Go Fly: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Go Fly Boeing 737-33A; G-IGOI@AGP, June 1999 BXY (5066998338).jpg|thumb|right|Boeing 737-300, landing at [[Málaga Airport]]]] | [[File:Go Fly Boeing 737-33A; G-IGOI@AGP, June 1999 BXY (5066998338).jpg|thumb|right|Boeing 737-300, landing at [[Málaga Airport]]]] | ||
[[File:Go Fly Boeing 737-300 G-IGOB departing Bristol Airport in 2004.jpg|thumb|right|Boeing 737-300, taking off from [[Bristol Airport]]]] | [[File:Go Fly Boeing 737-300 G-IGOB departing Bristol Airport in 2004.jpg|thumb|right|Boeing 737-300, taking off from [[Bristol Airport]]]] | ||
[[Bob Ayling]], [[CEO]] of [[British Airways]], approached [[EasyJet]] founder [[Stelios Haji-Ioannou]] to ask whether they could meet, claiming that he was fascinated by how the Greek entrepreneur had made the budget airline formula work. Haji-Ioannou not only agreed, but allegedly showed Ayling his business plan.<ref>{{cite news | first=James | | [[Bob Ayling]], [[CEO]] of [[British Airways]], approached [[EasyJet]] founder [[Stelios Haji-Ioannou]] to ask whether they could meet, claiming that he was fascinated by how the Greek entrepreneur had made the budget airline formula work. Haji-Ioannou not only agreed, but allegedly showed Ayling his business plan.<ref>{{cite news |last=Curtis |first=James |date=24 May 2001 |title=Behind enemy lines |work=Marketing |publisher=Haymarket Media Group |pages=28–29? <!-- EBCOhost says "p28. 2p.", though Gale's MLA citation just says "p. 28" --> |publication-place=London, UK |issn=0025-3650 |id={{EBSCOhost|4575615}}. {{Gale|A75481956}}.}}</ref> | ||
In 1997, BA announced that, under the project name Operation Blue Sky, it would launch its own low-cost airline to meet the changing demand for air travel in Europe.<ref>{{cite news |first=Paul | last=Burnham Finney | title= Business Travel; Hong Kong's Huge New Airport, Chek Lap Kok, is Set to Open in April, Tourist Slump and all | date=1997-12-31 | url =https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9500E0DD1331F932A05751C1A961958260 |work =[[The New York Times]] | access-date = 16 January 2008}}</ref> According to Ayling, the new airline would "quickly become a favourite with the budget traveller" via its pricing scheme and available flights.<ref>{{cite news |title=New BA Low-Cost Airline Meets Legal Threat | date=17 November 1997 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/31921.stm | work =BBC News | access-date = 16 January 2008}}</ref> [[Barbara Cassani]], who had been British Airways' General Manager in New York and had been credited with turning around the airline's flagging fortunes in the transatlantic market in the early 1990s, was chosen by Ayling to set up the new venture. The new airline would be run separately from British Airways as a wholly owned subsidiary, and would compete in the European [[low-cost carrier]] market, dominated by [[Ryanair]] and [[EasyJet]]. In 1998, the name of the new airline was announced as Go Fly Limited, following a lengthy debate over how to choose a name that would best suit the positioning of this new airline, which was already facing challenges from EasyJet,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easyjet.com/EN/news/19980120_01.html |title=the EasyJet case against Operation Blue Sky |access-date=16 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080301185723/http://www.easyjet.com/EN/news/19980120_01.html |archive-date=1 March 2008 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> and [[Virgin Atlantic]],<ref>{{cite news | first=Andrew Ross | last=Sorkin | title= Nurturing a No-Frills Airline | date=19 September 1999 | url =https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E2D6123CF93AA2575AC0A96F958260 | work =[[The New York Times]] | access-date = 16 January 2008}}</ref> among others. | In 1997, BA announced that, under the project name Operation Blue Sky, it would launch its own low-cost airline to meet the changing demand for air travel in Europe.<ref>{{cite news |first=Paul | last=Burnham Finney | title= Business Travel; Hong Kong's Huge New Airport, Chek Lap Kok, is Set to Open in April, Tourist Slump and all | date=1997-12-31 | url =https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9500E0DD1331F932A05751C1A961958260 |work =[[The New York Times]] | access-date = 16 January 2008}}</ref> According to Ayling, the new airline would "quickly become a favourite with the budget traveller" via its pricing scheme and available flights.