View Full Version : All things LOCOal
LBAir
19th Feb 2004, 02:52
As Manchester Airports passenger figures reaches a wopping 20 million per annum is this the end of the local airport charter market? The charter operators are downsizing and concentrating on their main bases, forever boosting the passenger totals at the main airports eg MAN, BHX, LGW, STN.
I cannot help but think the charter companies are running scared from the LOCOs, who it appears are better at serving the public, but whatever happened to real choice?:( :(
from YORKSHIRE:ok: the place to be is the City of Leeds
Jamesair
20th Feb 2004, 00:12
I take your point but I know that NCL for one is looking for and over 30% increase in IT flights this season...maybe that is an exception to the rule.
In the long term I think that IT charters will decline as more and more people start to arrange their own holidays using a LOCO for their flights and booking hotels on the web as well, which can only be bad news for the charter airlines. I admit there will always be a market to cover people who either are not computer literate, or can't be bothered with all the fuss of doing it yourself, but I see it as a declining market overall.
Musket90
20th Feb 2004, 00:37
Using STN as example. Presently nearly 19 million pax/per annum and only 5 charter aircraft based there this summer, 1 x MYT, 1 x TCX, 2 x BAL, 1 x FCA (air 2000) which gives an idea of how much grip the Locos have at this airport and how it is very unlikely IT market will increase. As long as IT's fly to farther destinations like Canaries and Cyprus, which are not quite as cost effective for Locos due long sector times reducing aircraft utilisation, then there will still be some markets for the IT's.
Not so I think
Stansted never did have many charter aircraft allocated there, did they ever have more than 5 even when Air UK Leisure were based there.
And places like Liverpool, Edinburgh and Belfast seem to have many more charters than say 10 years ago. And look at the "new"charter operators springing up like Astraeus and Flyjet, or the increase in size of Excel.
There appears to be no real low cost attack yet on Greece, Turkey, The Canaries, Madeira, Sanford .... the opportunities go on.