Which Airlines Are Deemed To Be Most At Risk Of Going Bust?

paddypuma

They will be absolutely fine!!

If not, i'll eat my hat.. or any other item of clothing!

codger

paddypuma wrote: »

Withabix... I'd love to hear where you're getting your information from because it's a load of tosh! :rotfl:

Dubious maintenance regime?! Banned from long sea crossings?!

Flyglobespan are doing fine!! There are no hints of problems within the company. Please do not be worried about booking with them, they are still making money and they are looking to make quite a large profit this year!

Withabix (and anyone else) is able to access information widely available on the Internet. If you're not sure where to start, try Googling the airline's name together with the initials CAA. Or try this link, one of many explanations of what happened:

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2007/10/19/liverpool-s-flyglobespan-new-york-route-loses-safety-licence-64375-19975182/

Withabix (and anyone else) is equally able to access information from consumers about this particular airline. One objective information source -- and up to date -- is here:

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/flygspan.htm

You may also wish to note that FlyGlobespan's SKYTRAX ratings were withdrawn and then entirely suspended. The reason, given by Skytrax, is:

"This was due to the ongoing concerns about Flyglobespan product and service inconsistency which made the application of (an airline) Star Rating too inaccurate to be sustained."

The airline's Public Relations management may still be robust (after all, the information source you are quoting emanates from that department) but Flyglobespan's reputation with consumers past and present, the £20 million loss it racked up last year before fuel prices soared, and the history of its dealings with the Civil Aviation Authority haven't exactly endeared it to everyone.

However, it's the stupidity of these betting sites that are aiding in the downfall of these airlines. If no-one was discussing which airline was next to go, you wouldn't have people afraid to book due to speculation....and sales wouldn't be going down. I honestly can't believe that people are making bets and hoping that thousands of people lose their jobs. It actually makes me feel sick. As I read somewhere else, these people have more money than morals.

Press release: http://www.sundayherald.com/business/businessnews/display.var.2442221.0.flyglobespan_in_great_shape_despite_industry_slump.php

I entirely agree. And I sincerely hope Jet2, which made £30 million profit last year yet nevertheless wound up on the Paddypower betting list, has taken legal action to ensure it pockets several more £millions from the pseudonymous Irish moron. And puts it, deservedly, out of business.

That kind of venal speculation, however, shouldn't be confused with the right of any MSE member to post to an issue which involves both money saving and consumer awareness. So although I had no time for the betting list or those who patronised it, I've yet to see anything to make me revise my own opinion of Flyglobespan's quality of service, consistency or reliability.

David_Bicker

whatusername wrote: »

Im going with Globespan next summer to Florida and protectmyholiday.com do not cover Globespan which is a worry. Also for info they do not cover anything over 6 months away so it's best to check some of this out. I have a package with a car and flight so im ATOL covered thankfully but i'd rather have my holiday as it is without worrying rather than get my refund and have to re book.

Here's hoping Globespan get through, i see no news to suggest they are struggling and can't see why the bookies have them next favourite to go.

We shall see, nothing we can do about it anyway i suppose.

Many a airline review site has all this information. Try the Skytrax website for reviews as a starter:

• Always late (by a lot)
• Changing schedules last minute and not telling people
• Very old planes (so cost a lot to run)
• Apalling in-flight service

The group posted a huge operating loss last year and their balance sheet is not the healthiest around.

They had an operating licence taken away recently due to poor maintenance (reinstated now though).

I'd say that all that is evidence that the airline is not the best in the world and its reputation is suffering as a result. I'm sure there is more out there on them, I just haven't had the chance to look for it.

codger

David_Bicker wrote: »

I'd say that all that is evidence that the airline is not the best in the world and its reputation is suffering as a result. I'm sure there is more out there on them, I just haven't had the chance to look for it.

If you're a member of PPRuNE, there's been many an insight there into Flyglobespan's operations:

http://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/308244-flyglobespan-7-a-65.html

What's particularly notable about PPRuNE is that, generally, it doesn't see any fun in death-wishes. Contributors have friends, ex colleagues, and in some cases, relatives working for airlines which pop into the debating spot-light. If the word 'consensus' can ever be used with a forum as lively, and as knowledgable, as PPRuNE, then the consensus where FlyGlobespan's concerned is for it to get its act together. It's had long enough, after all.

WiseInvestor_2

mrposhman wrote: »

I reckon the next 2 and they may be the last 2 despite what willie walsh has to say, will be alitalia and globespan

Oh there'll be more. That's a certainty.

XL was the 31st airline to go under in 2008 :eek:

paddypuma

codger wrote: »

Withabix (and anyone else) is able to access information widely available on the Internet. If you're not sure where to start, try Googling the airline's name together with the initials CAA. Or try this link, one of many explanations of what happened:

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2007/10/19/liverpool-s-flyglobespan-new-york-route-loses-safety-licence-64375-19975182/

Withabix (and anyone else) is equally able to access information from consumers about this particular airline. One objective information source -- and up to date -- is here:

http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/flygspan.htm

You may also wish to note that FlyGlobespan's SKYTRAX ratings were withdrawn and then entirely suspended. The reason, given by Skytrax, is:

"This was due to the ongoing concerns about Flyglobespan product and service inconsistency which made the application of (an airline) Star Rating too inaccurate to be sustained."

The airline's Public Relations management may still be robust (after all, the information source you are quoting emanates from that department) but Flyglobespan's reputation with consumers past and present, the £20 million loss it racked up last year before fuel prices soared, and the history of its dealings with the Civil Aviation Authority haven't exactly endeared it to everyone.

I don't need to google the internet to know that you're posting old news from well over a year ago! Globesopan had their ETOPS licence suspended for two weeks and was then reinstated for some of its fleet by the CAA. Also, they were fined £5,000 (yes, five thousand) for that safety breach in which they flew from New York with 'faulty instruments'. Yes, Globespan could have handled it better but I'm sure that if there was a massive threat to life, the airline would have been shut down immediately or fined a much greater amount.

Also, I don't pay any attention to bad reviews on forums. Most people would admit that they would sooner write to complain about bad service rather than write to compliment good service.

codger

paddypuma wrote: »

Also, I don't pay any attention to bad reviews on forums. Most people would admit that they would sooner write to complain about bad service rather than write to compliment good service.

I agree. Human nature is fickle. And taking forum posts as Gospel in any subject merits the exercise of commonsense.

Nevertheless it's fair comment to contrast the content of the FlyGlobespan Press Release with the content of posts from FlyGlobespan customers in the airlinequality.com forum.

The airline apparently has new management (about time, too), healthy forward bookings (a fact Paddypower could easily have gleaned from the CAA's analysis of ATOL holder business by volume, yet couldn't be bothered to do) and at a time when many another operator is looking at a dismal winter, has instead secured a lucrative Ministry of Defence sub-contract to service The Falkland Islands.

Only those, as you rightly say, with more interest in money than morals would get excited at the prospect of any company going bust, regardless of the implications for jobs and careers and families.

But the real issue isn't about FlyGlobespan's solvency. Rather it's about those matters which led to its Skytrax star ratings being permanently suspended --matters which, to judge from passenger experiences, it still hasn't fully resolved. Hopefully it will. And soon.

paddypuma

Again, I don't take too much notice of those sites. Especially when you see people posting 1 star for the service they recieved and others from the same flight posting 3 or 4. It's not entirely accurate.

dklunan

Word on the street is that Globespan and Jet2 are both unlikely to see christmas apparently

paddypuma

What reliable source did you get this word on the street from?