Originally Posted by
OC37
Why focus on the leisure travellers who might only travel once per year and shop and shop around for the cheapest fare, try targetting the business travellers who might travel every few weeks if not less, they are the 'bread & butter' that should be targetted, one business traveller might be worth a dozen leisure travellers!
Call me experienced but when I'm checking for leisure flights I'm bearing in mind hotel check-in/check-out times, I mentioned FCO/BRS previously, on certain days that flight departs FCO at 2005, if a hotel check-out is 1200 what the **** is one supposed to do for the next 8 hours until their flight departs?
And that flight arrives back in BRS at 2155, there is a coach to Cardiff that departs BRS at 0100, arrives Cardiff at 0225 and then diddly squat onward public transportation for another 3 hours or so, one could get home by around 0700 in the morning.
When I would travel on business I wouldn't, I couldn't afford to, lose a day from the office travelling at an unsuitable time of day just for a direct flight, if my meeting wasn't until the next day then I could occupy until mid-afternoon in the office before the one hour drive to BHX to take a teatime/early evening flight. Next day, once the meeting may be finished, back to FCO for an afternoon flight back, home that evening to be back in the office the next morning.
It wouldn't ring alarm bells, from BHX I regularly travelled to FCO with Swiss via ZRH because they were cheaper than the direct service Jet2, I would regularly travel to RIX, it was cheaper with KLM from BHX via AMS than it was the RYR direct service EMA/RIX that would likely have been full of sex tourists, I was a regular traveller BHX to ARN, mostly I utilised KLM via AMS with one time Lufty being cheaper via FRA, both were cheaper than SAS BHX/CPH/ARN, I was a regular traveller to KBP, only direct services were from LON, I utilised the KLM/UIA codeshare via AMS a few times but then I learned of Lufty's cheap BHX/DUS/KBP on CRJ500's all the way there and back with (achieved) 30 (ish) minute connections in DUS because both were non-Schengen flights so utilised the same terminal finger.
Going back a decade or two I was working for a woman boss in the east Midlands, she was a regular traveller to Belfast where she had friends in the city, we were equal travelling times from both BHX and LTN with BHX a pleasure to transit and LTN a nightmare, she was convinced that EZY were the cheapest LTN/BFS and even when I proved to her that BA Connect BHX/BHD were even cheaper she continued to utilise EZY, these people become brainwashed that a supposed loco is always the cheapest!
Yes, Ukraine can offer that since they relaxed the visa requirement, must be, 15+ years ago, just look at the UIA B737 that the Iranians shot down, of the 167 pax on board 138 of them were to connect with UIA in KBP for onward travel to Canada, hardly any of the pax on board were actually destination Ukraine.
I'm not denying that sometimes hub flying can be cheaper or more convenient. The point im trying to make is there is only limited business travel demand from CWL, most of which probably already uses KLM and is save to the points you've made above.
The reason I focus on leisure travellers is that is the bulk of the Welsh Market. The example given regarding Rome is certainly a good one if you're a business traveller, convenience is a must. But If i was a tourist visiting Rome I would want to continue seeing the city after checking out of the hotel. Whether that means leaving my bags and collecting them later or carrying them with me. I would also want a late flight to maximise my time there. Leisure travellers aren't overly concerned about the travel to/from the Airport. The majority of holiday/leisure flights that depart mid afternoon from the UK often don't return until the early hours of the morning, when taking a car or booking a transfer us essential. We're both talking about 2 different markets and the different demands of both.
I would suspect the demise of BMI has had a positive effect on KLM at CWL with business travellers using that instead of the convenience of direct regular flights from BRS.