I personally had and still have a very poor opinion of the management at Blackpool, formed long before they proposed the "daft tax".
"LONG before" - How long have Balfour Beatty been running Blackpool airport - Don't you agree they deserve a chance.
If they had not levied the DC - were would the cash have come from to repair the runway and make the apron larger?.
Of course Balfour Beatty could have gone down the normal route and raised the landing charges, then everyone would have been worse off including the under 16s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by A.Agincourt
Well Ernie here's a different view for you to consider; I reside on the east coast and during a year, often choose to drive a few hours to use Blackpool simply because I value the convenience offered to me by the flight times of the carriers I use. No other reason.
Interesting post - If I lived on the East coast - I would not even consider using Blackpool airport.
When I say BKL is convenient, I mean that there is little walking unlike Manchester and the larger airports.
I don't want to pay the £10 airport levy, but then again I wish BKL to remain open, and if that's the only way - Then so be it IMO.
Agree with Balfour Beatty or not: At least they have come up with an idea forward, rather than just standing still and watching the airport decay.
Yes that's true. But it's a very shaky market. and BB have at least shown they are committed to BKL.
I look at what BB have done with the ADC. Then I look at what Ryanair have done since they left BKL.
They said they were leaving BKL because they are the airline defending low fares, and the ADC they said could not be justified.
Yet a few weeks down the line they abolish all check in desks at UK airports saying all passengers will have to check in on line. They say that 75% of all pax do anyway.
So the Extra 25% will have to pre book seats in order to be able to check in, I except this will probably be more expensive than the BKL ADC because it will apply to all ages.
In other words a price hike brought in by stealth.
BB did invest £12 million when they bought the airport, with a runway that would give the BIG ONE just down the road a run for it's money. So are BB any worse than Ryanair for setting up the ADC to protect their investment in the future?, I think charging airline more for landing would drive even the patient Jet2 away - Sooner than later.
Maybe I time my visits wrong but everytime I visit the terminal I see lots of staff who are all drawing a wage and not a single passenger to pay the wages.
I can’t knock the airport authority for keeping the infrastructure costs down. There can’t be many terminals around the world that uses what looks like an ex-circus tent as part of the terminal, which blows around in the Blackpool wind.
Last edited by LTNman : 23rd February 2009 at 06:14.
If the work is necessary to bring the airport 'up to scratch' so to speak, then the cost of the work should have been factored into the purchase price.
However, if the work is necessary for future expansion of services, I would consider the cost an investment in the future.
Either way, in my opinion, the cost of the work should be absorbed by BB and recovered in the same way that all other airports recover their costs, not simply burdening passengers alone.
I worry that if rumours are to believed, and that DSA have had favourable talks with LS that they may leave BLK for DSA?
I hope im wrong and am not trying to be a doom monger at all just with conflicting services at MAN and BLK can they continue to serve both if the recession worsens?
Blackpool Ruddy Airport have more-or-less decided that they are not interested in locals using the airport, they want to pull in families (Mum/Dad/3.2 kids/one 4x4) from such places as the Lake District, whom the "Free" parking (on all my letters to and from Blackpool Ruddy Airport the word "Free" is highlighted) would benefit. They quote - bring your car as a taxi would cost £100+. Presumably Blackpool Ruddy Airport haven't heard of trains.
They may also not have heard that The Lake District is one of the least-populated areas of the UK, and that the only couple who live there (Mr and Mrs Arkwright) are retired and go to their caravan in Norfolk for their summer hols, so won't be using Blackpool Ruddy Airport.
Perhaps Mr and Mrs Arkwright would be interested in a nice, shiny new bungalow on the newly-built Squires Gate Housing Estate in three years time, and have people wandering past every day saying to them "eeeh, I remember when this used to be an airport, but it went to the wall when someone decided to charge everyone £10 just to use it".
I worry that if rumours are to believed, and that DSA have had favourable talks with LS that they may leave BLK for DSA?
Can you provide a link that would support the rumours that Jet2 have had favourable talks with DSA and are likely to move there?.
Does not make sense that LS would leave BKP for DSA, they then would just look like a parochial Norther airline not venturing North of manchester.
Quote:
Originally Posted by howard h
Blackpool Ruddy Airport have more-or-less decided that they are not interested in locals using the airport, they want to pull in families (Mum/Dad/3.2 kids/one 4x4) from such places as the Lake District,
There IMO is not a grain of truth in what you say. Yes the airport is gearing to further afield than just Blackpool, and quite right too. Yes BB and jet2 are after the bucket and spade brigade - What's wrong with that?. I have been on flight were many have been Blackpoolers who have properties in Spain, and they benefit from Blackpool airport.
howard if BLK have not introduced the £10 charge, then it would have had to find money from some other source, and that would have probably included higher landing fees - that would have been passed on to every passenger. Under 16 or not. Also howard - Blackpool catchment area is NOT just the Lake district, that's a nice bit of cherry picking by your good self, in truth what matters is what people from the (highly populated) Preston - Chorley - Leyland- Blackburn - Burnley and the rest of cetral Lancashre feels, because Central Lancashre determines in the long run whether BKL survives or not, the populations of Blackpool and the Lakes is just not enough.
