redfield,
Interesting figures that give an average load of around 115 (or 67%) if we are talking about seventy flights in this period (35 days x 2).
I have mentioned before that I 'study' the CO web seat selector (having been given various opinions as to how accurate this is for judging actual loads) and, from this, I would have put the average load at around 120 for this period, so the selector might be a rough guide after all.
The other thing the seat selector shows is a good take-up of the business-first seats, with it not being unusual for all sixteen to be shown as 'occupied', and not very often less than eight. Of course, they might not all be business-first payers because, inter alia, don't CO offer complimentary upgrades to some of their Elite Class members?
Given the reduction to five rotations per week in winter (which days are not flown?) the airport's own suggestion of 75,000 annual pax in the first year would still be achieved with this sort of average load, although I wonder if they are not slightly disappointed that the loads are not a bit higher.
My reason for saying this is that CO started their 757-operated EDI-EWR route on 10 June last year and during the remainder of that month carried over 6,000 pax at an average load of 155.
July saw over 10,000, an average of 163 per flight and the average held up around this figure until falling to 153 in October – all CAA stats.
It will be interesting to see how the BFS-EWR route compares, having started a week after the BRS-EWR route.
Looking ahead into July and August my beloved seat selector is showing some days apparently reasonably loaded already (around the hundred mark), so perhaps the main summer months will build up the route.