Flybe

[Jerry]

How on earth is Flybe going to get people to even consider flying with them with basic prices such as £250 to France.

It's possible that they're doing that flight for a tour operator and selling the excess seats hence high prices.

 

[Coathanger16]

Flybe had their first flight to Amsterdam today.

Looking at the flight tomorrow, the outbound currently has 50% of seats reserved (costs extra at time of booking, so may go up once passengers check in), and the return has 22% of seats reserved.

 

[HPsauce]

A couple of cancellations recently from BHX. Anyone know why?. Poor loads or tech issues?.

 

[Nethercote2019]

Easy jet Amsterdam has been cancelled a couple days running

 

[Matt995]

Amsterdam staff shortages:-

https://nltimes.nl/2022/05/23/chaot...ayed-75-flights-cancelled-amid-staff-shortage

 

[smithy108]

Flybe have announced big cancellations with cutbacks on frequencies and some routes culled. Official website statement indicates late delivery of aircraft as the cause. Some of their prices on routes such as Edinburgh and Glasgow are ridiculous

Summer 2022

Flybe

www.flybe.com

 

[smithy108]

Flybe letter in full​

To our valued customers,

Firstly, please accept my unreserved apologies for the rescheduling or cancellation of your flight.

You’ll be wondering, I’m sure, why this has happened, so please let me try and explain.

As you may know, it’s been 83 days since our first flybe flight took to the skies from Birmingham and Belfast, and today we now fly customers to destinations from East Midlands, Leeds-Bradford, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London-Heathrow, and Amsterdam.

We were planning to increase flights to existing cities and new destinations such as Aberdeen, Inverness, Newcastle, and Southampton. However, the two aircraft leasing companies who were contracted to provide our additional airplanes have now told us that they will be unable to fulfil their commitments until after the summer.

We were able to find and rent aircraft from two separate airlines in Greece and Spain, but those planes are not enough, and the lack of additional aircraft needed for new flying means we need to adjust our future flight schedule.

As a result, today we are reducing our planned increase in flying for the period of 28 July until 29 October. This new schedule will be fully supported by the aircraft we do have available, and we will still introduce more flights later this year -- after we receive our delayed aircraft.

This is not a decision that I have taken lightly, and as you would expect we are in daily conversations with all involved to see if anything might change that would allow us to resume our original plans at an earlier date.

That said, given the current facts, I believe it is essential that we take action now to ensure you have enough time to change your travel plans, be reaccommodated on a different flight or, if that is not desired, obtain a full refund.

We know that time is of the essence, and we want to ensure you can adjust your plans as soon as possible. To assist with your efforts and enable you to quickly choose whichever option is best for you, we have added some new functionality to our flybe.com website that will enable you to change your reservation or request a refund at your convenience. If, for any reason, you are unable to find a suitable alternative or request a refund, we would ask that you email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Please be aware that it might take us longer than normal to get back to you because of this difficult situation, but rest assured we will respond to every enquiry we receive.

In closing, I want to apologise again to anyone who may be affected by this announcement; thank everyone who has flown on us to date; and renew our commitment to do everything possible to keep improving our company and keep you informed as we grow and serve you and your communities.

On behalf of our entire team at flybe, thank you again for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

With my very best regards,

Dave Pflieger

CEO

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Flybe have announced big cancellations with cutbacks on frequencies and some routes culled. Official website statement indicates late delivery of aircraft as the cause. Some of their prices on routes such as Edinburgh and Glasgow are ridiculous

Summer 2022

Flybe

www.flybe.com

Thanks, smithy108.

You may also want to post that and the 'Flybe letter in full' in the Flybe thread of the Airline Forum.

Regards

Kevin

 

[HPsauce]

Just reading the same re Flybe. This doesn't bode well all round. BHX-ABZ has gone until Summer '23. Several Befast routes axed. Late delivery of aircraft, which are leased in, seems a weak excuse. I hope I am wrong.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I would hope that Flybe have some clause in their contract with the aircraft suppliers, for them to be compensated for late delivery.

Kevin

 

[Brum X]

FlyMAYbe v2

 

[nwoody2001]

Just reading the same re Flybe. This doesn't bode well all round. BHX-ABZ has gone until Summer '23. Several Befast routes axed. Late delivery of aircraft, which are leased in, seems a weak excuse. I hope I am wrong.

Why is it a weak excuse?! If you have 2 planes fewer that you had planned for, you cant just fly the same number of flights?!

 

[HPsauce]

Why is it a weak excuse?! If you have 2 planes fewer that you had planned for, you cant just fly the same number of flights?!

They should have secured the delivery dates of these aircraft before giving out start dates. It just adds to unnecessary doubts that may be in potential passengers minds. The Flymaybe days are still fresh in customers minds. This doesn't help. As I said, I hope they survive and prosper.

 

[Coathanger16]

They should have secured the delivery dates of these aircraft before giving out start dates.

They likely did secure dates and hence published the start dates they did. It was then the leasing company who failed to meet their part of the contract to deliver those aircraft when they agreed to…?

 

[smithy108]

Currently you cant book any Flybe flights after 31st October 2022, Maybe (no pun intended) they are rescheduling all their services, Not good for their cash flow or anyone planning a trip further than 4 months time. Massive missed opportunities for Revenue
Perhaps this is temporary? Lets hope so

Also noticed that some of their flights are showing as being operated by Swiftair (based in Madrid)

 

[Paulsstrange]

Absolute shambles , not surprised sadly , il give this lot 12 months max

 

[Nethercote2019]

The whole aviation world is struggling…. But there is plenty of demand
I think airlines & leasing co.& airports etc -they were all too slow to get things starting again after covid & did not invest early enough

 

[Coathanger16]

they were all too slow to get things starting again after covid & did not invest early enough

Too slow?

They’re struggling to get the staff to cover the current level of flights let alone more. Recruitment started in the middle of the Omicron wave when the impact on travel was still unknown and has been hampered by background checks taking far longer than before Covid, which is outside the industry’s control.

 

[JENNYJET]

I believe much of the staffing problems are connected to the necessary security and background checks required for work in a secure environment to which aviation is a part. As to the acquisition of aircraft is it not correct that parked or stored fleets remain in the ownership of the registered airlines or lessors or banks and they cannot be easily acquired? The plane makers are struggling to regain workforce lost to Covid in order to build and deliver aircraft. FLYBE died and the current iteration is on a hiding to nothing for launching when it did as well as operating from LHR, not the cheapest option perhaps!

 

[Kevin Farnell]

FLYBE died and the current iteration is on a hiding to nothing for launching when it did as well as operating from LHR, not the cheapest option perhaps!

Starflyer on the LBA/Flybe thread states that the LHR flights are merely 'slot sitters'.

https://forums4airports.com/threads/217/post-243706

"The only reasons AMS, BHD and LBA were chosen as destinations for LHR were that Flybe have seven daily slots to cover at Heathrow and needed routes to do it until such time as they can achieve a sale of those slots. This route hasn't even got a short term future let alone a long term one. I'd not spend too much time discussing ifs, buts and maybes around it."

This seems to imply that Flybe were awarded these slots and are using the flights to hold onto them until such a time that they can sell them for a very nice profit.

Kevin