Bmibaby: Difference between revisions
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== References == |
== References == |
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==See also== |
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* [[BMI Regional]] |
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==External links== |
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Revision as of 23:38, 22 April 2011
| File:Bmibaby logo.svg | |||||||
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| Founded | 24 January 2002 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 22 March 2002 | ||||||
| Operating bases |
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| Frequent-flyer program | BMI Diamond Club | ||||||
| Fleet size | 14 | ||||||
| Destinations | 37 | ||||||
| Parent company | BMI | ||||||
| Headquarters | Castle Donington, England, United Kingdom | ||||||
| Key people | Wolfgang Prock-Schauer (CEO)[1] Stefan Lauer (Chairman)[1] Julian Carr (MD) | ||||||
| Website | www.bmibaby.com | ||||||
Bmibaby (also spelt BMI Baby and styled as bmibaby) is a British low-cost airline and a subsidiary of BMI. It flies to destinations in Europe from its five bases at Belfast-City, Birmingham, Cardiff (closes 30 October), East Midlands, and Manchester (closes 30 October). Bmibaby is not a member of the Bmi Diamond Club frequent flyer programme, nor is it a member of the Star Alliance. BMI Diamond Club card holders can earn a nominal amount of destinations miles (which don't count towards increasing status) by purchasing bmibaby flights, but other Star Alliance airlines' frequent flyer card holders cannot earn points on Bmibaby flights.
Bmibaby Ltd holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, and is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.[2]
History
The airline was established on 24 January, 2002[3] and started operations on 22 March, 2002 with a flight between East Midlands and Málaga.
Continued expansion for the airline led to it opening further bases at Cardiff in October 2002,[4] Manchester in May 2003,[5] Durham Tees Valley in October 2003[6] and Birmingham in January 2005.[7] Insufficient passenger numbers led to the closure of the Durham Tees Valley base in 2006.[8]
On 1 March, 2007, the airline announced an initiative for business travellers with an 'only choose what you need' approach, allowing passengers the option to choose from a range of services such as ticket flexibility, executive lounge access and on-line check in, and only pay for the services they used. The company also announced that BMI's frequent flyers could now gain Diamond Club miles.[9]
By 2007, Bmibaby had nine Boeing 737 aircraft based at Birmingham Airport, making it their biggest base, however in December 2008 the airline announced that it would be suspending five routes from the airport as a result of a reduction in the number of customers booking city-breaks.[10]
Further cuts were announced in November 2009 when it was announced that the fleet would be reduced from 17 to 12 aircraft in 2010, with up to 158 jobs at risk of redundancy. Bmibaby currently has 14 aircraft in the fleet as of January 2011. [11] The airline said the action was necessary to stem record losses and that it would focus on growth routes best fit for the business.[12]
In September 2010, the BBC Watchdog TV programme exposed the company for charging customers for cabin baggage that was actually within their maximum advertised limits. The company had two different types of baggage gauge in use - one at check-in, but a narrower one at the gate. The company claims "few passengers were affected". [13]
Destinations
Bmibaby flies to a number of domestic and international destinations from its five bases at Belfast-City, Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, and Manchester airports.
On 13 April 2011, BmiBaby announced it will close its bases at both Cardiff and Manchester from October 2011. [14] These two airports both have two based aircraft at present though one will move to Birmingham (giving it four aircraft), one to East Midlands (giving it eight aircraft) and two will move to Belfast City airport (its first two aircraft) where the airline will start seven brand new services, one launching in October 2011, one in December 2011, four in March 2012 and one in May 2012. BmiBaby will still serve Manchester as a destination with a 6x weekly service to the Belfast-City base although no flights what so ever will operate from Cardiff after October 2011, when the base closes. The move was made to improve economic conditions for the airline, by relocating its route network and aircraft where there is the best potential for strong growth.
Fleet
The Bmibaby fleet consists of the following aircraft in an all-economy class (as of February 2011):[15]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (Economy) |
Average Age (years)[16] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 | 11 | 148 | 14.9 |
| Boeing 737-500 | 3 | 131 | |
| Total | 14 | 14.9 |
Several aircraft have names with the word Baby in the title.[17]
Inflight services
Bmibaby offers a buy on board programme with scratch-cards, toys and gifts, drinks, snacks, and sandwiches for purchase.[18]
Sponsorship
BmiBaby sponsors:
- Cardiff's Winter Wonderland
- Elite Ice Hockey League in the UK
They also sponsor regional weather broadcasts on ITV1 in the ITV Border, ITV Central and ITV Wales regions. They previously sponsored weather broadcasts in the ITV Granada, ITV London (Weekend), ITV Meridian (only in the former ITV Central South area), ITV Tyne Tees & UTV (Ski & Holiday Reports only) regions. and dave
References
- ^ a b Bmibaby - Company Information
- ^ Operating Licence
- ^ UK Companies House Company #03259921
- ^ bmibaby to serve nine destinations from Cardiff Airport
- ^ Passenger numbers soar 400% at bmibaby
- ^ Bmibaby chooses Teesside for new low-cost base
- ^ bmibaby confirms first nine European routes from Birmingham International Airport
- ^ bmibaby to end Durham Tees Valley operations
- ^ bmibaby joins Diamond Club : Birmingham Airport News Stories
- ^ Sixty five jobs go at bmibaby
- ^ Low-cost airline cutting 158 jobs
- ^ Bmibaby to focus on growth routes
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11251927?utm_source=WorldTradeNews&utm_medium=twitter
- ^ [1]
- ^ CAA databse - Bmibaby Fleet
- ^ Bmibaby Fleet Age Details
- ^ Bmibaby Fleet Names
- ^ "FAQs." Bmibaby. Retrieved on 30 January 2009.