john
Raw CAA pax figures on DUB-CWL-DUB sched for last four months, working backwards from October:
5020, 4652, 5317 and 4733 giving an average load in the low to mid 30s.
There is a certainly a bigger market than this if the product is there because the comparable figures for 2005 with FR were respectively 10243, 10143, 10763 and 10526.
However, Arann seem to charge on average higher fares than FR and provide better timed and more rotations than did FR, so I suppose business pax are happier with the extra flexibility of flights and timings, and the airline with the return, although of course only it will know that.
I guess those not so happy will be the leisure travellers who potentially form a significant group out of any large city airport. They will have to pay a bit more for their relaxation.
As Smile!!! points out, EI seems to be a bit unconvinced about regional UK links, albeit the airports they have pulled out of or are about to have FR competition and are not in the top eight busiest UK fields.
With no FR at CWL now, EI might have considered it but would they have gone double daily (as FR were working up to before they left - there were only two weekdays that were single daily)? You will know probably better than me that facility is often required by business pax.