Originally Posted by
WHBM
BACF are certainly proactive in flexing schedules by the day, week, and holiday period to reflect differences in demand, their commercial team seem very good at predicting demand.
I remember the old VLM at London City used to just do the Antwerp flights with one aircraft, departing at 0800, 1100, 1400, 1700 and 2000, on all weekdays. While good for aircraft utilisation and simple to schedule, it in no way reflects demand which rises and falls on quite a different curve, and as a result there were some rotations regularly pretty empty both ways. Note VLM are no longer with us, BACF are.
I think the comparison is a bit unfair. There is no way VLM could have done with their Fokker 50 what BACF is able to do with the EJets which can go to leisure destinations around the Med. VLM did try stuff that was practical with a Fokker 50, such as noon-time flights to JER and IOM, but realistically options to complement bread and butter business destinations from LCY with a turboprop were (and are) somewhat limited.