BOURNEMOUTH - 3
Join Date: Dec 2011
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Shamrock7seal: Hit the nail on the head. At best BOH can serve the bucket and spade market through the summer. Basically serving all the people who retire there and want to burn themselves half to death in the costa del sol or the canaries. You only have to look at Palmair to see why the grey pound is the only market in BOH.
Basically you can debate the viability of BOH as an airport to you are blue in the face but there is a large elephant in the room that everyone forgets. Not enough people want or have the need to to fly from BOH and therefore it is not needed. This will never change, no matter how much the transport infrastructure increases. Everyone I have met who has flown from BOH chose to purely because it was dirt cheap. Good for them but it's not making the airport or the airline any money. If we take the south outside London there is NQY, EXT, BOH, SOU and MSE. For me only 2 of those are needed and its EXT and SOU. The rest are arguable tumours that undermine the two better placed airports in my opinion. It sounds extreme but maybe aerodrome licenses need to be restricted to one per region. It's an extreme idea granted, but oversupply of regional airports is just daft.
Basically you can debate the viability of BOH as an airport to you are blue in the face but there is a large elephant in the room that everyone forgets. Not enough people want or have the need to to fly from BOH and therefore it is not needed. This will never change, no matter how much the transport infrastructure increases. Everyone I have met who has flown from BOH chose to purely because it was dirt cheap. Good for them but it's not making the airport or the airline any money. If we take the south outside London there is NQY, EXT, BOH, SOU and MSE. For me only 2 of those are needed and its EXT and SOU. The rest are arguable tumours that undermine the two better placed airports in my opinion. It sounds extreme but maybe aerodrome licenses need to be restricted to one per region. It's an extreme idea granted, but oversupply of regional airports is just daft.
Join Date: Sep 2002
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It sounds extreme but maybe aerodrome licenses need to be restricted to one per region.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: The glasshouse, a stone's throw from you
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Well Said Shed, but you must remember that Rivet joint has a pathological hatred of Bournemouth Airport and would happily dance on the redundancies of those who work there.
It's true that SOU and BOH hurt each other businesswise but neither are subsidised airports. Only the local councils can assist in providing better access to BOH and allowing SOU to fly at night (or build the fantastical bridge over the M27 to extend the runway!).
Until one closes let keep the BOH v SOU arguments away from here, they've been done to death and we're all well versed in each airports shortcomings and that why both are still open for business.
It's true that SOU and BOH hurt each other businesswise but neither are subsidised airports. Only the local councils can assist in providing better access to BOH and allowing SOU to fly at night (or build the fantastical bridge over the M27 to extend the runway!).
Until one closes let keep the BOH v SOU arguments away from here, they've been done to death and we're all well versed in each airports shortcomings and that why both are still open for business.
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Southampton
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Pottwiddler
If there was 'fantastical bridge OVER the M27' but this will NEVER happen especially due to the water levels in that area!
The runway at SOU can not really be extended at the southern end even if there was a bridge over the M27 arriving aircraft would still have the hazardous approach to contend with and would only therefore benefit aircraft taking off from that end of the runway.
The only way they could realistically extend the runway at SOU is at the northern end by at least 450 feet.
If there was 'fantastical bridge OVER the M27' but this will NEVER happen especially due to the water levels in that area!
The runway at SOU can not really be extended at the southern end even if there was a bridge over the M27 arriving aircraft would still have the hazardous approach to contend with and would only therefore benefit aircraft taking off from that end of the runway.
The only way they could realistically extend the runway at SOU is at the northern end by at least 450 feet.
Join Date: Dec 2011
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Leave the free market to decide. Central planning driven by political interests has a very poor track-record. Few MP's are aviation experts. If the airports are self-sustaining and not draining public funds, let them make the most of their niche.
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Sydney
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I can't believe that SOU has secured government funding for Lyon and Munich as 'essential' air services! They will be served 12 weekly each.
This is money down the drain.
What about BOH? Has BOH even bothered applying for anything?
In my opinion, the using the SOU methodology, BOH should be shouting blue murder for support on the following:
BOH-JER
BOH-GCI
BOH-MAN for global hub connection
This is money down the drain.
