www.flybe.com

V funny gf ! I thought it was that Buffett chap, but I could be wrong. :-)

Buffet!!!!!! not sure I know he averaged down though.. Dont like that myself.

Just reading a book by Alpesh Patel and he is cetainly against it.

Ill get back to you why if i can find it.

Reckons the price may carry on falling and its better to be more diversified and invested in a basket of stocks but not too many.

pluses and minuses spring to mind.

New CFO Start Date; Share Purchase
RNS
RNS Number : 6720J
Flybe Group PLC
16 June 2014



Flybe Group plc



("Flybe" or "the Group")



EFFECTIVE DATE FOR NEW CHIEF FINANCAL OFFICER AND DIRECTOR DESIGNATE'S PURCHASE OF SHARES

Flybe announces that Philip de Klerk, whose appointment as Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") was announced on 28 April 2014, will join the Board as CFO with effect from 19 August 2014.

Separately, Mr de Klerk notified the Company on 13 June 2014 of the purchase that day of 72,000 ordinary shares in the Company ("Ordinary Shares"):

Date of purchase - 13 June 2014
No. of Ordinary Shares - 72,000
Price - 137p



16 June 2014

Low-cost airline Flybe is finding more passengers
Stephan Shakespeare
by Stephan Shakespeare
June 25, 2014, 2:06am
Flybe plane
Flybe's TV ads are resonating with consumers
The low-cost airline sector is currently in the spotlight. While much of the focus has been about Ryanair’s charm offensive to reposition itself, fellow carrier Flybe has also made waves in recent months.

A few weeks ago, Flybe announced a return to profits and a record number of passengers. After a few turbulent years when the company replaced its executive team and undertook an extensive restructuring, in April it launched a multimillion pound advertising campaign.

The activity focused on “time saving travel”, portraying the brand as a better and quicker way of getting around the country than road and rail.

I have used YouGov’s BrandIndex tool to look at whether the adverts have had any impact on the public’s view of the airline. The good news for Flybe is that its “think minutes not miles” TV campaign seems to have resonated with consumers.

The ad awareness metric, which assesses whether people have seen a brand’s advert over the previous two weeks, shows that Flybe’s score rose from 3.6 per cent at the end of March, to a high of 6.7 per cent midway through April – after the start of the marketing activity.

Over the same time period, the success of Flybe’s advertising campaign was mirrored in its Buzz Score, which measures whether consumers have heard anything positive or negative about the brand over the previous two weeks.

At the turn of the year, Flybe had a negative rating of -1.6. However, at the end of May once the campaign had been running a while, that rating had improved to a respectable +3.9.

Of course, the low-cost airline sector is very competitive and one improved set of results, record passenger numbers and a resonant advertising campaign does not mean Flybe can rest on its laurels.

The battle of the budget carriers will continue, but the signs are good for Flybe as it continues its battle for consumers’ hearts and minds.

Stephan Shakespeare is the chief executive of YouGov

tipped in IC.....
Airline stocks lose altitude, but for how long?
hTTp://www.investorschronicle.co.uk/2014/06/25/shares/sectors/airline-stocks-lose-altitude-but-for-how-long-mImeiqdgon5DAAnPIHtFNM/article.html

FAVOURITES:

While we stop short of upgrading our neutral stance on the airline sector’s dominant players, opportunities for investors keen to diversify their portfolios with an airline holding appear to be emerging. Recovery play Flybe (FLYB) offers the most attractive growth profile having declared maiden profits this year, although the shares have weakened recently and may have further to fall before support kicks in.

'Why I'm buying shares in Flybe'

Each week we look at a promising mid-cap share. This week: Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline
By Kyle Caldwell

8:02AM BST 27 Jun 2014


Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has had a turbulent time on the stock market.


The shares have shed 65pc since the company floated in December 2010. Concerns over soaring fuel costs and airport charges have led investors to rush for the exits.


But some fund managers say its fortunes are about to change. Neil Veitch, who runs the SVM UK Opportunities fund, said the firm’s turnaround programme was starting to bear fruit. Over the past year it has cut costs by axing its worst-performing routes, a move that earlier this month helped the firm post its first full-year profit in four years.


