VLM Airlines news 2014-2015

[FLYAIR10]

Antwerp (and VLM) is getting quite some coverage in the media in the Southampton region .
All in support of the new route. Hopefully this will have some beneficial effect on the LF.

See link.

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update ... o-antwerp/

[sn26567]

AWDC and FLY VLM announce discount for registered Antwerp diamond companies

AWDC and FLY VLM are pleased to announce that as of 29 June 2015, all staff members of registered Antwerp diamond companies who travel with FLY VLM can enjoy a discount of up to 12% off the standard rates for flights to Antwerp and Geneva. The agreement was signed for a period of one year.Flight reservations may be made through the following travel agencies:

• MSD Travel
• Omnia First Class Travel
• HRG

[air belgium]

Still no news about SSJ 100 aircraft for VLM? Or will it be only a dream?

[airazurxtror]

VLM Airlines, who commenced services at Waterford Airport to London Luton and to Birmingham in late April, have announced that they will continue these flights into the autumn/winter period. The current schedule on Waterford-London Luton and Waterford-Birmingham will continue to operate until late November, whereupon the winter schedule will begin and continue through to early March of next year.

The airline is currently flying twice-daily Waterford-London Luton services from Monday to Friday, as well as providing a Saturday and Sunday service with a Fokker 50 aircraft that has a capacity for up to 50 passengers. VLM also operates a four times a week service from Waterford to Birmingham.

Underpinning its commitment to the airport, VLM is in the process of recruiting local cabin crew at Waterford.

http://flyinginireland.com/2015/08/vlm- ... waterford/

[Boeing767copilot]

VLM Airlines will this October be launching 3x weekly scheduled flights between Antwerp and Birmingham.

[Boavida]

Just wondering: is VLM planning to keep this boring, almost generic white livery?



I always thought the beautiful blue birds would return...

[VLM_Antwerp]

They Will keep the all white livery for a while. It are just stickers, no paintjob needed. So iT's a lot cheaper, first of all it is important they become profitable on all routes, and That's not the case right now.

[airazurxtror]

VLM Airlines has significantly expanded the distribution of its schedules and fares by joining IATA’s Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) across 10 countries – Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain and Greece.
VLM Airlines’ flights will be displayed on all major GDSs, with content going live on Amadeus immediately, on Sabre by the end of the month, and on Galileo and Worldspan in the second half of October.

http://www.incentivetravel.co.uk/news/a ... stribution




[sn26567]

VLM Airlines’ flights will be displayed on all major GDSs, with content going live on Amadeus immediately, on Sabre by the end of the month, and on Galileo and Worldspan in the second half of October.


Not too soon! Why haven't they started doing that immediately? That might have avoided the disastrous Liège failure.

[Acid-drop]

For sure...

[Flanker2]

I don't know what they were smoking when they decided to go for LGG, and I think that subscribing to the aforementionned service would only have marginally delayed the inevitable.
Trial and error is a good way to develop oneself, but there's trial and there's playing russian roulette with a fully loaded gun.
Can't VG develop itself at BRU working as an independent feeder codesharing with longhaul airlines? I know that they have ambitions of their own, but with SN that's phasing out the Avro's and with so many regional opportunities that VG can serve more efficiently, they might as well cooperate instead of competing.

[AAI]

in LGG and BRU, there are other airlines
VLM has to concentrate on ANR and be strong in their niche!

[Flanker2]

The problem with ANR is that most people living or working in ANR immediately start searching out of BRU or even CRL before even considering ANR. Developing that niche is kind of a lost cause, unless they have huge marketing budgets and a huge network to offer.

I think that they could offer a regional network out of BRU and interline/codeshare with longhaul flights and SN. That would enable them to offer a unique formula in Europe, linking regional destinations all over Europe to BRU. It would be win-win for everyone.
1. Win for BRU: more attractive for longhaul carriers as more regional destinations will be linked, more intra-Europe connections
2. Win for SN: bigger regional offering allowing them to increase the intra-Europe and longhaul connections, one less competitor on main routes such as GVA. Less risk for them and they can even let the wetleases go in favor of a coop with VG. Cf. previous discussions in https://www.aviation24.be/forums/viewtopic ... 14&t=49531
3. Win for VG: a stable business and niche, wherein they can also sell tickets themselves, without the pressure/risk of having to fill all seats by themselves. If done right, with SN as main partner but without any alliance bias offering feeding services to any airline seeking them, it could work.

