Flyglobespan
Encyclopedia
Flyglobespan was a British
low-cost airline
based in Edinburgh
, Scotland
. It formerly operated scheduled services from 5 airports across the UK and Ireland to destinations in Europe
, North America
, North Africa
and South Africa
. Its main bases were Glasgow International Airport
, Edinburgh Airport
and Aberdeen Airport
. The airline's slogan was "Award winning airline". It is now in administration due to financial problems and the airline declared bankruptcy on the 16th December 2009.
Because of the administration, Flyglobespan canceled all of its scheduled flights.
aircraft provided by Channel Express
on services from Glasgow Prestwick Airport and Edinburgh Airport
to five destinations in Spain
, France
and Italy
.
Globespan, an Edinburgh-based tour operator with over 30 years experience, already offered scheduled and charter flights, cruise travel, rail and coach travel, motor home and car rental, and hotel accommodation tailored for holidaymakers visiting destinations in Canada
, the USA
and Spain
. The scheduled flights, mainly to Canada, were operated by Air Transat
from airports throughout the UK, with Globespan acting as the booking agent and selling the flights under its own brand. In summer 2002, a similar arrangement was trialled between Edinburgh and Nice
, in the south of France
. This was to prove successful for Globespan, and led to the creation of its own no-frills
brand, Flyglobespan.
Services began in 2003 with aircraft and crews provided by Channel Express, though under the Flyglobespan brand with red and white livery
, offering irregular flights to European holiday destinations. The offshoot proved successful and flight frequencies were increased. At this point, the operator relocated from Prestwick to the larger Glasgow International Airport
, which is much closer to the population centres of Central Scotland, within months of commencing operation. In 2004 so it could operate its own aircraft, the Globespan Group bought the defunct airline operator Cougar Leasing along with its CAA Aircraft Operating Certificate
. Now with its own Operating Licence, expansion was swift for the new airline. New destinations were added to the network, including Prague
, where the airline faced competition from Czech Airlines
, and further points in Spain, including the Canary Islands
. CSA withdrew their Glasgow to Prague service on 1 August 2005.
By March 2005 the airline had grown to offer 15 destinations across Europe, with a fleet of 9 aircraft, of which 3 were bought new, and had tripled its passenger numbers to 1.5 million annually. Profits for the year ending October 2004 had risen from £2m in its first year to £3.7m, on a turnover of £98m.
BBC's
Watchdog
programme featured the airline for a second time on 28 November 2007, where the airline was primarily featured for complaints due to a flight stopping 600 miles before its destination because the cabin crew were up to their safety limit in working hours. The CAA suspension of the airline's ETOPS licence was also featured.
and Edinburgh
to London Stansted
- routes that were already operated by the much larger low fares carrier easyJet
, with much higher frequencies. However, these services were withdrawn in February 2006, together with plans to serve Bournemouth
from Edinburgh.
commenced in October 2005, though a new daily service between Glasgow and Amsterdam
, replacing the twice daily easyJet service between the two cities, was withdrawn in June 2006 due to low passenger numbers.
On 1 November 2005, Flyglobespan announced its first long haul service from Glasgow
to Orlando Sanford International Airport
in Florida
, US
. The service commenced in June 2006 and was operated by a Boeing 767
aircraft in a 3 class configuration. The three classes are Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class which includes 50 inch sleeper seats, gourmet food and wines. Alicante and Málaga services were upgraded to twice-daily throughout the summer for 2006, and Murcia was served daily. Fuerteventura was added to the winter 2006 schedule. Weekly services linking Glasgow
with Athens
and Heraklion
were launched in May 2006 for the summer season. In January 2006 Flyglobespan announced a 70% rise in pre-tax profits from the previous year.
In June 2006 the airline announced plans to operate out of Aberdeen Airport
now that 24 hour airport operation there had been confirmed. The first route to operate from Aberdeen was Tenerife, which commenced in winter 2006. It also announced routes to Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Murcia, Palma and Paphos, which commenced in summer 2007.
was added to the Flyglobespan network from November 2006, with flights to Tenerife. Also added is Liverpool's first connection with Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport
from May 2007. The airline also began Liverpool's first long haul flight, to New York
(JFK
), using Boeing 757-200 aircraft, daily in May 2007. However, after a long series of problems with the service, due largely to reliability problems with the route's sole aircraft, which resulted in repeated massive delays on the service Flyglobespan announced in early July that they would abandon the route in October of the same year, only 6 months after the service's inception.
