BRISTOL - 4
Brunel to Concorde
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bmi regional
There are nine trip reports for bmi regional across its network this year on a well-known trip report website with eight of them giving marks of 10 out of 10 and the ninth 9 out of 10, which is quite an accolade. A recurrent theme is the excellence of the onboard service.
You are right of course to mention the absolute importance of the yield. Nevertheless, the fact that passenger numbers continue to build is an encouraging sign.
Helvetic too had its best BRS month in July on the ZRH service with 1944 passengers giving an average load of 54. This was up 97% on July 2012 although this summer there are four weekly rotations compared with three last summer.
I've noticed a lot of advertising recently for Helvetic on some Airport Flyer buses, some airport car park buses and on some First city buses around Bristol. bmi regional has enjoyed similar publicity with some Bristol taxis bearing prominent bmi regional adverts too, not to mention a big banner on the second roundabout along the airport approach road.
The Flybe-operated Brussels Airlines BRS-BRU is also having a better year than in 2012 with passenger numbers up around 18% in the first seven months of 2013 compared with the same period last year. I wonder how many of these transfer to the SN network at BRU.
You are right of course to mention the absolute importance of the yield. Nevertheless, the fact that passenger numbers continue to build is an encouraging sign.
Helvetic too had its best BRS month in July on the ZRH service with 1944 passengers giving an average load of 54. This was up 97% on July 2012 although this summer there are four weekly rotations compared with three last summer.
I've noticed a lot of advertising recently for Helvetic on some Airport Flyer buses, some airport car park buses and on some First city buses around Bristol. bmi regional has enjoyed similar publicity with some Bristol taxis bearing prominent bmi regional adverts too, not to mention a big banner on the second roundabout along the airport approach road.
The Flybe-operated Brussels Airlines BRS-BRU is also having a better year than in 2012 with passenger numbers up around 18% in the first seven months of 2013 compared with the same period last year. I wonder how many of these transfer to the SN network at BRU.
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Looking at these stats they show CWL & LPL as 'scheduled' services with small loads (202 & 136 respectively) which is presumably a mistake?
Whilst Harwarden (which might be described as a scheduled service) is described as a charter?
Whilst Harwarden (which might be described as a scheduled service) is described as a charter?
Brunel to Concorde
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CAA stats - BRS
Since the Airbus Corporate Shuttle operated by bmi regional to Hawarden and Toulouse was transferred from Filton to BRS at the beginning of this year the passengers have been shown under the charter column in the monthly CAA stats tables. Thus in July BRS-Hawarden saw 763 passengers and BRS-Toulouse 2304. In addition 8962 Toulouse passengers were shown in the scheduled column, being easyJet passengers.
I have no idea what the explanation is for the CWL and LPL 'scheduled' passengers into or out of BRS in July. I thought of diversions but that would seem to make little sense in the way the figures are presented.
Maybe it's an error as you suggest. They are provisional so might be corrected later.
The CAA stats are not infallible and in fact carry a 'warning notice' broadly to this effect on the CAA website.
For example, in 2012 no passengers were shown on the BRS-Guernsey route under Domestic Routes Analysis in the majority of months even though Aurigny operated throughout the year, and the annual total is still shown as 6833 which is manifestly incorrect. There were 27,000 in 2009, 24,000 in both 2010 and 2011, and 2013 is on course for around 24,000.
The mistake is perpetuated in this year's stats where, for example, the July 2012 total for BRS-GCI is still shown as blank in the comparison (with 2013) column.
In the grand scheme of things I suppose there are more important matters for airports to concern themselves with.
Incidentally, last week the July passenger figures for BHX were published by the CAA showing a double digit percentage monthly drop in passenger numbers which apparently is substantially incorrect. The figures have now been removed from the CAA website presumably to be corrected before republication.
I have no idea what the explanation is for the CWL and LPL 'scheduled' passengers into or out of BRS in July. I thought of diversions but that would seem to make little sense in the way the figures are presented.
Maybe it's an error as you suggest. They are provisional so might be corrected later.
The CAA stats are not infallible and in fact carry a 'warning notice' broadly to this effect on the CAA website.
For example, in 2012 no passengers were shown on the BRS-Guernsey route under Domestic Routes Analysis in the majority of months even though Aurigny operated throughout the year, and the annual total is still shown as 6833 which is manifestly incorrect. There were 27,000 in 2009, 24,000 in both 2010 and 2011, and 2013 is on course for around 24,000.
