Flyforbeans part III

[TheLocalYokel]

Well, FFB was not involved in trying to buy bmibaby after all. No surprise really.

Reading 'another forum' yesterday I spotted this reply from someone closely associated with FFB in a very senior capacity when the question of FFB's current status was raised by someone.

1. The European economy is toast, especially in South Wales.
2. No-one, but no-one, is interested in funding a start up anything in this economy, let alone an airline.
3. There are now very real question marks over the future of CWL.
4. There are few real growth opportunities at other UK airports.
5. The imminent collapse of the Euro will make everything sharply worse.

It would seem therefore that FFB, whilst perhaps not dead in the water, is still a long way from turning into an operational airline. No surprise again really, given the economic situation.

 

[Aviador]

Well, FFB was not involved in trying to buy bmibaby after all. No surprise really.

Reading 'another forum' yesterday I spotted this reply from someone closely associated with FFB in a very senior capacity when the question of FFB's current status was raised by someone.

1. The European economy is toast, especially in South Wales.
2. No-one, but no-one, is interested in funding a start up anything in this economy, let alone an airline.
3. There are now very real question marks over the future of CWL.
4. There are few real growth opportunities at other UK airports.
5. The imminent collapse of the Euro will make everything sharply worse.

It would seem therefore that FFB, whilst perhaps not dead in the water, is still a long way from turning into an operational airline. No surprise again really, given the economic situation.

Hi TheLocalYokel, the italics his words I take it?

Clearly it's not a good economic situation we're in at all at the moment and I suspect it could take many more years before we can consider ourselves to be in prosperous times again. I do find it irritating when people dramatise the financial state we're in. Using terms such as"imminent collapse of the Euro" is damaging. That may well happen but I am sure a big part of the problem has been caused by the money markets betting with peoples money and lives to suit their own self gain. It reminds me of the airlines that have folded because of talk of financial difficulty in the press.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Hi TheLocalYokel, the italics his words I take it?

Affirmative.

Using terms such as"imminent collapse of the Euro" is damaging.

There was some discussion about this on the forum in question.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I wonder if there will ever be any chance of this initiative coming to fruition with the economy generally seemingly improving after the worst of the recession. It looked an exciting prospect for CWL.

FFB was never one of those paper airlines that few people ever gave a chance of starting. It was backed by serious investors and had experienced and competent airline people with proven track records involved at senior level.

Despite all this it appears its bad luck was to show its first glimmers of life at the beginning of one of the worst world economic downturns in history.

It could yet be the low-cost airline that CWL has been searching for since bmi baby left, and probably before that given baby's gradual falling out of love with the airport over a number of years.

Or am I being completely naive about the chances?

 

[Em0866]

Hi Local. I think this ship sailed a long time ago, unfortunately. It was a bad time for them to announce this project. Things have moved on since then. Whereas it would be great to have an airline like this to start up to fly from CWL, I think now that things have moved on.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Good to hear from you again, E m

I rather think that you might be right although if the industry gets back into a rapid growth situation as it did in the first half dozen years or so of this century there's always a chance I suppose.

The current CWL management seems confident of getting a based low-cost airline by 2015/2016 according to recent reports.

 

[Tinkerman]

You are correct, the CWL management do seem to think the airport will have some form of Low-Cost carrier within the next year or two based on their own passenger number forecasts.

Who this could be would just purely be speculation, but FFB are long gone. Vueling springs to mind.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Vueling has a very good reputation re its service provision from what I've read and been told.

I'd have liked FFB to have started: the latest in a line of Welsh airlines (although I think the CEO was insistent it would be a European airline based in Wales rather than a Welsh airline per se - not his exact words) from Cambrian through Airways International Cymru, Inter European to Air Wales.

Its senior officers suggested that it would operate some routes not normally on offer at CWL. One was thought to be Keflavik,a destination that raised eyebrows in some quarters when it was rumoured, but the success of the easyJet route from BRS that commenced last December (immediately upgraded to a 320 last winter; the route operating through this summer and being increased from 2 x weekly to 3 x weekly next winter) shows that the FFB management were quite switched on people with a nose for what works. The CEO is a man with vast experience in running airlines. I think Malta was another of the strongly rumoured routes. Currently CWL has only the weekly summer Air Malta service.