Flights to Hamilton, Ontario
, Canada
from Manchester
started in November, with two of the three weekly flights. It also commenced a three times a week service from Manchester to Cape Town
, South Africa
on 4 November 2006, but this service was withdrawn at the end of the 2007 Summer season.
Flyglobespan started new services in May 2007 from Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport
, Canada to destinations in the UK and Ireland, including Doncaster-Sheffield Airport
; this was the first scheduled transatlantic flight to operate from the airport. Hamilton Airport is located between Toronto and nearby Niagara Falls, about 75 kilometres southwest, or an hour's drive from, Toronto's main Pearson International Airport. It should be noted that Hamilton Airport is about one hour away from Toronto's city centre whereas Mississauga's Pearson International Airport is about thirty minutes away.
Flyglobespan commenced services in May 2007 from Ireland West Airport Knock
to John F. Kennedy International Airport
with three services a week, and Boston Logan International Airport
twice a week. Some flights from Knock to New York (GSM 201/202) made unscheduled refuelling stops at a number of remote locations including Keflavik, Iceland (though this is exception, which they a major hub); Bangor, Maine; Stephenville and St Johns Newfoundland. These refueling stops were scheduled when a 737-800 was used instead of the usual 757-200.
Since 2007, Flyglobespan has had its Skytrax rating withdrawn and suspended due to "product and service inconsistancy". The airline had not regained its rating.
and XL
. From that point, credit card clearing company E-Clear
, whose CEO was Elias Elia, rather than paying the normal amounts of cash to Globespan, argued that in certain cases passengers could make valid claims against them via the credit card companies up to six months after having taken their flight. E-Clear hence held a greater amount of money paid through them to Globespan.
By October 2009, the amount of money owed by E-Clear to Globespan was in dispute, claimed later by Globespan to be £35M. After various discussions, Globespan asked E-Clear to agree to independent audit of the sums, which was turned down by E-Clear. Also at this point, a company called Halcyon Investments, the operational arm of an August 2008 Jersey
-based trust fund, offered to make a large investment in Globespan. Halcyon's investors included Elias Elia.
In November 2009 The Independent on Sunday reported that FlyGlobespan had required a 'last-ditch cash injection' as a result of cash flow difficulties caused following delays in payment by a credit card clearing company, E-Clear.
Concerns regarding the future of the airline resurfaced on 13 December 2009 when multiple newspapers reported that Flyglobespan has so far been unsuccessful in obtaining regulatory approval for the funding package from Halcyon Investments. The Guardian newspaper has suggested that Halcyon Investments is controlled by E-Clear
. The company stated it had "secured a financial investment package that will see Scotland's leading airline continue to prosper and grow".
appointed as the administrator. The last flight was GSM706 from Hurghada to Glasgow which landed at 2230 on 16 December.
On 19 January 2010 a High Court judge granted an administration order following a request from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), against credit card processing firm E-Clear UK, which handled all of Globespans Credit Card transactions.
Bruce Cartwright, Joint Administrator, of PricewaterhouseCoopers stated after E-Clear UK's Administration that it was clear the funds withheld from the Globespan Group were "no longer there".
to New York
and the Ireland West Airport Knock
service would be suspended for the winter season from October 30. The company gave the reason as poor passenger figures on the Liverpool flights, particularly inbound passengers from the United States
. The passenger figures for Ireland West Airport Knock
were higher than expected. The company also admitted to providing a poor operating service since the route was launched on 25 May 2007, which affected the passenger figures. The route will recommence for the Summer 2008 season. The poor operating service was compounded by some PR own goals and sub-standard customer service.
