Remember Air UK?

[mrshubigbus]

I was just reminiscing this morning about my old company Air UK as I was reading an article about the success of VLM in Aircraft Illustrated.

Mid 1990s

A fleet consisting of 40 or so aircraft, ATR-72s, Fokker F27s, Fokker 50s, Fokker 100s, BAe146s, all being flown by over 400 highly motivated pilots!

2006

The Air UK name is just a distant memory and the remaining aircraft have been fully merged into KLM CityHopper with about 100 very demoralised pilots left!

So what happened?

Back to the mid 1990s

Stansted:-

Air UK was the major operator with its fleet flying to many UK and European destinations and a product, Sterling Service, that was very highly regarded. Airport growth was increasing significantly and passenger numbers were approaching the 5 million mark for the first time!

2006

The Stansted operation is now huge!!! A record 25 million passengers are forecast to pass through the airport this year. Many of the 160 or so routes are operated by airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet and Air Berlin. Over 50 B737s / A319s etc are based at the airport. Passenger numbers have surpassed that of Manchester during the past few months and new routes to the USA have been launched.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Stansted_Airport

Mid 1990s

London City:-

This up and coming airport was becoming a new "hub" for the company as several new routes were introduced. Its potential was very obvious to the company and much was invested into the airport. Routes were flown to the major cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

2006

Two huge milestones have just been reached. 2 million passengers now fly in and out of LCY on nearly 40 routes! VLM have just announced that they have reached 100 flights a day in and out of the airport. The operation is huge and attracts the "Creme De La Creme" of business travellers willing to pay for the convenience of this "City Centre" Airport! There are no Low Cost Carriers here!!!

http://www.londoncityairport.com/ind...wStory&sId=992

http://www.londoncityairport.com/ind...wStory&sId=991

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_City_Airport

Air UK - Other Operations

Mid 1990s
Air UK had an established network of routes which covered the Channel Islands, East Coast, and Amsterdam. Major bases included Jersey, Guernsey, Norwich, Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
These routes were all very successful and the company was well known and had an excellent reputation.

2006

All of these airports have seen very significant growth and are well served by a mix of full service and low cost carriers.

So what of Air UK and their growth throughout the rest of the 1990s and beyond?

The name does not exist anymore and the whole UK operation is now long gone! The company was taken over by KLM towards the end of the 90s and the remains of this once proud and growing carrier haven now been fully integrated with KLM CityHopper based at Amsterdam. The only remaining flights within the UK are feeders into Amsterdam. It goes without saying that Stansted and London City alone would have made the company an absolute fortune had they "stuck with it"!

What might have been! - If only!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirUK

[barit1]

Only rode AirUK once (GLA-LGW, BAE146, late 80s) but the level of service to SLF was very impressive. If this (sample of one) was representative, they must have generated some considerable customer loyalty.

Pity we cannot find more than a few airlines today to emulate them.

[wub]

Here's one of the fleet

[Mr_Grubby]

They have come a long way since this.
Crampton and Wrights C 172, Hemswell 1969.
Clint.

[zed3]

Happy memories over the North Sea from AMS to HUY and vv on standby tickets . Once accepted for a flight HUY to AMS on the jumpseat in a F27 with only 2/3 of the runway usable due works . PAX were limited but I got home bumping over the first 1/3 of unmade RWY - REAL professionals . Spent the rest of the flight discussing wine , with the RH seat guy handflying the a/c - management decision that the autopilot be disconnected for fuel economy !!!!!
Those were the days , I was younger too !!! Shame what happened next .

