Low cost airline introduce Pay as you Go flights.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...ngham-15762127

Latest reports say all will be refunded in full.

Yet another shoestring airline.
I was about to use one myself a few years back, but on getting to the airport found that the rented plane had been impounded until outstanding fuel bills were paid.
Not an uncommon occurance I think.
Not to worry as long as the passengers have enough on their credit cards to top up the fuel tank and cover the pilots wages they should be ok.

That would a lot funnier were it less believeable.

How often does that happen then, where you can't fly because the aircraft is impounded, yearly?

I've used Ryanair and Easyjet many times now and never had a problem.

probably more times than we actually hear about mate, as most aircraft are leased not owned, so if the airline hasnt paid the lease payment then a bailiff can stick a piece of paper to the windscreen as he would to the mast of a ship.

although there was a statement in UK press last few days that said Ryanair were going to buy new

Maybe thats why they are still in business.
What about numerous others which have failed ?
I have come across several reports over the years of small twopenny halfpenny companies trying to start up on borrowed money with one or two S.H.rented aircraft, having similar problems and going out of business almost before they got established.

Talking of Easyjet, I was watching a TV Doc. not so long ago with cameras on board filming one of their typical flights.
It had dropped into the France to refuel and was stuck there for quite a while as they couldn't come up with the funds to refuel it, despite the pilot trying to sort it with his own credit card.

One instance,..

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...-debts-348638/

I saw that programme myself, were they not detoured to an airport where EJ had no account with that airports fuel supplier?

RA and EJ plus BMI are just cheap carriers and do the job. I flew Concorde with the wife (birthday present) and I've done 1st/business class many times over the years and very nice the trips were, good food, service and little things that make the journey nice. That said, if your flying UK to Spain why spend an extra £100-£200 for a journey lasting a couple of hours?

I do wonder sometimes how these airlines get by though, I flew Bristol to Nice once and doubt there were more than fifty people on board.

I used to fly UK to TF regularly for about the same cost as a taxi to the airport.
Quite often it was on the same old Lockheed Tristar, but as often as not it had a different label or company name painted on it.
It seemed to keep changing hands more than some S/H cars, as different companies used it or leased it to pick up the slack from the main carriers and tried to make a profit.
It was a big old bird, very comfortable and well liked by passengers, that could carry around about four hundred ppl. but I never ever saw it more than half full and on one occasion there were only another four passengers apart from myself and girlfriend.
Also it was not very economical and heavy on fuel, for which reason I believe most if not all of them have now been scrapped.
I think quite a few would-be carriers came and went under before they ever became established at that time, most of them renting or leasing otherwise unused old aircraft.

Tristar ? Thats New !
my first flight was on a DC-6/7 operated as a trooping flight (more legroom than Ryanair) by Caledonian out to Singapore
Came back on a Bristol Britannia.

ISTR the Tristar was expensive to run but was withdrawn earlier than intended because of noise regulations that also hit the Comet and Trident.
Tristars were transferred to the MOD for in-flight refuelling, and could be seen at Marshalls of Cambridge

I always thought the VC10 a great aircraft, have some fond memories of those aircraft

Ha ha, sheer luxury.
I went on one like this on my first ever package holiday.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur...QEwAw&dur=6391

Bristol Superfreighter, Silver City Airlines.
Could have been that very one.
Nightmare flight in a real old boneshaker.
Didn't even have a retractable undercarriage.

Luxury Dick ?
sitting on a DC6 calling in at Ankara, Delhi, Singapore
at Ankara for a whole day, the first time the pilot tried to get to the runway he followed the white lines, left wheel went a couple of feet over that line, and sank into the marshland underneath. Pilot said no one had ever told him line was the edge of the hardcore!! That happened right next to a burnt out sister ship next to the runway. We had to get off, then they had to off load all the Royal Mail, baggage, fuel, water etc etc, before finding a crane that could lift plane out of the muck, the first failed so they had to get another. Then they had to reload.
We spent hours upon hours in the primitive airside of the airport, having no visas to enter Turkey. (Govt civil servant on passports). Being bored reached new bounds. Remember, trooping flight, so we also had mothers and children, crying, etc etc. We did get one or two, but no more, chitties to get a free bottle of fizzy pop.
After leaving Delhi over the Indian Ocean pilot had to feather a prop, flames coming out of the cowling.
We also found out why soldiers are known as "pongoes", one of us was going out into the jungle when he landed and reckoned the locals could smell soap and toothpaste a week after use.

At least nothing much happened on the return trip, pilot even told us to look out as we flew next to Everest, we didnt seem much higher than some of the smaller lumps of rock.

and I was only just 19 when we landed back in the UK.........

rgds

Oh dear,what can the matter be......

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...rk-flight.html