“Following its flotation the company had been a serial disappointer,” said Mr Veitch. “Poor operational performance combined with a number of external shocks left the business in a weakened financial state. But following a change of management in 2013 the future appears brighter.


“The first step taken by Saad Hammad, the new boss, was to eliminate unprofitable routes and bases – 30 of the previous year’s 140 routes were cut. These changes, combined with an improving economic backdrop and relatively benign cost environment, should result in Flybe’s profitability improving markedly over the next few years. The share price fails to reflect this .”

Daily Telegraph

Flybe Group plc

("Flybe" or "the Group")



Flybe and Bombardier Sign Strategic Services Agreement for UK Branded Fleet



Farnborough, UK; 15 July 2014



Flybe and Bombardier have signed a strategic services agreement which confirms the Bombardier Q400 as Flybe's aircraft of choice in its UK branded business and sees Bombardier undertaking a major programme of enhancements over the coming months which will make Flybe's current 45-strong Q400 fleet one of the most operationally efficient regional fleets in the world.



Saad Hammad, Flybe CEO, commented:



"We are delighted that Bombardier will be supporting Flybe in its mission to become Europe's best local airline.



The immediate actions we announced in November 2013 have resulted in us reducing our 2014 summer seat capacity by 16%. In the UK today, Flybe is flying the right aircraft on the right routes and, critically, in the right numbers.


This strategic agreement with Bombardier is an important part of our commitment to profitable regional flying. The Q400 is specifically optimised for regional routes and the Flybe fleet will be one of the most operationally efficient regional fleets in the world.



Any decisions regarding incremental capacity deployment in the UK will see the Bombardier Q400 aircraft play an integral role."





Ray Jones, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Asset Management at Bombardier Aerospace, said:



"Flybe is a valued, long-time Bombardier customer and as one of the largest operators of the Q400 in the world, we are pleased that Flybe continues to show its long-term commitment to the Q400 aircraft.



Embarking on a strategic agreement that will assist in its Q400 aircraft fleet enhancement will be integral to Flybe's market competitiveness."

Flybe preferred bidder for MRO contract
StockMarketWire.com
Flybe Aviation Services has been awarded by Airbus Military preferred bidder status to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the Royal Air Force fleet of A400M Atlas new generation airlifters at RAF Brize Norton.

The selection was made following a rigorous competitive process based on a range of commercial, contractual, technical and quality requirements criteria.

Flybe is working with Airbus Military to progress to a final contract and will make no further announcement until a contract has been finalised.

Flybe makes encouraging start
StockMarketWire.com
Flybe reports an encouraging start to the year, in line with management expectations.

Flybe says the trading performance shows the benefits of its disciplined approach across four focus areas: capacity, revenue, costs and organisation. Flybe says it also continue to prepare the business for future growth.

UK operations:

⬢ 17.2% reduction in seat capacity to 2.5m seats (Q1 2013/14: 3.0m seats).

⬢ 9.2% improvement in aircraft utilisation with block hours per operating aircraft increased from 7.1 hours to 7.8 hours.

Finland JV:

⬢ Reduction in the number of loss-making scheduled lines of flying as two (out of six) aircraft have been returned to lessors and in dialogue with JV partner Finnair to address performance.

Chief executive Saad Hammad said: "Flybe's momentum continues, with an encouraging start to the year. Our focus and discipline is delivering the operational improvement in the underlying business that we demand and which is required to drive our future profitability and shareholder returns.

"We have launched a number of new routes and products, re-launched our brand and announced a number of exciting strategic developments with new partners. We have achieved a significant amount in the quarter, with substantially more to do in the months ahead.

"Our plans to address the few remaining legacy issues in the business, especially the grounded E195 aircraft and the loss making scheduled flying business in Finland, are progressing and I look forward to providing further updates in due course."





Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Perking up again at last!

The rise looks 'armless'!

lol. I'm flying from Southampton to Bergerac with FLYBE next week skinny - I think I'll check out the pilot before takeoff. :-)

MORE holidaymakers are heading to sun-drenched locations flying directly from Hampshire.

Southampton Airport has reported having its busiest July in seven years, with passenger numbers returning to levels not seen since before the recession.

