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'Blue Islands' is an airline based in Jersey in the Channel Islands. Blue Islands is a trading name for AirX Limited. It operates scheduled services from and within the Channel Islands and to France and the UK mainland. Its main aircraft base is Jersey Airport (JER), with Guernsey Airport (GCI) however being its main hub. There is also a small hub and aircraft base at Alderney Airport (ACI).
The company changed the trading name from 'Rockhopper' to 'Blue Islands' on 14 February 2006. The move coincided with the delivery of the first of its new fleet of 19-seater BAe Jetstream aircraft and a new air link with the Isle of Man.
Since the launch of the BAe Jetstream aircraft on Inter-Island services Blue Islands has gained a significant share of the market from its state owned competitor. Blue Islands has also gone on to launch new routes from Guernsey and Jersey to Paris and from Guernsey to Southampton. Blue Islands currently have plans to launch routes to Zurich and Geneva from Guernsey and Jersey and Dublin from Guernsey.
Blue Islands has recently increased frequency on its Alderney-Brighton City service from 2 to 4 flights a week, and has also increased frequency on its highly successful Guernsey/Jersey-Isle of Man service from 5 to 7 flights weekly, with services going twice daily on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Between April 2006 and April 2007 Blue Islands has increased its passengers figures by 70%
'Blue Islands' is an airline that concentrates on offering a high level of customer service. 'Blue Islands' does this through its passenger lounges in both Guernsey and Jersey, which offer complimentary refreshments and newspapers as well as television and free Wi-Fi Internet access. In Southampton passengers have complimentary access to the Business Lounge. In Guernsey, Jersey and Bournemouth all passengers are transported to the aircraft by courtesy coach.
Passengers are also permitted to make free changes to their flights online at www.blueislands.com or through 'Blue Islands' reservations centre up to 2 hours before departure online or anytime through central reservations. 'Blue Islands' also offers a simple pricing structure, with a maximum of two fares per route and all fares are all inclusive of taxes and charges, with no Credit Card charges.

Contents

History

Handling

Destinations

Fleet

External links

References

History

The airline was established in 2001 by Le Cocq's Stores and was initially known as Le Cocq's Airlink. It started operations carrying perishable goods from Bournemouth to Alderney. Scheduled services were added on the same route on 1 February 2002. The Rockhopper name was adopted on 29 August 2003^[1]. The company moved its main operating base from Alderney to Jersey in January 2006. Its Headquarters is now at Healthspan House, The Grange, St. Peter Port, Guernsey.
The airline is wholly owned by the Healthspan Group and has 72 employees.

Handling

Blue Islands handles itself at all the Channel Island airports and Bournemouth. Blue Islands are currently handled by Flight Support in the Isle of Man, in Paris-Beauvais by the Airport Authority and in Southampton by Aviance.

Destinations

Blue Islands operates the following services (at May 2007) :

★ 'Crown Dependencies:'

★
★ Alderney Airport - 'HUB'

★
★ Guernsey Airport - 'HUB and Headquarters'

★
★ Jersey Airport - 'HUB and Operations Base'

★
★ Isle of Man (Ronaldsway Airport)

★ 'United Kingdom:'

★
★ Bournemouth Airport

★
★ Southampton Airport

★
★ Shoreham (Brighton City) Airport

★ 'International:'

★
★ Paris-Beauvais

Fleet

The Blue Islands fleet consists of the following aircraft (at June 2007):

★ 3 Britten-Norman Trislander

★ 4 BAe Jetstream 32EP (Latter Leased from Eastern Airways)

★ 1 Britten-Norman Islander
Blue Islands have plans to introduce larger aircraft, aircraft believed to be under consideration are Dornier 328 and BAe Jetstream 41.

External links

★ Blue Islands

★ Photos of Rockhopper aircraft

★ CI Aviation

References

1. Directory: World Airlines