EasyJet buy GB Airways

[Bazz]

EasyJet have agreed to purchase GB Airways for 103.5M.

The purchase does not include GB Airways LHR slots, which BA will retain.

Link

This is bad news. I use GB fairly regulary to pop down to mum's in Torrox and have found them great every time. Much better than their Parent BA.

Now I will have to suffer the orange one's crap everything.

Iain

Looks like BA will get some extra flights at LHR - I can't imagine they'll continue to let GB fly them. Shame that GB goes, another tick on the consolidation road ...

What does this mean for BA? GB operated a significant chunk of their short-haul schedule, particularly around the med.

45.

[RichardMannion]

Right what a disaster. Nobody decent to fly down to AGP to now. Grr.

Steve & I are gutted as well, we regularly use GB for visiting Rhodes and they've consistently been of a high standard. Mind you, out of season we've been using EZY to ATH and then onward via Greek carrier to RHO and have to say that EZY have been pretty good as well. The wrench will be not earning BA miles and not being able to pre-assign seats [n] Wonder when GB's A320/321's will be painted orange?

Well Air Malta will get all my Malta to UK trips now, however getting to Gibraltar wont be fun on the Orange One (I dont mind EZY so much but will miss the BA miles).

Will BA offer its own in-house alternative now?

45.

Originally posted by RichardMannion
Right what a disaster. Nobody decent to fly down to AGP to now. Grr.

From Wille Walsh, CEO BA:

We had an option to buy GB Airways but we have chosen not to. Instead, we intend to start our own services from Gatwick to Malaga, Faro, Gibraltar, Ibiza, Tunis and Palma and from Heathrow to Malaga and Faro, some of the routes operated under the GB Airways franchise.

So you'll have the choice of LHR or LGW to go to AGP with BA!

I've flown 4 legs with EZY and have to say that each one has been enjoyable. I sometimes wonder if it isn't just pretentiousness that drives some of the comments about EZY. The people have been lovely, the prices at least competitive, and the flight times especially convenient. I find them WORLDS better than the so-called 'full service' (hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha) domestic airlines I am forced to fly over here.

EZY does it for me!

GJ

Originally posted by RichardMannion
Right what a disaster. Nobody decent to fly down to AGP to now. Grr.

Monarch Scheduled?

I flew with GB Airways in February 2006 and they were great (this was before they altered the service to mirror what was BA Connect), made a nice change to fly on the franchise carrier of one of the world's most respected airlines (taxi booked).

Having said that, I can tell you all now easyJet buying GB Airways isn't a bad thing. Flew with easyJet to BCN and AGP and they were very good and would happily fly with them again.

One thing is certain though - easyJet is coming to MAN!

[RichardMannion]

Originally posted by onionz

Originally posted by RichardMannion
Right what a disaster. Nobody decent to fly down to AGP to now. Grr.

From Wille Walsh, CEO BA:

We had an option to buy GB Airways but we have chosen not to. Instead, we intend to start our own services from Gatwick to Malaga, Faro, Gibraltar, Ibiza, Tunis and Palma and from Heathrow to Malaga and Faro, some of the routes operated under the GB Airways franchise.

Phew! Missed that bit!

So you'll have the choice of LHR or LGW to go to AGP with BA!

The EZY services out of LGW are really reliable and most of the staff excellent. OK you have to BOB but they have tried to add some thrills with the option of priority boarding and the new uniforms smarting up their act.

Still a shame no more miles and TP for the holiday trips. Plus I wonder if this will mean the older 73s could be around for a bit longer as it was planned to phase them out to 319s but to add routes themselves is not going to leave that many spare aircraft at LGW.

[Bazz]

Originally posted by GrinningJackanapes
I've flown 4 legs with EZY and have to say that each one has been enjoyable. I sometimes wonder if it isn't just pretentiousness that drives some of the comments about EZY. The people have been lovely, the prices at least competitive, and the flight times especially convenient. I find them WORLDS better than the so-called 'full service' (hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha) domestic airlines I am forced to fly over here.

EZY does it for me!

GJ

I am assuming that when you travel EZY you do so under an assumed name so as not to be recognised GJ? Well if not then you must charter the whole aircraft and have Viv and Paul fit it out with you fav fabrics and colours - orange, so yesterday! [;)]

Originally posted by Bazz
I am assuming that when you travel EZY you do so under an assumed name so as not to be recognised GJ? Well if not then you must charter the whole aircraft and have Viv and Paul fit it out with you fav fabrics and colours - orange, so yesterday! [;)]

If HM can take scheduled rail service (poor woman), then I can certainly fly EZY under my own name. Frankly, aside from having to be at the airport so bloody early to get a decent seat, I find that my EZY legs (no pun!!! LOL) are quite enjoyable.

GJ

Very good bit of business for EZY. I have to echo the views of those in here who are defending the airline. The Airline programme, I feel has given it a bit of a bad name (hence why BY stopped ITV making the programme on them back in the day) but really they are not that bad. I would fly them, just like I would fly DJ, B6, Air Berlin, Wizz etc.

You get what you pay for after all and to be honest there is not the much difference between them and so called 'full service' carriers that people on here rave about/prefer. Why pay more money for a rubbish sandwich and rushed cabin service?!

Interesting times at BA then, seems they are cutting back big time on their network with the BMed and GB sales.

Announcement due tomorrow which should see MAN becoming part of the easyJet network for proper. The following routes have been mentioned on a.net

Belfast Intl - 3 daily
Malaga - 1 daily
Brussels - 1 daily
Toulouse - 1 daily
Hamburg - 1 daily
Palma de Mallorca - 2 daily
Marrakech - 1 daily
Madrid - 2 daily
Lyon - 5 weekly
Milan-Malpensa - 10 weekly
Geneva - 1 daily

Your thoughts people.

Confirmed - easyJet will be making MAN a base and will have 5 aircraft based by 2010, with a commitment to increase the number of a/c based at LPL to 10 by 2010. No mention on routes yet from MAN apart from the ex-GB Airways routes for Summer 08, but I imagine that they will be announced soon enough.

http://www.easyjet.com/en/News/largest_ ... _west.html

easyJet routes now on sale for what were ex-GB Airways flights through until the end of September.

LGW
Fly to
Ajaccio (Corsica)
Bastia (Corsica)
Biarritz
Crete (Heraklion)
Corfu
Cyprus (Paphos)
Dalaman
Gibraltar
Gran Canaria (Las Palmas)
Hurghada
Lanzarote (Arrecife)
Madeira (Funchal)
Malta
Montpellier
Mykonos
Nantes
Rhodes
Sharm El Sheikh
Tenerife (South)
Thessaloniki

MAN
Crete (Heraklion)
Cyprus (Larnaca)
Innsbruck
Malta
Malaga
Tenerife (South)

http://www.easyjet.com/en/book/new_rout ... _sale.html

So that makes Sharm El the longest route in the network doesnt it?

Originally posted by willd
So that makes Sharm El the longest route in the network doesnt it?

Yes I think so, beats Athens and Istanbul hands down.