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flybe

There should be no case for short haul aviation in a country with a developed railway network. We have them in the developing world because the railways are very limited and some areas are only otherwise reachable by boat.
The UK has an incredibly expensive to use rail system that has been asset stripped for decades
 
Developed?
My town has an hourly service to Manchester, last train at 23.00. 3 trains only on a Sunday.
 
Do not forget that many of the Scottish Islands are connected to mainland by Flybe- it is (was) a very important part of the infrastructure in far flung parts.
 
davidsrsb said:
There will be much bigger victims in the next few weeks, almost any airline without a government behind it
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Agreed, it will be a rollercoaster ride. Airlines operate on very small margins, and the smallest disruption in any one of lots of relevant factors can spell disaster. When they hedge their fuel prices in advance, a change in the oil price in the short term can be devastating, and a sudden lack of demand for flights, even a small reduction in their load factor, can be the final nail in the coffin. See Monarch, Germania, Alitalia, MAS, Jet Airways, etc etc.
 
Graham B said:
Agreed, it will be a rollercoaster ride. Airlines operate on very small margins, and the smallest disruption in any one of lots of relevant factors can spell disaster. When they hedge their fuel prices in advance, a change in the oil price in the short term can be devastating, and a sudden lack of demand for flights, even a small reduction in their load factor, can be the final nail in the coffin. See Monarch, Germania, Alitalia, MAS, Jet Airways, etc etc.
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Agreed. Just about the only mitigating factor is that this is happening in Winter, when load factors are usually at their lowest ebb anyway. Many airlines make their profit in the Summer, and would be hit that much harder if this bug's effects linger on into that period.

Was due to go to Edinburgh on work business next month. Had already looked into train options rather than FlyBe. Glad I hadn't booked my tickets.
 
Stop-gaps may appear in the very short term but until the coronavirus effect alleviates, all airlines are going to struggle. Apparently even BA are asking staff to take unpaid leave.

Triple whammy for Flybe, two they knew about - their own precarious financial position and the reduction in taxes not available until early 2021 - and then the virus effects.

All airlines are cancelling flights. Which can only be good for at least delaying spread of the virus.
 
The shareholders have deep pockets, they could have kept it running if they wanted to. The reality is, it just isn’t a commercially viable proposition. Hopefully HMRC recover the deferred taxation from the wreckage. Thoughts are with the staff, it’s not like they can walk into another airline job right now.
 
cobbers said:
Had booked tickets from Newquay to Gatwick 5 weeks time - wonderful news.
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Look on the bright side, it is not today or tomorrow and you have plenty of time to make alternative arrangements.

2000 people are potentially out of a job this morning and I feel for them and their families.

Should the Government have/do more? Should essential routes be protected? or, maybe even Nationalise some of those?
 
Just found out my sister's flight to Edinburgh on Saturday was with them, she's now trying to find a train alternative from Wales that doesn't take forever and cost an arm and a leg. She's meant to be helping my house-bound mum get to her friend's funeral on Sunday. Not sure how she paid but she thinks she's lost the £140 fare
 
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