It was announced on 18 October 2007 that the CAA had suspended Flyglobespan's ETOPS certificate, the first time in 15 years a UK operator has lost ETOPS approval. This effectively meant Flyglobespan transatlantic flights were forced to adopt a flight path which never took the aircraft more than an hour away from the nearest airport, in case of engine problems. However, this only applied to Flyglobespan's own aircraft and leased-in aircraft could continue to follow ETOPS rules as these are operated by other airlines with their own ETOPS approval.
Flyglobespans ETOPS rating was reinstated at a CAA hearing on 26 October 2007.
Flyglobespan operated services to the Falkland Islands
and Ascension Island
on behalf of the UK Government. This was in support of the military and civilian communities of those islands, and involved long-haul flights between RAF Brize Norton
in Oxfordshire, RAF Ascension Island, and RAF Mount Pleasant
on East Falkland. These flights are now supplied by Air Italy
on a temporary basis, before another airline puts in for a permanent basis.
The company also operated flights for the UK Ministry of Defence
between RAF Brize Norton
and staging posts in the Middle East in support of the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Flyglobespan were planning on introducing a new service in 2010 from Cardiff Airport and Edinburgh Airport
to Orlando-Sanford, weekly flights would have departed on a Wednesday from Cardiff and on a Sunday from Edinburgh, renewing direct links with Wales
and the USA and a brand new service from Edinburgh
.
As of 16 December 2009, Flyglobespan's average fleet age was 6.3 years, prior to ceasing operations.
s from the International Lease Finance Corporation
for ten years, to be delivered in March and November 2011. Due to the administration placed on 16 December 2009, the orders were cancelled.
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
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
based in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It formerly operated scheduled services from 5 airports across the UK and Ireland to destinations in 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...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Its main bases were Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
, Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh 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...
and Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK...
. The airline's slogan was "Award winning airline". It is now in administration due to financial problems and the airline declared bankruptcy on the 16th December 2009.
Because of the administration, Flyglobespan canceled all of its scheduled flights.
History
Flyglobespan (a trading name for Globespan Airways Limited) was established in November 2002 as an offshoot of the Globespan Group. Operations started in April 2003 using two Boeing 737-300Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft provided by Channel Express
Channel Express
Channel Express was an airline based in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. It operated scheduled services from Bournemouth to the Channel Islands and nightly cargo services to Europe and throughout the UK on behalf of Royal Mail and other overnight express carriers...
on services from Glasgow Prestwick Airport and Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh 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...
to five destinations in 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...
, 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...
and 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...
.
Globespan, an Edinburgh-based tour operator with over 30 years experience, already offered scheduled and charter flights, cruise travel, rail and coach travel, motor home and car rental, and hotel accommodation tailored for holidaymakers visiting destinations in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
. The scheduled flights, mainly to Canada, were operated by Air Transat
Air Transat
Air Transat is an airline based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the...
from airports throughout the UK, with Globespan acting as the booking agent and selling the flights under its own brand. In summer 2002, a similar arrangement was trialled between Edinburgh and Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, in the south of 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...
. This was to prove successful for Globespan, and led to the creation of its own no-frills
No frills
No-frills or no frills is a term used to describe any service or product for which the non-essential features have been removed to keep the price low. The use of the term "frills" refers to a style of fabric decoration...
brand, Flyglobespan.
Services began in 2003 with aircraft and crews provided by Channel Express, though under the Flyglobespan brand with red and white livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
, offering irregular flights to European holiday destinations. The offshoot proved successful and flight frequencies were increased. At this point, the operator relocated from Prestwick to the larger Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
, which is much closer to the population centres of Central Scotland, within months of commencing operation. In 2004 so it could operate its own aircraft, the Globespan Group bought the defunct airline operator Cougar Leasing along with its CAA Aircraft Operating Certificate
Operating certificate
Operating certificate is a category of license issued by a government agency allowing an individual or company to provide a controlled type of service. These certificates are generally issued for a limited time period...
. Now with its own Operating Licence, expansion was swift for the new airline. New destinations were added to the network, including Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, where the airline faced competition from Czech Airlines
Czech Airlines
Czech Airlines j.s.c. , trading as Czech Airlines , is the national airline of the Czech Republic and temporary in Slovakia with its head office on the grounds of Ruzyně Airport in Ruzyně, Prague...
