KLM

[Jerry]

Not long now before we say Au revoir to KLM and say 'Hi, you back again?' to Eastern with our very own based ex KLM E190 .

Reading the goings on with Eastern on another forum doesn't inspire confidence at all. The opposite in fact. I hope they're wrong, but..........it's clear they have little if any slack with the fleet, so any tech issues are likely to prove very disruptive.

I'm flying with them in September so fingers crossed but if they're not reliable I might look and rebook out of Manchester. Not as convenient but it is an option.

 

[White Heather]

I'm flying with them in September so fingers crossed but if they're not reliable I might look and rebook out of Manchester. Not as convenient but it is an option.

Hopefully they will be. I'm sure if they're not then KLM will be very cross! After all, the vast majority of the passengers will be transferring to other KLM services. There's a lot to lose, reputation included.

 

[pug]

Hopefully they will be. I'm sure if they're not then KLM will be very cross! After all, the vast majority of the passengers will be transferring to other KLM services. There's a lot to lose, reputation included.

Performance hasn’t been bad ex HUY/MME, certainly appears more reliable than KLM had been post covid. They do seem to be building some resilience into the operation - something I think anyone who’s ever been involved with them would agree is not something they are used to doing.

It’s very much a make or break for them. Like with sun-air in Scandinavia completely canning their scheduled network, there just isn’t a market for regional flying to any real extent any more and the ACMI work is lucrative, they just have to get it right! They even seem to have some redundancy in that they also have a E170 that is used for the odd charter snd in fill. Personally hope that they crew it correctly to allow for staff sickness.

 

[White Heather]

Performance hasn’t been bad ex HUY/MME, certainly appears more reliable than KLM had been post covid. They do seem to be building some resilience into the operation - something I think anyone who’s ever been involved with them would agree is not something they are used to doing.

It’s very much a make or break for them. Like with sun-air in Scandinavia completely canning their scheduled network, there just isn’t a market for regional flying to any real extent any more and the ACMI work is lucrative, they just have to get it right! They even seem to have some redundancy in that they also have a E170 that is used for the odd charter snd in fill. Personally hope that they crew it correctly to allow for staff sickness.

Let's hope so, although apparently they have real issues with other aircraft in the fleet and their Newquay to Gatwick services appear to be highly unreliable. But with 4 E190s operating from 4 UK airports, you do wonder what's going to happen when one is unavailable. The E170 seems to spend quite a bit of time doing football club charters and whilst doing so, isn't readily available as cover. Perhaps, in such situations, KLM Cityhopper might themselves come to the rescue?

 

[pug]

Let's hope so, although apparently they have real issues with other aircraft in the fleet and their Newquay to Gatwick services appear to be highly unreliable. But with 4 E190s operating from 4 UK airports, you do wonder what's going to happen when one is unavailable. The E170 seems to spend quite a bit of time doing football club charters and whilst doing so, isn't readily available as cover. Perhaps, in such situations, KLM Cityhopper might themselves come to the rescue?

Cityhopper do occasionally jump in when eastern arent able to step up for whatever reason. Obviously the contract will be commercially sensitive but knowing how these things tend to work at other airlines where I have had a little bit of involvement there will always be an expectation that these things can happen so long as they aren’t excessive. KLM will have audited Eastern and so know what they’ve gotten themselves into. Some people on the other forum are just upset because of the realisation that their NQY route isn’t actually as commercially viable as they might have wanted.

 

[lbaspotter]

I’m Not looking forward to Eastern operating the KLM Leeds - Amsterdam route. But as @pug states it does seem KLM City Hopper do occasionally step in with there own aircraft to help when things go wrong.

Off topic.
Come on! Eastern are a s—tshow on the Newquay - Gatwick PSO run. I’ve never seen so many cancelations apart from when they operated the Leeds - Southampton route.
I think everyone can admit that Eastern needs replacing by another operator, but the question is who? UK regional domestic routes are just not what they use to be.

 

[pug]

I’m Not looking forward to Eastern operating the KLM Leeds - Amsterdam route. But as @pug states it does seem KLM City Hopper do occasionally step in with there own aircraft to help when things go wrong.

Off topic.
Come on! Eastern are a s—tshow on the Newquay - Gatwick PSO run. I’ve never seen so many cancelations apart from when they operated the Leeds - Southampton route.
I think everyone can admit that Eastern needs replacing by another operator, but the question is who? UK regional domestic routes are just not what they use to be.

