Turkey is artificially fattened using water and chemicals. Flavour is enhanced via artificial flavourings, and coloured using poisonous artificial colouring. Bacon is as lean as it gets, a bit streaky, and at the moment, very poorly packaged!

I will be joining Flybe in a couple of weeks, a Direct Entry Command on the Q400. I have been reading this thread with great interest and amusement, at times. I would very much like to here from current Q400 Captains and /or Training Captains. For what it's worth i am very happy and positive about this new path in my career and I believe the BA Connect merger will be very good for Flybe.

"I would suggest that Walsh needs this deal more than flybe"

See noifsorbuts post above

French in for a bloody nose!!

I will be delighted to see this deal collapse.It was doomed from its conception.I still cannot believe that so called industry professionals could ever see it being a sucess.frightening really to witness the leadership of these two companies,methinks my pet iguana could do just as well.Jim french has done a good job so far and has high expectations for Flybe,they can be realised,but not by absorbing Baconnect.Steady expansion,right aircraft,profitable routes,he won't go far wrong.As for Bacon,if BA put the money where it's needed,address the cost base,rationalise the routes and motivate the staff,they too can operate as a profitable outfit.as stated many times on here before,a clearout from the top is long overdue !

Been told today possible signing of deal is 14th? Another St Valentine's Day Massacre!

'Roses are Red My Love, Violets are Blue, Jim's on his way you guys, Beware of the Screw' !

Bacon has been slaughtered for no reason (well actually there is a reason - get BA out of the regions) - to add it to Flybe is no good for any of us.
I heard that Andrew (Stroppy) Strong is turning up at MAN on Tuesday (chaperoned by weasel Simon Witts) - so is Strong going to be Strong and appear at other venues? - or just one of the more militant bases? (Not aware of any other base visits yet - please correct me). Maybe he will have to leave early with an urgent train to catch (just like at the CC meeting at EXT?).
I'm not working that day - just might take a drive and go and challenge him over a number of pertinent issues - like Scheduling, Pensions, Turboprops, Dash sitting in Canada waiting for crews, WW refusing staff travel to rashers(not Flybe's issue but will certainly impact on them by even more resignations within 6 months), lifestyle, t/ps are better than jets for long European runs (!) etc etc (just talk to the pax Mr Stroppy and you will get a very different answer re the latter).
So just where did Mr Strong come from? Is he a Walker inheritee? Or just another teaboy made good (we have/had lots of those at Bacon)?
Edited to say that following a little more research -Strong used to be Flybe Engineering Director (as recent as 2004). What is it about these engineering manager types? Yet another of these folk who can speak the speak but can't do the job, and earn zero respect. Wittless was the same - Engineering manager KLM UK, then parachuted in as Head of Engineering BRAL, suddenly crawls up TDLF's arxe and next thing you know appears as Tim's replacement over and above Hutch. And talking of useless engineers at flybe there is always le grande fromage with his x,000 hours but all as an engineer and none of it actually pole-ing...... But of course we all respected him as a manager? (actually not even in Brymon days when he was a grovelling FO)

FYI Blackcap, the Boys are Back in Town in Brum on Wednesday, the feather dusters are out making everything pretty! Mind you with 2 Engineers visiting, perhaps they should just smear everything with engine oil, after all, dirty stuff for dirty deeds...

.........and as for our BACON boy, WITLESS does sum him up. I mean if he had any (wits I mean), Willie would surely have given him the Cityflyer job rather than him having to be Jim's lapdog during 'transition'!

Well - BRUM - another stroppy base for Mr Stroppy to sort out.

Witless must be crapping himself trying to get a back door into Waterside. But (as far as I'm aware) he isn't related to Hutch or Phelan - so stands no chance.

Blackcap,

Pertinant view about Simon Le Witt trying to get back to Waterside, wonder if Hutch or the Pretty Boy have any more Sisters he could woo??

...brothers would probably do as well - sure he isn't that fussy . Keep it in the family whatever!

Blackcap, So Le Fromage came to us to be a Fleet Manager from doing what at Brymon/BACE exactly?

No wonder one of my colleagues (ex-Brymon) walked out of the door as soon as Le Fromage arrived!

It would be so much easier if JF & WW at a meeting just dropped there trousers and compared gonads!! cos thats all they are doing at the moment seeing who has the biggest set of nads with all this macho posturing.I for one am sick to death with this whole sorry saga ,when will they realise that the workforce are really beyond caring what happpens, we just want some action! JF just buy it will you, or WW just close it down but for god sake get something happening! Because very soon you wont have a company to buy or sell.

For Hudson Bay and the like, aeroplanes fly using powerplants, be they propellers, turbo-propellers, turbo-jets or rockets. Having just retired after 45 years of flying, starting on the Jet Provost and then progressing through the Gnat, Hunter and Jaguar in the RAF - then following with the Boeing 737, 757 and 767 in the civil world, I came to age 60 with a proud history of aviation, enjoyed to the full. I was then given the opportunity to continue that love affair, with a post flying the ATP and then the Dash 8. I have to say that those last few years, flying propeller driven aircraft, were some of the happiest and most rewarding of my airborne career. Enjoy the flying while you can, whether it is propeller driven, jet powered or a glider !!

I'm currently a Q400 Captain with Flybe. What can I say. I really enjoy the job. Good routes, good variety, great crew, interesting and challenging aeroplane and you're pretty much left to your own devices during your working day. Granted you don't get paid as much as others (it aint far off now) but I earn more than enough to enjoy my life the way I want to live it. The new scheduling agreement, due to be unvailed soon, should be a big improvement on the old one.

The best flying job I've had.

X767, thankyou and well said. I'm glad there are pilots like you out there to temper the 'Jets are best' philosophy!

X767
Hi there - still keeping your eye on us! Hope you are well, you are still missed.

Chesty - I will be pleased to join you - good post!

Steepclimb - forgive a CC member replying to your post, but I am due to start training with flyBe soon; my first CC job. I've also been very disillusioned by some of the posts and have to say yours was a VERY welcome addition.

In my very limited experience, I also applied to BMI, BA, Virgin and Astreus. However, the whole process including assesment day with flyBe was head and shoulders over the others - they came across as a really professional outfit which is why Ive chosen to join them over a couple of others I had offers from.

Looking forward to it

Stepclimb,

"others on my course have come from backgrounds of flying spanning over 30 years and they are equally impressed with the standards at flybe."

Does that include the DOUBLE ones ?

More cancellations Monday 12 Feb due crew shortage......no way to run an airline.The passengers deserve better than this.About time those in charge took responsibility and sorted this mess out,assuming they are capable of course ??

3 canx at BRS so far today, and another battering from some very angry pax. Same as Sat and Sun, it was like GroundBunnie day all over again.

Pax comment of the day so far "I'll be a lot happier when you lot are finally gone"

Any mention of a reduced sched anywhere?

Rgds GB

Anyone know if our rosters are coming out today?