The mistake is perpetuated in this year's stats where, for example, the July 2012 total for BRS-GCI is still shown as blank in the comparison (with 2013) column.
In the grand scheme of things I suppose there are more important matters for airports to concern themselves with.
Incidentally, last week the July passenger figures for BHX were published by the CAA showing a double digit percentage monthly drop in passenger numbers which apparently is substantially incorrect. The figures have now been removed from the CAA website presumably to be corrected before republication.
Brunel to Concorde
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Airport Flyer
From 1 September the Flyer will operate at an eight-minute frequency in both directions at peak periods. Currently it operates at a 10-minute frequency at peak periods (roughly 0600-1900) and at lesser frequency during the later evening and through the night.
The route is also to be altered.
There will no longer be two routes (A1 and A2) but the new single route will call at Temple Meads from the airport and travel along the existing A1 route (Temple Way and Bond Street) to the country bus and coach station before continuing back to Temple Meads (and then back to the airport) via The Centre and Victoria Street.
This means that the Harbourside and the edge of Clifton around the Triangle will no longer be served.
Whilst at the airport recently I was impressed with the relatively new real-time digital bus departure display outside the terminal that includes the Flyer, the A4 service to Bath, the Greyhound 100 service to South Wales and the 121 local bus to Bristol bus station and Weston-super-Mare.
The route is also to be altered.
There will no longer be two routes (A1 and A2) but the new single route will call at Temple Meads from the airport and travel along the existing A1 route (Temple Way and Bond Street) to the country bus and coach station before continuing back to Temple Meads (and then back to the airport) via The Centre and Victoria Street.
This means that the Harbourside and the edge of Clifton around the Triangle will no longer be served.
Whilst at the airport recently I was impressed with the relatively new real-time digital bus departure display outside the terminal that includes the Flyer, the A4 service to Bath, the Greyhound 100 service to South Wales and the 121 local bus to Bristol bus station and Weston-super-Mare.
Join Date: Jan 2010
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If there are any KLM flyers from BRS here could you answer me a couple of questions please?
I will be flying to Stuttgart via AMS on a Friday soon leaving BRS at 6:15. I have 30 mins to connect to the Stuttgart flight.
1. Do all KLM flights arrive and depart from the same terminal?
2. Are connections fairly easy at AMS
3. And what is the punctuality like on the 6:15 from BRS. I often see it departing late giving me even less time to catch my connection!
Thanks
I will be flying to Stuttgart via AMS on a Friday soon leaving BRS at 6:15. I have 30 mins to connect to the Stuttgart flight.
1. Do all KLM flights arrive and depart from the same terminal?
2. Are connections fairly easy at AMS
3. And what is the punctuality like on the 6:15 from BRS. I often see it departing late giving me even less time to catch my connection!
Thanks
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Doesn't seem very achievable! You need to arrive, take the bus transfer from the aircraft.. pass through security and pass through immigration into the schengen area. Then it's potentially another bus ride to the aircraft.
Join Date: Mar 2003
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The nasty thing is that the BRS plane and the STR plane could be parked next to each other on the commuter ramp - but before you get on the STR plane,you will have to master a mini-odyssey: You will first be bussed to the non-Schengen terminal, have to pass customs and security and walk all the way back you have just been bussed to get to the gate adjacent to the commuter ramp. From there, it will be most likely a bus transfer again to the plane, give the limited number of gate positions.
The good news is that there is a special queue for passengers on a short connection, so you should be able to clear customs and security fairly quickly.
The good news is that there is a special queue for passengers on a short connection, so you should be able to clear customs and security fairly quickly.
Last edited by virginblue; 30th Aug 2013 at 16:22.
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I've done the same trip before, and it wasn't a problem. Punctuality of the KLM early morning flight is generally quite good in my experience (unless there's severe weather or fog in the Amsterdam area, but then everything else tends to be delayed as well).
I believe that the flight time is considerably shorter than the 90 minutes scheduled, so there's some extra time baked into the schedule for late departure, taxiing from one of the remote runways to the terminal, or bussing people to the terminal. There's only one terminal complex, but you'll probably have to get from the non-Schengen part to the Schengen part, so go through passport control and security. This is usually quite fast, and there are extra lanes for short connections. 15 minutes from bus drop off to departure gate is quite doable I think.
I don't think they'd offer you the connection if it wasn't possible to make it. But there's not a lot of slack of course. But then what's the alternative? You could take the early morning flight to Frankfurt and drive down to Stuttgart, which might get you there not that much later, depending on traffic.
