My Travel: Massive S03 capacity cut at Bristol

[Simon Lumley]

Poor Bristol! My Travel have taken an Airbus A320 out of Bristol and in the process scrapped many flights that it had originally planned due to poor summer 2003 bookings.

PALMA is reduced from 4x weekly flights to 3x weekly flights;
BODRUM and PAPHOS are scrapped altogether;
1x MAHON flight and GERONA flight only operates half the season;
ZAKYNTHOS is reduced from 2x weekly flights to 1x weekly flight;
CORFU is reduced from 2x weekly flights to 1x weekly flight;


:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[Thunderbird One]

Oh, is that the aircratf they have moved to start a base out of Liverpool?

[MerchantVenturer]

Simon,

Last summer MYT aircraft operated 27 charter flights each week out of BRS. It was the largest charter airline in terms of flights, followed by Air 2000 with 21 and Britannia with 18.

I have checked the airport’s ‘Mayfly’ working timetable for next week that shows only 17 MYT charter flights. Clearly the loss of so many flights will be a blow to the airport but I understand that other operators have cut back as well, eg I am told it was originally planned to have four Pegasus and one Onur Air flights to Turkey on Mondays, but thus far only two Pegasus flights have materialised on Mondays (three last year) with one on Sundays (two last year).

I understand that MYT have cut capacity elsewhere, so is this a late decision to cut this capacity at BRS? Where did you obtain details of the actual flights to be cut, or is it ‘inside’ information? Last summer I believe that MYT had one Airbus based at BRS with another shared with CWL for part of each week. It appears to be the shared one that has departed BRS. Last summer JMC (as it then was) also pulled their BRS-based aircraft and this, inter alia, gave rise to a myriad of foreign operated charter aircraft at the airport each week.

Living in the area and being interested in public transport, especially aviation, I take an interest in matters at BRS, and I also use the airport quite frequently. It is apparent that over the past decade BRS has changed from being primarily a charter airport to a scheduled one. Clearly the arrival of Go/easyJet gave this change tremendous impetus but it was already happening prior to Go’s arrival.

In the year to the end of March BRS carried just over 3.5 million pax (up nearly 25%). Of these 1.3 million were scheduled international pax (up 41%) and 0.9 million were scheduled domestic pax (up 58%). However charter pax numbers were 2.2% down at 1.3 million.

The figures for March itself show a further deterioration in charter traffic, down 5 % on the previous March, whereas overall traffic was up 26% on the previous March.
All these figures were taken from BRS’s official website.

At the height of the 2001 summer there were 108 weekly charter flights from BRS but last year it was down to 101. It seems likely the total will be down again this summer.

I wonder whether all this shows that pax patterns are changing at BRS with more people wishing to organise their own holidays and use the likes of easyJet rather than use all inclusive charter flights for holidays. I find that my wife and I are doing this more and more. Furthermore, there are considerably more easyJet flights to sun destinations this summer than in 2002.

If patterns are changing at BRS as I have conjectured, will this take hold and spread across the rest of the country? Despite the charter withdrawals BRS management is still talking confidently of 4 million pax during the coming twelve months -
source: BRS marketing manager on BBC local radio recently.

[a bristolian]

Not quite right!

2nd MYT A320 unit delayed until 1 June. With a/c deployed at NCL to cover for pending delivery of new MYT A321 at NCL. 11 of 16 planned flights on the BRS unit is currently operated by the likes of LTE,LBT,BMA,AEA,TRA and JKKetc. The 5 lost flights are those mentioned but for May only. 32 flights a week are planned from June 1st.

For info BRS charter traffic is holding up very well. Azzurraair are basing A320 at BRS( 2nd EIDBD delivered direct from TLS yesterday) operating full IT programme to places like Volos,Skiathos,Larnaca and Chania.

Airport has lost only 3 full series out of 108 planned. Charter traf

[omoko joe]

nothing new here..Futura base crews in the UK/Ireland every summer. (or at least used to until Midland undercut them for MYT work)

[redfield]

Azzurra is an Italian airline - ops are in Milan. The new A320 EIDBD is sched to operate almost the whole weekly program from now on. The 737 will return to operate a mini-series to VBS later in the summer. The A320 didn't get off to a spectaular start; the pilot apparently made a heavy landing in ZTH today and burst two tyres. Ouch! 12 hour delay on the inbound. Some of the flight deck crews appear to be Australian, haven't seen hide nor hair of an italian yet! As for the non-appearance of the second MYT A320, all the above mentioned airlines are in and out this month; they're all here all summer apart from LBT and LK who just operate in May.

[MerchantVenturer]

redfield,

Thanks for that.

I wondered why the Zante flight had been delayed on its return.

It was only by coincidence that I discovered it because I saw an Azzurra 737 turning near my house onto BRS final approach this afternoon, apparently inbound via Brecon.

I then checked the BIA website to discover the long delay on the returning Zante whose A 320 was due to take the Kefalinnia out around 1500 hours. They must have dug up the 737 from somewhere as a replacement because the Kefalinnia is running only about half an hour late on its return to BRS.

Presumably the A 320 to Kefalinnia and back was not going to be full, otherwise there will be a few unhappy pax, because I think the 737 was a 700.

Didn't Trans Swede start with a few flights at BRS last summer before its major problems took hold? Nordic Airlink and others then seemed to take over from around June.

