easyJet buys GB Airways
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So the likelihood is that some existing EZY crew will be sent over before October then? I'm assuming it's not set in stone at the minute of course, will just be interesting to make the change.
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Letter from BA, 27th Oct
As a regular customer, this arrived in my mail this morning from Mr BA.
It may not be news to some of you but perhaps clarifies a few points that have been raised.
rubik
You may have heard news this morning that easyJet has announced its intention to purchase British Airways' franchise carrier, GB Airways and that British Airways will terminate its franchise agreement with GB Airways with effect from 30 March 2008. All BA flights with a flight number between BA6760 and BA6999 are operated by GB Airways. We would like to reassure you that flights to all GB Airways destinations will continue to operate normally with the full British Airways service up to and including March 29, 2008. If you have a booking on a GB Airways flight up to and including this date your flight will not be affected. If you are booked to travel after March 30, 2008, you will be contacted with details of your new flight once easyJet's purchase of GB Airways is complete. We expect this to be in the next eight weeks.For more information, please visit http://ba.com.
Yours sincerely British Airways
It may not be news to some of you but perhaps clarifies a few points that have been raised.
rubik
You may have heard news this morning that easyJet has announced its intention to purchase British Airways' franchise carrier, GB Airways and that British Airways will terminate its franchise agreement with GB Airways with effect from 30 March 2008. All BA flights with a flight number between BA6760 and BA6999 are operated by GB Airways. We would like to reassure you that flights to all GB Airways destinations will continue to operate normally with the full British Airways service up to and including March 29, 2008. If you have a booking on a GB Airways flight up to and including this date your flight will not be affected. If you are booked to travel after March 30, 2008, you will be contacted with details of your new flight once easyJet's purchase of GB Airways is complete. We expect this to be in the next eight weeks.For more information, please visit http://ba.com.
Yours sincerely British Airways
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we've been tango'd
Word has it that from April 1st 2008 there will be a period of change-over regarding uniform standards, mainly due to supply/demand. This will be known as the cross-dressing period 
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Assuming it all goes to the wire, and the deal falls through at the last minute, then GB will resume the Franchise arangment,.......... for all of half a season until it expires!!! Then what!!
The current franchise agreement runs until 2010... not 2008!
The current franchise agreement runs until 2010... not 2008!
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Slot Ownership
Sorry if this has been answered earlier (I have had a quick trawl through but couldn't see anything in detail).
Does anyone know who owns the slots from Gatwick that GB operate? I am particularly interested in the Gib operation. If the slots are GB operated I take it that Easy will make a decision as to wether they continue to operate into Gib or not. If they are BA owned would BA continue to operate?
Appreciate that the future intentions of the airline(s) management is not necessarily clear but any light shed on the options/potential courses of actions gratefully received.
Regards
HS
Does anyone know who owns the slots from Gatwick that GB operate? I am particularly interested in the Gib operation. If the slots are GB operated I take it that Easy will make a decision as to wether they continue to operate into Gib or not. If they are BA owned would BA continue to operate?
Appreciate that the future intentions of the airline(s) management is not necessarily clear but any light shed on the options/potential courses of actions gratefully received.
Regards
HS
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Wot abaht the manidgemunt?
And what will happen to the GB management?
My old esteemed (not) boss had only just joined GB as Chief Pilot or something, I wonder if that was such a good move after all? Interesting to see him a a Line Pilot, although I'm not sure he's even done the rating yet! One of the great savings of mergers is the culling of at least one set of ESSO pilots......
My old esteemed (not
) boss had only just joined GB as Chief Pilot or something, I wonder if that was such a good move after all? Interesting to see him a a Line Pilot, although I'm not sure he's even done the rating yet! One of the great savings of mergers is the culling of at least one set of ESSO pilots......
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the great north/south divide
It was intimated yesterday in a forum by easy that they were very interested in the possibility of moving to the north term. GB are staying at the north term for the forseable future
Don't think they'd want to us again after the fuss of last yrs jbh fiasco!
Don't think they'd want to us again after the fuss of last yrs jbh fiasco!
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I'm wondering if easyJet will charge passengers more for the "privilege" of flying out of the North terminal (well, in fairness, I do prefer the North terminal as a passenger) on the routes that overlap (AGP, FAO etc).
Great to see Norman Stanley back ! May I add my welcome to GB crews. I hope this period of uncertainty for you will soon pass.
I am however worried for us easy crews ! I DONT want to spend hours on a Sharm El Sheikh and Bake ! I spent nearly ten years in my old career waiting for the GB aircraft to return (usually at 4 am) to perform a daily check. Now sitting in the right hand seat, instead of an engineering van, the idea of night flights as per the GB summer pattern has me slightly worried.
I am however worried for us easy crews ! I DONT want to spend hours on a Sharm El Sheikh and Bake ! I spent nearly ten years in my old career waiting for the GB aircraft to return (usually at 4 am) to perform a daily check. Now sitting in the right hand seat, instead of an engineering van, the idea of night flights as per the GB summer pattern has me slightly worried.
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No real answers as yet just rumours, however BA are operating to GIB next year and on the always make money routes such as AGP and FAO. No matter how cheap easy is we know ourselves that there are some pax (especially the wealthy ones) who will only travel with BA, and they will make a few quid.
I understand that the first logo'd 321 will be what was going to be TTIG (or whatever reg easy have now pre-booked), subject to the deal going through - which it will!
