Originally Posted by
EI-BUD
Of course they do Mart901, but in these instances they don't have the sort of competition that Belfast would have from easyJet etc. They are long established under the EI brand. Whereas 'if' the suggested BHD flights took off under the EIR brand, they may not be long lived in that guise if Stobart were not successful in maintaining the franchise.
The argument about competition is valid especially given the situation we are in now and the effect on demand. However BE were running 7x daily on similar sized aircraft on MAN/BHX up against U2. If you look at what LM are doing with GLA for instance - starting from just 2x daily, less than half the previous frequency with BE and smaller a/c, I seriously doubt these routes are totally unviable which supported high volumes at often higher fares than from BFS.
Also the EI brand is very well established here not only from BFS+BHD but also DUB where swathes of people drive to to catch flights from Northern Ireland.