BRISTOL - 4
Brunel to Concorde
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National Express coach service South Wales-BRS
I think that First Greyhound is well known in South Wales and the service 100 that operated between Swansea, Cardiff, Newport and Bristol Airport will continue to operate between Swansea and Cardiff.
The BRS service ran for two years and will cease next month. It operated hourly or two-hourly, depending on time of day, from the early hours until late evening each day. As with most airport buses to BRS loads varied. It was not uncommon to see over 40 getting off or boarding the coach at times in the summer; at other times it would be near empty.
The same applies to the BRS Flyer which is operated by First Bristol for the airport, although this operates up to every nine minutes for most of the day and evening and is a 24-hours service. The A4 Air Decker run by the Bath Bus Company is more like the South Wales service with a similar time spread except that it's every hour all the time. The double deckers are often very lightly loaded but can be quite full on occasions. The £20 return fare between Bath and BRS doesn't need too many passengers to make it pay.
I suspect that the airport is subsidising the new National Express service which apparently will operate 12 times daily. I'm not convinced of its need because with the Flyer virtually an on demand service most of the time to Temple Meads station which is 25 minutes away feeding into First Great Western trains to Cardiff (three an hour) the flexibility is greater. No doubt comparative fare price will be an important factor.
bmi regional
santito - back in the summer of last year monthly average summer load factors on the routes were in the band 55-75%, typically high 60s, low 70s. The LH code share to FRA and MUC had a positive effect on loads, unsurprisingly.
I haven't checked them in any detail this winter but looking at the monthly totals each month they appear to be a bit down on summer. The fares are quite high on most routes if a week in May that I just checked is typical.
Air Passenger Duty
Bristol Airport welcomes opportunity to make case against Air Passenger Duty being devolved to Wales - Wales Online
It's reported that new powers for Wales were outlined by the government today which will include a review of potential options to mitigate impacts of APD devolution on regional airports. There will be a discussion paper published in the summer examining the effects of the devolution and variation of APD rates within England, and the provision of aid for regional airports including Bristol Airport.
It all sounds a bit vague to me and, anyway, a change of government in May might well see a different approach.
The BRS service ran for two years and will cease next month. It operated hourly or two-hourly, depending on time of day, from the early hours until late evening each day. As with most airport buses to BRS loads varied. It was not uncommon to see over 40 getting off or boarding the coach at times in the summer; at other times it would be near empty.
The same applies to the BRS Flyer which is operated by First Bristol for the airport, although this operates up to every nine minutes for most of the day and evening and is a 24-hours service. The A4 Air Decker run by the Bath Bus Company is more like the South Wales service with a similar time spread except that it's every hour all the time. The double deckers are often very lightly loaded but can be quite full on occasions. The £20 return fare between Bath and BRS doesn't need too many passengers to make it pay.
I suspect that the airport is subsidising the new National Express service which apparently will operate 12 times daily. I'm not convinced of its need because with the Flyer virtually an on demand service most of the time to Temple Meads station which is 25 minutes away feeding into First Great Western trains to Cardiff (three an hour) the flexibility is greater. No doubt comparative fare price will be an important factor.
bmi regional
santito - back in the summer of last year monthly average summer load factors on the routes were in the band 55-75%, typically high 60s, low 70s. The LH code share to FRA and MUC had a positive effect on loads, unsurprisingly.
I haven't checked them in any detail this winter but looking at the monthly totals each month they appear to be a bit down on summer. The fares are quite high on most routes if a week in May that I just checked is typical.
Air Passenger Duty
Bristol Airport welcomes opportunity to make case against Air Passenger Duty being devolved to Wales - Wales Online
It's reported that new powers for Wales were outlined by the government today which will include a review of potential options to mitigate impacts of APD devolution on regional airports. There will be a discussion paper published in the summer examining the effects of the devolution and variation of APD rates within England, and the provision of aid for regional airports including Bristol Airport.
It all sounds a bit vague to me and, anyway, a change of government in May might well see a different approach.
Regional APD variation
Interesting view from the Aviation minister - due to competition laws, you can't just vary APD by region within a single tax area.