, and further points in Spain, including the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. CSA withdrew their Glasgow to Prague service on 1 August 2005.
By March 2005 the airline had grown to offer 15 destinations across Europe, with a fleet of 9 aircraft, of which 3 were bought new, and had tripled its passenger numbers to 1.5 million annually. Profits for the year ending October 2004 had risen from £2m in its first year to £3.7m, on a turnover of £98m.
BBC's
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Watchdog
Watchdog (TV series)
Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK...
programme featured the airline for a second time on 28 November 2007, where the airline was primarily featured for complaints due to a flight stopping 600 miles before its destination because the cabin crew were up to their safety limit in working hours. The CAA suspension of the airline's ETOPS licence was also featured.
Domestic services
In May 2005, the first domestic services were launched, with twice-daily flights from GlasgowGlasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh 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...
to 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...
- routes that were already operated by the much larger low fares carrier easyJet
EasyJet
EasyJet Airline Company Limited is a British airline headquartered at London Luton Airport. It carries more passengers than any other United Kingdom-based airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 500 routes between 118 European, North African, and West Asian airports...
, with much higher frequencies. However, these services were withdrawn in February 2006, together with plans to serve Bournemouth
Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England...
from Edinburgh.
Fuel costs
Despite high fuel costs and intense competition in the no-frills market, the airline continued to expand. Flights from London StanstedLondon 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...
commenced in October 2005, though a new daily service between Glasgow and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, replacing the twice daily easyJet service between the two cities, was withdrawn in June 2006 due to low passenger numbers.
On 1 November 2005, Flyglobespan announced its first long haul service from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to Orlando Sanford International Airport
Orlando Sanford International Airport
Orlando-Sanford International Airport is a public commercial air service airport in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. It was originally constructed as a military installation known as Naval Air Station Sanford that was in operation as a Master Jet Base for carrier-based attack and reconnaissance...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The service commenced in June 2006 and was operated by a Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
aircraft in a 3 class configuration. The three classes are Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class which includes 50 inch sleeper seats, gourmet food and wines. Alicante and Málaga services were upgraded to twice-daily throughout the summer for 2006, and Murcia was served daily. Fuerteventura was added to the winter 2006 schedule. Weekly services linking Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
with Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
were launched in May 2006 for the summer season. In January 2006 Flyglobespan announced a 70% rise in pre-tax profits from the previous year.
In June 2006 the airline announced plans to operate out of Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK...
now that 24 hour airport operation there had been confirmed. The first route to operate from Aberdeen was Tenerife, which commenced in winter 2006. It also announced routes to Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Murcia, Palma and Paphos, which commenced in summer 2007.
Long haul expansion
LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
was added to the Flyglobespan network from November 2006, with flights to Tenerife. Also added is Liverpool's first connection with Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport
Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport or Hamilton International, , is an international airport in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is named for John C...
from May 2007. The airline also began Liverpool's first long haul flight, to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(JFK
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
), using Boeing 757-200 aircraft, daily in May 2007. However, after a long series of problems with the service, due largely to reliability problems with the route's sole aircraft, which resulted in repeated massive delays on the service Flyglobespan announced in early July that they would abandon the route in October of the same year, only 6 months after the service's inception.
Flights to Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
started in November, with two of the three weekly flights. It also commenced a three times a week service from Manchester to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on 4 November 2006, but this service was withdrawn at the end of the 2007 Summer season.
Flyglobespan started new services in May 2007 from Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport
Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport or Hamilton International, , is an international airport in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is named for John C...
, Canada to destinations in the UK and Ireland, including Doncaster-Sheffield Airport
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster within South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies southeast of Doncaster and east of Sheffield.The airport is operated by Peel...
; this was the first scheduled transatlantic flight to operate from the airport. Hamilton Airport is located between Toronto and nearby Niagara Falls, about 75 kilometres southwest, or an hour's drive from, Toronto's main Pearson International Airport. It should be noted that Hamilton Airport is about one hour away from Toronto's city centre whereas Mississauga's Pearson International Airport is about thirty minutes away.