[h73kr]

Remember Air UK? Absolutely! Worked with them for may years, was a pretty decent company to work for I thought offering a very professional service to it's customers. I beleive customer loyalty was very high, especially on the London - Scotland routes where punctuality was consistently better than our major rivals. Heyday I thought was in early to mid 90's, operating as major user of Stansted as a hub, hell we even ran TV adverts for a while! However, I think it then became too big to have the benefits of a small company, but not quite big enough to have the benefits of a real major airline. Was quite excited at the prospect of the KLM take over and rebranding/investment, but it soon became clear that we were just being turned in to an Amsterdam feeder, and the end was indeed nigh, slowly but surely until the way it is now. Shame, shame, shame. Mind you, I'd guess that easyJet and Ryanair would have finished off Air uk eventually as it was. Happy memories.

[fradu]

I saw F-27 Friendships frequently when visiting relatives in Eastleigh during the 1980s and early 1990s. In fact, they were the most common type to visit!

[WHBM]

The owners decided that KLMs offer for the company was better than continuing standalone. They were probably right. The Amsterdam feeder routes continue successfully, they would not have done nearly as well as an independent operation.

I used Stansted to Edinburgh quite a bit as well. Fares 15 years ago about double what I pay Easyjet nowadays. It wouldn't have lasted.

Everything Stansted became Buzz, which eventually was bought by Ryanair for more than could have ever been made continuing as an independent operation. Ryanair of course continue very successfully at Stansted.

All the Air UK Leisure side was sold to Air 2000 and things like the the First Choice 767 operation came from here. This continues successfully.

London City - no LCY-based operator has ever succeeded. Before AirUK there were Brymon and London City Airways. After AirUK there was the same experience with FlyBe. It doesn't work for based airlines, only for inward operators. And they don't make a fortune there, demand is too peaky, midday flights operate with low loads and there's nothing profitable at weekends.

[simon niceguy]

Years ago I did an ATC Fam. Flt. from LBA-AMS-LBA in a UK F-27.

The captains name was Will Scarlet. I spent the whole trip wondering if the FO was call Little Jon or Robin Hood. I didn't have the b*lls to ask though as I expect he would have heard it before.

Good trip though.


S.

[BEagle]

Yuk-Air from Edinburgh to Naarch via Leeds Bradford in around 1982..

First problem was that the landing wouldn't retract on take-off - the LHS MLG was in the 'Grand Old Duke of York' position - neither up nor down. But, after the pneumatics had charged up, the wheels finally came up and on we pottered to LBA at a sedate pace. Round and round hoping for the fog to lift, then a diversion to Castle Donington Robin Hood East Midlands Derby and Joan International. About 3 passengers disembark, really looking forward to the bus journey back to Leeds...

Cabin crew look happy as it's now 2200 - it seems they've just clocked a minimum overtime payment. "Right then 2 large G&Ts, please" we ask - and a beaming stewardess duly serves them.

On the way to Norwich we get bounced by an F-4 from our own squadron - we apologise to the F-27 captain!

Happy Times!

[primreamer]

Flew with Air UK many times in the early nineties on the LGW-EDI/GLA routes. Crews were friendly and courteous, looked like they were enjoying their job instead of just going through the motions and coupled with good punctuality, the short flights were very pleasant.

[Bus429]

Originally Posted by WHBM

The owners decided that KLMs offer for the company was better than continuing standalone. They were probably right. The Amsterdam feeder routes continue successfully, they would not have done nearly as well as an independent operation.
I used Stansted to Edinburgh quite a bit as well. Fares 15 years ago about double what I pay Easyjet nowadays. It wouldn't have lasted.
Everything Stansted became Buzz, which eventually was bought by Ryanair for more than could have ever been made continuing as an independent operation. Ryanair of course continue very successfully at Stansted.
All the Air UK Leisure side was sold to Air 2000 and things like the the First Choice 767 operation came from here. This continues successfully.
London City - no LCY-based operator has ever succeeded. Before AirUK there were Brymon and London City Airways. After AirUK there was the same experience with FlyBe. It doesn't work for based airlines, only for inward operators. And they don't make a fortune there, demand is too peaky, midday flights operate with low loads and there's nothing profitable at weekends.