Newcastle Airport future under threat if Scottish taxes are slashed, transport minister admits (From The Northern Echo)
Would seem to apply as much to BRS-Wales as NCL-Scotland
But, speaking to the committee, Mr Goodwill, the Scarborough and Whitby MP, said: “We don’t have a regional federal structure, we don’t have tax-raising powers for the North-East. So there’s not something that would allow the North-East to reciprocate in terms of cutting their taxes.”
Would seem to apply as much to BRS-Wales as NCL-Scotland
Brunel to Concorde
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Yet within Scotland the flights from the Highlands and Islands airports don't attract APD unlike the other Scottish airports so there is a variation in Scotland already. So why not in parts of England? Even that though would probably cause more problems than it solved.
For instance, suppose BRS was able to be given some form of aid to mitigate the effects of Welsh APD devolution. That might then impact negatively on Exeter and Birmingham airports so would they be given help to counter this? If they were then Newquay, Bournemouth, Southampton, Manchester and East Midlands airports might feel the draught and be given aid. The spread would in fact take in all of England.
All the main political parties have managed to get the UK into a huge mess with their ill thought out tax gathering and fiscal devolution proposals. So far as APD is concerned the fairest way for it to be a level playing field competition-wise is for the tax to be scrapped everywhere. Politicians (of all parties) though often have peculiar ideas of what amounts to fairness.
The proposals suggested today for mitigating the effects of devolved APD are not at all clear which is why I described them as vague.
For instance, suppose BRS was able to be given some form of aid to mitigate the effects of Welsh APD devolution. That might then impact negatively on Exeter and Birmingham airports so would they be given help to counter this? If they were then Newquay, Bournemouth, Southampton, Manchester and East Midlands airports might feel the draught and be given aid. The spread would in fact take in all of England.
All the main political parties have managed to get the UK into a huge mess with their ill thought out tax gathering and fiscal devolution proposals. So far as APD is concerned the fairest way for it to be a level playing field competition-wise is for the tax to be scrapped everywhere. Politicians (of all parties) though often have peculiar ideas of what amounts to fairness.
The proposals suggested today for mitigating the effects of devolved APD are not at all clear which is why I described them as vague.
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Ryanair time changes
Some of the late departures on FR9336 to GRO ,which would have arrived at 23.55 
, have been changed to a 13.05 departure with an eta in GRO of 16.05.
Sigh of relief for those early bookers who were dreading arriving at their Catalonia hotel at 2am.
SS
, have been changed to a 13.05 departure with an eta in GRO of 16.05.Sigh of relief for those early bookers who were dreading arriving at their Catalonia hotel at 2am.
SS
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If the powers are handed across to the Welsh Government then it is obvious APD may be dissolved on all flights ex CWL.
There is no way CWL would be able to catch up to BRS level on short haul flights, far too late for that now.
However long haul flights may prove to be the icing on CWL's cake, it has a long enough runway, handles wide body aircraft in a regular basis which can only attract the airlines with the offer of no APD.
All a waiting game I suppose and can only help CWL's opportunity of bagging a decent long haul airline.....we all know either CWL or BRS can gain a Middle East airline or a service to New York.....time will tell.
There is no way CWL would be able to catch up to BRS level on short haul flights, far too late for that now.
However long haul flights may prove to be the icing on CWL's cake, it has a long enough runway, handles wide body aircraft in a regular basis which can only attract the airlines with the offer of no APD.
All a waiting game I suppose and can only help CWL's opportunity of bagging a decent long haul airline.....we all know either CWL or BRS can gain a Middle East airline or a service to New York.....time will tell.
Brunel to Concorde
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The Silk Commission recommended that long haul APD be devolved to Wales in the first instance so it may be that is what will happen. The discussion paper to be published in the summer seems another way to delay a decision. Following a full scale review of APD devolution a couple of years ago the government put the whole thing in the too-hard-to-do basket. That changed with the possibility of Scotland voting for independence when all the main political parties made promises to devolve more power north of the border including APD in a late dash to avoid a break-up of the UK.
Now that Scotland will have the power naturally Wales wants the same. However, there is not the same urgency because Wales is not in the process of voting for independence, hence another delaying tactic to give the government breathing space to decide how things might be evened up in England (if there is a way).
If long haul APD was devolved to Wales it would also involve long haul via hubs such as AMS. Any hope that BRS had of getting a NYC or ME service would almost certainly disappear if CWL enjoyed a low or zero rated APD rate. CWL would then become the airport of choice if any airline decided to set up long haul direct scheduled flights from Severnside. Long haul transatlantic charters, say with TOM, might be more likely initially.
