Shared Thread - Skiathos and Monarch 757's

[EK77WNCL]

Hi, I've been trying to do both of these independently by myself for a while, but it turns out I'm pretty useless at it, as I stated this is a shared thread because I didn't think it warranted two separate ones. Thank you for any help you can offer.

Skiathos

I have been trying to make a comprehensive list of all the flights from the UK-Skiathos, the most important detail is the aircraft type, especially the 757, but with Monarch and Thomson I can't confirm them because there is no seat map on their website. For example, here is one I know 100%

Friday, Newcastle, TCX, A321, inbound via Kavala

And I'm pretty sure of this one for example

Wednesday, Manchester, TCX, 757, inbound non stop

I am also aware of flights by Small Planet, I assume these also stop somewhere on the return? Finally Monarch appear to operate a flight where the outbound stops in Volos as opposed to the inbound, this would suggest the use of a 757, but as I say I cannot confirm any of these, I wonder if anyone can.

Monarch 757's

The age old question, what routes will they operate? I'm sure I had a schedule for summer 2014 which I will try to dig out, thank you :)

[Phileas Fogg]

Compare the block/flight times, unless it's a traffic (picking up/dropping off passengers) stop it needn't be published, I'm guessing the block time Skiathos to London to be around 3.25 or 3.5 hours, if the flight is taking significantly longer than this then it's clearly stopping for fuel somewhere.

[EK77WNCL]

You sir are a genious and I don't know how I hadn't thought of that earlier, Thomson appear to use nothing but the 757, it seems that TCX only use it from MAN and LGW and I'm still somewhat confused by MON. I think one of either LGW/MAN (can't remember which) operates via Volos inbound and outbound.

Do any of the other carrier stop on their return flights? Norwegian, SAS, Transavia? And how much of an effect will the 110m runway extension have? I assume not too much as the runway will still only be 5700ft long.

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

According to FR24, last Friday 30th May, G-MONK operated MAN-JSI-VOL-MAN while G-MONJ operated LGW-VOL-JSI-LGW. I presume this was to avoid a ground handling clash at JSI. ('NK at JSI 1200-1300 and 'NJ 1300-1400.)

On Tuesday 27th May G-MONK operated LGW-VOL-JSI-MAN.

[EK77WNCL]

Thank you very much, so it does seem then, that both flights are operated on the 757, Manchester with a stop in Volos on the return (which may explain the occasional subbing for the A321) and the Gatwick flights operate with a stop in Volos on the outbound?

That does seem to add up pretty well, I am a fan of how Monarch is working that haha

[EK77WNCL]

Here's the schedule for MON's 757's, can anyone confirm?

LGW 1 x A332/2 x B757

Monday
A332 - AM - CFU
B757 AM - DLM/FAO PM - PMI/VRN/DLM

Tuesday
A332 - AM - SSH –
B757 AM - KVA/CHQ

Wednesday
A332 - AM - TAB –
B757 -AM - PMI/RHO PM - DLM/LCA

Thursday
A332 - AM - SFB –
B757 AM - ALC/ZTH PM - FAO/DLM

Friday
A332 - AM - TFS PM - DLM
B757 AM - BCN/VOL PM - TFS/CFU

Saturday
A332 - AM - SFB –
B757 AM - MJT/DLM PM - DLM/PMI/ALC

Sunday
A332 - AM - PVK PM - FAO
B757 AM - PVK x 2 PM - PMI/DBV









MAN 1 x A332/1 x B757

Monday
A332 - AM - CFU –
B757- AM - DLM PM - DLM

Tuesday
A332 - AM - TFS PM - TFS –
B757 - AM – CHQ PM - HER

Wednesday
A332 - AM - SFB –
B757 - AM - RHO PM - DLM

Thursday
A332 - AM - SSH –
B757 - AM - ZTH PM - ZTH

Friday
A332 - AM - SFB –
B757 - AM - JSI PM - PMI

Saturday
A332 - AM - PMI PM - SSH –
B757 - AM - MJT PM - PMI x 2

Sunday
A332 - AM - PMI PM - TFS –
B757 - AM – VRN PM - SSH

[BlueTui]

All of Thomsons skiathos flights are operated by 757's

[Airbanda]

MON 5838 just off Birmingham for Skiathos. A320 OZBW, currently tracking a CPT SID. Due Skiathos 13:32 UTC.

Return is MON 5839 departing JSI c14:30 UTC subject to other traffic. Shows on Birmingham arrivals as due 20:50 local (19:50UTC) and routing via Kavala.

[Diverskii]

Is it really cost beneficial for airlines (TCX or MON) to use anything other than a 757 to JSI? I know the 757 is being phased out in favour of newer 321s but surely a stopover at another airport for fuel is more inefficient than keeping a 757?

Maybe someone will correct me.

Also, does anyone know how JSI run things? Is it a slot based system or do ATC run the job to ensure no more than 2 aircraft are wanting to be there at the same time?

[Phileas Fogg]

Diverskii,

The cost of fuel at some of these Greek islands, indeed mainland, airports can be some 50% more expensive than the cost of fuel at London airports.

So, if the operator has got staff of the caliber and their act together, tankering fuel costs circa 5% per hour to carry, they'll be tankering fuel LON to Greece to minimise uplifts in Greece except that the JSI runway is so short aircraft pretty much need to land at minimum weight meaning that the tankering of fuel isn't possible.

So filling the tanks from such an airport as JSI to LON/MAN is a pretty expensive thing to do but just putting enough on to get to somewhere like SKG where the fuel might be 30% or whatever cheaper ...

A previous employer of mine, once a week our B757 would arrive loaded in to LTN before a ferry flight to CWL to operate CWL/LCA ... Well fuel in LTN was 14% cheaper than it was in CWL so "hey ho" let's fill the thing up in LTN and take something like a 4% penalty tankering enough fuel to CWL to get thru to LCA ... The Air BP guys in CWL were on a commission, a B757 all the way to LCA was their weekly icing on the cake, when it would arrive in to CWL fully fueled ... Well they hated me :)

Sometimes the obvious isn't so obvious!

[Diverskii]

Thanks for that detailed reply Phileas Fogg.

I hadn't even thought about price variation. That makes a lot of sense.

Interesting that fuel is so expensive in Cardiff. (Labour gov. taxing it to high heaven maybe? :p)

[EK77WNCL]

The airlines can fly what they want to JSI after I've experienced a 757 in and out of there ;) interesting that Thomson doesn't operate the 738 in there though on any flights. What I also found interesting was a picture of an XL Airways 739 at Skiathos, but there is no footage or pictures of the Air Italy 767 there though :(

[Airbanda]

Interesting comment re Thomson 738s.

Am I correct in recalling them having a few problems with runway/payload/range issues when fleet was first introduced? Seem to remember posts here re them having to tech stop or limit load on flights from Leeds/Bradford where RW32 can be quite limiting.