Had the recession not occurred in the way it did I now believe that FFB could have been a breath of fresh air for the Welsh travelling public.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Interesting that a senior figure with FFB wrote this week on another aviation website that they may have had a 'lucky escape' in not setting up at CWL. I think he meant because of the turmoil the airport has experienced since its high point in 2007 with the recession having a dramatic negative effect on passenger numbers.

In a way it's a positive comment because had FFB started and failed, not only would some people lost a lot of money, but it would have been another negative point which potential future airlines at the airport would take into account.

 

[superking]

i thought flyforbeans were dead and burried. there is something still going on with them somewhere. it sure dont look good they will start off in cwl any time.
i would have thought somewhere like southend would have been a good start for them,till easy turned up on the scene.
lets hope they do start something somewhere.

 

[Em0866]

Interesting comments. However, no-one knows what would have happened as they airline never got off the ground. It is hard to judge how they would have done. Things happen for a reason and I think as far as FFB is concerned it was never meant to be. A shame really.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

i thought flyforbeans were dead and burried. there is something still going on with them somewhere. it sure dont look good they will start off in cwl any time.
i would have thought somewhere like southend would have been a good start for them,till easy turned up on the scene.
lets hope they do start something somewhere.

I think they are 'dead and buried'. The comment from the senior figure, or rather someone who was a senior figure when it looked as though FFB might be a going concern, was made during a debate on the likelihood of CWL finding a significant low cost player.

I have a feeling that there might yet be some developments around this type of market for CWL next summer, but not FFB.

Interesting comments. However, no-one knows what would have happened as they airline never got off the ground. It is hard to judge how they would have done. Things happen for a reason and I think as far as FFB is concerned it was never meant to be. A shame really.

FFB first came into the public domain in 2007 when most regional airports were riding high - CWL had its best ever year then at nearly 2.1 mppa. It seemed that it took longer to pull all the pieces together than originally anticipated by which time the recession nationally and globally was beginning to bite with the idea of a brand new start-up airline an increasing risk.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It was around this time of the year ten years ago that the name FlyForBeans first came to notice of the airline world and the travelling public.

It was to be a new airline based at CWL. It had more substance to it than many start-up airlines that never saw an aircraft in the sky. The backers were identified and were serious business people with means. The senior staff consisted of experienced and respected figures in the airline industry.

The initial plan was for three 150-seat aircraft and 12 routes were to be flown from CWL. Some were said to be exciting and not previously attempted at the airport. They were never identified although Malta and Keflavik were widely thought to be two of them.

FlyForBeans had its own website and for months regular updates were published of the progress being made to set up the airline. The timescale slipped more than once but the people behind the airline were confident that it would become a reality.

Months turned into years and it gradually became apparent that all was not well. They were unfortunate with timing as no-one could have predicted how savagely the recession would bite the economy including the airline industry.

FlyForBeans never did fly. They would have been in competition with the existing low-cost airline at CWL at that time, bmibaby, but from the mood music it seemed that FlyForBean's routes might not have competed directly with baby for the most part.

It's a fascinating exercise to wonder how FlyeForBeans would have got on had they begun operations and had it not coincided with the huge recession.

Would they be flying 20 or 30 aircraft these days? From other airports as well as CWL which I believe was the ultimate intention although CWL would have always have been their base and probably their major airport.

 

[Jerry]

Irony is there is a gap for them now. It is a real pity they didn't get off the ground.

 

[Aviador]

Irony is there is a gap for them now. It is a real pity they didn't get off the ground.

Has Flyforbeans disappeared completely off the radar now then?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Has Flyforbeans disappeared completely off the radar now then?

It seems like it - no website or any mention these days. Probably unlucky with timing given they were going to start at the beginning of the recession.