VLM Airlines news 2016

[SLM]

How many flight attendants has VLM?

[Inquirer]

Unions not very optimistic:

http://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/luchtvaar ... 1463154677

According to De Tijd, unions are not very optimistic about the chances of being granted the demanded protection from creditors. They point to the many strategic and commercial decisions from management, and say any restructuring focusing on just salaries alone would be wasted money. Load factor stood on average at must 30%, whereas they need 60% to break even.

[Passenger]

Unions not very optimistic:

http://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/luchtvaar ... 1463154677

According to De Tijd, unions are not very optimistic about the chances of being granted the demanded protection from creditors. They point to the many strategic and commercial decisions from management, and say any restructuring focusing on just salaries alone would be wasted money. Load factor stood on average at must 30%, whereas they need 60% to break even.

The unions are pissed off because they were not informed by management and/or owners about the request for Wet Continuïteit Ondernemingen / Loi Continué des Entreprises. They've only learned it today, during the Ondernemingsraad / Conseil d'Entreprise. Such ignorance by the trade union delegates is very unpleasant, given the social elections ongoing at this very moment.

[saratoga]

Even if the company goes bankrupt, i don't inderstand that someone is going to invest in the company and continue operations.

What did Richard Branson once said on the question how to become a millionaire??

[Didymus]

Why not? If the new entity can reestablish the ACMI contracts with the partners (Cityjet, Vizion Air), I think a small operation could successfully continue. The current situation seems to be mainly the result of the extremely risky ventures taken by the current management last year.

[carllegein]

Vizion air will in any case support sending business to VLM, and if not with this management we will fight to get VLM back on track. We accumulated a lot of business throughout Europe for the Fokker 50 and we will try to keep this business for VLM, or a New VLM.
"If you can dream it you can achieve it"

[Shengenzone]

They could set up a crowdfunding to get some hard needed cash.

[Avnu]

Hmm, it really sounds like VLM could do well to return to a smaller, less ambitious operation that brings things back to basic; run by someone who knows the company and its (potential) partners well and has good connections in the (Belgian) aviation world. I wonder who that could be?

[AAI]

Carl,
right you are
let us fight for a VLM at ANR
a VLM that concentrates herself at 1 APT, ANR,her homebase, and grows step by step
and specializes herself in ACMI on top of that

[cathay belgium]

Hi,

Crowdfunding won't heal a dying thing...
VLM proved itself that they couldn't work from ANR,..
They can from Friederich...
Or they sell some Fokkers again and return to the very basics of trying to make some money..
Or give them a short painless end..
A company which can't make money has no meaning of existance.. is it a pub,bakery,butcher... or an airliner.
Pity as I believed in them in the beginning... but I lost my believe the moment they stopped GVA, if GVA didn't work out with almost 8 almost full A32S planes ( SN/U2 ) a day 30 minutes further ...

CXB

[FLYAIR10]

They could set up a crowdfunding to get some hard needed cash.

Then there must be some sort of transparant business plan.. They would have to demonstrate that they are
currently making at least an operational profit with all activities combined. (scheduled lines,ACMI,Charter,Vizion charter,...)

let us fight for a VLM at ANR

he guys why not an AVGEEk day trip Antwerp-Hamburg ,and back, to support VLM ...a bit..?

still a long way to go to fill the 6M EUR gap, but all bits and pieces may help to keep them running until there is a 'rescue' investor found, i guess

I wonder how their A/R account is monitored.. Are they collecting all the money they can themselves from their debtors...? Intersky the bankrupt airline they replaced in Friedrichshafen 'forgot' to invoice 1,4Million Euro,and that that was apparently only discovered after their bankruptcy..

[Shengenzone]

Hi,

Crowdfunding won't heal a dying thing...
VLM proved itself that they couldn't work from ANR,..
They can from Friederich...
Or they sell some Fokkers again and return to the very basics of trying to make some money..
Or give them a short painless end..
A company which can't make money has no meaning of existance.. is it a pub,bakery,butcher... or an airliner.
Pity as I believed in them in the beginning... but I lost my believe the moment they stopped GVA, if GVA didn't work out with almost 8 almost full A32S planes ( SN/U2 ) a day 30 minutes further ...

CXB

Well for me there is no need to stay in ANR if it works out for them in FDH i would rather see them move completely and then crowdfunding would give some breathingspace for the daily operations.

[sn26567]

Hmm, it really sounds like VLM could do well to return to a smaller, less ambitious operation that brings things back to basic; run by someone who knows the company and its (potential) partners well and has good connections in the (Belgian) aviation world. I wonder who that could be?

Thinking of Johan Vanneste? He has an airport to run now : LUX!

