Originally Posted by
SouthernAlliance
Jet2 utilise the SFP 738 so don’t rule them out from basing at SOU. They are a prime candidate to operate a 2/3 aircraft base along with EZY and I’m sure either airline would make a very successful go of it.
TUI are also one to keep an eye on as I’m not sure they are fully committed to BOH with RYR being so dominant!
I agree that TUI have shown that they are not (or maybe not) so committed to the expansion (as yet) back to pre-Covid levels they had planned for both BOH and EXT when they had intended to share an extra aircraft a week between them in the summer, plus utilise their own each based 738.
They have cautiously for this summer, added another BOH-RHO (using an Aegean charter) another Turkey flight (using Freebird) and an extra PMI (using Alba Star, who also serve EXT)
The Winter programme is basically
all Canaries from BOH and EXT.
So, I cannot see for now Jet2 going to BOH when Ryanair are getting more established there,
however as we all know they could
upsticks and go at anytime on a whim - we have seen it happen before.
Would they go
head to head right now with TUI there <>?
IMHO, no.
(Nor would they think a LGW Base is a good plan too)
Time & time again folk say about the 738 going into SOU -
It simply cannot 'economically and safely at HGW's' -
even with the new 164m extra bit of concrete being built -
SOU is not SEN.
TUI have added its own charters from SOU to Palma (now 2 a week this summer) but using the BACF E190's (98 seats) which is a good fit, and they sell well.
But what happens if BACF do not come back to SOU for summer 2024 >?
I do think that Jet2 at SOU is one to watch in the longer term, but not with 738's - it would have to be the A320N and Jet2 do not normally fly 'W patterns' - so they would need to decide if a Base at SOU was viable.
If TUI fall away again from SOU (as they have done in the past)
then Jet2 Holidays from SOU would do very well IMHO.
Jet2 Holidays are now the UK's package holiday
market leader, knocking TUI off their perch as now the UK's largest tour operator.
That is some accolade to achieve in a few short years.
We lost Thomas Cook Holidays and the airline, the Libra Holidays Group/XL Airways, and Cosmos/Monarch Airlines in the past decade or so.
Jet2 know what they doing, and they do it well -
Package Holidays are getting a re-birth, and so why would they want to mess with it -
We have seen so many Companies in the past dabble with ''this and that'' then return to its core product market -
Monarch was one; they might have just survived had they returned to its charters and package holidays - the rumour was that's what they were about to think about.
TUI did really well at
DSA Doncaster with a large base there -
IF the DSA airport reopens then I do wonder if
Jet2 would go in >?
Again watch that space...well,
Jet2 are the 'Darlings of North'.
I had wanted to mention about Easyjet Holidays - they do sell - but do not have the same product ethos as a TUI or a Jet2 Package Holiday.
British Airways Holidays may well expand with the LGW Euro Flyer program and start a Package Holidays Brochure.