bmi british midland introduces one way fares

bmi british midland has announced that it is to scrap its traditional ‘full service’ fares system and introduce a simple one way fare structure, reflecting those used by low cost carriers.

From June 14, bmi will offer all passengers fares that can be booked on a one way basis.

bmi says this will enable passengers to choose from the lowest available fare on each leg of their journey without being inhibited by minimum stay requirements, such as the restrictive ‘Saturday night stopover’ rule.

Further relaxation of existing booking terms and conditions also means that passengers will be able to change their flight for a £25 (each way) fee and the payment of any difference in fare.

bmi chief executive Austin Reid said: “We began an exhaustive review of our business model last year and this major strategic change is an aspect of it.

“What we had found was that one of the main areas where our ‘no frills’ competitors had an advantage over us was our fare restrictions, specifically on our very low fares which nearly always had to be booked as part of a return journey. What we have done, is wipe the slate clean and start again with this complete rethink of our ticket prices.”

He added: “We have seen first hand with our own low cost airline, bmibaby, that customers want simple one way fares with no minimum stay requirements and this is exactly what we are doing. bmi passengers can now win on all accounts, fantastic low fares direct to main city airports throughout the UK and Europe with all the benefits that a full service airline has to offer including dedicated lounges, business facilities and complimentary food and drink.”

The new fare structure does not apply to transatlantic services from Manchester or German routes.

New fare structure starting from prices, valid 14 June 2002 onwards
Lowest one way fares from London Heathrow:
Amsterdam £34
Belfast £29.50
Brussels £45
Dublin £46
Edinburgh £26.50
Glasgow £26.50
Leeds Bradford£37.50
Madrid £68
Manchester £27.50
Milan £70
Nice £52.50
Palma £73
Paris £49
Teesside £26.50

Lowest one way fares from East Midlands:
Amsterdam £51
Belfast £23
Brussels £51
Edinburgh £16
Glasgow £16
Paris £56

Lowest one way fares from Manchester:
Edinburgh £29
Glasgow £29
Aberdeen £44
Heathrow £31

Lowest one way fares from Leeds Bradford:
Edinburgh £61
Glasgow £61
Paris £65
Brussels £65
Cork £61

Read our previous stories:
17-May-2002 Confusion reigns over location of East Midlands Airport
25-Apr-2002 bmi reports operating loss of £12m
16-Apr-2002 bmi follows BA with domestic fare changes
16-Apr-2002 bmi says it won’t adjust commission until October