I thought for a moment -oh, oh here's another unreliable timekeeper- until you explained the burst tyres.

[redfield]

Merchant Venturer: The 737 didn't op. the EFL rotation - they brought the other A320 in (EIDBC) from MAN to operate it, after the 737 had positioned out elsewhere. The outbound EFL was full-ish, empty on the inbound. DBC also operated today's morning flight as DBD didn't get back in time from ZTH. It's early days yet as far as "good time-keeping" is concerned!
(Last summer Transjet were operating a weekly (supposed to be Monday afternoon) flight which was rarely anything less than 7 hours late. Nordic Airlink took over this flight when Transjet were grounded but they already had a based MD80 here on and off all summer).

[MissChief]

There is nothing "massive" about these modifications, certainly nothing to warrant scare-mongering titles for threads like this. And what do you mean by "Poor Bristol?"

Grow up Simon, and be responsible. People's jobs can be influenced by exaggerated claims like yours, once they are fed into the press.

[MerchantVenturer]

Thanks redfield for the that.

I shall have to get a pair of glasses, I thought it was a 737 but it was in and out of the low clouds - that's my excuse anyway.

Fingers crossed that Azzurra do turn out to be a good addition to BRS charters this summer. I am sure they will.

[ATCO1987]

Okey Dokey. MYT Have a Canadian Skyservice A320 based at EGGD and EGFF and probably other places. The MYT BJV flight stil flies on a monday evening, though this isnt the SSV aircraft, MYT1715 is positioned in then it flies out to BJV, back again and positioned back to EGCC or EGKK as MYT1716P. The current SSV A320 at EGGD is C-GTDK.
Dan.

[MerchantVenturer]

I have checked the Bristol Airport 'Mayfly' (working timetable) for week commencing 2 June 2003, and the second based MYT A 320 is shown as performing a full week's work, including a Monday rotation to BJV without the need to work in and out specifically for this flight as has been the case in May.

This confirms 'a Bristolian's' post near the beginning of this thread.

It may be that the Skyservice A 320 continues to be the first based MYT a/c at BRS.

Some of the flights to be performed by the second 320 from 1st June were flown by other airlines in May, and others are new flights as from 1st June. Again this was predicted by 'a Bristolian'.

So it does seem that the slight reduction in MYT's BRS charters was indeed only for the month of May, and not a wholesale scrapping as suggested by the starter of this thread.

[a bristolian]

2nd MYT A320 will arrive Sunday.Most of Summer charters will then be up and running. By the end of the Summer charter traffic levels will be up.

Next Summer AMM have confirmed over 30 flights per week with 2nd based A321 operating amongst others new flights to VAR,MIR and KGS.

Charter traffic continues to hold up the best of all UK aiports post low cost entry unlike.........!

P.S Visit http://apron.bristolairport.com - what you see is what you get!!

[ATCO1987]

Rightey ho. On the BRS mayfly for Sunday 25th May, the BOJ flight was scheduled, though it never happened. It was supposed to be a BH Air TU154. The BOJ flights were pulled out of this year due to lack of interest if my memory serves me correctly.
Dan.

[MerchantVenturer]

Thanks ATCO. I assumed this was probably the reason as well but, if the flight was pulled last summer presumably for the same reason, one wonders why they had another go this year, and are advertising one for next summer.

If that is the case I do find it strange that BRS cannot viably operate one flight per week in summer to Bulgaria. Perhaps the BRS clientele considers itself too upmarket.:rolleyes:

It will be interesting to see how the proposed AMM service to VAR gets on next summer. I suspect they will be more adept with their advertising and promotional work.

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

a bristolian - surely the airport is being supported primarily by easyJet - or did I just read your comments incorrectly?

5 aircraft based in BRS operating 364 days a year with plans to enlarge the base.

WWW

[MerchantVenturer]

WWW,

A week ago the easyJet website reported that 2.25 million pax had passed through BRS in the first two years of Go/easy operations - 22nd May being the second anniversary of the inaugural flight.

I agree that this is the major contribution to BRS's fortunes during the past two years and represents about one third of BRS's total traffic during that time.

Furthermore, and I stress this is only a feeling I get from my position as a local interested member of the public, the arrival of Go/easy has given the airport confidence to go out and successfully attract other operators.

I wish the airport would also have the confidence to charge reasonable car parking fees but that is another story.

[MerchantVenturer]

a bristolian,

I forgot to thank you for the reminder in an earlier post of the following link:

http://apron.bristolairport.com

I used to access it via an unofficial site but I note it has been expanded in recent days so that it is now a facility in excess of what one might expect of an airport of BRS's size.

There are now two webcams on the East (main apron) which are updated automatically every few seconds giving a jerky almost animated feel. Not quite live moving pictures but certainly the next best thing.

In addition there is a stand plan for this apron again updated every few seconds that shows parked aircraft on their particular stands and, at the touch of radio buttons, details about each aircraft showing flight number, type and registration number, arrival and destination airport, arrival and departure times. The plan also gives similar details about landing and departing aircraft on the taxiways.

One can also download versions of the airport's operating timetable ('Mayfly') for periods of up to two weeks ahead.

Anyone interested in having a look at one of the UK's larger smaller regional airports, if that is not too much a contradiction in terms, might find this site of interest.