Euravia First
3rd Sep 2008, 10:22
Having read in another forum of the success of the Manx2 Gloucester to Isle of Man and Jersey services, I am wondering whether there is any possibility of any carrier operating other scheduled flights next summer. How about Nice for instance ?
I realise that runway restrictions allow only small aircraft---but I for one was perfectly happy to fly in a Jetstream 31 to Copenhagen or Milan in the 80's when Birmingham Executive Airways flew those turboprops from BHX.
The extra flying time could be a price well worth paying in return for:-
{a} Quick and quiet check-in / departure and arrival processing
{b} Free and adjacent to terminal parking
{c} Avoidance of the road journeys from Gloucester/Cheltenham/The Cotswolds to BRS or BHX. [Surely there must be at least 250,000 potential clients in the Staverton area ? ]
The last point can be amplified by saying that BRS, which was at one time a pleasant and relatively quiet airport to use seems -- now that it has grown so much -- to be little more agreeable to use than any of the others in the region. What a shame that we do not still have the "Go" era to enjoy at Bristol.
Of course I realise that pricing issues dominate. Like others, I am occasionally willing to travel to and use LHR if -- in return for the not exactly enjoyable experience of doing so -- hundreds of pounds in fare can be saved. In years gone by this was quite often the case.
So maybe it would simply not be efficient or cost effective to operate small aircraft on routes such as Gloucester--Nice ? With today's competition from the likes of Easyjet, BMI Baby and Ryanair this might be even more the case----although maybe, just maybe, passengers would accept a price premium for convenience, comfort and "away from the crowds" quiet and service.
As an aside, I well remember going to Staverton on Saturday mornings in the early 1970's to see the Intra DC3 {often G-AMPY I think} going to Jersey. In those days you could sit on a deckchair on the grass and mingle with the passengers until they walked the 30 feet or so to the aircraft when called. In later years Dan-Air took over with 748's and wire fences separated the flyers from the viewers. Oh well, at least the memories remain !
I realise that runway restrictions allow only small aircraft---but I for one was perfectly happy to fly in a Jetstream 31 to Copenhagen or Milan in the 80's when Birmingham Executive Airways flew those turboprops from BHX.
The extra flying time could be a price well worth paying in return for:-
{a} Quick and quiet check-in / departure and arrival processing
{b} Free and adjacent to terminal parking
{c} Avoidance of the road journeys from Gloucester/Cheltenham/The Cotswolds to BRS or BHX. [Surely there must be at least 250,000 potential clients in the Staverton area ? ]
The last point can be amplified by saying that BRS, which was at one time a pleasant and relatively quiet airport to use seems -- now that it has grown so much -- to be little more agreeable to use than any of the others in the region. What a shame that we do not still have the "Go" era to enjoy at Bristol.
Of course I realise that pricing issues dominate. Like others, I am occasionally willing to travel to and use LHR if -- in return for the not exactly enjoyable experience of doing so -- hundreds of pounds in fare can be saved. In years gone by this was quite often the case.
So maybe it would simply not be efficient or cost effective to operate small aircraft on routes such as Gloucester--Nice ? With today's competition from the likes of Easyjet, BMI Baby and Ryanair this might be even more the case----although maybe, just maybe, passengers would accept a price premium for convenience, comfort and "away from the crowds" quiet and service.
As an aside, I well remember going to Staverton on Saturday mornings in the early 1970's to see the Intra DC3 {often G-AMPY I think} going to Jersey. In those days you could sit on a deckchair on the grass and mingle with the passengers until they walked the 30 feet or so to the aircraft when called. In later years Dan-Air took over with 748's and wire fences separated the flyers from the viewers. Oh well, at least the memories remain !