bmi - Love Them or Hate Them?

[DTVAirport]

What's your opinion on this great airline? (Give reasons)

[janni-chan]

Never flown them, don't know. My first flight with them is this november (CPH-MAN) but the flight is operated by SAS, so honestly: no idea. I voted "in the middle"

[Squeaky]

BMI are a great airline and i have always enjoyed flying with them but if they keep making stupid, thoughtless decisions concerning the long haul routes i may change my vote to "HATE THEM!!"

Squeaky

[DTVAirport]

BMI are a great airline and i have always enjoyed flying with them but if they keep making stupid, thoughtless decisions concerning the long haul routes i may change my vote to "HATE THEM!!"

Squeaky

Example?

[Squeaky]

Example?

1) The decision to fly to India from LHR in direct competition with 4 other major carriers. BMI have the smallest aircraft on the BOM route and were initially denied a daily service so they were not only losing money but also potential customers.

2) Moving the 332 to LHR and MAN getting that stupid 757. Passengers didnt lie it so numbers dropped.

3) Flying to Riyadh- BA couldnt make it- BMI dont have the same worldwide reputation.

4) MAN going to get a 767 so they can put another 332 in LHR

5) Thinking London is the centre of the universe when they were doing exceptionally well out of MAN- plus wanting to go to Jeddah, BMI are going to be a highly specialised airline out of LHR but with a different buisness modle for there and completely different ones out of MAN. Can they think straight at the minute??

Squeaky

[AA 1818]

I have flown them once, and I loved them. But I agree that a stupid decision (to allow cellphone usage on flight ... which they are testing currently) is going to piss me off and make me dislike them.

[DTVAirport]

1) The decision to fly to India from LHR in direct competition with 4 other major carriers. BMI have the smallest aircraft on the BOM route and were initially denied a daily service so they were not only losing money but also potential customers.

2) Moving the 332 to LHR and MAN getting that stupid 757. Passengers didnt lie it so numbers dropped.

3) Flying to Riyadh- BA couldnt make it- BMI dont have the same worldwide reputation.

4) MAN going to get a 767 so they can put another 332 in LHR

5) Thinking London is the centre of the universe when they were doing exceptionally well out of MAN- plus wanting to go to Jeddah, BMI are going to be a highly specialised airline out of LHR but with a different buisness modle for there and completely different ones out of MAN. Can they think straight at the minute??

Squeaky

1) So what if there's alot of competition, as long as there's enough pax, which there should be.

2) Yes, the 757 was a mistake, but the fourth A330 from Emirates should mean that the 757 gets returned.

3) As for Riyadh, reputation doesn't matter as most of their custom on that route will be British anyway, I can't see that route failing.

4) So what if they're getting a 767? It's the Boeing equivalent to the A330 anyway so there won't be too much difference.

5) They're still doing exceptionally well out of MAN, but LHR is where the real money is so it's just logical for them to expand there, expecially to places like JED.

[HS-TGY]

Looks like I am the only one (at the moment) who actually hates bmi.

I have only flown with the airline on three return flights before, all from London Heathrow and twice to Glasgow and once to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle. All of these flights were taken between June 2004 and June 2005, so a couple of months before their ludicrious inflight service changes came into effect. Before they made these changes, I was a huge fan of the airline and their very competitive fares.

But one might have expected that with the withdrawal of inflight service, passengers would see a small reduction in air fares, but I haven't seen any as of yet. The airline continues to sell its flights on its websites for the same prices that they were when inflight service was included. For example, Paris is said to be from £33 one way. I paid £67 return.

And within just 8 weeks of doing away with short haul inflight service, the airline announces that those passengers travelling in economy on long haul services are going to be charged for snacks and beverages! And let's face it, bmi's long haul flights are far from the cheapest in the world.

And as well as that, I cannot imagine how disappointed I would have been if I had booked to travel on an A330 across the Atlantic with good quality inflight entertainment and then ended up on an Icelandair 757 with... nothing!

I believe that bmi is one airline that has got a lot to learn!

[DTVAirport]

Looks like I am the only one (at the moment) who actually hates bmi.

I have only flown with the airline on three return flights before, all from London Heathrow and twice to Glasgow and once to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle. All of these flights were taken between June 2004 and June 2005, so a couple of months before their ludicrious inflight service changes came into effect. Before they made these changes, I was a huge fan of the airline and their very competitive fares.

But one might have expected that with the withdrawal of inflight service, passengers would see a small reduction in air fares, but I haven't seen any as of yet. The airline continues to sell its flights on its websites for the same prices that they were when inflight service was included. For example, Paris is said to be from £33 one way. I paid £67 return.

And within just 8 weeks of doing away with short haul inflight service, the airline announces that those passengers travelling in economy on long haul services are going to be charged for snacks and beverages! And let's face it, bmi's long haul flights are far from the cheapest in the world.

And as well as that, I cannot imagine how disappointed I would have been if I had booked to travel on an A330 across the Atlantic with good quality inflight entertainment and then ended up on an Icelandair 757 with... nothing!

I believe that bmi is one airline that has got a lot to learn!

bmi probably feel the same way as you! They're being forced to make decisions like these to remain profitable, anyway, I don't think the inflight entertainment will be gone for long, and the 757 is going soon as well, so things SHOULD pick up!

[Crunk415balla]

I'm in the middle as I never flew them. But they are my favorite UK carrier.

[gdg9]

bmi

Took a nice flight on BMI last January (04) from LHR to CDG. Great flight, the plane was about half full so I had plenty of room to stretch out. Nice stewardesses too. The only problem I had was that my bags did not get shipped on my flight, which arrived around 7p in Paris. I did not get the bags until 5p the next day, but that was blamed on CDG. Who knows, you get what you pay for, it was a cheap fare. I'd fly them again.

[FlyingPhotog]

I've never flown them so I'm in the middle.

[DTVAirport]

I've only ever flown them once, and I was too young to remember it, so I'd love to fly them again some day, but I worry it would change my opinion of them for the worse, doubt it though.