Flybe Routes & Flights from the UK
Cheap flights > Airlines > Flybe (BE)
Flybe Airline Profile:
Flybe have seen a dramatic change in fortunes since rebranding themselves, firstly from Jersey European, and then British European. Faced with rising costs and tough competition from new no-frills airlines, Flybe have developed a very firm niche in the UK aviation market, primarily through the usage of smaller aircraft than most of their rivals.
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Alternative Names (including former names, popular mis-spellings etc):
- Fly Be, British European, Jersey European, BE
Flybe Routes List
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Change = Date of route status change (new route start, end of route, frequency change; etc.)
Flybe are currently the third biggest low fares airline in the UK, behind Easyjet and Ryanair, although there is a significant gap between the number two and three positions, whereas the gap between Flybe and bmibaby is much smaller.
Route Network
Flybe's route network is strongest at UK regional airports - the airline only operates a very limited number of flights to and from London, and even these are usually operated by aircraft based at one of their provincial hubs. Outside the UK, the majority of Flybe's routes are to leisure destinations, although the airline does operate cheap flights to Paris from its Exeter hub, whilst additionally serving the French cities of Toulouse and Bordeaux from some of its other bases.
Flybe and the Q400
Whereas other budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet tend to favour Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 family aircraft, which carry between 130 and 190 passengers, Flybe have concentrated on using much smaller aircraft, such as the 78 seat Dehavilland Dash 8 "Q400".
Flybe have taken a particularly bold move with the Q400, an aircraft which few other airlines had previously shown any interest in. Although the Q400 has had some initial teething problems, this next generation turboprop offers exceptional performance in terms of fuel economy and low noise emissions.
As well as making the aircraft quieter for passengers inside the cabin, and providing fuel savings which enable Flybe to keep their costs low, the Q400 also offers significant environmental advantages over older, larger aircraft.
What does this mean for passengers?
The main benefit for passengers is that Flybe are able to operate an extensive route to network from airports such as Exeter, Norwich and Southampton, which other airlines would not be interested in, as the surrounding populations would not be big enough to make operations with larger aircraft viable.
Where Flybe face competition from other no-frills airlines, they are able to offer a higher frequency of service, which has a particular appeal to business users. Whereas airlines operating a Boeing 737 might only be able to offer four flights a week on a certain route, Flybe can offer a similar number of seats, but do so on a daily basis.
UK Domestic flights
This advantage has been particularly significant on UK domestic routes, which generally need flights to operate at least once each day in order to be viable. Flybe have been particularly effective at challenging British Airways to become the main player at Birmingham. Although British Airways also use smaller aircraft, Flybe's Q400 turbo props are much cheaper to operate than the regional jets currently used by BA, thus keeping fares low for both business and leisure passengers.
Recent Developments
In addition to expansion in their network of cheap flights to France, and consolidated growth within the UK domestic market, Flybe have become the first airline to start charging customers for checked baggage. Flybe have also placed an order for the Embraer 195 regional jet, which the airline hopes will enable it to continue operating niche routes, but with a longer range compared to the Q400 turboprops.
Flybe News Stories
- New flights between Belfast and Humberside - (17/02/2010)
- New Edinburgh flights from Kent International - (16/02/2010)
- New Manchester flights from Bournemouth - (12/02/2010)
- Flybe launch Perpignan flights from Birmingham - (08/02/2010)
- Flybe breaks weekend sales record - (26/01/2010)
- Flybe launch Guernsey flights from Newcastle - (22/01/2010)
- Flybe increase flights between Birmingham and Glasgow - (20/01/2010)
- Virgin Atlantic through-check-in service proving popular - (13/01/2010)
- New Malaga flights from Humberside - (08/01/2010)
- Flybe unveils 16 more summer 2010 routes - (11/12/2009)
- Airline boss tries to block Belfast City expansion - (10/12/2009)
- New Hanover flights from Exeter and Newcastle - (07/12/2009)
- Labour MP calls for domestic flights ban - (03/12/2009)
- New flights between Bristol and the Isle of Man - (23/11/2009)
- Just pay taxes and charges with Flybe - (23/11/2009)
- Flights tax hits isolated UK regions - (18/11/2009)
- Flybe wins top environmental award - (09/11/2009)
- Flybe announce winter schedule - (02/11/2009)
- Flybe announces more routes for summer 2010 - (24/09/2009)
- Flybe unveils second phase of 2010 summer schedule - (09/09/2009)
- British airlines scoop top awards - (08/09/2009)
- Flybe summer 2010 flights on sale - (19/08/2009)
- New Geneva ski flights from Norwich - (23/06/2009)
- Free fast track service at Leeds Bradford - (12/06/2009)
- Flybe cheap flights sale ends on Wednesday - (08/06/2009)
- Flybe slashes summer flights prices - (08/05/2009)
- Flybe winter flights go on sale - (07/05/2009)
- Flybe to launch new flights between Leeds Bradford and Gatwick - (20/04/2009)
- Flybe offer free Disneyland Paris tickets - (12/03/2009)
- MSP offers handy advice for finding the best Shetland flight deals - (29/01/2009)
More Useful Web Pages about Flybe
| Related terms: Flybe flights from the UK, Flybe route maps, Flybe flight routes from London, Birmingham, Manchester |