<ref>{{cite news |title=New BA Low-Cost Airline Meets Legal Threat | date=17 November 1997 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/31921.stm | work =BBC News | access-date = 16 January 2008}}</ref> [[Barbara Cassani]], who had been British Airways' General Manager in New York and had been credited with turning around the airline's flagging fortunes in the transatlantic market in the early 1990s, was chosen by Ayling to set up the new venture. The new airline would be run separately from British Airways as a wholly owned subsidiary, and would compete in the European [[low-cost carrier]] market, dominated by [[Ryanair]] and [[EasyJet]]. In 1998, the name of the new airline was announced as Go Fly Limited, following a lengthy debate over how to choose a name that would best suit the positioning of this new airline, which was already facing challenges from EasyJet,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easyjet.com/EN/news/19980120_01.html |title=the EasyJet case against Operation Blue Sky |access-date=16 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080301185723/http://www.easyjet.com/EN/news/19980120_01.html |archive-date=1 March 2008 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> and [[Virgin Atlantic]],<ref>{{cite news | first=Andrew Ross | last=Sorkin | title= Nurturing a No-Frills Airline | date=19 September 1999 | url =https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E2D6123CF93AA2575AC0A96F958260 | work =[[The New York Times]] | access-date = 16 January 2008}}</ref> among others. | ||
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Go was very much the brainchild of Bob Ayling, and when he left British Airways, Go Fly's future was rendered shaky.<ref>{{cite news|title=Outlook: Eddington Axes Ayling's Legacy. But Will it Work? |date=7 November 2000 |newspaper=The Independent |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20001107/ai_n14343804 |access-date=16 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302080327/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20001107/ai_n14343804 |archive-date=2 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2000, BA announced it planned to sell Go as part of efforts to improve profits, coupled with concerns that Go was attracting customers from BA's own services.<ref>{{cite news |title=BA to sell Go airline as profits surge | date=6 November 2000 | work=BBC News | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1009283.stm |access-date= 16 July 2013}}</ref> | Go was very much the brainchild of Bob Ayling, and when he left British Airways, Go Fly's future was rendered shaky.<ref>{{cite news|title=Outlook: Eddington Axes Ayling's Legacy. But Will it Work? |date=7 November 2000 |newspaper=The Independent |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20001107/ai_n14343804 |access-date=16 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302080327/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20001107/ai_n14343804 |archive-date=2 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2000, BA announced it planned to sell Go as part of efforts to improve profits, coupled with concerns that Go was attracting customers from BA's own services.<ref>{{cite news |title=BA to sell Go airline as profits surge | date=6 November 2000 | work=BBC News | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1009283.stm |access-date= 16 July 2013}}</ref> | ||
Estimated gains from the sale fluctuated and in January 2001, BA admitted that its initial estimates may have been incorrect, and that they now valued Go Fly at £200 million.<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael | | Estimated gains from the sale fluctuated and in January 2001, BA admitted that its initial estimates may have been incorrect, and that they now valued Go Fly at £200 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Harrison |first=Michael |author-link=<!-- "Business Editor" --> |date=5 January 2001 |title=BA admits Sale of Go May Raise Just £200m <!-- in Gale and NewsBank as "BA admits sale of Go may raise just pounds 200m" --> |url=<!-- on 16 January 2008 was at http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article265669.ece --> |access-date= |work=The Independent |publisher=<!-- Gale says "Publisher: Independent Digital News and Media Limited", whereas NewsBank says "© Copyright 2001, 2010 Newspaper Publishing plc" --> |page=19 |publication-place=London, England |id={{Gale|A68752207}}. {{NewsBank text|132A8C7499DF0FE8}}.}}</ref> Go was sold later that year for £100 million in a management buyout led by Cassani with the support of private equity firm [[3i]].<ref>{{cite news |title=BA sells Go for £100m | date=14 June 2001 | work=BBC News | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1388980.stm |access-date= 16 July 2013}}</ref> The airline's management team remained in place.<ref>{{cite news|first=Alan |last=Levy |title=All Signals Go: Airline Sold |date=20 June 2001 |url=http://www.praguepost.cz/busi062001f.html |work=The Prague Post |access-date=16 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302045139/http://www.praguepost.cz/busi062001f.html |archive-date=2 March 2008}}</ref> In 2001, Go reported that it had carried 57.3% more passengers that year than in 2000.<ref>{{cite news|title=3I Go Fly Dec passengers up 57 pct yr-on-yr |date=4 January 2002 |url=http://www.advfn.com/news_Go-Fly-Dec-passengers-up-57-pct-yr-on-yr_2098451.html |work=ADVFN |access-date=16 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080301223106/http://www.advfn.com/news_Go-Fly-Dec-passengers-up-57-pct-yr-on-yr_2098451.html |archive-date=1 March 2008}}</ref> | ||
