BMI
BRITISH Midland is to name its new low-cost carrier bmibaby, as predicted by
Travel Weekly (January 14).
An
official launch party will take place next week when the airline’s branding
will be unveiled.
Former bmi
director of government and corporate relations Tony Davis has taken on the
position of bmibaby’s managing director.
He used
the announcement of the East Midlands-based carrier’s name to criticise rival
airline Go, which accused bmi of being in “disarray” when it announced its
intention to enter the low-cost market.
“I am
looking forward to the competition that bmibaby will bring to the East
Midlands. Indeed, I fully understand why Go has thrown its toys out of the pram.
“Their
disappointment must surely be because their desperate attempts to pre-empt our
own plans, with an announcement of unspecific promises of phantom services at
east Midlands airport, did not thwart our own long held ambition to launch a no
frills airline.”
BMIBABY
will use a dedicated fleet of Boeing 737-300 aircraft to serve a number of
popular summer sun destinations including Faro, Alicante, Malaga and Palma. It
will commence operations on March 23 and fares will lead in at £25.