I think BB are ware that 99% of locals WILL use BLK regardless of the one way £10 charge for over 16's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MUFC_fan
I doubt the airport will become a housing estate very soon! There is more demand for flights than there is for housing at the moment!
Exactly and BB know that full well, and are at least trying to make the airport work, unlike the previous owners.
I live nearer Manchester than Blackpool, but changing my airport to Manchester has never even crossed my mind. Some of my friends use BLK and the £10 charge is not even an issue.
Last edited by Ernest Lanc's : 24th February 2009 at 00:05.
If £10 isn't an issue, why not offer them £20? £50?
£100? Just hand it over to the information desk, thank you kindly.
Point being, at what point do you think an ADF is too much, and would turn you away?
1p is my "turning point" - and if the airport needs income like this, it can increase the landing charges, which would come with the ticket (ie all-in-one paid in one go) AND would get double income (those outbound AND inbound). Or, maybe provide such excellent customer service that peeps just want to use the airport again and again...
Another point is, when this airport's fully developed, will this charge be dropped? What do you think.....??
Another point is, when this airport's fully developed, will this charge be dropped? What do you think
I wonder just how many unsuspecting passengers will arrive at the airport this year completely unaware that they will be relieved of a portion of their spending money as they enter the airport, after all, not all travellers read PPRuNe. The reaction of these passengers and the threat to repeat business to the airline(s) may determine when this charge is dropped.
If £10 isn't an issue, why not offer them £20? £50?
£100?[..]Just hand it over to the information desk, thank you kindly.
That IMO is being plain silly - The £10 charge is not an issue because it is more than offset by the free parking, I think that's fair comment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by howard h
Point being, at what point do you think an ADF is too much, and would turn you away?
When the charges go BEYOND £10 after the free parking has been taken into consideration would be the time I though BB would be profiteering, and then I would probably not use Blackpool airport.
But we are nowhere near that stage - Are we?.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TSR2
I wonder just how many unsuspecting passengers will arrive at the airport this year completely unaware that they will be relieved of a portion of their spending money as they enter the airport, after all,[...] not all travellers read PPRuNe
Well I doubt that there will be many unsuspecting travelers TSR - Most book on the internet and most will have read about the charge on the BKL airport site, or the Jet2 or Ryanair site - As good as PPRuNe is, it's not the only source of information. I am a CO admin an a cricket forum, but you don't have to be a member of my site to know that England cricket team have been humiliated when bowled out for 51 by the West Indies.
EDIT: Does anyone think this thread has become over negative over the £10 charge, and Blackpool Airport as a whole, which after all only affects a few: And had BB gone down the route of increasing landing charges, we still would not have escaped higher charges.
The only real negative effect is Ryanair leaving, and if Girona was that profitable - then another carrier will take on that route.
Last edited by Ernest Lanc's : 24th February 2009 at 21:15.
Yes - Been a funny old year for BKL. I have not been abroad since I went to Malaga in October, so it will seem strange going into the departure lounge and not seeing the Ryanair 737-800 parked up.
I suppose it will seem strange handing over part of my airfare at the airport, even though I am resigned to the charge. I will experience that at first hand at the end of may when we fly to Palma.
To change course a little I think the charge will be more acceptable if people can see some tangible return for their money - Like a new route to either Corfu or Turkey, that's what BB have said they are aiming for.
I wonder if this will be the case 2 years down the line?, and will the Girona route become active again this year - for all the talk there has been about Loganair and FlyBE, any carrier going to any sun destination is far more important to me.
Also a bench mark for me this time next year will be if Manx2 are still fling out of Blackpool to anywhere, and if jet2 are still flying to NI. Those 2 routes seem very congested to me with 2 airlines competing for the same pax.
FR made GRO. They are the only carrier that would make it work. A lot of the people on the flights would be going into Barcelona and it was only the costs that offset the distance from the city.
If LS were to launch GRO they would not be offering fares at 1p etc. so it would be easier to fly from LPL/MAN to BCN.
- just from my experiences on three flights from DSA to Girona, most people (I'd say at least 3/4) were going on to the city itself, or even beyond, rather than the Costa Brava or the Costa Maresme (Calella etc).
So I agree with you, though the MAN flights (Monarch?) always seemed to be at silly times - don't know if it's improved - so I used DSA even though it was a bit dearer and involved a 75 min journey to the centre of BCN. I did get the impression that the Ryanair times from Blackpool were quite convenient.
, in truth what matters is what people from the (highly populated) Preston - Chorley - Leyland- Blackburn - Burnley and the rest of cetral Lancashre feels, because Central Lancashre determines in the long run whether BKL survives or not, the populations of Blackpool and the Lakes is just not enough.
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