Bmibaby
Encyclopedia
Bmibaby Limited is a small British
low-cost airline and a subsidiary of British Midland International. It flies to destinations in the UK and Europe
from its bases at Belfast-City, Birmingham and East Midlands airports.
In October 2011 the airline closed its bases at Cardiff and Manchester and opened a new base at Belfast-City. The airline will expand at all three of its bases for the summer 2012 as a result of the closure of its Cardiff and Manchester bases.
Bmibaby holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, and is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.
.
Continued expansion for the airline led to it opening further bases at Cardiff in October 2002, Manchester in May 2003, Durham Tees Valley
in October 2003 and Birmingham in January 2005. Insufficient passenger numbers led to the closure of the Durham Tees Valley base in 2006.
On 1 March 2007, the airline announced an initiative for business travellers with an 'only choose what you need' approach, allowing passengers the option to choose from a range of services such as ticket flexibility, executive lounge access and on-line check in, and only pay for the services they used. The company also announced that BMI's frequent flyers could now gain Diamond Club miles.
By 2007, bmibaby had nine Boeing 737 aircraft based at Birmingham Airport, making it their biggest base, however in December 2008 the airline announced that it would be suspending five routes from the airport as a result of a reduction in the number of customers booking city-breaks.
Further cuts were announced in November 2009 when it was announced that the fleet would be reduced from 17 to 12 aircraft in 2010, with up to 158 jobs at risk of redundancy. The airline said the action was necessary to stem record losses and that it would focus on growth routes best fit for the business. The airline however has 14 aircraft in its fleet at present.
In April 2011, bmibaby announced it would close its bases at Cardiff and Manchester Airports in October 2011 to increase services at Birmingham and East Midlands Airports as well as opening a new base at Belfast-City Airport.
In May 2011, bmibaby launched what it called the first European airline loyalty programme tied into a location based social network. Passengers use the Gowalla
smartphone application at Bmibaby check-in desks to collect points.
, Glasgow-International, Jersey
, London-Stansted
and Newquay from East Midlands with the exception of the London-Stansted route which goes from Belfast-City. The Birmingham base is unique in that it has no BmiBaby services to any UK destination airport although both Birmingham and East Midlands are served from the Belfast-City base and are the only two routes in the airlines route network which fly between two bases. Other popular destinations served by the airline are within France
, Italy
, Netherlands
, Portugal
and Spain
with several other countries also being served by the airline. Alicante
, Amsterdam, Faro
, Geneva, Malaga
and Palma de Mallorca
are the only destinations that are served by all three bases although only Amsterdam is served by all three bases all year round. To view all destinations that BmiBaby fly to or are soon to fly to, click the "Bmibaby destinations" link below.
Several aircraft have names with the word baby in the title.
programme with variety of items to purchase onboard including scratch-cards, tax-free toys and fragrances, gifts as well as hot & cold drinks, snacks, and sandwiches. On non-EU flights, Duty free priced cigarettes and Spirits can be purchased. The Drinks and Snack menu is named the 'Tiny Bites' menu. The bmibaby inflight magazine is known as Yeah baby!.
The majority of bmibaby's cabins have shaded blue leather seating with a 28/30" seat pitch. Extra legroom seats will be found on the front rows and on over wing exit rows of all the bmibaby 737 aircraft.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
low-cost airline and a subsidiary of British Midland International. It flies to destinations in the UK and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from its bases at Belfast-City, Birmingham and East Midlands airports.
In October 2011 the airline closed its bases at Cardiff and Manchester and opened a new base at Belfast-City. The airline will expand at all three of its bases for the summer 2012 as a result of the closure of its Cardiff and Manchester bases.
Bmibaby holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, and is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.
History
The airline was established on 24 January 2002 and started operations on 22 March 2002 with a flight between East Midlands and MálagaMálaga Airport
Málaga Airport , also known as Malaga Costa Del Sol Airport and Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport, is the fourth busiest airport in Spain after Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. It is an important airport for Spanish tourism as it is the main international airport serving the Costa Del Sol....
.
Continued expansion for the airline led to it opening further bases at Cardiff in October 2002, Manchester in May 2003, Durham Tees Valley
Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...
in October 2003 and Birmingham in January 2005. Insufficient passenger numbers led to the closure of the Durham Tees Valley base in 2006.
On 1 March 2007, the airline announced an initiative for business travellers with an 'only choose what you need' approach, allowing passengers the option to choose from a range of services such as ticket flexibility, executive lounge access and on-line check in, and only pay for the services they used. The company also announced that BMI's frequent flyers could now gain Diamond Club miles.
