Humberside From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2005, 4901 posts, RR: 5 Posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 3296 times:
Quote: ONE of Britain’s leading charter airlines, Astraeus, has been put up for sale and could fetch about £10m. The business has appointed Cavendish Corporate Finance to advise on a sale after receiving a number of unsolicited approaches. One of these is thought to have come from the Icelandic firm Avion, owner of rival airline Excel.
Astraeus was founded in 2002 and has an annual turnover of about £90m. It has a niche business serving the oil and gas industry and flies to countries such as Kazakhstan and Sierra Leone. The management owns most of the shares, with Aberdeen Murray Johnstone Private Equity holding the rest.
Cwldude From United Kingdom, joined May 2006, 691 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 3125 times:
Oh dear... I really hope Excel don't buy these! They don't need to become any bigger - the charter industry would be in tatters!
I think AEU needs to be bought by a company that will expand them into being one of the biggest in the UK, because they're nowhere near as big as they have the potential to be at the moment!
Good luck to them and all that work for them
Thomson Airways - The UKs premier charter airline // now flown : BY -AA -AJ -AE -AT; OO -AX -AU -RA -BG; BRIG; OBYD
Jacobin777 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 14968 posts, RR: 61 Reply 4, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 3104 times:
Rdwootty From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2005, 900 posts, RR: 2 Reply 5, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 3036 times:
Certianly there is a distinct difference in service levels between XL and Astreaus. I went went Egypt with Astreaus and was most impressed with both staff and food and competence.XL (who used Air Malta) was a different experience and not as good at all.. Maybe Monarch will buy them as they are keen to expand scheduled services.
Planesarecool From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2001, 4089 posts, RR: 13 Reply 6, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 2954 times:
Quoting Cwldude (Reply 3): Oh dear... I really hope Excel don't buy these! They don't need to become any bigger - the charter industry would be in tatters!
Surprise surprise, Excel bashing as ever. If you take away all the aircraft XLA lease in temporarily (not including B757s and B767s), Excel are actually one of the smallest charter carriers. Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thomsonfly and First Choice all operate more aircraft than Excel.
And if you read the quote, it actually says it might be bought by Avion, not Excel. If Avion bought them, they wouldn't become part of Excel. In fact, they probably wouldn't change much at all, except 'behind the scenes.'
Humberside From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2005, 4901 posts, RR: 5 Reply 7, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 2901 times:
Im not sure Avion would want two UK Charter Airlines and therefore I think AEU would merge into XLA if bought by Avion. This is where I am concerned about AEU's scheduled/oil industry services. XL provide a good basic charter product - 'cheap and cheerful'. AEU's scheduled and oil industry woerk doesn't really fit in that well with XLA's brand. I really cant imagine someone from the oil industry booking a flight to Malabo on xl.com
Avion could keep AEU just for scheduled and oil industry flights with their B757's. However would Avion want the costs of such a small scheduled airline
If Monarch bought AEU I dont think it would be as bad. MON already have scheduled flights and not so much of a 'cheap and cheerful', no-frills reputation. However would Malabo, Accra and Freetown sit comfortably alongside Palma and Tenerife in the Monarch Scheduled network? Im not so sure
Personally I would like to see AEU stay indpendent from any other airline. They have a unique mix of work. If they had to be taken over by another airline, I would actaully say Privitair of Switxerland would be the best partner. At least they have experience and a very good reputation of flights geared towards the high yielding business traveller
Horus From Egypt, joined Feb 2004, 5230 posts, RR: 62 Reply 8, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 2892 times:
Quoting Humberside (Reply 7): However would Malabo, Accra and Freetown sit comfortably alongside Palma and Tenerife in the Monarch Scheduled network? Im not so sure
They also have scheduled services to SSH (ex-LGW and MAN) and HRG (ex-LGW).
BA787 From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2006, 2596 posts, RR: 8 Reply 9, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 2876 times:
Quoting Jacobin777 (Reply 4): Oh dear... I really hope Excel don't buy these! They don't need to become any bigger - the charter industry would be in tatters!
Good point read "Cyprus Delays Forum" Theyre useless
Jmc757 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2000, 1296 posts, RR: 8 Reply 10, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 2860 times:
Quoting Humberside (Reply 7): Im not sure Avion would want two UK Charter Airlines and therefore I think AEU would merge into XLA if bought by Avion. This is where I am concerned about AEU's scheduled/oil industry services. XL provide a good basic charter product - 'cheap and cheerful'. AEU's scheduled and oil industry woerk doesn't really fit in that well with XLA's brand. I really cant imagine someone from the oil industry booking a flight to Malabo on xl.com
Should Avion buy Astraeus I would imagine its a dead cert it will be merged with Excel. Avion have done it before - Air Atlanta Europe and Excel are now one, so no trouble doing it again.
No need to be worried about the oil services. Excel/Air Atlanta are an airline that take contracts to fly - if the price is right they'll fly. Oil industry staff wouldn't be booking through XL.com, they don't book through flyastraeus.com now, they book through JetAir who are the agent and contract Astraeus to do the flying. That wouldn't change. Excel currently fly the Ministry of Defence Falklands flights, specialist contracts are nothing new.
