Flybe possible Administration

[ShamuLvr]

Originally Posted by mazzie

We’re you based at BHX?

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Yes I was. Stayed there until it went I to administration last year

[itsmeGAV]

Originally Posted by braby

What airline is going to take on Flybe routes? Can’t see the likes of EasyJet, Ryanair, Virgin or BA wanting to Fly between Channel Islands and Southampton or between mainland Scotland Sumburgh airport.
Contrary to popular belief there is more to the whole situation than just LHR slots.

Virgin and Stobart are arguing about how to take the airline forward and as a result not putting the money in that was promised. Virgin want to build connectivity into LHR, LGW and MAN. Whereas Stobart want to build on the regional bases like Southend and BHX.

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Originally Posted by Tillyfloss

Genuine question. Which airline do you think would take over the slots?
Like it or loathe it the Dash is ideal for the regional routes flown by flybe. The embraer jets can also accommodate both short and longer routes to the regions and into Europe.

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To answer both, who knows what airline would take the slots.. but yes I wouldn't see the likes of Virgin/Easyjet or Ryanair taking them, but IAG? Quite possibly.

In all honesty, I've never flown Flybe and probably never will.. so this isn't an issue for myself when it comes to the regional flights. However it's the idea of the government allowing them to defer their tax payments, that's not cool and is just putting a band-aid on the issue.

Anyways, I've nothing more to say on this. Have a lovely evening

[Jon&Emz]

Originally Posted by bighal

Virgin don't...FlyBE does. If Flybe goes to the wall before March then they will revert back to BA so any other airline can then apply to use them for the specific routes for at least 6 IATA seasons before they become the property of that airline.

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I meant Virgin already owns them as in Flybe rather than the routes.

[Jon&Emz]

Originally Posted by braby

What airline is going to take on Flybe routes? Can’t see the likes of EasyJet, Ryanair, Virgin or BA wanting to Fly between Channel Islands and Southampton or between mainland Scotland Sumburgh airport.
Contrary to popular belief there is more to the whole situation than just LHR slots.

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Totally agree with this as Flybe is pretty much the only viable to get to Dublin from Cardiff.

[mazzie]

Originally Posted by ShamuLvr

Yes I was. Stayed there until it went I to administration last year

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Hubby left in May last year. You maybe know one another

[braby]

Originally Posted by itsmeGAV

To answer both, who knows what airline would take the slots.. but yes I wouldn't see the likes of Virgin/Easyjet or Ryanair taking them, but IAG? Quite possibly.

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The point is no one will take them. If the likes of Ryanair or Easyjet wanted to fly those routes then they would already be doing them.
With the exception of LHR and MAN most of the airports Flybe use are not slot restricted, this means anyone can apply to fly the routes should they want to.

Originally Posted by cornishfrogboy

I do not believe, contrary to the assertions of the wildly optimistic Cornwall Council that we have an endless stream of businessmen and entrepreneurs queueing up to use the route and invest millions, any more that their investment in the spaceport at Newquay will get a satellite in space. In fact spaceflight is marginally more likely than profitable operation of the route.. and then we have the question of whether Newquay Airport should even exist as a viable destination (it is subsidised by Cornwall Council).

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The NQY-LHR route operates at quite a high passenger load and is doing quite well.

[lizzie145]

Originally Posted by cornishfrogboy

I may be missing something obvious here...

Aircraft lease or ownership costs money as they depreciate until reduced to spares.
Staff wages, fuel, slots, engineering maintenance etc costs money.

People buy tickets and sit in the planes on various routes and the money they pay is meant to cover all of the above. If the tickets are priced too high, then occupancy targets and revenue targets are not met and therefore the operator sustains a loss. The key must be to pitch the price at a level where people fill the plane and the revenue covers the outgoings.

I appreciate that this is in simple terms and that there are many other complications such as APD, fluctuating oil prices etc, but the business model is accurate.

What happens if there are simply not enough potential passengers or demand to achieve break even, regardless of any other factors? Then the Operator cannot succeed.

I cite the Newquay run (subsidised by the government) to London. An average Cornish passenger has to get from, say Truro. He must get to the airport, park, do check in and security, board, fly, taxy, disembark and then either get into London or catch your link to elsewhere. I can get there by train quicker than that, cheaper than that if booked in advance and if I wanted London Paddington itself, considerably quicker.

I do not believe, contrary to the assertions of the wildly optimistic Cornwall Council that we have an endless stream of businessmen and entrepreneurs queueing up to use the route and invest millions, any more that their investment in the spaceport at Newquay will get a satellite in space. In fact spaceflight is marginally more likely than profitable operation of the route.. and then we have the question of whether Newquay Airport should even exist as a viable destination (it is subsidised by Cornwall Council).

My point is this. It is no coincidence that regional flights and profitability are on the breadline. If nobody can operate a route at break even, then they should cease to exist. Perhaps money should be invested in railways in many cases (and I appreciate that you cannot build a railway to the Channel Islands) I haven’t even bought up environmental issues. Perhaps another feature that would help would be to remove the need for people to travel for business purposes by culture change, technology and virtual, desktop conference.

I fly out of Heathrow in March to California. I will be driving, despite living not very far from Newquay International. I flew out of Gatwick in the summer and caught the train.

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I regularly fly from exeter to London city, most of the time it is cheaper than the train.
They generally take about 3 to 4 hours each from door to door but I am delayed more often on the train. It is also cold and uncomfortable.

Though like you I do get a train to Gatwick as it is easier and cheaper because of the time of day. However the waiting room at reading is also freezing

[missy E]

I'm relieved they have not folded for staff as well as customers.

DS24 is flying today into Southend from Groningen in the Netherlands as this is the closest airport to him.
My Dads funeral is tomorrow & if it folded it would have been hard to get a last minute flight even from Schiphol to London. Looked at Easyjet just in case & most of the flights were almost full on tuesday.
Its been 5 weeks of sorting & having to wait for this funeral & would have been devastating for him to miss saying goodbye to his grandad.

[bighal]

Originally Posted by braby

The point is no one will take them. If the likes of Ryanair or Easyjet wanted to fly those routes then they would already be doing them.
With the exception of LHR and MAN most of the airports Flybe use are not slot restricted, this means anyone can apply to fly the routes should they want to.



The NQY-LHR route operates at quite a high passenger load and is doing quite well.

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The NQY-LHR is also a PSO route so it is subsided. Apparently BA wanted to fly it in the summer season but don't as FlyBE gets the grants so makes the fare uncompetitive for BA.

[bighal]

Looks Virgin where after the LHR slots all along...

FlyBE to move its Newquay to Heathrow flights to Gatwick instead from March, which is when the LHR slots permantly become FlyBE's but only to be used for short-haul European destinations.

bbc/news/business-51134859

I suspect the slots will be "sold" to another airline flying to Europe who will then "sell" their slots to Virgin/Delta so they can start long-haul flights.

Rather underhand of Virgin...