[Flanker2]

Carl,
right you are
let us fight for a VLM at ANR
a VLM that concentrates herself at 1 APT, ANR,her homebase, and grows step by step
and specializes herself in ACMI on top of that

That won't work because it requires too much capital and VG has none left. Who's going to invest in such a venture? It was successful before because over the years VLM oganically built a network out of LCY which was in high demand.


The only business case left for VLM is as a feeder for an established European network airline that requires regional feed. In Belgium there is only one and it's SN.
Becoming a feeder for SN is a perfect solution for all parties involved. People working at VG can easily work in BRU instead.

The only thing that could prevent such an obvious take over is the much expected, dreamed about, LH take-over. If LH is smart, they would ok it right away. But you know what I think about LH...
VLM doesn't fit in the whole Eurowings program. It doesn't fit under the LH Regional program either.
However, it makes a lot of sense under a stand-alone SN.

Just look at the map that VLM would open for SN

in the UK:


in the Netherlands:



Luxemburg

In France: too many to discuss.



Crowdfunding works for a one-time 5000 EUR operation, not when payroll alone is around half a million a month. Sure, there are exceptions, but they are usually for exceptional things. There is nothing exceptional about an ailing regional airline.

[Ozzie1969]

in the Netherlands:

BRU-EIN? 87 kilometers separate these two. Is anybody going to take a plane for such a short distance? It's not like there's a sea separating the two.

[Shengenzone]

Carl,
right you are
let us fight for a VLM at ANR
a VLM that concentrates herself at 1 APT, ANR,her homebase, and grows step by step
and specializes herself in ACMI on top of that

That won't work because it requires too much capital and VG has none left. Who's going to invest in such a venture? It was successful before because over the years VLM oganically built a network out of LCY which was in high demand.


The only business case left for VLM is as a feeder for an established European network airline that requires regional feed. In Belgium there is only one and it's SN.
Becoming a feeder for SN is a perfect solution for all parties involved. People working at VG can easily work in BRU instead.

The only thing that could prevent such an obvious take over is the much expected, dreamed about, LH take-over. If LH is smart, they would ok it right away. But you know what I think about LH...
VLM doesn't fit in the whole Eurowings program. It doesn't fit under the LH Regional program either.
However, it makes a lot of sense under a stand-alone SN.

Just look at the map that VLM would open for SN

in the UK:


in the Netherlands:



Luxemburg

In France: too many to discuss.



Crowdfunding works for a one-time 5000 EUR operation, not when payroll alone is around half a million a month. Sure, there are exceptions, but they are usually for exceptional things. There is nothing exceptional about an ailing regional airline.

I totally dissagree... Odyssey airlines gathered 6 million euros through crowdfunding in a month!
Nobody knew them and the only thing they had was a dodgy website!

[saratoga]

Perhaps we should dare now ask the question: is there really a demand of business people to fly out of ANR? How many times and years did we all hear that same old story that there is a potential because of the big Antwerp port and diamond industry? I admit, i also believed that story. But if there was really a potential, why was VLM never able to turn it into a success story? Why did they most of time started in scratching routes? Why did other operators (BMI,Flybe...) leave so fast? C'mon, past has proven the hard facts. Antwerp airport is good for private jets, but there is simply no demand for regional business flights. In my opinion they should focus on attracting more private jet operators and FBO's (sorry, that 1 private FBO :thumbdown: , sorry, could not leave it ).

That crowdfunding, is that a charity thing? Don't you think that people prefer to see the company get bankrupt rather than putting their own money in a bottomless barrel?

[Shengenzone]

Perhaps we should dare now ask the question: is there really a demand of business people to fly out of ANR? How many times and years did we all hear that same old story that there is a potential because of the big Antwerp port and diamond industry? I admit, i also believed that story. But if there was really a potential, why was VLM never able to turn it into a success story? Why did they most of time started in scratching routes? Why did other operators (BMI,Flybe...) leave so fast? C'mon, past has proven the hard facts. Antwerp airport is good for private jets, but there is simply no demand for regional business flights. In my opinion they should focus on attracting more private jet operators and FBO's (sorry, that 1 private FBO :thumbdown: , sorry, could not leave it ).

I know businnestraveller who take cityjet to london then go on a mad dash through the city to LHR to depart on their Oneworld flights... Maybe an LHR connection would be viable?
And i am sure more holidayflights out of ANR would work as well!

[convair]

Do we know how their Friedrichshafen operation is doing? Well enough to start new destinations?

With the F50, I think 1.5 to 2 h flights shoud be the maximum acceptable by business pax.

[Avnu]

Hmm, it really sounds like VLM could do well to return to a smaller, less ambitious operation that brings things back to basic; run by someone who knows the company and its (potential) partners well and has good connections in the (Belgian) aviation world. I wonder who that could be?

Thinking of Johan Vanneste? He has an airport to run now : LUX!

Further back in history even.