SOUTHEND 5
Join Date: Jun 2011
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Have to agree, I too thought Mr. Tinkler could have done better yesterday. He is not the only one in my opinion to demonstrate poor TV interview skills. David Lister and Roger Clements both seemed a bit shakey in recent interviews, nothing wrong with their content just their delivery could have been a bit more powerful. They do not compare to Alistair Welch who really understood everything SEN and also sounded confident. All I can say in the airport's defence is that Paul Haynes is the guy pulling the strings behind the scenes and we don't hear anything from him publically. He arrived from Stansted with plenty of experience and I'm sure he is doing all he can to secure more operators at SEN.
Join Date: Jul 2002
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A few here could do with a little bit of faith in the management team. Lets all remember what Stobart has done for SEN in only a short time. They have built a new terminal and already expanded it together with a new control tower, railway station, apron and extended the runway. Everything is physically in place that needs to be in place.
Some things they can't improve which is out of Stobart's control including distance from London, a direct motorway link, a catchment area that is limited in direction and a rail service that is non existent for early morning departures and late evening arrivals.
Like all airports Stobart has to convince airlines that coming to SEN is better than using London's other airports, which will also be chasing the same airlines. No doubt those airlines will be looking at the choice available and how successful those airports already are. SEN doesn't have a track record yet of being seen as successful. This comes over time and can take years as airlines dip their toe in the Southend waters. Airlines will come and go as will some routes but slowly the airport should grow the numbers.
Will Southend hit 3 million in just a further 3 years? No idea but unless Easyjet expand their SEN operation in a big way it looks unlikely. It took Luton 30 years to pass 3 million from when it had its first proper terminal in a catchment area that is seen by many to be vast and runs in all directions.
Easyjet set the ball rolling in an age when IT traffic at Luton was in decline. Then came Wizz and a mixture of other airlines including El-Al and Tarom who could all see that Luton was buzzing. I don't think some of those airlines would have come to Luton without it having a track record of success.
It all takes time but Rome wasn't built in a day so hang in there, you will get there
Some things they can't improve which is out of Stobart's control including distance from London, a direct motorway link, a catchment area that is limited in direction and a rail service that is non existent for early morning departures and late evening arrivals.
Like all airports Stobart has to convince airlines that coming to SEN is better than using London's other airports, which will also be chasing the same airlines. No doubt those airlines will be looking at the choice available and how successful those airports already are. SEN doesn't have a track record yet of being seen as successful. This comes over time and can take years as airlines dip their toe in the Southend waters. Airlines will come and go as will some routes but slowly the airport should grow the numbers.
Will Southend hit 3 million in just a further 3 years? No idea but unless Easyjet expand their SEN operation in a big way it looks unlikely. It took Luton 30 years to pass 3 million from when it had its first proper terminal in a catchment area that is seen by many to be vast and runs in all directions.
Easyjet set the ball rolling in an age when IT traffic at Luton was in decline. Then came Wizz and a mixture of other airlines including El-Al and Tarom who could all see that Luton was buzzing. I don't think some of those airlines would have come to Luton without it having a track record of success.
It all takes time but Rome wasn't built in a day so hang in there, you will get there
Join Date: Jun 2009
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50 airlines...
It wasn't the quote about 50 airlines that caught my attention. To be fair to Winkler the airport should be talking to everyone out there; the headline "50 airlines circling..." is a mischievous misquote.
The real eye-opener is the target of £10 EBITDA per passenger. I'm not sure that any comparable airport in the UK manages that and I'm at a loss to see what SEN has that will allow it to outperform in such a manner.
The real eye-opener is the target of £10 EBITDA per passenger. I'm not sure that any comparable airport in the UK manages that and I'm at a loss to see what SEN has that will allow it to outperform in such a manner.
Join Date: May 2002
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Stobart operate a lot of services themselves so probably all included. Ground handeling, retail, train station, car park, hotel, etc. Maybe that is how they get to £10 exited per passenger.
Join Date: Jun 2009
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SEN AIRPROX
Radio 4 had a news item this morning about a UAV and an ATR72 on finals coming within 75 feet of each other. Apparently the UAV was a small helicopter type gizmo and was purposefully placed on the approach path. Culprit was not apprehended.
