Originally Posted by
EI-BUD
Mart901,
I've no doubt this connection will do very well. My point is they are forfeiting a daily rotation on an aircraft so that they can operate a BHD 0700 service. If they could depart earlier and arrive later it would make sense. Average fares on such a route in peak summer wouldnt touch a route like Palma, Faro, or Greek island which could be arriving back as late as midnight.
I've seen examples where Ryanair are getting a 737 flying from 05:45 to 01:15 the following morning. That's nearly a 20 hour day. This example at BHD is 14 hours. For this reason no low cost airline will make a base until the opening hours are revisited. On the flip side, I'm guessing they can tap into the locally based crew rather than do an overnighter.
Not even Ryanair want every one of their 400+ aircraft operating 20 hour days in summer.
It looks like the aircraft will be LGW based but night stopping at BHD, so unlikely to be the same frame at every night at BHD. It just means it will operate an odd number of sectors like they already do with the INV nightstopper. Could be perfect timing arriving into LGW at 0830 to go onwards to SSH/HRG etc and also means it isn't occupying a stand at LGW overnight, or trying to find another first rotation departure slot out of LGW this summer when the EZY base is expected to exceed 2019 levels.