“IAG to bid for Flybe” – could the press rumours be true?
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Following the news last week that Virgin Atlantic was in discussions with Flybe over a takeover bid, IAG – the owner of British Airways – is also now believed to have opened talks.
This is an interesting one. Much of Flybe is what was previously known as BA Connect, the ex-British Airways regional network. British Airways always struggled to make this work and was happy to sell it to Flybe in 2007.
Why would BA buy it back?
it probably isn’t because of the Heathrow slots operated by Flybe, because these were taken away from British Airways when it bought BMI British Midland and BA cannot keep them (IIRC) if other airlines want them to operate specific domestic services
it is unlikely to be because of Flybe’s very modest Gatwick presence
as British Airways has no long haul departures from the regions – unlike Virgin Atlantic – it isn’t about ‘feed’
it isn’t because it would be a material aquisition – Flybe is tiny in IAG terms
it isn’t about rolling out the LEVEL short-haul brand because Flybe operates a different sort of business model to a different sort of customer base
it COULD be a way of beefing up the BA CityFlyer operation which runs the Embraer 190 fleet from London City Airport, although Flybe’s fleet is 75% Bombardier Dash 8 Q400
it COULD be a way of stopping Virgin Atlantic gaining additional UK market share, even if it means doing a deal IAG doesn’t want to do
it COULD be a cheap way of ensuring that Flybe remains within Avios, which would certainly end if Virgin Atlantic acquired the airline
Of course, many of the arguments above also apply to Virgin Atlantic. Its Little Red operation showed that it didn’t know how to make money on UK domestic flights, and that the Virgin brand itself was simply not enough.
Flybe cannot provide it with much ‘feed’ outside Manchester, and Virgin Atlantic already codeshares on those routes anyway – but perhaps Virgin has a lot to lose if those codeshares go?
Virgin, unlike BA, has no day-to-day experience operating smaller jets. The Heathrow services cannot move to join Virgin in T3 because the terminal is not designed to segregate arriving domestic passengers.
There is a small bit of upside from stopping payments to Avios Group and using Virgin Flying Club as the loyalty currency, but this may be offset by some customers moving back to BA at London City. Is there value in protecting ‘feed’ to Virgin’s new shareholder Air France KLM?
Perhaps Stobart Group will win the day after all?
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