The bottom line is that easy has provded us with an identity that we didn't have, a future about as secure as it can be at the moment and who knows what else to come (long haul maybe) What i find ironic is that GB could have been the airline that Easy has become. They didn't listen to anyone when Stelios leased a couple of 737's off us (ie the 'easy will never get into LGW' and 'easy will never threaten us at LGW' and 'it's not sustainable they will overstretch themselves' brigade.
There will be a few downers of course, particularly the colour scheme
, there are issues such as DOJ which must be achievable and maybe the opportunity to change base; overall in 12 months time i think that at least 90% of us (line crew that is! The office staff obviously not!) will be happier, seems that our Channel Islands contingent will be the ones who must be most upset as i wonder how they will commute without the interline travel. We also wont have to listen to some of the 'that's it i'm off to easy' whingers anymore - but those types will never be happy!
Easy on the radio always sounded like Geebee anyway!!
I understand that the first logo'd 321 will be what was going to be TTIG (or whatever reg easy have now pre-booked), subject to the deal going through - which it will!
The bottom line is that easy has provded us with an identity that we didn't have, a future about as secure as it can be at the moment and who knows what else to come (long haul maybe) What i find ironic is that GB could have been the airline that Easy has become. They didn't listen to anyone when Stelios leased a couple of 737's off us (ie the 'easy will never get into LGW' and 'easy will never threaten us at LGW' and 'it's not sustainable they will overstretch themselves' brigade.
There will be a few downers of course, particularly the colour scheme
, there are issues such as DOJ which must be achievable and maybe the opportunity to change base; overall in 12 months time i think that at least 90% of us (line crew that is! The office staff obviously not!) will be happier, seems that our Channel Islands contingent will be the ones who must be most upset as i wonder how they will commute without the interline travel. We also wont have to listen to some of the 'that's it i'm off to easy' whingers anymore - but those types will never be happy!Easy on the radio always sounded like Geebee anyway!!
Firstly, a warm welcome to the GB employees. I hope that the integration runs smoothly for all concerned.
With regard to the future of the A321s, "The A321 is too large for easyJet's operations." - Andy Harrison. Mind you, that was the day before the announcement, so things may well change.
With regard to the future of the A321s, "The A321 is too large for easyJet's operations." - Andy Harrison. Mind you, that was the day before the announcement, so things may well change.
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Good Luck
To all that knew me at GB, sorry to hear that GB is to be no more IMHO GB did well to survive this long. (I gave it 2 years in 2004).
There is life outside GB, I have had a more enjoyable time in the last 3 years than I did in my last 5 years at GB, for me leaving GB has been personally extremely positive and I suspect most GB'ers will feel the same after 12 months.
Well, it could have been better; a stock market flotation or a (competent) management buyout and someone with the vision and mostly the cojones to make it either into a viable Full Service Shorthaul Operator to compete with BA on BA's turf, or a JetBlue style 'Low Cost' airline offering a bit more than the others an serving the longer routes. However by 2002 most of the interesting, stimulating possibilities or opportunities had been dismissed.
It could also have been a lot worse, at least you will be part of an airline that is managed for profit, grabs opportunities and does reinvest, but mostly is free to 'paddle its own canoe', 'kick its own football' as it wishes.
In the end most pilots feel just as sh@gged reporting at 0430 or finishing at 0230 no matter who you fly for or how much they pay you,!! Quality of life is important and you should maybe ask yourselves how good that has been for the last few years.
Good Luck,
A P
There is life outside GB, I have had a more enjoyable time in the last 3 years than I did in my last 5 years at GB, for me leaving GB has been personally extremely positive and I suspect most GB'ers will feel the same after 12 months.
Well, it could have been better; a stock market flotation or a (competent) management buyout and someone with the vision and mostly the cojones to make it either into a viable Full Service Shorthaul Operator to compete with BA on BA's turf, or a JetBlue style 'Low Cost' airline offering a bit more than the others an serving the longer routes. However by 2002 most of the interesting, stimulating possibilities or opportunities had been dismissed.
It could also have been a lot worse, at least you will be part of an airline that is managed for profit, grabs opportunities and does reinvest, but mostly is free to 'paddle its own canoe', 'kick its own football' as it wishes.
In the end most pilots feel just as sh@gged reporting at 0430 or finishing at 0230 no matter who you fly for or how much they pay you,!! Quality of life is important and you should maybe ask yourselves how good that has been for the last few years.
Good Luck,
A P
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GB Heathrow slots to go to BA, Continental and Qantas
The Financial Times reports that the battle for take off and landing slots at LHR intensified yesterday, as a small number of coveted slot pairs became available as a result of the easyJet takeover of GB Airways.
GB Airways' four pairs of slots at Heathrow were not included as part of the takeover deal, and are being sold separately in three different deals. The newspaper says that deals for the slots are not finalised yet, but it is understood that two are to be acquired by Continental Airlines, one by British Airways and one by Qatar Airways.
Heathrow slots trade in a grey market and often exchange hands for more than £5m for a pair of slots depending on the timing of the arrival and departure. It is understood that prime peak hour slot pairs have traded for up to £12m.
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Does anyone know how EZY's aquisition of GB Airways (as well as (hopefully) all of their crews) will affect recruitment of Pilots being sponsored by EZY through schemes such as CTC Wings? 
I do not know who will be sponsoring me yet but it may be EZY so just looking for info on how this may affect my own career.
Thanks in advance for any replies
I do not know who will be sponsoring me yet but it may be EZY so just looking for info on how this may affect my own career.
Thanks in advance for any replies