(Bonus points to those who can guess the reference in the title)
BMI Regional (the ERJ flying arm of British Midland) is realigning its timetables, and adding new codeshares to its flights to connect with Brussels Airlines (also owned partially by Lufthansa)
Marketing Brussels as an alternative to other busy hubs (or to you and me: London Heathrow), it’s planned that you can use Brussels as inter-regional hub for both airlines and make your connections there in a quicker manner than going through a major hub.
Regional travel in the UK is an oddity as it is in the hands of FlyBe and Eastern Airways, with BMI Regional offering a smaller service. The aim seems to be get business regional travellers to reconsider BMI Regional as an option.
However, as we all well know, fares are what decide the fate of routes. And at an introductory price of £199 from EDI, EMA or LBA to various European destinations, it isn’t what I’d call cheap at £50 a segment (where as it is possible to get from some of these destinations for £100 return if you look hard enough). In some ways Papa Lufthansa may be cheaper, or going down to London and paying parking might work out better. Again – it’s a matter of sitting down with the numbers and what works for you.
Still, it throws an extra lifeline to BMI Regional – no bad thing in itself.
http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/bmi-regional-to-feed-brussels-airlines-services
