Flybe
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Chesty
Are the BMI rumours of 195 purchases new or just the old ones that have been doing the rounds for years? If it's the old rumours then it's 170 e jets and that ain't ever gonna happen. If it does then I will eat my hat.
D and F
ps I would feel a whole lot better with a bus rating at the mo, but the barbie is a good hands on machine.
Are the BMI rumours of 195 purchases new or just the old ones that have been doing the rounds for years? If it's the old rumours then it's 170 e jets and that ain't ever gonna happen. If it does then I will eat my hat.
D and F
ps I would feel a whole lot better with a bus rating at the mo, but the barbie is a good hands on machine.
Well there's always KLM with the E170's coming in, so the type rating can't be a total loss.
Who wants to fly a jet anyway? The Q400's latest avionics upgrade will put all other aircraft types to shame. That's right.....coupled heading bugs
Who wants to fly a jet anyway? The Q400's latest avionics upgrade will put all other aircraft types to shame. That's right.....coupled heading bugs
Gender Faculty Specialist
D and F, I don't know. I only heard the rumour towards the end of last year.
But like I said who knows how airlines are going to react to the current situation so it might be worth keeping your hat in the freezer for a few years!
The 737 and A320 family are very common, for good reason, and have obviously proven to be reliable and efficient over the last couple of decades. But, how profitable are they going to be when oil hits $200 per barrel and the number of people using air travel declines? It's going to be easier to fill, and less expensive to operate, a smaller aircraft particularly on UK short haul and near European routes. Flybe have already proved this with the Q400 and, to quote the Chief Commercial Officer on a recent press release "Flybe is in rude financial health". Can't say the same for Easy now can we.
But like I said who knows how airlines are going to react to the current situation so it might be worth keeping your hat in the freezer for a few years!
The 737 and A320 family are very common, for good reason, and have obviously proven to be reliable and efficient over the last couple of decades. But, how profitable are they going to be when oil hits $200 per barrel and the number of people using air travel declines? It's going to be easier to fill, and less expensive to operate, a smaller aircraft particularly on UK short haul and near European routes. Flybe have already proved this with the Q400 and, to quote the Chief Commercial Officer on a recent press release "Flybe is in rude financial health". Can't say the same for Easy now can we.
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: 'An Airfield Somewhere in England'
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Chesty - the fascinating thing is that you can say easyJet is in 'rude financial health'. We will make a big profit this year, as we have every single year of our existence. Like any airline, and probably any company in the free-maket world economy right now, we are concerned about the massive rise in fuel price and the potential slowdown in customer demand. For what it is worth, I would love to return to my roots and fly regional jets out of Southampton or similar. I know you folks at FlyBe loathe your managers, but for me on the outside it seems they have done a great job in making your company what it is today. Salaries are low by industry standards, which must bring a tear of joy to your shareholders' eyes. Your load factors are also low in comparison with Ryanair's and ours - but your model sems to be able to cope with that. You have truly cracked the internal market around the UK which is good news. Time will tell if the harsh trading environment that is about to appear will be of benefit to you or not - I suspect not frankly. As a fellow professional, I wish no ill on any of my pilot colleagues - my comments are merely that right now the Emb 195 is not a great rating to have. As others have eloquently pointed out, we are in a fluid market place and it may be that the Embraer becomes the aircraft of choice. My point is that until that happens, and bearing in mind lead times from ordering to acquiring it will not happen any time soon, you are vulnerable to market shifts. Many years ago I used to fly a magnficent little turboprop called the Dornier 328 - an outstanding aircraft which in some ways was more adanced than the Airbus. The problem was no one else in the UK flew them and that made you an oddity. I eventually left and got a 'proper' job! However depressing it may be, and I fully understand that this will not be a popular view, the Emb 195 will not be regarded as a 'proper' jet with mainstream airlines. Just or fair -absolutely not! Nonetheless that is the way it is. You can have all the discussions you want but perceptions are everything. In the past I also used to fly the 146 - again the same problem arose in that it was not regarded widely as a 'proper' aircraft. The issue of whether these perceptions are fair or not is largely irrelevant, in that the people who employ pilots hold these views. I fully accept that this is only a time slice and in a few years the situation may change and every man and his dog will be begging for Embraer pilots - but not today!
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: One hump; two if you're pretty.
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Hello Norman!
Oh, I don't know Norman. You forgot to mention that both the 737 and A320 are desperately overdue for replacement, will be commercially unsustainable anyway in the peak oil environment of the future, the replacements for which will almost certainly require a new type rating. In the 100 seat class, I'd say the EMB is the thinking man's hedge against the future that'll have old farts like you and I permanently grounded.
Why not suggest they join BALPA. That's bound to help, right?
Why not suggest they join BALPA. That's bound to help, right?
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Leo - what an absolute delight to hear from you again old chap. I feared you had gone to that airport in the sky where all is blue and yellow, friendly Irishmen dispense free pints to their beloved aviators, whilst passing out days off and obscene bonuses to their highly-valued employees. But no - you are back in our midst, workiing hard I trust for your much misunderstood Lord and Master, and of course fighting the evils of organised labour.
And you may indeed be right about the future with the Embraer. But being the good union man you know me to me, it is the present that concerns me more. And in that department the Embraer is a long, long way behind a Boeing or an Airbus.
And you may indeed be right about the future with the Embraer. But being the good union man you know me to me, it is the present that concerns me more. And in that department the Embraer is a long, long way behind a Boeing or an Airbus.
I`d have thought Gatwick could be an option, already good routes and presence, they could make use of any newly available runway slots if Easy or BA decide to slim things down due oil prices.
Also through connections to BA long haul???
Also through connections to BA long haul???