Personally I wouldn't like to see Avuion buy Astraeus. Avion just seem to be snapping up everything they can get their hands on at the moment, while a new major player is not neccesarily a bad thing, I think the group is expanding very fast and in some cases the quality of what they offer is not always as good as it could be.
Humberside From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2005, 4901 posts, RR: 5 Reply 11, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 2832 times:
Quoting Horus (Reply 8): They also have scheduled services to SSH (ex-LGW and MAN) and HRG (ex-LGW).
These flights, with SSH and HRG being holiday destinations would be a far better fit with Monarch Scheduled, or even XLA's network than Malabo, Accra or Freetown
Quoting Jmc757 (Reply 10): No need to be worried about the oil services. Excel/Air Atlanta are an airline that take contracts to fly - if the price is right they'll fly. Oil industry staff wouldn't be booking through XL.com, they don't book through flyastraeus.com now, they book through JetAir who are the agent and contract Astraeus to do the flying. That wouldn't change. Excel currently fly the Ministry of Defence Falklands flights, specialist contracts are nothing new.
Do you think Avion would keep the scheduled flights? I see on the AEU website most routes have a tour operator partner. Would these just become charter flights?
Jmc757 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2000, 1296 posts, RR: 8 Reply 12, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 2818 times:
Quoting Humberside (Reply 11): Do you think Avion would keep the scheduled flights? I see on the AEU website most routes have a tour operator partner. Would these just become charter flights?
Astraeus "Scheduled" flights operate in conjunction with a tour operator or partners as you said. Not sure on the exact set up but I imagine that if the tour operator stopped wanting the flights then Astraeus would stop them.
As long as the tour operators were happy to continue the contract then i see no reason why Excel wouldn't continue the services.
DC10Widebody From United States of America, joined Apr 2006, 126 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 2813 times:
Maybe the is the chance for A.nutters to get together and buy ourselves an airline?
Pelican22 From Ireland, joined Mar 2006, 65 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days ago) and read 2651 times:
Excel,are setting up a base in Ireland,for summer 2007,"to provide capacity for Irish Tour Operators in the short,medium,longhaul and developing markets from Ireland". I think this could effect Eirjet big time.
WesternA318 From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 5395 posts, RR: 25 Reply 17, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 2423 times:
Quoting DC10Widebody (Reply 13): Maybe the is the chance for A.nutters to get together and buy ourselves an airline?
I would pony up most of my inheritance for this...as longas Sir Bruce was still flying in the ranks...perhaps we could see an Astraeus Iron Maiden logojet?
Woohoo! Back to Beirut in Oct '13! (Along with a stop in DOH for 4 days)
Jacobin777 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 14968 posts, RR: 61 Reply 18, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 2415 times:
Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 17): I would pony up most of my inheritance for this...as longas Sir Bruce was still flying in the ranks...perhaps we could see an Astraeus Iron Maiden logojet?
I usually disagree with you on many things, but look at reply 12...I'm up with you on this one..
WesternA318 From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 5395 posts, RR: 25 Reply 19, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 2407 times:
MMM..I was thinking more of a 757 painted all black, kinda with the Visions of the Beast motif...*efg* Eddie on tail giving the bird to the world..
Woohoo! Back to Beirut in Oct '13! (Along with a stop in DOH for 4 days)
Jacobin777 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 14968 posts, RR: 61 Reply 20, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 2396 times:
Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 19): MMM..I was thinking more of a 757 painted all black, kinda with the Visions of the Beast motif...*efg* Eddie on tail giving the bird to the world..
I was only showing my Iron Maiden spirit....I'd have to think about how the plane should be painted....
DC10Widebody From United States of America, joined Apr 2006, 126 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 2377 times:
Quoting Jacobin777 (Reply 18): I would pony up most of my inheritance for this...as longas Sir Bruce was still flying in the ranks...perhaps we could see an Astraeus Iron Maiden logojet?
That sounds good, that may scare the passengers. But if we had Iron Maiden logojets, I think KISS cabin crew would be appropriate as well.
WesternA318 From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 5395 posts, RR: 25 Reply 22, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 2364 times:
and Rob Halford being an air marshaller...with all the leather andstuds, the flight crew couldnt misss him! More visible than a follow me truck..
Woohoo! Back to Beirut in Oct '13! (Along with a stop in DOH for 4 days)
Jacobin777 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 14968 posts, RR: 61 Reply 23, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 2357 times:
Quoting DC10Widebody (Reply 21): That sounds good, that may scare the passengers. But if we had Iron Maiden logojets, I think KISS cabin crew would be appropriate as well.
I'm not a big KISS fan.. ..so I don't mind if we drop that turd at FL350
Quoting WesternA318 (Reply 22): and Rob Halford being an air marshaller...with all the leather andstuds, the flight crew couldnt misss him! More visible than a follow me truck..
WesternA318 From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 5395 posts, RR: 25 Reply 24, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 2337 times:
Quoting Jacobin777 (Reply 23): I'm not a big KISS fan.. ..so I don't mind if we drop that turd at FL350
Now someof the laides that were in the crowd during Maiden's Download Festival...use them as flight attendants...
Woohoo! Back to Beirut in Oct '13! (Along with a stop in DOH for 4 days)
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..so I don't mind if we drop that turd at FL350 
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