In 2002, [[EasyJet]] announced that it would buy Go Fly for £374 million to expand its own operations.<ref>{{cite news |title=Easyjet buys Go for £374m | date=16 May 2002 | work=BBC News | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1990691.stm |access-date= 16 July 2013}}</ref> By December of that year, Go Fly was operating under the easyJet Air Operators Certificate (AOC) and was absorbed into the EasyJet brand the following year. Although it was reported that Cassani might seek to block the deal with EasyJet, this did not happen.<ref>{{cite news|first=Kenny |last=Kemp |title=Cassani: I Won't Stop Takeover of Go; UK Businesswoman of the Year |date=12 May 2002 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020512/ai_n12576303 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302080317/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020512/ai_n12576303 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 March 2008 |work=The Sunday Herald |access-date=16 January 2008}}</ref> She did not accept a position with the new entity, and in November 2003, Barbara Cassani published ''Go, An Airline Adventure'', which chronicled the airline's existence. | In 2002, [[EasyJet]] announced that it would buy Go Fly for £374 million to expand its own operations.<ref>{{cite news |title=Easyjet buys Go for £374m | date=16 May 2002 | work=BBC News | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1990691.stm |access-date= 16 July 2013}}</ref> By December of that year, Go Fly was operating under the easyJet Air Operators Certificate (AOC) and was absorbed into the EasyJet brand the following year. Although it was reported that Cassani might seek to block the deal with EasyJet, this did not happen.<ref>{{cite news|first=Kenny |last=Kemp |title=Cassani: I Won't Stop Takeover of Go; UK Businesswoman of the Year |date=12 May 2002 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020512/ai_n12576303 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302080317/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020512/ai_n12576303 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 March 2008 |work=The Sunday Herald |access-date=16 January 2008}}</ref> She did not accept a position with the new entity, and in November 2003, Barbara Cassani published ''Go, An Airline Adventure'', which chronicled the airline's existence. | ||
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Go Fly's fleet consisted of the following aircraft: | Go Fly's fleet consisted of the following aircraft: | ||
{| class=" | {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse;margin:auto;" | ||
|+ | |+ Go Fly Fleet | ||
|- | |- | ||
! | !Aircraft | ||
!style="width:80px;"| | !style="width:80px;"|In Fleet | ||
! | !Notes | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Boeing 737 Classic|Boeing 737-300]] | |[[Boeing 737 Classic|Boeing 737-300]] | ||
|align="center"|28 | |align="center"|28 | ||
|align="center"| | |align="center"| | ||
|- | |||
|[[BAe 146-200]] | |||
| align="center" |1 | |||
| align="center" |Given to [[Titan Airways]] as G-ZAPO | |||
|} | |} | ||
Latest revision as of 02:01, 2 November 2025
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Go Fly (styled and trading as gogo) was the name of a British low-cost airline, founded by British Airways in 1998. It operated flights between London Stansted Airport and destinations in Europe. The airline was purchased from BA in a management buyout backed by the private equity firm 3i in 2001. In 2002, it was bought by its rival EasyJet and was merged into that airline's operations by 2003.[1]
Its head office was in Enterprise House at London Stansted Airport in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex.[2]
History
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Bob Ayling, CEO of British Airways, approached EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou to ask whether they could meet, claiming that he was fascinated by how the Greek entrepreneur had made the budget airline formula work. Haji-Ioannou not only agreed, but allegedly showed Ayling his business plan.[3]
In 1997, BA announced that, under the project name Operation Blue Sky, it would launch its own low-cost airline to meet the changing demand for air travel in Europe.[4] According to Ayling, the new airline would "quickly become a favourite with the budget traveller" via its pricing scheme and available flights.[5] Barbara Cassani, who had been British Airways' General Manager in New York and had been credited with turning around the airline's flagging fortunes in the transatlantic market in the early 1990s, was chosen by Ayling to set up the new venture. The new airline would be run separately from British Airways as a wholly owned subsidiary, and would compete in the European low-cost carrier market, dominated by Ryanair and EasyJet. In 1998, the name of the new airline was announced as Go Fly Limited, following a lengthy debate over how to choose a name that would best suit the positioning of this new airline, which was already facing challenges from EasyJet,[6] and Virgin Atlantic,[7] among others.
