Name VLM Airlines disappears

[Boeing767copilot]

Sorry, only in Dutch
source: Travel Magazine Aviation Newsletter online

De naam VLM Airlines verdwijnt volgend jaar op de vliegtuigen van de van oorsprong Vlaamse luchtvaartmaatschappij. Dat is donderdag bekendgemaakt op een persconferentie in Londen. Anderhalf jaar geleden kwam VLM na een overname in handen van de Frans-Nederlandse luchtvaartgroep Air France-KLM. VLM Airlines dat vanuit Antwerpen en Brussel voornamelijk naar Londen vliegt met kleine Fokker 50 vliegtuigen werd ruim vijftien jaar geleden opgericht door Freddy Van Gaever. Vanaf vandaag zal de merknaam VLM Airlines langzaam verdwijnen. Vanaf volgend jaar zal de naam van zusteronderneming CityJet als gemeenschappelijk merknaam worden gehanteerd. De twee luchtvaartmaatschappijen blijven evenwel werken onder hun respectievelijke air operator’s certificates (AOC). De top van beide luchtvaartmaatschappijen kondigde ook aan dat de Air France-KLM Groep het management vrije hand heeft gegeven om het London City-netwerk verder uit te bouwen met aandacht voor zowel de zakelijke als de toeristische markt.

[SabenaForever]

What a shame!!!

[Shanti]

Really sad

[JAFflyer]

Another piece of history gone... very, very, very sad... It will only take some time before the Flemish identity of VLM will disappear too.

[jan_olieslagers]

Sad indeed. But it is not the first time this happens: remember Delta Air Transport? Now THAT was a sad story!
Worse indeed that sooner or later jobs will be lost at Antwerp Airport.

[Atlantis]

Again a good Belgian product that will disappear. An airline with good black figures and year after year very nice pax figures. The management will also gone and replaced.

[cathay belgium]

A real shame, for belgium,flanders and antwerp..
We will miss it..
Another great belgian brand/ history to disappear..

[an-148]

did someone expect something else when AF-KLM bought the company?

[FLYAIR10]

Again a good Belgian product that will disappear. An airline with good black figures and year after year very nice pax figures. The management will also gone and replaced.

It's indeed what could have been expected when Air France took over VLM. I just don't understand they give up a strong brand.

As VLM>Cityjet will forget its roots it will soon be time for others to set up new Belgian airline ventures.. Is the brandname "VLM" patentprotected? Call Freddy to do something?

Grtz . Flyair10

[Gliderpilot]

Belgian? Flemish! What do you think the 'V' means?

When AF (or cityjet) took over VLM, it was quite clear the the VLM brand was going to dissappear.

[b-west]

Every Flemish company is by definition a Belgian company, as Flanders is but an administrative region in Belgium (one with delusions of grandeur perhaps, but that's just a personal opinion).

Still, sad to see them go. But not unexpected at all.

[an-148]

sad to see them go

as far as we can see, they don't go....they only rebrand: IMHO, they will continue to operate what is connected with profit !! (and increase the presence in LCY, so there is no other worry than the lost of the regional name (maybe too restrictive for the new owner? who knows? but no other reason to be so pessimistic, or? at least for the moment being)

[Air Key West]

To every cloud there is a silver shining : probably when ex VLM becomes CityJet, we will get miles (even maybe status miles) on Flying Blue. That would be a perk compared to VLM's frequent travelers program. Or not ?

[apu-on]

Don't worry or be frustrated VLM and DAT nostalgics : you still have brussels airlines, "DE GEEST VAN VLAANDEREN" airline by excellence !

[Megaman]

Until brussels airlines is renamed Lufthansa Brussels or something of the sort.

[Shanti]

or Lufthansa Belgium (see Lufthansa Italia)

[airazurxtror]

When VLM was sold to another (larger) company, it was to be expected that the "VLM" trade mark would not last for long. The same happened not so long ago with Virgin Express ....

[galaxy]

or Lufthansa Belgium (see Lufthansa Italia)

Why not Troud ' Air or Luchtzakèr ?

[refledge]

Although I don't like the name and roots to disappear, we might as well look at this from a more positive side. Maybe we will see more other aircraft types at Deurne like the Avro or Dornier from CityJet combined with the current F50's. At least I hope this will happen and not the disappearence from the activities in Deurne.

[favourite_belgian]

Every Flemish company is by definition a Belgian company, as Flanders is but an administrative region in Belgium (one with delusions of grandeur perhaps, but that's just a personal opinion).

Still, sad to see them go. But not unexpected at all.

Sorry, can't resist this one: and isn't every Belgian company by definition not French as Belgium is but an administrative region in France?