Primera Air

[Brum X]

W/c 25th June 2018 there are just x 2 flights to EWR that week, the schedules make no sense. Some weeks its x 4 a week, some x 3 a week and some x 2 a week

 

[jfy1999]

 

[Brum X]

Hey guys guess what. Flying out with Primera to EWR on 26/05, back on 29/05. They have just e-mailed me to cancel the return flight!! Offering a refund. What a joke they are. Looks like an abandoned trip- Great. Never again will I support such an operation,more fool me!

I am really sorry to hear this news mate

 

[nwoody2001]

Lord people are being pretty dramatic. I feel bad for those people who have been effected, but to anyone that has been seeing what has been going on with the launch of Primera out of STN, this news really should not be a shock!!

 

[58terminus]

Primera have made big a mistake in launching 3 new bases with no back up plan.

No back up plan? They had/have no aircraft!!

 

[Vile8er]

Wish I had a crystal ball to see what the situation will be like in twelve months time. Sadly, I think I might already know

 

[flymetothemoon]

I am really sorry to hear this news mate

Cheers BrumX it's left me a tad embarrassed with the Mrs after I told her of this great new era of TATL from BHX, she said " I told you Heathrow was safer"

 

[flymetothemoon]

Primera said they would respond to my e-mail in 24hrs. That's gone by-no response. A text conversation with them this afternoon ended with them telling me to be patient and give them the 24hrs. Well I did and .......
nothing. I really think they're flying ( or not) by the seat of their pants. No plan just react to what happens today!

 

[rollo]

Really feel sorry for you flymetothemoon had the same sort of experience way back with Laker to Orlando.

Does Highland Express ring a bell with anyone?

 

[thunderchild]

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of fanfare they get next week - the BHX press office is really caught between a rock and a hard place on this one. Personally I don’t think any kind of creative marketing can mask the fiasco that this is rapidly turning into.

 

[GliderPilot]

In my opinion, This could lead to Primera completely abandoning long-haul from BHX in the future.

With a bad reputation in the region before the first aircraft has even left BHX, it could take years for BHX-EWR to pick up decent numbers, a hard route to operate without these added issues. Why would customers risk it when they are pretty much guaranteed a flight out of LHR? I know I wouldn't.

It looked like a few small blips to begin with, but they should've taken precautions much earlier instead of leaving it this late and leaving excited customers upset and frustrated

Can Primera withstand this financial risk being a small airline compared to their long-haul competitors?

I remained optimistic for as long as I could with Primera but its all looking doom and gloom recently

Perfect time for JetBlue to step in and say "Hey look! Were a bigger airline, we have the aircraft, we have connecting flights and offer similar fares! Fly with us!". Just saying.

 

[nwoody2001]

Well Primera will have an entire TATL fleet soon so regardless how bad the start is ...everywhere, not just BHX, they will have to do something with their fleet!

 

[Ray Finkle]

Primera said they would respond to my e-mail in 24hrs. That's gone by-no response. A text conversation with them this afternoon ended with them telling me to be patient and give them the 24hrs. Well I did and .......
nothing. I really think they're flying ( or not) by the seat of their pants. No plan just react to what happens today!

Sadly there are plenty of similar stories plastered all over social media and other review sites. Lots of people struggling to even get in touch let alone receive their refund.

We all knew that the schedule would be tight and issues due to aircraft deliveries are not unheard of but from what I read the way the whole thing has been handled is shambolic. There are reports of a 4.5 hour delay in EWR after which the flight was canx and the staff went home leaving their customers stood around not knowing what to do next.

If things go wrong and it's dealt with swiftly and efficiently people will come back but this company have lost the trust of the customers who attempted to support their set up.

It kind of makes you wonder why they didn't use the A321's to the Med, Canaries and Cape Verde this year and start transatlantic in 2019 when things have bedded in.

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of fanfare they get next week - the BHX press office is really caught between a rock and a hard place on this one.

All the talk of brand new aircraft commencing a new era of transatlantic travel and the media pictures will be of them all stood in front of that old 757.

In my opinion, This could lead to Primera completely abandoning long-haul from BHX in the future.

With a bad reputation in the region before the first aircraft has even left BHX, it could take years for BHX-EWR to pick up decent numbers, a hard route to operate without these added issues. Why would customers risk it when they are pretty much guaranteed a flight out of LHR? I know I wouldn't.

It looked like a few small blips to begin with, but they should've taken precautions much earlier instead of leaving it this late and leaving excited customers upset and frustrated

Can Primera withstand this financial risk being a small airline compared to their long-haul competitors?

I remained optimistic for as long as I could with Primera but its all looking doom and gloom recently

Perfect time for JetBlue to step in and say "Hey look! Were a bigger airline, we have the aircraft, we have connecting flights and offer similar fares! Fly with us!". Just saying.

There is absolutely no way that I would even consider booking a flight with Primera, to anywhere. It's going to take a considerable period of stability and reliability before I'd even think about risking my money with them.

As I said, they've already lost 3/4 potential customers just in my small office although I did happen to mention Aer Lingus USPC which went down well

I hope that Tom Screen has a Plan B up his sleeve.

 

[flymetothemoon]

I spoke to an operative this morning (after waiting 40mins on hold),and when she answered she said "I don't need to know why you're phoning do I?. However she said she could do nothing to help other than forward my option of a return flight with another operator. She said she had fielded over 100 calls from BHX passengers in 2 days! They have real problems. My guess is that a good proportion of the affected passengers could have been repeat customers in the future-not now

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I spoke to an operative this morning (after waiting 40mins on hold),and when she answered she said "I don't need to know why you're phoning do I?. However she said she could do nothing to help other than forward my option of a return flight with another operator. She said she had fielded over 100 calls from BHX passengers in 2 days! They have real problems. My guess is that a good proportion of the affected passengers could have been repeat customers in the future-not now

What infurates me with situations where a company (whether an airline or anything else) has made a mess of its business to the disadvantage and major inconvenience of its customers is that the CEO and other company senior officers invariably keep their heads below the parapet. They leave the bullets to be taken by those at the bottom end of the organisation. Whereas I'm sure that you were perfectly civil and reasonable, many people are not (and I do have sympathy with them) and let the poor person (the only company representative available to them) at the end of the phone receive both barrels of their frustration.

The Primera CEO should be out front apologising and ensuring that those who had confidence to book flights with his (it might be a her for all I know) company, and who were then let down hugely, are repaid immediately.

 

[flymetothemoon]

Yes you're spot on Yokel and I assure you I was very civil to her,as you say absolutely not her fault!

 

[IanFarquharson]

People have short memories and hopefully these teething troubles are just that.
NAX has similar problems with their MAX launch and now all is well

 

[flymetothemoon]

Primera have now replied offering me a return flight to STN but we've got to find our own way home-no thanks!

 

[Ray Finkle]

I spoke to an operative this morning (after waiting 40mins on hold),and when she answered she said "I don't need to know why you're phoning do I?. However she said she could do nothing to help other than forward my option of a return flight with another operator. She said she had fielded over 100 calls from BHX passengers in 2 days! They have real problems. My guess is that a good proportion of the affected passengers could have been repeat customers in the future-not now

At least you got to speak to someone, eventually.

Yesterday my colleague spent 90 minutes on the phone only to be cut off. After waiting a while and then trying again the exact same thing happened.

They are going to try yet again tonight.

 

[Brum X]

Primera have now replied offering me a return flight to STN but we've got to find our own way home-no thanks!

Cheeky B-------