I went to the BRS Master Plan public road show at Bristol’s Mall Galleries shopping precinct last week and managed to have a long chat with none other than the MD, Andrew Skipp. I don’t regard it as a private conversation as it took place in public with other visitors in the vicinity quite at liberty to earwig if they had wanted. Furthermore, I presume he would tell any other member of the public what he told me.
I was impressed by his willingness to engage a stranger in conversation for so long (at least twenty minutes) and with the straightforward and open way he answered my questions.
The following is a summary of some of the points that emerged, some as responses to my questions and others brought up by him.
There will be three new a/c stands next summer and he sees no problems in the meantime. This is in line with the incremental approach vis-a-vis increasing passenger numbers outlined in the draft Master Plan.
Next summer he is expecting Excel/Freedom Flights to operate two B 738s out of BRS, replacing this summer's B 734 and Air Malta A 320.
The CO route to EWR is now establishing itself well, although he thinks fares were pitched wrongly at first (too high) and now at times may even be too low.
He thinks the purchase of EXT would have been useful to BRS but doesn’t seem too bothered that it has fallen through.
He seems as perplexed as many in the local aviation scene that Flybe have not built up a stronger route network out of BRS, but could not say why this is (he may have been understandably reticent to say any more given commercial considerations).
Similarly, he is at a loss to explain BRS’s lack of flights to such destinations as Toronto and Florida.
I gained the impression that a Ryanair base is not top of his wish list although more FR flights working into BRS on W rotations would be very acceptable, and there was a hint that there might be more (to complement the DUB and SNN rotations that are already operated in this way). He mentioned that he would like more French destinations, whether by FR or anyone else.
He has personally noted the unacceptably long time it can take the Flyer dedicated coach to the bus and railway stations to load pax at busy times (something I highlighted on PPRuNe some months ago), and he assured me that the matter will be rectified.
It can be seen that I was never cut out to be an investigative reporter, but I thought these snippets might be of interest at least to some of the regular BRS followers on this MB.