Go announces East Midlands as next base
 

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 ;)

Not good news for bmi at all.

Is there any idea of routes go will be serving?

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."

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.

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

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

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). ;)

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

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....

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 ;)

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:

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!

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

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).

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 ]

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!

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.

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 ]

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.

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