FlyBe about to go bang?

[KarlMac]

https://news.sky.com/story/regional-airline-flybe-...

I'm due to fly out to Netherlands this week with FlyBe and trying to decide if it's worth going to the airport.

Seems strange as the prices aren't the cheapest and the flights are always packed. Anyone have any more insight into how they've got into trouble?

[Hub]

I priced up some flights for the family going to Italy this summer from Southampton not too long ago. They were about 3x the price of going with Easyjet from Gatwick. More convenient to get to but not worth another £1k to do it! The price may even out as the date gets closer perhaps, I don't know, but I'd rather travel on a jet than a turbo prop in any case!

They do seem to have a USP of domestic regional flights that others don't do, so it is surprising, but maybe it just isn't profitable to offer those routes.

[craig1912]

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advi...

Got a flight next month to Amsterdam from Southampton

[Earthdweller]

I use them all time Knock-Manchester generally they are no more expensive than RyanAir

But, the travel experience is way better .. they actually treat you like a human rather than cattle

I’ll be sorry if they go under

[RizzoTheRat]

Hub said:

I priced up some flights for the family going to Italy this summer from Southampton not too long ago. They were about 3x the price of going with Easyjet from Gatwick.

I'm surprised it's that bit a difference, I wonder if the relative cost increases the further you travel as they're smaller planes?

Until recently I was doing UK-Schiphol regularly and usually went EasyJet to Gatwick, but occasionally needed to go to Southampton or Birmingham instead in which case I would use Flybe, they were a bit more expensive but not ridiculously so. I assumed that was just the cost of flying to a smaller airport with less traffic.

It'll be a shame if they do fold as KLM have stopped doing Southampton-Schiphol leaving Flybe as the only one, and it's only Flybe and KLM that do Birmingham-Schiphol.

[The Wookie]

Would be a pain for me as I quite often use the Brum to Stuttgart flights they do on the Embraers and it’s bloody convenient.

[RicksAlfas]

Earthdweller said:

But, the travel experience is way better .. they actually treat you like a human rather than cattle

I’ll be sorry if they go under

Me too. We've had many Manchester to Brittany flights with them, usually to Nantes, but they used to do Rennes and Brest too.
Always good service and comfortable flights.

[FN2TypeR]

Aberdeen/Manchester is my route of choice to save myself a woeful train journey or six hour drive when visiting the family in Huddersfield, the prices are always reasonable as I book well in advance, they've been severely delayed a couple of times but that isn't usually an issue as I have no qualms about propping the bar up for a few hours

Hopefully we see a positive resolution for the staff and travellers with imminent plans!

[SS2.]

They've already dropped their routes to the Costas and the Algarve from Southampton, plus the one I use a lot (Southampton > Jersey) has seen the schedules greatly reduced.

It will be a great shame if they do go under as my experiences with them have been very positive over the years.

[anonymous-user]

I know a few people who use them to commute from Devon and Cornwall, I’ve looked at doing the same but always though it relied a bit too much on Flybe.

[ChemicalChaos]

Just goes to show something when every comment is "they're good, I hope they don't fail" instead of the usual "scum, they deserve it".
I've only used them once, to go to Amsterdam, but I was impressed (although the turboprop novelty soon wore off!).

For those concerned about route coverage - the way the airline industry works, other airlines will soon step in to cover the routes if they are profitable (or can easily be made profitable).

[Tyre Smoke]

They are always more expensive. I choose to fly from Bristol rather than Exeter for the same reason as the poster above who said it's three times the price from Southampton instead of Gatwick.

If they could make their routes profitable, they wouldn't have had to sell to a consortium a year ago for virtually a pound plus the debt. It is sad, but ultimately people are taking the train. For example Exeter to London in just about three hours (Paddington) and the flight takes you to Gatwick, costs more and overall is a longer process.

Okay, you can't take the train to Schipol as easily, but (I don't know if they fo) Exeter to Schipol or KLM Bristol to Schipol, I know which I'd prefer.

I remember back when they were Jersey European, they had the monopoly on most regional flights. Then along came Easy Jet and Ryan Air...

[bloomen]

Tyre Smoke said:

For example Exeter to London in just about three hours (Paddington) and the flight takes you to Gatwick, costs more and overall is a longer process.

Flybe goes to London City from Exeter and if you book in advance it can be cheaper than the train. I've paid £35 in the past. Even walkup fares can often be similar.

[Tyre Smoke]

Fair enough. My mistake.

So why are they in so much trouble?

[Robertj21a]

Never had a good experience with Flybe. Cancelled and severely delayed flights might be acceptable if you're going to a rarely served airport but not if you just want to get to/from a city in Scotland.

[bloomen]

Tyre Smoke said:

So why are they in so much trouble?

Bad management? They hung on to their jets for too long. Perhaps expanded too far and too fast. And their routes are so unique they might be pretty precarious.

They'd be very hard to replace unless someone simply bought all their gear and started running it again. It's quite specialised.

This isn't just some other charter airline either. If it goes there'll be sizeable holes in our transport network.

Where is their sexy consortium in all of this?

[poo at Paul's]

KarlMac said:

https://news.sky.com/story/regional-airline-flybe-...

I'm due to fly out to Netherlands this week with FlyBe and trying to decide if it's worth going to the airport.

Seems strange as the prices aren't the cheapest and the flights are always packed. Anyone have any more insight into how they've got into trouble?

I think you're right to be concerned, I am doing same trip but Eurostarring it to Brussels

[KarlMac]

TBH I've been flying from. UK to Schipol for a year now and I've always found FlyBe to be slightly cheaper than KLM but more expensive than the others, which was worth it for me as I could fly out from Doncaster and the flight times were a lot more convenient.

Supposed to be flying out tomorrow and coming back on Friday. Who wants to bet on whether or not I get home

[SS2.]

Tyre Smoke said:

They are always more expensive.

Cost isn't everything.

For instance, FlyBe is often double the price on the Southampton to Jersey route than say EasyJet out of Gatwick.

But the ease of accessing the airport (from my home), the ease (and cost) of parking, the fact that I can walk into the terminal less than 45 minutes before the flight is due to depart, the 20 minute flight time (wind direction dependent) makes it a bargain at twice or three times the price of Gatwick.

[dazwalsh]

Earthdweller said:

I use them all time Knock-Manchester generally they are no more expensive than RyanAir

But, the travel experience is way better .. they actually treat you like a human rather than cattle

I’ll be sorry if they go under

Aye me too for the same route, I cant be arsed going via Dublin and then a 3 hour drive out west.

Their bag policy is a joke but other than that great little airline and I hope they find a buyer, perhaps it could fit in well with the IAG