It's not clear if any other airport other than BRS would be affected with long haul APD devolved to Wales. It seems doubtful that long haul services from more distant English airports would migrate to CWL.
In the end it will be a political decision. Obviously the BRS ownership and management believe that markets should be left without government interference but the CWL ownership and management take the opposite view. Were the positions reversed so would be the respective beliefs. There is an additional ingredient with CWL in that its owner will also be setting its APD rates if the tax is devolved. Whether that will complicate matters in any way remains to be seen.
Now that Scotland will have the power naturally Wales wants the same. However, there is not the same urgency because Wales is not in the process of voting for independence, hence another delaying tactic to give the government breathing space to decide how things might be evened up in England (if there is a way).
If long haul APD was devolved to Wales it would also involve long haul via hubs such as AMS. Any hope that BRS had of getting a NYC or ME service would almost certainly disappear if CWL enjoyed a low or zero rated APD rate. CWL would then become the airport of choice if any airline decided to set up long haul direct scheduled flights from Severnside. Long haul transatlantic charters, say with TOM, might be more likely initially.
It's not clear if any other airport other than BRS would be affected with long haul APD devolved to Wales. It seems doubtful that long haul services from more distant English airports would migrate to CWL.
In the end it will be a political decision. Obviously the BRS ownership and management believe that markets should be left without government interference but the CWL ownership and management take the opposite view. Were the positions reversed so would be the respective beliefs. There is an additional ingredient with CWL in that its owner will also be setting its APD rates if the tax is devolved. Whether that will complicate matters in any way remains to be seen.
Brunel to Concorde
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National Express: BRS-Newport-Cardiff
The service has started - replacing the First Greyhound although according to the airport website that won't cease until 17 March.
There are 12 direct return journeys available each day roughly every two hours and they operate around the clock. There are also about an additional six return journeys that require a change at Bristol bus station between National Express and the BRS Flyer.
The direct services take between one hour 20 minutes and one hour 30 minutes between BRS and Cardiff bus station.
The new service will be number 216 in tribute to the last UK Concorde (G-BOAF) built at Filton, where she now lives, which is also the last Concorde to fly. The coaches will be in a Bristol Airport livery.
There are 12 direct return journeys available each day roughly every two hours and they operate around the clock. There are also about an additional six return journeys that require a change at Bristol bus station between National Express and the BRS Flyer.
The direct services take between one hour 20 minutes and one hour 30 minutes between BRS and Cardiff bus station.
The new service will be number 216 in tribute to the last UK Concorde (G-BOAF) built at Filton, where she now lives, which is also the last Concorde to fly. The coaches will be in a Bristol Airport livery.
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Is it instead of Reus then?
No wonder it was deserted. It's basically in the middle of nowhere, close to nowhere. Valencia is an hour away but Barcelona is 2.5 hours away. Strange choice of route.
No wonder it was deserted. It's basically in the middle of nowhere, close to nowhere. Valencia is an hour away but Barcelona is 2.5 hours away. Strange choice of route.
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Looks like BRS-HAM will be reduced to 5/7 for the summer schedule.
BRS-ABZ - Frequency reduced from 14 x weekly to 11 x weekly. Flights will now operate 2 x daily M-F and 1 x daily on Sun. Flights were originally planned to operate 2 x daily Mon & Tue, 3 x Daily Wed-Fri and 1 x daily on Sun
BM1801 BRS 07:00 ABZ 08:25 1
BM1801 BRS 08:25 ABZ 09:50 x167
BM1807 BRS 17:40 ABZ 19:05 x6
BM1802 ABZ 06:40 BRS 08:00 x167
BM1802 ABZ 08:55 BRS 10:15 1
BM1808 ABZ 19:30 BRS 20:50 x6
BRS-HAM - Frequency reduced from 11 to 6 x weekly. BM1831/BM1832 rotation dropped.
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Bonkers Airport!
The history of Ciudad Real Airport is just nuts. It is a great representation of how the world just binged on debt in the mid 2000's. It's a shame they didn't punt £1.1billion BRS's way!
Ciudad Real Central Airport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ciudad Real Central Airport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia