The collapse of British regional flybmi over higher fuel prices and Brexit uncertainty has forced stranded passengers across Europe to fend for themselves, without the prospect of help from the UK govt. The airline filed for administration late Saturday, in effect grounding all 17 regional aircraft and shutting operations in 25 European cities. “It has become impossible for the airline’s shareholders to continue their extensive program of funding into the business, despite investment totalling over US$52m in the last 6 years,” according to the carrier. “The challenges, particularly those created by Brexit, have proven to be insurmountable.” BMI also blamed rising prices for EU carbon allowances, which have more than doubled since the beginning of last year. <br/>
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UK regional operator Flybe has stressed that it is continuing to operate as normal, following confusion over the collapse of BMI Regional. BMI Regional had recently adopted a new brand, operating under the name ‘Flybmi’, and the similarity to Flybe appears to have led to misunderstanding on social media. The situation has been exacerbated by the high-profile financial problems which Flybe has been facing. “Flybe has nothing to do with Flybmi and our flights continue to operate as normal,” the carrier advised through its official social media feed. Flybe is undergoing an acquisition process by a Virgin-led consortium, the deadline for which is Feb 22. It has been given financial support by the consortium, Connect Airways, to maintain services while it works to meet the conditions attached to the acquisition agreement. <br/>
Ryanair has swooped to encourage flight personnel from collapsed BMI Regional to join the carrier. The airline had already started offering rescue fares to stranded passengers on certain European routes within a couple of hours of BMI Regional’s cessation of services Feb 16. But Ryanair COO Peter Bellew is seeking to recruit affected flight crew and other specialist personnel from the carrier. “We have availability of jobs in the UK and throughout our network for pilots and engineers,” he says, adding that the airline would be “delighted to welcome” applications. “We have vacancies for the summer and we are able to get assessments done quite quickly next week.” Ryanair operates a fleet of Boeing 737-800s while BMI Regional’s operation was based on the Embraer ERJ. <br/>
Belgian pilots have overwhelmingly voted in favour of a deal with Ryanair on pay and rosters, the Belgian cockpit association (BeCA) said Friday. The BeCA said that 98.5% of those participating in a secret ballot had voted in favour of the deal that the association said guaranteed stability for pilots for the next 4 years and harmonised working conditions and pay for all pilots based in Belgium. Belgian cabin crew and pilots had reached a preliminary deal in October. "However, it is not all over. It is now up to Ryanair to establish an appropriate local management structure that will guarantee the quick implementation of these commitments," BeCa said. Ryanair suffered a number of strikes last year by cabin crew and pilots, forcing it to cancel hundreds of flights. <br/>
Ryanair will offer a new annual product, which includes allocated seats, fast-track and priority boarding, as part of a series of improvements to be rolled out this year. Feb 14, the airline launched Ryanair Choice, priced at E199 (US$225) per passenger per year for allocated seats, fast-track and priority boarding across all Ryanair flight bookings. Ryanair Choice is similar to EasyJet Plus which is also an annual subscription with bundled premium features. EasyJet Plus was launched in 2008. CMO Kenny Jacobs detailed a series of booking changes, as part of the product upgrades. If passengers find a cheaper fare within 3 hours, they will be able to claim the difference and will receive a GBP5 Ryanair credit. Passengers will also have a 48-hour window where they can change bookings free of charge. <br/>
Southwest Airlines declared an “operational emergency” Friday because of an unusually high number of aircraft taken out of service for maintenance, and ordered all scheduled mechanics to show up for work or risk being fired. Workers “alleging illness” will be required to provide a doctor’s note on their first day back at work, the airline said in a memo. Some workers might be called in on overtime, the carrier said, and those refusing to report for duty could face firing. “This is not the type of communication I (or any leader) want to issue, but it is necessary to get our aircraft back in service in order to serve our customers,” according to the memo from Lonnie Warren, senior director of technical operations. The number of planes taken out of service recently has more than doubled from the daily average of about 20, Southwest said. <br/>