The Leisure 320s were a pain in the neck (crews were OK). I worked on them when employed by a major line maintenance organisation in Manchester mid-1990s. Do remember an incident when the girls at the back didn't disarm the slide - caused a few problems for us. Apparently - sounds like an understanding culture - cabin staff were disciplined for such an error and would not admit it. We had to strip the door; there was no fault apparent.

[IB4138]

The Leisure 320s were a pain in the neck

Leisure never operated Airbus aircraft, always Boeings.

[WHBM]

Originally Posted by IB4138

Leisure never operated Airbus aircraft, always Boeings.

No, they changed over from 737s to A320s. 3 of them, G-UKLJ, K and L, followed by 3 A321 G-UNID, E and F were used in the 1996-8 seasons, after which the operation was sold to Air 2000.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0399583/M/

[Noah Zark.]

The first time I ever flew was in an Auster operating from Cleethorpes beach, flown by Jim Crampton, circa 1957, as I recall.

[AES]

Me too!

Originally Posted by h73kr

Remember Air UK? Absolutely! Worked with them for may years, was a pretty decent company to work for I thought offering a very professional service to it's customers. I beleive customer loyalty was very high, especially on the London - Scotland routes where punctuality was consistently better than our major rivals. Heyday I thought was in early to mid 90's, operating as major user of Stansted as a hub, hell we even ran TV adverts for a while! However, I think it then became too big to have the benefits of a small company, but not quite big enough to have the benefits of a real major airline. Was quite excited at the prospect of the KLM take over and rebranding/investment, but it soon became clear that we were just being turned in to an Amsterdam feeder, and the end was indeed nigh, slowly but surely until the way it is now. Shame, shame, shame. Mind you, I'd guess that easyJet and Ryanair would have finished off Air uk eventually as it was. Happy memories.

--------------------
Didn't fly with them too much unfortunately (was living nearer to LGW than STN at the time) but on the few flts as SLC I thought them really good, standing up well against BCal to AMS for example.
But especially happy memories of doing my RR Dart course there, in the (not much) converted RAF Sick Quarters (where are you now "Tiny" Livingstone - and if by chance you're reading this, do you remeber "Black Angus" on the same course, must have been Autumn 1982 or '83 I think?).

Yup, happy memories h73KR, and (as an outsider) they seemed to be a pretty good outfit to work for at that time.

Cheers AES

[Tazzy]

Airuk/KLMuk

I worked with them for about 6 years (Ground staff) at LHR and STN. It was the best job i ever had, just one big family. It was in the good old days when ground staff actually formed part of the Airline and therfore had pride in it, not like now when services are farmed out to the cheapest bidder.

If i could turn the clock back, i would. I would even be happy to be at Stansted waiting for tech AMS bound F100s returning to stand with all the problems of missed connections and dealing with the last Glasgow flight on friday evening being cancelled.

A passenger once picked up the domestic timetable and said to me "this is the greatest work of fiction ever".

But despite the problems, we all actually cared about the passengers.... not sure it is quite the same now.

[edinv]

travelled with Air UK:-
EDI/ABZ
EDI/HUY
EDI/AMS
EDI/STN
HUY/AMS
HUY/LHR
STN/CDG
STN/GLA
STN/INV
INV/AMS

[You want it when?]

Flew with Air UK often in the early 90's - I seem to recall that they had one of the best breakfasts going. Often fly out of LCY now on Air Frances 146's

[corsaman]

Very fond memories for me of trips back from BFS to LBA, to visit the family in Yorkshire. Air UK served full meals, even on the 'Shed',and it was a delight to be looked after by big Margaret, a very tanned hostie, with a wicked sense of humour. Air Uk always accepted my BD staff travel tickets, and treated me like a full-fare passenger. One time, the Shed was sick, and Celtic Airways subbed, on a 330. We got a hot dinner, from a polybox. The poor stewardess said she was doing 8 sectors on it that day!