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Join Date: Jun 2011
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SkyWork
The cancellations had been planned for sometime and therefore are not associated with low bookings. Probably scheduled maintenance on an aircraft or something I would have thought.
Last edited by tws123; 29th Oct 2014 at 20:48.
Join Date: Jan 2005
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LCY Diversions
The subject of diversions from LCY to SEN the other evening has been discussed on the LCY thread, but my question is how many stands does SEN have available for diverting aircraft. It would seem that not many can be accommodated these days.
Obviously stands have to be reserved for SEN's based operators but is it not feasible to move aircraft off stands to the old apron or north apron once unloaded.
With winter coming and LCY's propensity to suffer accordingly is Southend missing some welcome income here.
For those of us old enough to remember the Christmas Eve of 1957, when there were aircraft parked just about everywhere, today's situation appears very small scale in comparison.
Obviously stands have to be reserved for SEN's based operators but is it not feasible to move aircraft off stands to the old apron or north apron once unloaded.
With winter coming and LCY's propensity to suffer accordingly is Southend missing some welcome income here.
For those of us old enough to remember the Christmas Eve of 1957, when there were aircraft parked just about everywhere, today's situation appears very small scale in comparison.
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Oh yes! Parked everywhere and from everywhere. A shortage of steps with pax waiting on board to be disembarked, but at least they were safe on the ground.
The rest of the UK and much of Northern Europe below limits.
Good old SEN!
The rest of the UK and much of Northern Europe below limits.
Good old SEN!
Join Date: Oct 2014
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An excellent revenue / marketing opportunity was lost for SEN on Wed evening to capitalise on the LCY low cloud weather closure (from lunchtime onwards with Low Viz Procedure, but i wonder if SEN management were made aware of this opportunity before them) and STN not accepting diverts due the AN 26 security alert late pm (as well as LGW on low vis and initially refusing diverts during the evening) but in the end only a measly 2 diverts were accepted with Thames radar telling a/c SEN was "full" (assume from info received from SEN ATC who may have been under orders from management) - other than 3 FLYBE "scheduled" diverts that were earlier booked LCY. Believe 3 of the 10 stands are out of use regularly ( understand some used for parking ground equipment which could easily be placed elsewhere) so a bit of chaos at a time when they could have earned some well needed extra off peak money had they been available and made it easier for the ops personnel in handling more aircraft. SEN management should ensure urgently that all 10 stands are available 24/7(as proved here, stands mean money) ready for any last minute problems at LCY particularly with winter looming - most aircraft are holding overhead before deciding where to divert when LCY not available and it is so easy to drop down in there and have the pax on the trains for london in next to no time with less hassle for the aircrew and a cosy bed in the Holiday Inn on site. it is the natural first diversion for LCY aircraft although from monitoring some airlines pilots do not seem aware of its existence - Luxair, Alitalia city liner, Lufthansa, Swiss to name a few. SEN marketing management need to urgently push it as a first diversion for LCY aircraft these and other airlines offering the full service accordingly and realise the major revenue potential in doing so by their strategic position - more so since Manston closed. Previously SEN have handled diverts in double figures through the new terminal with no major problems. Also understand they do not possess towbars for the EMB 170/190 (despite handling for a few years) which causes problems at the stands for this very popular aircraft series. That needs to be rectified urgently - i will even give Stobart a loan to pay for them if necessary ahead of the winter diverts which may help to boost my withering investment in the Stobart Group. This is not a gripe against SEN ops personnel who do an excelle
nt job but a wake up call to my local airport management where i have been following its fortunes since the good days of the 1950's and wish to see it go forward to its maximum potential ASAP
nt job but a wake up call to my local airport management where i have been following its fortunes since the good days of the 1950's and wish to see it go forward to its maximum potential ASAP
Wethersfield - welcome to PPRuNe, I hope you get out of it as much as others do. You seem to have plenty of knowledge and I imagine people will be interested to read your opinions.
When writing a post, could you perhaps separate things into paragraphs ? It would make it a lot easier to read and understand what you're saying
When writing a post, could you perhaps separate things into paragraphs ? It would make it a lot easier to read and understand what you're saying