BMI Baby to close shop – First Belfast, then everywhere else…

It seems I spoke a bit too soon when I wrote about the competitors gunning for BMI Baby.

Today, IAG has made its decision over baby, and it is very bad news indeed for the 470 staff members who work for BMI Baby, as well as anyone who has tickets booked with the following happening:

• Routes operating to and from Belfast City Airport will close down on from 11th June
• All routes suspended by 10th September

Lets break this down, from the data provided on the BMI Baby information page:

Table A: bmibaby routes that will not operate from Monday 11^th June 2012

Table B: bmibaby routes that will continue to operate until Sunday 9^th September 2012

BMI Baby is offering refunds, but two important parts from the FAQ if you’re affected:

Will you come to an arrangement with other carriers to transfer our tickets?

We are unable to transfer customers on to alternative airlines including bmi and British Airways.

To rebook elsewhere now is too expensive – will you come to an arrangement with other carriers so they will offer us reduced rate tickets?

We are unable to offer customers preferential rates with alternative airlines, including bmi and British Airways.

The FAQ at http://www.bmibaby.com/bmibaby/faqs/important_information.aspx is worth a read, and whilst BMI Baby offered a good service (I’ve availed of it myself a couple of times, there is a very harsh reality.

The BMI Baby unit lost over £100 million over 4 years. That isn’t sustainable. Combined with an old fleet, mixed performing routes with the big LLCs of EasyJet and Ryanair eating from below, Monarch and Jet2 eating from the holiday traffic, and FlyBe eating from the regions – this outcome was sadly the only one that could be reached.

Good luck if you’re affected, and good luck to the 470 staff hit too.