the reasons for the rebranding ? JMC came about under pressaug (who now own brittania). When bought by C&N Touristic, they recognised the strong brand, and rebranded the uk airline Thomas Cook, because they are rebranding, the german, (ultimately) turkish airlines, all the german shops, and created a belgian airline - all with Thomas Cook down the side.....

Please get your facts straight.

Oh, if you are having a go at 'jmc man' like that, could you state you business qualifications ???

Rant over, and good luck to NOW.

[payingpax]

The payingpax household is of course looking forward to the price war that NOWs arrival is going to spark.

However, I think that jmc-man and In trim are 100% right. What incentive does NOW give me to hand over my cash until the last possible moment?

[Gypsy]

There is a whiff of something in the air - perhaps jmc-man can help.

jmc-man - your handle bears a resemblance to the initials of a certain well known easyjet spin doctor, who cannot help but be a bit concerned about what effect NOW might have on easyjets already critical crew shortage.

So to help us all understand where you are coming from, do you have any relationship with that individual?

If you don't and you do really work for jmc (or whatever its called this year), perhaps you could tell us which people in NOW it is that you have worked with, and also how you know the background behind the 2 easyjet managers resigning.

[Gypsy]

Just bringing this to the top to give jmc man the Max opportunity to answer the questions below.

[Waggon rut]

Just a comment or two
I think NOW will be aiming for a different market to that of easy/ryan
(Sun reader)
There was a company once who was in a different market (Mail reader)
maybe they will GO after them.
The question of booking early, well if it proves to be well liked you will have to book early to get a seat.

[posh747]

Now man, wanted to write to you but having trouble. says you cant recieve personal messages, any ideas?