The airline's fleet consisted of Boeing 737s. The first two, 737-300s G-IGOC and G-IGOE,[8] were acquired via lease from Philippine Airlines.[9]
An additional plane, a 737-3Q8 G-IGOF, was leased in 1998.[8] On Friday 22 May 1998, Go Fly flew for the first time from its base at London Stansted Airport to Rome Ciampino. The following afternoon saw the airline's inaugural flight to Milan Malpensa Airport. The Italian launch of Go's operation was managed by former American Airlines executive Luca Berti.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
As part of EasyJet's campaign against Go Fly, Haji-Ioannou and nine other EasyJet staff booked tickets for the flight, arriving in orange boiler suits.[8][10] Other early routes were to Copenhagen, Bologna and Lisbon.[8] In July flights to Glasgow were started, then to Munich in November and Venice in December 1998, followed by Málaga, Faro, Bilbao in April 1999 and Madrid.[8]
After leasing three further planes, including a former Air Liberté plane and another ex-British Midland jet in 1998 and 1999, six additional planes were delivered direct from Boeing, leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services, bringing the total to 13. Although this was four more than originally envisaged, additional routes helped to spread the overheads.[8]
To stem mounting losses, a significant change in strategy was announced in June 1999, cutting back on the existing schedules in favour of new routes tapping into the summer holiday market to Alicante, Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca. This was followed by winter schedules targeting skiers travelling to Lyon and Zürich, together with a new route to Prague.[8]
In 2001, Go Fly expanded its UK operations, opening a second base at Bristol Airport, bringing low-cost travel to South West England for the first time.[11]
Go was very much the brainchild of Bob Ayling, and when he left British Airways, Go Fly's future was rendered shaky.[12] In 2000, BA announced it planned to sell Go as part of efforts to improve profits, coupled with concerns that Go was attracting customers from BA's own services.[13]
Estimated gains from the sale fluctuated and in January 2001, BA admitted that its initial estimates may have been incorrect, and that they now valued Go Fly at £200 million.[14] Go was sold later that year for £100 million in a management buyout led by Cassani with the support of private equity firm 3i.[15] The airline's management team remained in place.[16] In 2001, Go reported that it had carried 57.3% more passengers that year than in 2000.[17]
In 2002, EasyJet announced that it would buy Go Fly for £374 million to expand its own operations.[18] By December of that year, Go Fly was operating under the easyJet Air Operators Certificate (AOC) and was absorbed into the EasyJet brand the following year. Although it was reported that Cassani might seek to block the deal with EasyJet, this did not happen.[19] She did not accept a position with the new entity, and in November 2003, Barbara Cassani published Go, An Airline Adventure, which chronicled the airline's existence.
Fleet
Go Fly's fleet consisted of the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 | 28 | |
| BAe 146-200 | 1 | Given to Titan Airways as G-ZAPO |
See also
References
External links
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 27 March-2 April 2001. 77. "Enterprise House, 2nd Floor, Stansted Airport, Stansted, Essex, CM241SB, UK"
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- ↑ a b c d e f g Go: An airline adventure, Barbara Cassani with Kenny Kemp, Template:ISBN
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