Red Jet – New LCC in the Caribbean

I think that the MD-80 was simply not well-suited for the routes they served. This route-structure needs aircraft like the ATR 72, no mainline jets – regardless of the type. Just look at Insel Air/Insel Air Aruba. They are using MD-80s in a different way and their route-structure is much better suited for an aircraft this size.
BTW Airlines like Insel Air use a very simple marketing-tool: they claim that they are operating as stated in their schedules. This might sound very strange but look at LIAT: many complain that LIAT is not flying as stated in their schedule, aircraft depart too early or too late. LIAT not only stands for “Leeward Islands Air Transport” but “Leave Island Any Time” oder “Luggage In Any Town”. Companies like Insel Air/Insel Air Aruba, DAE and even REDjet saw this as a big advantage: to fly as scheduled and without leaving baggage behind.

Strangely REDjet operated two MD-82s while the third MD-80 (an MD-83 with new hushkits) apparently never entered service. REDjet applied for essential landing-rights for flights into the USA (as a “main market”) but the airline never received permission to enter this important market. A route from Bridgetown to Miami would have been much better suited for an MD-80 btw..

Bye!

Oh dear ‘another one bites the dust’ another victim of others greed maybe ?
So glad I was determined to get photos during my January trip …..

Keith 🙂

Certainly on this side of the Atlantic it is illegal, and any organisation that finds itself engaging in this sort of practice can find itself subject to an OFT investigation.

Of the course, the problem with this is that apart from it being very difficult to prove that this sort of activity is going on in practice (how do you establish the cost base for a particular route and how is one route influenced by others, for example) if one firm has deeper pockets than the other, by the time a decision has been reached the weaker party may have been forced out of the market anyway.

One of the recent cases that the OFT has looked at concerned Flybe starting flights between Gatwick and Newquay, and was bought by Air South West – unusually in this case it was the new comer, rather than the incumbent accused of predatory practices. The OFT determined that there is a difference between a predatory action by a firm entering a market to one already in it, and didn’t take any action against Flybe.

Nothing new about the practice as you should know! USA airlines against Laker, BA ‘dirty tricks’ against Virgin, isn’t it sometimes quicker and cheaper to travel London to Paris by train? 😉

Sad news.:(

For Immediate Release

REDjet Announcement –from CEO Ian Burns

The shareholders and staff of REDjet wish to sincerely thank all our passengers and supporters for enabling our airline to achieve the tremendous feat of breaking the high fare experience of many Caribbean passengers, while increasing regional travel numbers for the first time in decades.

We at REDjet set out to deliver the Caribbean’s first affordable air service and we have successfully launched a small number of routes that have in their performance, demonstrated the necessity and popularity for a low fares service in the region.

Our aircraft and our dedicated staff are performing extremely well and we are willing and able to continue to provide affordable transport across the Caribbean and beyond but we cannot.

Unlike the heavily subsidised airlines that serve the region, REDjet does not receive any assistance. As indicated, REDjet is hopeful that we will be given a small part of the State assistance others receive, as it will allow us to get our recently approved and exciting new routes established and profitable. Once this happens, our shareholders and staff will do their utmost to see that there is no return to high fares and business as usual.

We have seen other carriers drastically cut their fares in an effort to shut down REDjet and return to high fares and business as usual with no regard to the negative impact on travellers. Unlike us, they do not have to be profitable to stay in business.

In spite of their subsidised efforts, our passenger numbers have continued to rise because you, our patrons, enjoy our clean, comfortable and well maintained aircraft as well as our excellent service delivered at affordable ticket prices.

REDjet has no alternative but to suspend flights from 23:59pm on 16th March until further notice. All passengers booked on any REDjet flight from Saturday should contact the call centre 24 hours before scheduled departure time for an update on their flight status.

Affected passengers will be offered refunds or the option to travel with REDjet upon commencement of services.

Our Refund Procedure can take up to 3 weeks and is outlined below:

Refund Procedure:

Complete a refund request posted on our website and email to [email]service@flyredjet.com[/email].

Alternatively submit your refund request with passenger names and booking reference numbers to: REDjet, P.O. Box 6072AP, Barbados.

Further announcements regarding services will be made on Monday 19th March. All tickets for future travel remain valid.

REDjet sincerely apologises for the disruption and distress this temporary cessation of flights will cause and looks forward to serving you in the future.

END

March 16, 2012

Source: http://www.flyredjet.com/en/news/redjet-service-suspension-message

Is it me or is this surely predatory tactics by the other airlines, and this sort of thing should be made illegal, or at the very least measures should be put in place to stop this kind of action that ends up leading to the demise of a competitor and the loss of many jobs, which ends up causing damage to the local economy!?

REDjet suspended their ops at night of March 16th.

Bye

Great pic…a nice, clean and simple livery, can’t ask for much more.:)

As good news as the article is, it still says that they’re not fully up and running yet, does anyone actually know when their first revenue flight will commence; another article I read suggests that they are likely to start before Christmas, but whether that has been confirmed or not I cannot tell and its only a week and a few days away?!

This airline has been in the making since 2006, I know they have had a few issues to deal with already because they had initially intended to base an aircraft in Kingston, Jamaica, but the Jamaican authorities wouldn’t allow them due to its then issues with Air Jamaica (which is now under the control of Caribbean Airlines!).

Thank you very much for your update!

Regards

REDjet officially arrived in Barbados on December 9th, 2010.

http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/new-airline-touches-down-in-barbados/

Here is one Photo:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/REDjet/McDonnell-Douglas-MD-82/1812860/M/

Regards!

@cloud_9:

Thank you very much for your link with photo. Now it´s clear that the company will be “REDjet”, not Red Jet. 🙂

It´s a rather strange name for a Caribbean airline…

Best regards!

Didn’t see any pilot looking people among the ‘staff’! 😀

Sounds interesting, and probably will do quite well being a low-cost carrier as the Carribbean inter-island market already has quite a number of airlines who are all very competitive, but prices can be quite expensive.

The following link has a picture from the launch party which was held on Saturday:

http://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/news/stories/10/18/low-fare-airline-likely-to-start-service-here-before-xmas/attachment/20101018redjet/