Go announces EMA routes and early start date
 

On Gos website today are the first six routes that they will start flying from EMA, also they will commence operations from EMA on the 14th March.

routes as follows

PRG start 31st march. .EDI start 15th march. .GLA start 22nd may. .AGP start 14th march. .FAO start 22nd may. .ALC start 14th march

the PRG is subject to CAA approval...

lets see what BMIbaby do now..

Go has announced the first six destinations it will operate from East Midlands Airport in the United Kingdom. With fares starting from GBP£25 return and 56 flights a week, Go will fly to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Faro, Prague, Alicante and Malaga.

The European flights will be in direct competition to those of bmi british midland's new low-cost operation bmibaby.

In addition to Go's launch offer of GBP£25 return fares, which are available until February 4 on travel taken before July 17, Go is giving away more than 10,000 free seats.

Barbara Cassani, chief executive of Go, said: "We're delighted to be the first low cost airline to bring low fares to the people of the Midlands - they have been paying far too much for far too long. And to get things off to a flying start, we're giving 10,000 seats away for free."

The free seats are available on a first come first served basis. Most availability will be for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in March, the end of April and mid May. Book before 5pm Tuesday 29 January 2002

So let the competition begin! Come BMI what's your next move? I've heard that Go's seats are selling like hot cakes. Not only are they offering free seats to all new destinations, but are also providing cheap domestic flights. 'bout time I say. Customers from this airport have been ripped off for years. Nothing like competing in BMI's backyard.

Any idea of the frequencies the routes will be served?. .Luke

ROUTE START DATE FLTS PER DAY. .EMA - ALC 14 MARCH 1. .EMA - AGP 14 MARCH 1. .EMA - EDI 14 MARCH 2. .EMA - GLA 22 MAY 2. .EMA - PRG 31 MARCH 1. .EMA - FAO 22 MAY 1

[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: Tower ]</p>

Free seats from Go,huh? Mrs. Cassani will be back in the States before you know it, using promotional tools like that out of a start-up base. Go Elsewhere.

Rule Number 1 of low cost airline route selection: "avoid going head-head on the same routes with another low cost operator".

If go really want to open up the low cost market to the East Midlands populace why can't they be a bit more imaginative/creative in their route selection. There are many other airports on the Mediterranean they could have chosen, rather than fighting with bmi baby for the same market - it would also be beneficial to their customers!!

At a guess, because they are good "timeshare" routes, on which people travel without being part of a package. So there is a market for people on those routes already. A lot easier than starting a route on which people currently don't travel.

Barbara Cassani appears to be trying to promote herself and Go as being altruistic in their quest to provide cheap fares for passengers.This is not true although the passengers will be the ones to benefit short term from the loss leaders.The only reason they are going to EMA is because they have been seen off various routes and bases by the more efficient Ryanair and saw EMA and BMI as a soft touch.She now appears to be surprised that BMI are responding. At the end of the day she and GO are in it for profit and to try to convince us that they are doing it only for the benefit of the passengers is not plausible.She criticises BMI saying it will not be viable for them to operate a low cost arm but I seem to remember this was how GO started much to the chagrin of Easy etc.. .EMA is starting to look very much like a last ditch effort by GO to establish a major base that they can make their own.. .IN the meantime good luck to the passengers who in the short term at least are set to benefit not from locost but below cost fares.

[ 23 January 2002: Message edited by: Tyrannosaurus ]</p>

Tyran ..you really are living in the past, what about BRS, GO seem to have made that place work...you really need to keep up !

Lucan.....I think I should take up fishing;first bite didn`t take long!. .BRS may well have its merits,but has nothing like the catchment area and potential passenger numbers of EMA.

Exactly Tyranno, that's why GO are opening a base there!!!

GO are making profits, offering a good value product and most importantly they are employing pilots, isn't that good enough for you?

That`s two in the keep net so far.. .I doubt very much whether GO are going to make much,if any profit this year.. .Got to go as I`m running out of bait.

SO THE BABY STRIKES BACK WITH TOTALLY FREE TICKETS !

FROM BMI WEB SITE 11:46Z

bmibaby announces tiny fares and even more destinations .. . . .bmibaby is thrilled to announce the details of its services and striking new livery, which will be on bmibaby flights operating from East Midlands Airport. From 23 March, bmibaby will be operating daily flights to Palma, Malaga, Nice and Barcelona, plus three services a week to Faro and twice weekly flights to Murcia (Alicante). bmibaby will also be offering three daily flights to a brand new destination - Dublin.

Tickets can be booked from 28 January at <a href="http://www.bmibaby.com" target="_blank">www.bmibaby.com</a> or via reservations on 0870 2642229. Fares will start from just £25 one way, on every route, with thousands of free tickets available from Monday.

Tony Davis, managing director of bmibaby said:

“I am delighted to be able to unveil our new spokesbaby today, who has recently been named Tiny, and who will be helping me to introduce the largest no frills airline in the Midlands.

“We are offering the widest range of no frills destinations and open for sale with a huge free ticket offer (and they really are free!), available from next Monday. We have been totally overwhelmed by the response to the launch of bmibaby and we will commit here and now, that we will not be beaten on our choice of fares and we will offer the most comprehensive route network from the region. Indeed, we will be offering further destinations in the very near future.”

Passengers can register for details of the huge free ticket offer and other tiny fares from bmibaby by visiting <a href="http://www.bmibaby.com." target="_blank">www.bmibaby.com.</a>

ENDS.. .0870 2642229 = 0870 bmibaby

[ 23 January 2002: Message edited by: Airbus215 ]</p>

Have I missed something in my travels through the industry?

I thought they were ALL in it just to make money.

Look at how fast routes are dropped when they start to make a loss. Nobody is in it for altruism!

Doc C.

Doc. Cruces....Maybe my post wasn`t very clear.I wasn`t suggesting that any airlines are in it for altruistic reasons;just that some of the more self righteous ones claim to be in order to convince passengers that they are offering cheap fares purely for their benefit when really it is just a tactic to get a foot in the door.. .Max Auto.........Go may be employing pilots but their seat dumping will eventually lead to pilot job losses elsewhere.I guess you think that is ok but eventually it will lead to an erosion of terms and conditions for all the pilot community.

......I doubt that very much, but I do think all these seat giveaways are unnecessary - GO's initial free seat offer will, on paper cost them £0.5M or thereabouts in lost revenue, and I reckon that they could have sold all these seats, such is the interest already shown; the money must come from somewhere, so to a certain extent this could reflect in staff remuneration (for the troops but not for the suits!), but thus far, low-cost operators have proved that the remuneration (for pilots) is close to the top of industry standards, and I have no complaints with my pay-packet, I just wish I didn't have to work so damned hard for it!

Have heard rumblings today that GO are trying to. .bring EMA launch forward by 2 to 3 weeks and have already notified some crews. Any GO drivers care to comment. Have any baby drivers been hired yet? <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

All the baby drivers are coming from bmi mainline on 2 years unpaid leave,along with the initial two 737's.These will be replaced by two new A320's shortly to be delivered,and crewed by ex.redundant pilots...very good news all round <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

All the free Go flights have gone except the ones to Glasgow. Having been there myself, I suggest you don't avail yourself of this offer unless they pay you.

(Needless to say they are not free. OK £3.30 or whatever is next to ****** all but nevertheless why do they lie?)