The airport reported 192,353 passengers travelling through in July – a 1.9 per cent increase on July last year and the largest number since 2007.

Passengers headed to destinations in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy.

The airport’s marketing and communications head, Jan Halliday, said: ‘It’s great to see so many people heading off on their summer holidays from Southampton Airport.

‘Passenger numbers this July have been similar to pre-recession levels, with many people taking advantage of the range of flights from their local airport.’

The top five places people were flying to from Southampton were to Malaga, Alicante, Palma, Faro and Bergerac. Passengers also enjoying city breaks to destinations including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Amsterdam and Paris.

Flights to Guernsey also proved popular, with more than 5,000 more passengers flying there than in July 2013.

The airport is now gearing up for a busy autumn, with new flights to Hamburg and additional services to Leeds Bradford and Aberdeen starting at the end of October.

The airline Flybe has extended its summer routes of Southampton to Alicante, Malaga and Faro through to early November to accommodate half-term travel.

Flights to Alicante and Malaga will also also continue throughout the winter from Southampton.

Aberforth Smaller Companies upped their stake by 3million.

Looking ready to break through 120p - next target on the chart 140p

Breaking out, next target on the chart 140p.

Is Flybe Group PLC Taking Off?
By Kevin Godbold - Tuesday, 23 September, 2014 | See also: FLYB

There’s no such thing as a buy-and-forget investment in the airline sector but, when we find ourselves apparently mid-macro cycle as now, the economic backdrop seems relatively benign for a shorter-term investment.

What better candidate for a punt in the industry than a once down-on-its-luck airline that’s in the middle of a turnaround and expansion programme with a determination to adapt to changing business conditions in the industry in order to succeed? Such is Flybe Group (LSE: FLYB), which resides in the FTSE Small Cap index.

Crashed and burned
Flybe arrived on the stock market at the end of 2010 and the shares crashed and burned, falling from around 320p to 40p by April 2013. There was trouble in the business such as unprofitable flying routes, spare aircraft capacity and inefficient systems and operational methods.

The firm was making losses, and its constrained cash flow and weak balance sheet forced it to finance its aircraft with expensive lease arrangements rather than financially efficient loans. An unvirtuous circle set in that created even deeper losses — things looked bleak and something had to change if the company was to survive.

Conditions were perfect for change and reform, and the share price was sufficiently bombed-out for new investors to benefit from a turnaround situation – a great set-up for a turnaround investment as long as something drives change and, with Flybe, it has.

Turning things around
A determination to reform seized the directors at Flybe and things started to improve. 2013 saw change at the top with a new chief executive and a new chairman who brought a new clarity for the vision of the enterprise. Flybe wants to be Europe’s best regional airline, it reckons, and improving financial results in 2013 suggest it is now heading in the right direction.

The shares began to respond to the firm’s changing fortunes, moving from 40p in June 2013 to just under 150p in April 2014. Investors seeing the potential last year have done well, but the best may yet be to come, as during March this year Flybe raised around £150 million in a fully underwritten placing and open offer.

That’s quite a big capital injection for a firm with a market capitalisation of £262 million at today’s 121p share price, but it puts a floor under the weakness of Flybe’s capital structure and provides the funds for the firm to drive through the financial and operational efficiencies it needs to prosper.

Flying high
Flybe nudged into profitability with its full-year results released in March this year. City analysts following the firm predict a 500% increase in pre-tax profits by March 2016, which puts the firm on a forward P/E rating under seven.

Naturally the shares fell back a bit when the fundraising was announced, but over the last few days they’ve been creeping up. My guess is that the shares have further to travel as operational efficiencies and changes gather pace. To me, Flybe looks attractive right now.   

Turnaround situations such as Flybe can be good source of investor capital gains. Another small cap share idea for capital gains comes from one of the Motley Fool's top small-cap investors. His diligent research has uncovered what looks like one of the best growth shares for 2014 and beyond.

A strong recovery in profits followed restructuring at this firm, and the directors predict double-digit margins driving a profits surge in the years to come.

For a limited period, this investor wealth report is downloadable free. To get your copy, click here.