Flyglobespan commenced services in May 2007 from Ireland West Airport Knock
Ireland West Airport Knock
-Ground transport:BusBus Éireann currently provide services from the Airport on the Derry-Sligo-Galway and Galway-Sligo-Derry Route 64, Ireland West Airport Knock - Castlebar - Westport - Achill Island route 440, Dublin - Athlone - Ireland West Airport Knock - Westport route 21, and connects with...
to John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
with three services a week, and Boston Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
twice a week. Some flights from Knock to New York (GSM 201/202) made unscheduled refuelling stops at a number of remote locations including Keflavik, Iceland (though this is exception, which they a major hub); Bangor, Maine; Stephenville and St Johns Newfoundland. These refueling stops were scheduled when a 737-800 was used instead of the usual 757-200.
Since 2007, Flyglobespan has had its Skytrax rating withdrawn and suspended due to "product and service inconsistancy". The airline had not regained its rating.
Financial difficulties
In July 2008, Globespan lost its ability to get insurance industry credit card repayment cover, before the collapse of ZoomZoom Airlines
Zoom Airlines Inc. was a Canadian low-fare scheduled transatlantic airline with its headquarters in the Place Bell Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario...
and XL
XL Airways
XL Airways may refer to:* XL Airways France* XL Airways Germany* XL Airways UK, which is defunct following XL Leisure Group's insolvency...
. From that point, credit card clearing company E-Clear
E-Clear
E-Clear is a British payment processing company handling credit card transactions, presently under an administration order. It provides merchant accounts for companies, allowing them to accept credit cards as a form of payment....
, whose CEO was Elias Elia, rather than paying the normal amounts of cash to Globespan, argued that in certain cases passengers could make valid claims against them via the credit card companies up to six months after having taken their flight. E-Clear hence held a greater amount of money paid through them to Globespan.
By October 2009, the amount of money owed by E-Clear to Globespan was in dispute, claimed later by Globespan to be £35M. After various discussions, Globespan asked E-Clear to agree to independent audit of the sums, which was turned down by E-Clear. Also at this point, a company called Halcyon Investments, the operational arm of an August 2008 Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
-based trust fund, offered to make a large investment in Globespan. Halcyon's investors included Elias Elia.
In November 2009 The Independent on Sunday reported that FlyGlobespan had required a 'last-ditch cash injection' as a result of cash flow difficulties caused following delays in payment by a credit card clearing company, E-Clear.
Concerns regarding the future of the airline resurfaced on 13 December 2009 when multiple newspapers reported that Flyglobespan has so far been unsuccessful in obtaining regulatory approval for the funding package from Halcyon Investments. The Guardian newspaper has suggested that Halcyon Investments is controlled by E-Clear
E-Clear
E-Clear is a British payment processing company handling credit card transactions, presently under an administration order. It provides merchant accounts for companies, allowing them to accept credit cards as a form of payment....
. The company stated it had "secured a financial investment package that will see Scotland's leading airline continue to prosper and grow".
Administration
The Globespan Group PLC, Globespan Airways Limited and Alba Ground Handling Limited ceased operations on 16 December 2009 and were placed into administration on 17 December with PricewaterhouseCoopersPricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
appointed as the administrator. The last flight was GSM706 from Hurghada to Glasgow which landed at 2230 on 16 December.
On 19 January 2010 a High Court judge granted an administration order following a request from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), against credit card processing firm E-Clear UK, which handled all of Globespans Credit Card transactions.
Bruce Cartwright, Joint Administrator, of PricewaterhouseCoopers stated after E-Clear UK's Administration that it was clear the funds withheld from the Globespan Group were "no longer there".
