| Carrier: | bmibaby
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| Headquarters: | UK
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| Founded: | 2002
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| Destinations: | 41
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| Bases: | East Midlands, Cardiff, Manchester, Durham Tees Valley, Birmingham, London Heathrow
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| Owners: | bmi Group
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| Listed: | Yes
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| Online Booking: | Yes
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| Website: | http://www.bmibaby.com
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| Fleet | B737-500s 5
B737-300 13
| Overview - bmibaby bmibaby – playing a critical role for its mainline partner bmibaby, or “Baby”, is the low cost arm of UK carrier bmi. The carrier started operations in Mar-02 in response to LCC incursion into bmi’s core market and the consequent loss of market share. As the parent continues to stuggle with passenger migration to lower-cost travel alternatives, Baby has been a source of good news for the group.
Baby continues to expand, having added three new B737s to its fleet, for a total of 19 aircraft. From its five bases (as well as a station at London Heathrow, where it is the sole LCC operator), it serves a destination portfolio consisting of 20 Continental Europe cities, most of which are leisure-dominated, as well as three Irish airports and 12 destinations in the UK. Its domestic routes, which include cities in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Jersey, serve a higher proportion of business travellers than its international system.
Baby has continued to grow, most of all at its East Midlands home base, where it bases five of its B737s. After carrying just over a million passengers in its first year, it accommodated 3.5 million in 2005, 1.5 million of them to/from East Midlands. It also has won numerous awards recognising it as the UK’s best LCC. Outlook: positive; less so for parent
Baby can look forward to more growth. Its low costs and low fares have found an eager following with its audience. The downside for parent bmi, of course, is that this low cost growth speaks of continuing migration away from its higher-yielding full service product.
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