VLM Airlines
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Ireland
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Antwerp
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No Waterford-Antwerp tickets indeed. They do however now offer tickets for the slightly exotic Birmingham-Geneva route via Antwerp. Atrocious timing of course, since there's only three flights a week and you arrive in Geneva at 7pm. Not sure how that's ever going to work.
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Bedfordshire
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They seem to be trying anything these days so who knows what the future holds. I am surprised they haven't thought about a Luton to Jersey and IOM link and maybe ever to Newquay. I remember when Aer Arran did the Luton - Newquay it was fairly popular.
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: UK
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PAX Statistics August 2015
SOU-ANR 282
SOU-HAM 88
WAT-BHX 1160 64.4% Load Factor
WAT-LTN 3748 72% Load Factor.
Seems the Waterford routes seem to be doing quite good. Southampton, not so much.
SOU-ANR 282
SOU-HAM 88
WAT-BHX 1160 64.4% Load Factor
WAT-LTN 3748 72% Load Factor.
Seems the Waterford routes seem to be doing quite good. Southampton, not so much.
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Bedfordshire
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How on earth can an airline sustain a service with such poor loads, I never could understand why they chose Southampton in the first place ! It's good to see the Waterford routes are doing well.
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Southampton
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If VLM advertised more around the Southampton catchment area I would expect the load factors from SOU would be considerably more than what they actually are in my opinion.
Most of my colleagues and friends have never heard of VLM and I work within the shipping industry in Southampton so with better all round coverage there load factors should be far higher especially considering they are flying to two of Europe's largest port cities as in Antwerp and Hamburg from the United Kingdoms second busiest port in cargo terms and the largest cruise ship turn around port in Northern Europe that being Southampton.
Most of my colleagues and friends have never heard of VLM and I work within the shipping industry in Southampton so with better all round coverage there load factors should be far higher especially considering they are flying to two of Europe's largest port cities as in Antwerp and Hamburg from the United Kingdoms second busiest port in cargo terms and the largest cruise ship turn around port in Northern Europe that being Southampton.
Advertising to the mass market is expensive - particularly for an airline which flies small aircraft which makes the advertising spend per passenger flown rather high.
Given the niche nature of routes like SOU-ANR, has VLM advertised particularly in trade press, or magazines which will likely be read by many people working in the shipping / cruising industry ?
Given the niche nature of routes like SOU-ANR, has VLM advertised particularly in trade press, or magazines which will likely be read by many people working in the shipping / cruising industry ?
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Southampton
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VLM haven't as far as I am aware advertised in the local press nor have I personally seen any advertisements regarding their SOU routes in any Shipping Journals or company emails, the only place I have seen them advertised is at SOU airport as well as in the Airports bi monthly magazine.
During the summer months especially there is quite a bit of traffic to and from Hamburg and Southampton and most of that traffic goes through either LGW with EZY and BA and LH through LHR with a wider schedule.
During the summer months especially there is quite a bit of traffic to and from Hamburg and Southampton and most of that traffic goes through either LGW with EZY and BA and LH through LHR with a wider schedule.
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Antrim
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I don't think it ever will be because its an ANR based a/c that does ANR-BHX and WAT is WAT based. I think I was an over enthusiastic tweet by WAT assuming it would be otherwise
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: London
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Hopefully the success of the WAT-LTN & BHX routes might persuade them to open up more routes from there, perhaps MAN?
Also, I ink there's huge opportunity for them to develop some more niche routes ex LTN
Also, I ink there's huge opportunity for them to develop some more niche routes ex LTN
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: UK
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I think it was just meant that passengers travelling to BHX can also transfer over to the ANR flight. Two bookings required.
You made that clear numerous times about flights to LTN, but clearly you are the only one that thinks so. If there was such a demand there would be flights in place.
Hopefully MAN should be available after the new year.
Hopefully the success of the WAT-LTN & BHX routes might persuade them to open up more routes from there, perhaps MAN?
Also, I ink there's huge opportunity for them to develop some more niche routes ex LTN
Also, I ink there's huge opportunity for them to develop some more niche routes ex LTN
Hopefully MAN should be available after the new year.
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: London
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"If there was such a demand there would be flights in place"
78Whiskey, with great respect the WAT route proves my point.
Ever since Aer Arran cancelled WAT-LTN flights there has been obvious demand for a replacement and yet it took until this spring for those flights to become a reality again.
That demand wasn't instantly satisfied so who's to say there aren't other route opportunities which could similarly evolve?
78Whiskey, with great respect the WAT route proves my point.
Ever since Aer Arran cancelled WAT-LTN flights there has been obvious demand for a replacement and yet it took until this spring for those flights to become a reality again.
That demand wasn't instantly satisfied so who's to say there aren't other route opportunities which could similarly evolve?
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: London
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How about flights to Galway?
The airports website states
"Galway Airport has reopened to commercial flights. The first commercial jet, under the new licence, arrived on the 13th January 2015"
Could be a good opportunity for VLM?
The airports website states
"Galway Airport has reopened to commercial flights. The first commercial jet, under the new licence, arrived on the 13th January 2015"
Could be a good opportunity for VLM?
wallp - is Galway ready right now for commercial passenger aircraft and has its status in the long term been resolved yet ? There seems to be some uncertainty in this regard as seen withthe debate as to when the anticipated helicopter link between Galway and the Arann Islands will start.
A London-Galway link might do ok for VLM, but perhaps a few too many unknowns around Galway airport at the moment ?
A London-Galway link might do ok for VLM, but perhaps a few too many unknowns around Galway airport at the moment ?
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: London
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-davidjohnson6 you could well be right, I was just intrigued by the potential opportunity if the conditions were right, though I appreciate its a long shot, at least for now.
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Northern Ireland
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If there was such a demand there would be flights in place"
78Whiskey
A tad misguided comment. There are oodles of routes with such a demand but sadly the airlines and lack of them have competing markets for their metal. Equally, many routes are viable but potentially less attractive than others.
In relation to comments about Galway opening to passenger flights, nice idea but I'd question who is financing Galway airport to provide the necessary support services that are required to run an airport. A few thousand passengers per month won't do much to cover these costs. Also the Irish government have ruled out Galway and there are clearly 4 regional airports in line for funding up to 2019, Galway not being one of them.
78Whiskey
A tad misguided comment. There are oodles of routes with such a demand but sadly the airlines and lack of them have competing markets for their metal. Equally, many routes are viable but potentially less attractive than others.
In relation to comments about Galway opening to passenger flights, nice idea but I'd question who is financing Galway airport to provide the necessary support services that are required to run an airport. A few thousand passengers per month won't do much to cover these costs. Also the Irish government have ruled out Galway and there are clearly 4 regional airports in line for funding up to 2019, Galway not being one of them.