Flybe

[LesBrass]

I’m very sad to hear of the fall of Flybe tonight.

I’m from Exeter and it’s demise will mean a lot of job loses... more than this I now live in SW France and Bergerac will also be hit by this news... as will many smaller local airports.

We can all moan about low cost airlines but it would be awful to lose more.

I know Flybe have been struggling for a while... perhaps Coronavirus was the straw that broke the camels back for them... but very sad nonetheless.

 

[doctorherman]

This is really sad. Flybe was a fabulous way to quickly get to Devon without having to go through Heathrow and take First Great Western or National Express. It always worked out cheaper to fly to Paris or Amsterdam then take Flybe to Exeter. Sorry for all the staff and the knock on for non Flybe staff at airport outlets that basically depended on Flybe custom

 

[Reklaw]

It is very sad for everyone involved in all sorts of ways. On the lunch time news apparently the Government is talking to other low cost providers to see if they can take on some of the routes flybe operated - so all may yet not be lost

 

[JabbaPapa]

Scottish airline Loganair has announced that it will be taking over 16 old Flybe routes commencing March 16th -- they also hope to recruit several former Flybe employees.

None of those routes however are old Flybe ones to Europe.

 

[Tandem Graham]

I live not far from Southampton airport. I'm not the best flyer - much prefer to cycle or catch ferries. But flying from Southampton to Paris or Bordeaux has always been very convenient, cheaper and quicker than via London and Eurostar. I have (now had, probably) a one way Flybe flight booked to Paris for two weeks from now, connecting with a booked train to Bayonne and my Camino along the Norte.
I don't want to cancel the train, so I'm now looking at through-the-night bus from London to Paris. Ho hum!
I wish this inconvenience and, more importantly, all those jobs lost would be the last hurt to eminate from this virus, but I fear not.

 

[JabbaPapa]

much prefer to cycle or catch ferries

I don't want to cancel the train, so I'm now looking at through-the-night bus from London to Paris

I'd always choose say the Newhaven-Dieppe or even the Portsmouth-Le Havre from that point in the UK over that dire London-Paris night bus ...

Paris is easily reachable by train from both French ports.

But what an annoyance for you !!

 

[Tandem Graham]

I'd always choose say the Newhaven-Dieppe or even the Portsmouth-Le Havre from that point in the UK over that dire London-Paris night bus ...

Paris is easily reachable by train from both French ports.

But what an annoyance for you !!

Yes, I have looked at the Portsmouth ferries and SNCF to Paris. Much more expensive than train to London and bus to Paris though, and I am already down £50 for the Flybe flight.

There's National Express, Flixbus or Blablabus (formerly Ouibus). Anyone had experience of any of them?

 

[peregrina2000]

Yes, I have looked at the Portsmouth ferries and SNCF to Paris. Much more expensive than train to London and bus to Paris though, and I am already down £50 for the Flybe flight.

There's National Express, Flixbus or Blablabus (formerly Ouibus). Anyone had experience of any of them?

I had never heard of Flixbus, but remembered reading a cautionary post about them. I had never heard of Flybe either, but I am frequently surprised to hear of yet another low-cost European airline. With a major airline in the US like United cutting its international flights by 20%, I bet it’s well nigh impossible for a small low cost firm to bear that kind of reduction in demand.

Safe travels to all, and buen camino, Laurie

 

[JabbaPapa]

Yes, I have looked at the Portsmouth ferries and SNCF to Paris. Much more expensive than train to London and bus to Paris though, and I am already down £50 for the Flybe flight.

Dunno about the price of the ferry, but there are some cheap bus tickets from Le Havre to Paris :

Bus Le Havre Paris pas cher | ComparaBUS.com

Trouvez et comparez les horaires et meilleurs billets d’autobus de Le Havre vers Paris avec .

www.comparabus.com

 

[LesBrass]

I had never heard of Flybe either...

Safe travels to all, and buen camino, Laurie

Flybe were an odd low cost carrier... and not really that low in cost ☺ They were much smaller than Easyjet and Ryanair and have been around for decades. They changed name a few times but they did serve lots of smaller airport and particularly (to start with) in the SW of England. I think it's downfall was trying to expand too quickly? it struggled for a few years but last year and this year have been really difficult and CoronaVirus pushed it over the edge. It will leave a big gap in the transport links between small regional airports that aren't served by anyone else... it really is a great shame.

 

[David with new Kit!]

I was in Holland yesterday when it collapsed, that was "fun" getting home - Rather a long day.