Destinations
It was announced in July 2007 that the current LiverpoolLiverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast...
to New York
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
and the Ireland West Airport Knock
Ireland West Airport Knock
-Ground transport:BusBus Éireann currently provide services from the Airport on the Derry-Sligo-Galway and Galway-Sligo-Derry Route 64, Ireland West Airport Knock - Castlebar - Westport - Achill Island route 440, Dublin - Athlone - Ireland West Airport Knock - Westport route 21, and connects with...
service would be suspended for the winter season from October 30. The company gave the reason as poor passenger figures on the Liverpool flights, particularly inbound passengers from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The passenger figures for Ireland West Airport Knock
Ireland West Airport Knock
-Ground transport:BusBus Éireann currently provide services from the Airport on the Derry-Sligo-Galway and Galway-Sligo-Derry Route 64, Ireland West Airport Knock - Castlebar - Westport - Achill Island route 440, Dublin - Athlone - Ireland West Airport Knock - Westport route 21, and connects with...
were higher than expected. The company also admitted to providing a poor operating service since the route was launched on 25 May 2007, which affected the passenger figures. The route will recommence for the Summer 2008 season. The poor operating service was compounded by some PR own goals and sub-standard customer service.
It was announced on 18 October 2007 that the CAA had suspended Flyglobespan's ETOPS certificate, the first time in 15 years a UK operator has lost ETOPS approval. This effectively meant Flyglobespan transatlantic flights were forced to adopt a flight path which never took the aircraft more than an hour away from the nearest airport, in case of engine problems. However, this only applied to Flyglobespan's own aircraft and leased-in aircraft could continue to follow ETOPS rules as these are operated by other airlines with their own ETOPS approval.
Flyglobespans ETOPS rating was reinstated at a CAA hearing on 26 October 2007.
Flyglobespan operated services to the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
and Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
on behalf of the UK Government. This was in support of the military and civilian communities of those islands, and involved long-haul flights between RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
in Oxfordshire, RAF Ascension Island, and RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant is a military base for the Royal Air Force in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The facility is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands...
on East Falkland. These flights are now supplied by Air Italy
Air Italy
Air Italy S.p.A. is an airline based in Gallarate, Italy, operating scheduled services for tour operators within Europe, to Brazil and Kenya, as well as independent short-haul flights...
on a temporary basis, before another airline puts in for a permanent basis.
The company also operated flights for the UK Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
between RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
and staging posts in the Middle East in support of the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Flyglobespan were planning on introducing a new service in 2010 from Cardiff Airport and Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh 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...
to Orlando-Sanford, weekly flights would have departed on a Wednesday from Cardiff and on a Sunday from Edinburgh, renewing direct links with Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the USA and a brand new service from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Fleet
The Flyglobespan fleet included the following aircraft as of 16 December 2009 prior to ceasing operations:| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-700 | 2 | 0 | 148 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 3 | 2 | 189 | |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 4 | 0 | 276 | |
| Boeing 787-8 Boeing 787 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range, mid-size wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It seats 210 to 290 passengers, depending on the variant. Boeing states that it is the company's most fuel-efficient airliner and the world's first major airliner to use... |
0 | 2 | TBA | Were to be leased from ILFC. Orders Cancelled |
| Total | 9 | 4 |
As of 16 December 2009, Flyglobespan's average fleet age was 6.3 years, prior to ceasing operations.
Aircraft orders
Flyglobespan announced in August 2006 that it would lease two Boeing 787-8 DreamlinerBoeing 787
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range, mid-size wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It seats 210 to 290 passengers, depending on the variant. Boeing states that it is the company's most fuel-efficient airliner and the world's first major airliner to use...
s from the International Lease Finance Corporation
International Lease Finance Corporation
The International Lease Finance Corporation is an aircraft lessor headquartered in Century City, Los Angeles, California.It is the world's largest aircraft lessor by value, though ILFC's rival, General Electric's GECAS unit, has more aircraft...
for ten years, to be delivered in March and November 2011. Due to the administration placed on 16 December 2009, the orders were cancelled.
Statistics
| Number of Flights | Load Factor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 929,552 | 7,952 | 79.2% | |
| 2006 | 1,489,377 | 11,625 | 82.5% | |
| 2007 | 2,060,727 | 15,980 | 82.2% | |
| 2008 | 1,634,900 | 12,197 | 79.6% | |
| Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority The Civil Aviation Authority is the public corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of aviation in the United Kingdom. The CAA head office is located in the CAA House on Kingsway in Holborn, London Borough of Camden... http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=80&pagetype=88&pageid=1&sglid=1 |
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