Off topic reply - they have bid for an win a contract to run the NQY-LGW in their usual reactive way and realised very quickly that the demand hasn’t matched expectations. Not only that but serviceability of their dwindling ATR fleet (some may be self inflicted, others not) has meant that they’re running it on a shoe string. These are PSO routes for a reason.. The ATR only a few years ago being touted as the future has now become an expensive thorn in their side. Their attempts at AF code shares a case in point. I’m just glad they haven’t yet gone the way of FlyBe and I hope that isn’t the case in future.

It’s not a defense of Eastern by any stretch but there are always 3 sides to a story and the regional market is next to non existent now, even at LBA… As we’ve seen, nobody has stepped in to offer SOU, so it’s do you want something that’s not totally reliable or do you want nothing?

If it weren’t for Eastern taking on the KLM (at the insistence of KLM) the route would be at risk. So the best thing to do is wish them well and hope that they come through the other side with it a stronger and dare I say more reliable airline who’s strengths should they play to them will be in ACMI and charter work and not it trying to maintain a scheduled network which the market cannot support.

From what I gather the sale to Bristow did them no favours what so ever.

 

[lbaspotter]

KLM City Hopper Embraer 190, PH-EZG looks to be getting the honours of being there last overnighting aircraft at LBA (Sat/Sun) for time being anyway.

All subject to change.

 

[lbaspotter]

Hasn’t took long for Eastern Airways to get into a mess.

As flightradar24 is showing KLM City Hopper is returning this evening (teatime) operating the KLM1023/1024 Amsterdam rotation with Embraer 190, PH-EZE

 

[752]

Hasn’t took long for Eastern Airways to get into a mess.

As flightradar24 is showing KLM City Hopper is returning this evening (teatime) operating the KLM1023/1024 Amsterdam rotation with Embraer 190, PH-EZE

Also looks to be on tonight service KL1025, so night stopping.

One good thing to see is KLM recovering the flying instead of just cancelling.

Not a good start.

 

[Bigman]

So the East has gone West

 

[lbaspotter]

So the East has gone West

You really couldn’t make this up.

KLM City Hopper Embraer 190, PH-EZB now also booked to operate the night stopping KL1025 service instead of Eastern.

 

[SierraHotel]

Not exactly a case of Eastern Promise!

 

[Finger66]

We will only get that when we see the delights of Turkish!!

 

[jason1-11]

It looks like the HUY based E170 G-CMPI went tech yesterday, so they have had to shuffle the pack and ask big brother for assistance, today.

 

[pug]

You really couldn’t make this up.

KLM City Hopper Embraer 190, PH-EZB now also booked to operate the night stopping KL1025 service instead of Eastern.

Sorry but you do realise that KLM have been willingly ‘subbing’ in for their various ACMI operators since they started outsourcing don’t you?

I’ve not seen the contract but I do know from other ACMI contracts that they aren’t subject to a 100% infallibility clause. ACMI operators like Eastern but also Titan, Air Tanker etc sometimes have issues where they go tech and do KLM or Jet2 will use their own aircraft to provide cover. Looks like a tech issue with one Eastern aircraft that has caused them to be unable to operate, something they’ve clearly communicated to KLM to allow time for them to cover it.

Anyone who thinks KLM aren’t aware that Eastern have limited resources are deluding themselves. Overall if this agreement frees up capacity around the CH network it’s serving its purpose, even if CH have to step in on occasion. I’d be more concerned if Eastern were to lose the contract because it then leaves the entire uk network in a perilous position.

 

[lbaspotter]

It looks like the HUY based E170 G-CMPI went tech yesterday, so they have had to shuffle the pack and ask big brother for assistance, today.

Yeah the are only 2x of the 4x E190’s in service.

 

[lbaspotter]

Understand from tomorrow KLM City Hopper will temporarily be operating more of there own aircraft on the Leeds - Amsterdam route whilst Eastern Airways get there house in order.

 

[Finger66]

If we wait for that to happen KLMCH may as well return permanently!

 

[lbaspotter]

If we wait for that to happen KLMCH may as well return permanently!

And looks like KLM City Hopper are re-taking over the LBA-AMS route tonight.

As Embraer 175, PH-EXU is now flight planned to operate this evening night-stopper.