 

[gerip]

I'd always choose say the Newhaven-Dieppe or even the Portsmouth-Le Havre from that point in the UK over that dire London-Paris night bus ...

Paris is easily reachable by train from both French ports.

But what an annoyance for you !!

Amen! Did that bus trip once. Horrible!

I live on the IOW right across from Portsmouth and have taken Britanny Ferries several times. Depending on the time of year you can get a fairly cheap ticket to Le-Havre or Caen and take the train from there to Paris. They also have a ferry to Santander, but expensive no matter what time of year.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Amen! Did that bus trip once. Horrible!

I live on the IOW right across from Portsmouth and have taken Britanny Ferries several times. Depending on the time of year you can get a fairly cheap ticket to Le-Havre or Caen and take the train from there to Paris. They also have a ferry to Santander, but expensive no matter what time of year.

Keepng an eye on Brittany Ferries sailing updates lately - there have been numerous occasions when the Le Havre ferry hs been cancelled due to strikes. Other destinations mostly OK - apart from the weather this past few weeks leading to some delays.

 

[chinacat]

Flybe were an odd low cost carrier... and not really that low in cost ☺ They were much smaller than Easyjet and Ryanair and have been around for decades. They changed name a few times but they did serve lots of smaller airport and particularly (to start with) in the SW of England. I think it's downfall was trying to expand too quickly? it struggled for a few years but last year and this year have been really difficult and CoronaVirus pushed it over the edge. It will leave a big gap in the transport links between small regional airports that aren't served by anyone else... it really is a great shame.

Exeter, for one, now has no airline serving locals.

 

[chinacat]

I live not far from Southampton airport. I'm not the best flyer - much prefer to cycle or catch ferries. But flying from Southampton to Paris or Bordeaux has always been very convenient, cheaper and quicker than via London and Eurostar. I have (now had, probably) a one way Flybe flight booked to Paris for two weeks from now, connecting with a booked train to Bayonne and my Camino along the Norte.
I don't want to cancel the train, so I'm now looking at through-the-night bus from London to Paris. Ho hum!
I wish this inconvenience and, more importantly, all those jobs lost would be the last hurt to eminate from this virus, but I fear not.

I found Eurostar prices, eg 21/3 to Paris, £36.50 one way, and 26/4 Paris to London,£29.00.

I hope you don’t have to travel on that bus!

Buen Camino!

 

[Tandem Graham]

Thanks you guys (& gals!). I'm grateful for the consensus advice that the night bus is best avoided. I've used the ferry many times by car and by bike, so it's a known quantity.

So I have reached deep into my wallet and booked an overnight ferry crossing Portsmouth to Caen, which gets in early enough - 6.45 am - for a comfortable connection (via the local bus from Ouistreham to Gare de Caen) to a train to Paris Saint Lazare, again with plenty time to walk to Gare Montparnasse for my booked train to Bayonne.

The train fare booked two weeks ahead from Caen to Paris isn't bad at all at £13.50 (16 euros) but the ferry is £35 - to include a reclining seat, and then there's the small matter of begging a lift to Portsmouth.......

I've incurred a significant overspend vs my notional outward travel budget, which perhaps I can retrieve by having fewer breakfast caolacaos once underway. But my walking pilgrimage Camino del Norte/Primitivo is on! My first walking stage will be 25th March out of Bayonne. Hope to see one or two of you along the Way!

Graham

 

[LesBrass]

Exeter, for one, now has no airline serving locals.

Sadly our 86 year old mum visits us via Exeter... I’m hoping someone will pick up the route to France but currently not hopeful. Exeter has such a long runway I always thought the airport would be more successful... but it never quite made it.

 

[Former member 49149]

I looked this up as I had had the vague notion it was part of British Airways. I was wrong.
Sorry for those dependent on it. Same old story, when 'they' tell us it is for our good, 'they' generally mean for their bank balances. I realise that the collapse was speeded up by the current scare with its wide ranging consequences in many areas of everyday life. So, also, sorry for all of the employees and ancillary services.
Formerly Avios. Flybe (pronounced /ˈflaɪˌbiː/), styled as flybe, was a British airline based in Exeter, England. Until its sale to Connect Airways in 2019, it was the largest independent regional airline in Europe. Flybe provided more than half of UK domestic flights outside London.
Hubs: Gatwick Airport, Exeter Airport, Birmingh...
Subsidiary: BA Connect, Nordic Regional Airlin...
Parent: Connect Airways
Industry: Airline

Flybe - Wikipedia