Originally Posted by
biddedout
I remember when the Newquay surf and second home stay-cation scene really got going about 15 years or so ago. BA started on the route with 737's from LGW and I think one or two other operators piled in too - Ryan, Easy and GO? They gradually lost interest and eventually the route was taken on and slowly grown by Flybe using Dashes and 195's.
Before Flybe got involved Gatwick effectively subsidised the whole of Air Southwests network, allowing it to provide links on thin routes across the U.K. Flybe uwanted it, and used ticket price to get it, taking ASW down and losing the Southwest most of its local connectivity. I could never understand how they took a route making several million a year and turn it into a PSO.
Going back to the problems of the past. Taking on Loganair in their own back yard was not the smartest idea but it partly failed because BE tried to operate a single Embraer on a TEN sector day. Anyone with experience of the Highlands and Islands weather, remoteness and lack of engineering cover would realise that this was doomed to fail
The Sumburgh ten sector special was amusing, but they also lost hands down on Kirkwall and Stornaway which were operated by other airframes.
It was deja vu but up against an operator that would rather go to the wall than roll over and let Flybe have what it wanted.