Flybe coming to Shetland

[proudshetlander]

A new airline deal has promised to deliver more UK and European flight connections to passengers in Scotland.

The agreement involves Loganair, which provides services throughout the Highlands and Islands, and Flybe, which flies from four Scottish airports.

 

The new franchise will become active on 26 October when Loganair's current deal with British Airways ends.

 

Flybe's Jim French said the landmark deal would see the benefits of the low cost model being brought to thousands.

 

The franchise will not affect the 40% core fares discount currently enjoyed by passengers from Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, Islay, Jura, Caithness and North West Sutherland.

 

Tickets for the new franchise will be sold through flybe.com from June this year.

 

Mr French, who is Flybe's chairman and chief executive, echoed Mr Grier's words.

 

He said: "This landmark agreement, the first time a low cost carrier has entered into such a franchise arrangement, is an exciting development in the evolution of the low cost model and one which Flybe sees as a valid strategic option for the future.

 

"It is also a win-win for both airlines.

 

"For Flybe, we will see our presence in the key Scottish market greatly enhanced and will benefit from increased passenger traffic into our existing network.

 

"For Loganair, the alliance is a major opportunity to bring the recognised brand of Europe's largest regional airline and the benefits of the low cost model to hundreds of thousands of passengers."

 

Source - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7186202.stm

[proudshetlander]

What does everyone think??

[JustMe]

If this means goodbye to through ticketing with British Airways I fear it is bad news for people wanting to travel outside Europe and for those wanting to go to UK airports not served by Flybe such as London Heathrow.

 

If Loganair will still be flying the Shetland routes I expect that there will be no great change to the service provided although Flybe do charge for a lot of extras which are currently all part of the service......including drinks.

 

I had already been looking at Flybe for a flight from Aberdeen and although they were cheap the reports about them in on-line forums are not great and they are rapidly developing a reputation for dropping routes from their schedule with little warning.

 

So what do I think?.........just has to be "wait and see".

[JohanofNess]

Does anyone else feel they just read an advert for Flybe?

[proudshetlander]

Does anyone else feel they just read an advert for Flybe?

 

Hello

 

That was not the plan, just wanted to inform people. Taken the artical from the BBC News website

[JohanofNess]

Hello

 

That was not the plan, just wanted to inform people. Taken the artical from the BBC News website

 

Sure you didn't intend it that way just the mods keep a keen eye out for advertising and marketing through the forums.

 

And as justme said flybe aren't exactly at the top of the airline tree for customer service.

[proudshetlander]

Hello

 

That was not the plan, just wanted to inform people. Taken the artical from the BBC News website

 

Sure you didn't intend it that way just the mods keep a keen eye out for advertising and marketing through the forums.

 

And as justme said flybe aren't exactly at the top of the airline tree for customer service.

 

Thats why I put the source of my information on my message.

[Seaflech]

I don't think it'll make a huge difference to the current service under the BA franchise, except, as pointed out, booking onward flights with BA will not be possible from Shetland. Unfortunately flybe don't have the best reliability record in the industry just now (hence the nickname 'flymaybe') but this should improve with the addition of more modern aeroplanes.

 

However for Shetland I don't think we'll be seeing super-cheap flights to Aberdeen when the franchise changes, it's just not possible to operate small turboprops for £1 a seat as you get with ryanair and easyjet, or even £25 which flybe offer on some routes. the only difference I reckon will be the colour of the aeroplane!

[fairislefaerie]

Given the reputation this company has earned itself for dropping flights at last minute & stranding passengers etc, I for one am crossing my fingers this will not mean the loss of the logan air flights south, someone has to run a reliable quality service alongside these low cost lot so that we can still have the option of taking a flight south.

[ladyfootballer]

I was hoping Loganair would maybe look at KLM for a partner. They serve all the main Scottish airports and Schiphol is a much better international hub with far less problems than any of the London airports - especially the disaster that is Heathrow.

 

Cost Abdn - Schiphol is usually less than Abdn - LND. Flight time is less as well.

 

This could also have provided onward check in and baggage tag for a multitude of global destinations just as we have through BA just now.

 

Fybe only serves Manchester/Birmingham and some other UK regional airports which aren't really handy for very much. Can't really understand the point in Loganair linking with these guys. It's as though they've taken the first offer that's come along.

 

With all the weather problems involved in flying to Shetland there's also not much hope of a low cost carrier looking after passengers when things go wrong.

 

Since the halcyon days of business air and BA it's been all downhill for Shetland air links.

 

For anybody who is a regular air traveller from Shetland there will small comfort in this announcement.

[groilick]

Loganair did say on Radio Orkney this morning that they will still allow BA through bookings to Heathrow even after the changeover to Flybe.

I've been using Flybe regularly (i.e. monthly, mostly from Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast but also on occasion from Gatwick and Inverness) for the last 3 years with very little problems. Gatwick is much more user friendly than Heathrow.

BA hardly uses any regional airports these days so a Loganair tie-up with Flybe is good news for Shetland

[sheepshagger]

BA's reliability isn't up to much either these days, if you do decide to fly to melbourne australia through heathrow chances are your bags will fly to melbourne florida. if you get them back it will be a bloody miracle.

delays and cancellations are common and they will try anything to get out of putting you up in a hotel when they do make an ass of you flight.

flying to aberdeen this week booked through ba.con £348 return, the travel agent has got fed up trying to book through fares while using the ADS as it just doesn't work.

 

so for my tuppence worth we will probably have the same turd service hopefully with lower fares

[soljey]

Flybe coming to Shetland is a disaster. When they took over the BA Connect flights last year it was a complete and total shambles. We were due to fly from Shetland to Manchester via Edinburgh with BA. A couple of days before we were due to fly, Flybe took over the Edinburgh-Manchester route.

 

That weekend, no-one at Flybe had a clue what was going on, they were hopelessly understaffed. What staff they had were undertrained. They lost all of our luggage - and we have never seen any of it back since. In fact, they lost it twice.

 

There was a whole catalogue of incompetence from them as we tried to get things sorted out. Even down to the fact that it took us 9 months to get any recompense - and even then the cheque they sent us was unsigned!!

 

Flybe are a point-to-point carrier, like Ryanair and EasyJet! I.e. they just take you from one airport to another - they don't book you or your luggage through. There will be a huge increase in instances where your flight is late leaving Shetland and you miss your connecting flight - tough, you'll be on your own. In Aberdeen, or Edinburgh or Glasgow with no flight, no accommodation, nothing!!

 

OK, they say we can now connect easier with Plymouth or Exeter - er, I don't think there'll be a rush for those. Most flights from Shetland are to Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and beyond.

 

Lifeline service? I don't think so, we're the poor sods that are caught in the middle again.

[trooter]

According to article on Shetland-News " Loganair will also retain its codeshare agreement with BA allowing passengers travelling on BA flights to connect through Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports onto London." What aircraft will they be using though, will it still be the ones in use here at the moment? I have only used Flybe once and had no complaints the plane used was a Dash 8 which was quiet and comfortable in comparison to what we have now, although SAS have removed them from service after problems.

[Muppet]

However for Shetland I don't think we'll be seeing super-cheap flights to Aberdeen when the franchise changes, it's just not possible to operate small turboprops for £1 a seat as you get with ryanair and easyjet, or even £25 which flybe offer on some routes. the only difference I reckon will be the colour of the aeroplane!

 

This article on Flybe's website would seem to indicate that they will offer low cost flights.

 

http://www.flybe.com/news/0801/14.htm

 

................extending Flybe’s low fare model throughout the UK - including the Highlands and Islands - which have not previously benefited from low cost airlines.