What about BOH? Has BOH even bothered applying for anything?
In my opinion, the using the SOU methodology, BOH should be shouting blue murder for support on the following:
BOH-JER
BOH-GCI
BOH-MAN for global hub connection
Join Date: Dec 2010
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The reality is that Bournemouth would probably have a more profitable future by closing the terminal and becoming a general aviation airport with the lower costs that would bring. The MAG group did make an investment in a new terminal but as can be seen the money spent hasn't brought the passengers MAG had hoped for.
Would MAG write off their £45m investment in the terminal and forget trying to recover that cost from attracting airlines and just go back to being a GA airport? I very much doubt it.
But isn't that what Bournemouth has been since the 1960's, a big GA airport that had a few charter flights and a few diversions - and for all the reasons given above, proximity of Southampton, poor transport connections,etc.
It would be a great shame if it was built over and lost forever.
Last edited by Bob Upanddown; 27th Nov 2015 at 14:30.
key word here being 'Connectivity', the one thing that BOU does not have, be it motorway, train or regular bus services!!
Nor does Carlisle but that hasn't stopped the application.
Southampton may have Lyon or Munich accepted for funding, but the reality is will Flybe be interested in the routes?
Keeping Danny in Sandwiches
Join Date: May 1999
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Some years ago Liverpool was a basket case with very little more than GA. After all why fly out of Liverpool when Manchester was 30 minutes down the motorway.
One of the problems of Bournemouth is that its catchment area is very narrow to the south and a low population density to the north. Add that to the lack of a decent road networks and it makes it difficult to get to. If someone would extend the M27 to Exeter it would transform the airport, it was on the card years go.
One of the problems of Bournemouth is that its catchment area is very narrow to the south and a low population density to the north. Add that to the lack of a decent road networks and it makes it difficult to get to. If someone would extend the M27 to Exeter it would transform the airport, it was on the card years go.
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Southampton
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Southampton
Surely the priority for Southampton is the filling of the Sun routes that Flybe have vacated next Summer?
There seems to be little news on this prospect, but it must amount to a substantial loss of revenue to the airport.
There seems to be little news on this prospect, but it must amount to a substantial loss of revenue to the airport.
Join Date: Sep 2005
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SOU: KLM
After all the talk about KLM not wanting to starting BOH or SOU because of the Flybe codeshare they have done it. Albeit SOU.
This is a real shame for BOH which could have been a great host to KLM in compliment to SOU. I just hope that BOH management at least TRIED to get them in.
There really is no hope now for BOH other than LCC leisure routes to SUN destinations and the airport better act quickly before these go to SOU.
This is a real shame for BOH which could have been a great host to KLM in compliment to SOU. I just hope that BOH management at least TRIED to get them in.
There really is no hope now for BOH other than LCC leisure routes to SUN destinations and the airport better act quickly before these go to SOU.
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Bournemouth handled over 31,000 pax in Nov'15 up 54% on previous year.
Flybe loads all looked roughly 50% and above.
Ryanair have confirmed 34 flights per week for S16 which I believe is no different to this summer?
So prediction for 2016 - if no new airlines announce anything - will be around 550,000 passengers in total which is a big reduction on this year.
SOU has seen a flurry of new airlines and routes recently which shows they were spooked by Flybe's entry in BOH with a small base. I guess they have addressed this now with Flybe consolidating at SOU.
All in all - this will be the worst year at BOH since 2004.
Surely some sort of shake up is required at senior management or at MAG in terms of how they approach airlines SUSTAINABLY for building of new routes.
Flybe loads all looked roughly 50% and above.
Ryanair have confirmed 34 flights per week for S16 which I believe is no different to this summer?
So prediction for 2016 - if no new airlines announce anything - will be around 550,000 passengers in total which is a big reduction on this year.
SOU has seen a flurry of new airlines and routes recently which shows they were spooked by Flybe's entry in BOH with a small base. I guess they have addressed this now with Flybe consolidating at SOU.
All in all - this will be the worst year at BOH since 2004.
Surely some sort of shake up is required at senior management or at MAG in terms of how they approach airlines SUSTAINABLY for building of new routes.