I believe that the flight time is considerably shorter than the 90 minutes scheduled, so there's some extra time baked into the schedule for late departure, taxiing from one of the remote runways to the terminal, or bussing people to the terminal. There's only one terminal complex, but you'll probably have to get from the non-Schengen part to the Schengen part, so go through passport control and security. This is usually quite fast, and there are extra lanes for short connections. 15 minutes from bus drop off to departure gate is quite doable I think.
I don't think they'd offer you the connection if it wasn't possible to make it. But there's not a lot of slack of course. But then what's the alternative? You could take the early morning flight to Frankfurt and drive down to Stuttgart, which might get you there not that much later, depending on traffic.
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I don't know CS. I just booked it on the KLM website. What's the difference?
There seems to be some difference of opinion which worries and heartens me at the same time. It seems I may be in a spot if bother if the plane leaves BRS late. I know there is a flight later in the afternoon to Stuttgart and there are worse places to kill 7 hours but I'd rather not miss the connection!
There seems to be some difference of opinion which worries and heartens me at the same time. It seems I may be in a spot if bother if the plane leaves BRS late. I know there is a flight later in the afternoon to Stuttgart and there are worse places to kill 7 hours but I'd rather not miss the connection!
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If you are travelling on a friday, there should also be a 1225 departure to Stuttgart. So if you are missng the flight because of a delay, it will be 3 hours max.
You should not worry too much. If the flight arrives at 0925 sharp, it might be a problem (but still doable if you really hurry up and do some really fast walking once off the bus). But flight time usually is, IIRC, less than an hour, so there is a buffer built into the schedule. I would not count on arriving with your bags, though, if you check them in. KLM has lost my bags quite a few times at AMS on short connections (they all showed up a day or two later, though).
You should not worry too much. If the flight arrives at 0925 sharp, it might be a problem (but still doable if you really hurry up and do some really fast walking once off the bus). But flight time usually is, IIRC, less than an hour, so there is a buffer built into the schedule. I would not count on arriving with your bags, though, if you check them in. KLM has lost my bags quite a few times at AMS on short connections (they all showed up a day or two later, though).
Join Date: Oct 2007
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If booked on one ticket you will be fine, if you miss the connection they will rebook you on the next available.
Of booked as two different tickets they would not be obligated to rebook you.
Equally if on one ticket and its been sold to you it must be a legal connection.
cs
Of booked as two different tickets they would not be obligated to rebook you.
Equally if on one ticket and its been sold to you it must be a legal connection.
cs
Join Date: May 2005
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Last time I flew BRS-AMS-STR, it was the same aircraft and crew on both sectors. We had to be bussed into D, do passport control, do security, hammer over to B (or A?), and get bussed back out again. I remember commenting breathlessly to my equally breathless colleague that it had taken us 40 minutes to get back to the exact same seats.
I think the MCTs at AMS are very optimistic, particularly as they land (sterile) UK arrivals into the (non-sterile) Non-Schengen zone, which forces a wholly unnecessary security check when transferring to Schengen zone countries. ZRH and MUC are examples of airports where this doesn't happen, so 30 minute MCTs are more realistic.
I think the MCTs at AMS are very optimistic, particularly as they land (sterile) UK arrivals into the (non-sterile) Non-Schengen zone, which forces a wholly unnecessary security check when transferring to Schengen zone countries. ZRH and MUC are examples of airports where this doesn't happen, so 30 minute MCTs are more realistic.
Join Date: May 2005
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On bmi regional from Bristol to Brisbane
I finally got the chance to use bmi for a long haul trip.
I managed to get a single LH ticket that will get me from Bristol to Brisbane, using bmi to get me to and from Frankfurt, Lufthansa between Frankfurt and Bangkok, and Thai from Bangkok to Brisbane. It wasn't the cheapest flight to Oz I've ever booked, but I'm so glad not to be starting or ending in London.
I'm planning to check-in a little bit earlier than usual, just in case the cleverness of using an LH ticket on BM doesn't work as planned. If it does, then I lines I'll just spend a bit longer in the lounge.
I managed to get a single LH ticket that will get me from Bristol to Brisbane, using bmi to get me to and from Frankfurt, Lufthansa between Frankfurt and Bangkok, and Thai from Bangkok to Brisbane. It wasn't the cheapest flight to Oz I've ever booked, but I'm so glad not to be starting or ending in London.
I'm planning to check-in a little bit earlier than usual, just in case the cleverness of using an LH ticket on BM doesn't work as planned. If it does, then I lines I'll just spend a bit longer in the lounge.
Brunel to Concorde
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Let us know how you get on B_T. I'm intrigued as to how you managed to get such a ticket.
When I saw the heading to your post I had a vision of you flying all the way to Oz in an ERJ.
Coming a bit closer to home than the Antipodes, the airport management has been targeting Devon and Cornwall this week in a drive to increase passenger numbers from those counties still further, having seen substantial growth in recent years with nearly one million journeys through BRS in 2012 commencing or terminating in these two far south-western counties.
It's very similar to the number of journeys through the airport commencing or terminating in South Wales last year - all CAA stats.
Bristol Airport aims high in Devon and Cornwall ? Bristol Airport
When I saw the heading to your post I had a vision of you flying all the way to Oz in an ERJ.
Coming a bit closer to home than the Antipodes, the airport management has been targeting Devon and Cornwall this week in a drive to increase passenger numbers from those counties still further, having seen substantial growth in recent years with nearly one million journeys through BRS in 2012 commencing or terminating in these two far south-western counties.
It's very similar to the number of journeys through the airport commencing or terminating in South Wales last year - all CAA stats.
Bristol Airport aims high in Devon and Cornwall ? Bristol Airport
Brunel to Concorde
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Record passenger figures
August was the best ever month for passenger numbers at BRS with over 700,000 passing through the terminal in a calendar month for the first time.*
June, July and August together also represent the best ever main summer period.
Robert Sinclair, the airport CEO, sees consumer confidence returning and hopes the airport will achieve 7 mppa within the next two to three years. He's normally quite conservative with these sort of public pronouncements so he presumably believes there is a realistic chance of another million passengers a year within this timescale.
No doubt he's factored in the likely loss of some 'Welsh' passengers if CWL (as seems likely) begins to get its act together, and there's always a chance of some further unpleasant shocks within the economy going forward.
Rolling 12-month total at the end of July was 6,013,520 which is 2.6% up on the same period a year ago (CAA stats). 2013 would be the second ever calendar year when 6 mppa was surpassed (2008 being the other).
This suggests the need for terminal expansion is becoming ever more pressing.
* BRS collects its passenger data differently from the CAA, the main difference being that BRS does not include under 2s according to an email I received from the airport recently. Consequently the BRS monthly and annual figures are invariably slightly lower than the CAA's and in CAA terms 700,000 was also exceeded in August 2008.
Bristol Airport enjoys best ever month ? Bristol Airport
June, July and August together also represent the best ever main summer period.
Robert Sinclair, the airport CEO, sees consumer confidence returning and hopes the airport will achieve 7 mppa within the next two to three years. He's normally quite conservative with these sort of public pronouncements so he presumably believes there is a realistic chance of another million passengers a year within this timescale.
No doubt he's factored in the likely loss of some 'Welsh' passengers if CWL (as seems likely) begins to get its act together, and there's always a chance of some further unpleasant shocks within the economy going forward.
Rolling 12-month total at the end of July was 6,013,520 which is 2.6% up on the same period a year ago (CAA stats). 2013 would be the second ever calendar year when 6 mppa was surpassed (2008 being the other).
This suggests the need for terminal expansion is becoming ever more pressing.
* BRS collects its passenger data differently from the CAA, the main difference being that BRS does not include under 2s according to an email I received from the airport recently. Consequently the BRS monthly and annual figures are invariably slightly lower than the CAA's and in CAA terms 700,000 was also exceeded in August 2008.
Bristol Airport enjoys best ever month ? Bristol Airport
Last edited by MerchantVenturer; 12th Sep 2013 at 21:26. Reason: one imprecise figure
Brunel to Concorde
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bmi regional August passenge rnumbers
The below are August's figures, Pandy, assuming all advertised flights operated. Incidentally, this post has been copied from another website but I was responsible for the original, although not as MV. All stats courtesy of the CAA.
August 2013
Aberdeen (E145) 2907 passengers, average load 30.6, load factor 62.4%
Frankfurt (E145) 2232, 23.5, 48%
Hamburg (E135) 1677, 17.6, 47.5%
Hannover (E135) 1004, 22.8, 61.6%
Munich (E145) 1471, 28.3, 57.7%
Milan Malpensa (E145), 1319, 25.4, 51.8%
Apart from Hannover, which was reduced from 6 x weekly to 5 x weekly for August, all load factors are slightly down on July.
The full bmi regional programme from BRS has now reported the first four month's passenger figures, albeit May was only a part month for some of the routes.
These are the load factors (%) for the six routes beginning with May and ending with August in each case.
Aberdeen 62.2, 63.9, 65.1, 62.4
Frankfurt 39.2, 48.8, 54.3, 48
Hamburg 39.7, 55.1, 49.7, 47.5
Hannover 36.4, 46.5, 55.4, 61.6
Munich 45.9, 50.6, 59, 57.7
Milan Malpensa 40.4, 52.2, 55.3, 51.8
So after May they all seem to be settling down in the 45%-65% range. Not brilliant by any means but as always the yields will be the deciding factor.
Thomson long haul
There are some posts in the Cardiff thread that touch on BRS Thomson long haul where both routes (Sanford and Cancun) are to be discontinued from next summer.
The hard landing of a TOM B 767 in the autumn of 2010 and the subsequent AAIB report (published last year) that drew attention to the number of 767 hard landings on runway 09 at BRS have been highlighted again in the CWL thread.
TOM continued to operate the 767 into BRS for three summers after the 2010 incident so it might be thought the subsequent cessation of long haul is more commercially motivated than operational.
In the summer of 2010 the Thomson MD Chris Browne said that BRS would be amongst the first airports to see the B 787 in service when the type made its first appearance in the UK at Farnborough. That didn't happen and any hopes that the 787 would be taking on the Florida and Mexico routes from the 767 next summer have been dashed, with the 767 no longer 'keeping the routes warm' for the Dreamliner in the future.
Whether the company now has concerns about the 787 and the BRS runway or whether they have decided simply that a market does not exist for long haul charter from the West Country is something that Thomson may not say publicly.
It's probably fair to suggest that the airport and those who use the airport will be hoping that the decision was a commercial one in respect of these particular routes rather than a question mark over the 787 using BRS at all in the future - by any airline.
August 2013
Aberdeen (E145) 2907 passengers, average load 30.6, load factor 62.4%
Frankfurt (E145) 2232, 23.5, 48%
Hamburg (E135) 1677, 17.6, 47.5%
Hannover (E135) 1004, 22.8, 61.6%
Munich (E145) 1471, 28.3, 57.7%
Milan Malpensa (E145), 1319, 25.4, 51.8%
Apart from Hannover, which was reduced from 6 x weekly to 5 x weekly for August, all load factors are slightly down on July.
The full bmi regional programme from BRS has now reported the first four month's passenger figures, albeit May was only a part month for some of the routes.
These are the load factors (%) for the six routes beginning with May and ending with August in each case.
Aberdeen 62.2, 63.9, 65.1, 62.4
Frankfurt 39.2, 48.8, 54.3, 48
Hamburg 39.7, 55.1, 49.7, 47.5
Hannover 36.4, 46.5, 55.4, 61.6
Munich 45.9, 50.6, 59, 57.7
Milan Malpensa 40.4, 52.2, 55.3, 51.8
So after May they all seem to be settling down in the 45%-65% range. Not brilliant by any means but as always the yields will be the deciding factor.
Thomson long haul
There are some posts in the Cardiff thread that touch on BRS Thomson long haul where both routes (Sanford and Cancun) are to be discontinued from next summer.
The hard landing of a TOM B 767 in the autumn of 2010 and the subsequent AAIB report (published last year) that drew attention to the number of 767 hard landings on runway 09 at BRS have been highlighted again in the CWL thread.
TOM continued to operate the 767 into BRS for three summers after the 2010 incident so it might be thought the subsequent cessation of long haul is more commercially motivated than operational.
In the summer of 2010 the Thomson MD Chris Browne said that BRS would be amongst the first airports to see the B 787 in service when the type made its first appearance in the UK at Farnborough. That didn't happen and any hopes that the 787 would be taking on the Florida and Mexico routes from the 767 next summer have been dashed, with the 767 no longer 'keeping the routes warm' for the Dreamliner in the future.
Whether the company now has concerns about the 787 and the BRS runway or whether they have decided simply that a market does not exist for long haul charter from the West Country is something that Thomson may not say publicly.
It's probably fair to suggest that the airport and those who use the airport will be hoping that the decision was a commercial one in respect of these particular routes rather than a question mark over the 787 using BRS at all in the future - by any airline.