By 2007, bmibaby had nine Boeing 737 aircraft based at Birmingham Airport, making it their biggest base, however in December 2008 the airline announced that it would be suspending five routes from the airport as a result of a reduction in the number of customers booking city-breaks.
Further cuts were announced in November 2009 when it was announced that the fleet would be reduced from 17 to 12 aircraft in 2010, with up to 158 jobs at risk of redundancy. The airline said the action was necessary to stem record losses and that it would focus on growth routes best fit for the business. The airline however has 14 aircraft in its fleet at present.
In April 2011, bmibaby announced it would close its bases at Cardiff and Manchester Airports in October 2011 to increase services at Birmingham and East Midlands Airports as well as opening a new base at Belfast-City Airport.
In May 2011, bmibaby launched what it called the first European airline loyalty programme tied into a location based social network. Passengers use the Gowalla
Gowalla
Gowalla is a location-based social network. Users 'check in' at Spots in their local vicinity, either through a dedicated mobile application or through the mobile website. As a reward users will sometimes receive virtual "items" from check-ins. Items have developed to become a promotional tool for...
smartphone application at Bmibaby check-in desks to collect points.
Destinations
BmiBaby flies to over 40 airports throughout the UK and Europe from its three bases, all within the UK. The airline, in fact, flies to eight UK airports although only having a base at three of them with services into EdinburghEdinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements...
, Glasgow-International, Jersey
Jersey Airport
-Busiest routes:Some airlines offer services between Jersey and other destinations with an intermediate stop at Guernsey. There are also periodic charter flights to European holiday destinations, Madeira and ski destinations operated by airlines such as Aurigny Air Services, Europe Airpost, Palmair...
, London-Stansted
London Stansted Airport
-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...
and Newquay from East Midlands with the exception of the London-Stansted route which goes from Belfast-City. The Birmingham base is unique in that it has no BmiBaby services to any UK destination airport although both Birmingham and East Midlands are served from the Belfast-City base and are the only two routes in the airlines route network which fly between two bases. Other popular destinations served by the airline are within France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with several other countries also being served by the airline. Alicante
Alicante Airport
Alicante Airport , , originally named El Altet, is the sixth busiest airport in Spain, and the main airport for the Province of Alicante and the Region of Murcia. The airport is situated southwest of Alicante and east of Elche in the municipality of Elche on Mediterranean coast. Up to eighty...
, Amsterdam, Faro
Faro Airport
-Incidents and accidents:*On 21 December 1992, Martinair Flight 495 skidded off the runway in bad weather at Faro Airport killing 54 passengers and two crew out of a total of 340 people on board....
, Geneva, Malaga
Málaga Airport
Málaga Airport , also known as Malaga Costa Del Sol Airport and Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport, is the fourth busiest airport in Spain after Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. It is an important airport for Spanish tourism as it is the main international airport serving the Costa Del Sol....
and Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca Airport
Palma de Mallorca Airport is an airport located east of Palma, Majorca, adjacent to the village of Can Pastilla. Also known as Son Sant Joan Airport or Aeroport de Son Sant Joan, it is the third largest airport in Spain, after Madrid's Barajas Airport and Barcelona Airport...
are the only destinations that are served by all three bases although only Amsterdam is served by all three bases all year round. To view all destinations that BmiBaby fly to or are soon to fly to, click the "Bmibaby destinations" link below.
Fleet
The bmibaby fleet consists of the following aircraft in an all-economy class (as of June 2011):Several aircraft have names with the word baby in the title.
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (Economy) |
Average Age (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new... |
12 | 148 | 14.7 |
| Boeing 737-500 Boeing 737 Classic The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new... |
2 | 131 | 18.0 |
| Total | 14 | - | 15.2 |
Services
bmibaby offers a buy on boardBuy on board
In commercial flight, buy on board is a system where food or beverages are paid for on board; often food or beverages are not included in the ticket price for certain fare classes....
programme with variety of items to purchase onboard including scratch-cards, tax-free toys and fragrances, gifts as well as hot & cold drinks, snacks, and sandwiches. On non-EU flights, Duty free priced cigarettes and Spirits can be purchased. The Drinks and Snack menu is named the 'Tiny Bites' menu. The bmibaby inflight magazine is known as Yeah baby!.
The majority of bmibaby's cabins have shaded blue leather seating with a 28/30" seat pitch. Extra legroom seats will be found on the front rows and on over wing exit rows of all the bmibaby 737 aircraft.