Originally Posted by
davidjohnson6
Flew between Chateauroux and Southend. Very low load factor (well below 50%) filled mainly with French people holidaying in London - very few Brits. This suggests that the aim of the subsidy, namely encouraging Brits to visit Chateauroux is not working - not that surprising as the local seem to excel at marketing fluff in the knowledge that thete isn't really anything worth seeing; I managed to fill 2 hours with sightseeing but found myself struggling after that ! Really can't see this route returning in summer 2019 unless the local French Govt body paying for the subsidy has money to burn.
While I doubt that the route is sustainable, I also doubt that it is aimed at Chateauroux proper which is a fairly small city. Probably targeting those who holiday in the area or who have second homes, just like all those flights to Tours, Limoges or Poitiers. Problem is undoubtedly how to create awareness of that route with the target group mainly served by Ryanair and Flybe from STN and SOU.