Originally Posted by
Skipness One Foxtrot
Scheduled flights /= passenger volumes, I'd be surprised if we're back to pre COVID levels in only four months time. Capacity is on sale but until masks and testing ends, the uncertainty will continue to suppress travel demand.
However my question was, even at 2019 peak, EZY was in one terminal. Why would that change if South re-opens and Virgin have no flights this summer and WestJet are moving YYC to LHR? Seems odd, anyone know?
Passenger numbers aren’t the factor here, it’s the fact that easyJet are going to have 79 based aircraft, all of which will be departing within a 2-3 hour period in the morning. Add 13 TUI short haul aircraft, that is 92 based aircraft compared to 23 at South (BA/VY/W9). It’s a huge imbalance.
easy were actually planning a small South operation in Summer 2020, so it’s not a totally new phenomenon.
As for whether we will be back at pre-Covid levels in four months, time will tell. But short haul leisure and VFR are the two markets bouncing back quickest, and that’s what’s currently in the schedule for LGW. This morning TUI reported stronger sales for this summer than 2019, and whilst they’re only a small
part of the Gatwick operation, it is a bellwether for the state of the outbound leisure market.