Sure VG lose ANR, but ANR was never a core business for VG in the first place. It was always about LCY and now they don't even have that, so unless they have masses of marketing budget, survival will be tough as a stand-alone with ANR as hub.

[b720]

They were code sharing anr-gva and BRU - Lcy with sabena Pre 2002.. Partnership must have worked as those routes were axed after sabena s bankruptcy.

[jan_olieslagers]

ANR was never a core business for VG

Any facts to support this? It seems a bold statement.

[Acid-drop]

Why try LGG or other loactions ?
Maybe just for the same reason as ryanair 15years ago... To get their share of the subsidies cake

[Passenger]

Sure VG lose ANR, but ANR was never a core business for VG in the first place. It was always about LCY and now they don't even have that, so unless they have masses of marketing budget, survival will be tough as a stand-alone with ANR as hub.

Any facts to support this? It seems a bold statement.

On a sidenote: I've edited jan_olieslagers' initial post because a quote from Flanker2 was edited by both deleting the poster's name and by cutting in the phrase.

Anyway, Flanker2 indeed gives proof that he missed the company strategy change, in 2014, within VLM Airlines. On top of that, Flanker2 apparently wants to proof on a daily basis that he really really works in the trade, by an abundant use of abbreviations. In this case, abbreviation VG is used for both CityJet and VLM Airlines. Hence the bold but very wrong statement indeed.

Regarding the "masses of marketing budget": when Ingeborg Gillegot believes in VLM Airlines, who am I to doubt about it...

[jan_olieslagers]

@Passenger: thanks for your good intentions, however it should be clear I only wanted to question the part I quoted, not the rest of the (doubtlessly well informed) statement. Nor does it matter to me who posted it, I wanted to question the words, not the poster. As, I believe, is correct forum manners. Whether the words were posted by Janneke or by Mieke is totally irrelevant.

[Flanker2]

Anyway, Flanker2 indeed gives proof that he missed the company strategy change, in 2014, within VLM Airlines. On top of that, Flanker2 apparently wants to proof on a daily basis that he really really works in the trade, by an abundant use of abbreviations. In this case, abbreviation VG is used for both CityJet and VLM Airlines. Hence the bold but very wrong statement indeed.

I don't work in the trade anymore, I'm just informed and keep myself up to date, so I don't really want to prove anything. VG has always been VLM's abbreviation, so I don't understand what you're getting at.
What the company strategy is, I've read and understood it. I'm saying that with that strategy, they're eventually going to run out of money, because it's a bad strategy that requires a lot of capital and may still not work. The attempt at LGG shows that management is clearly looking for a new niche, but imo they don't have a good enough insight. Everyone on Luchtzak had seen the failure in LGG coming, so...

I'm suggesting a new strategy/niche... whether Mr. White and co want to adopt it, is their choice, it's their money after all.

ANR was never a core business for VG

Any facts to support this? It seems a bold statement.

Yes. At its best, before the AF/Cityjet buy-out, VG operated only 2 routes out of ANR: LCY and MAN.
LCY has always been their reverse hub. ANR was the operational base, but it was not the hub of VG.
Heck, they even operated to LCY out of BRU, remember?

The limiting factor will be the short runway and the fact that RJ's that can use that runway can't reach the low CASM of A320/B737 aircraft. This makes it difficult to offer low fares out of ANR to main cities across Europe.

To make ANR a competitive hub, they need to have a runway that can support mainline operations and the support of the locals. I don't see either happening.

[sn26567]

To make ANR a competitive hub, they need to have a runway that can support mainline operations and the support of the locals. I don't see either happening.

It could have happened if the plans to relocate the airport further away from the city (in a place where they could have built a longer runway) had been implemented. But at the current location, indeed, there is no way to increase the length of the runway. Would the solution be in a new type of STOL aircraft?