CYM, I agree the stats will be interesting reading and yes charters do tend to need to keep a higher yield than schedules, but lets not forget that 87% load factor on a flight thats only been on sale for only 5 months and ops via MAN, and was the first of the season isn't bad at all, the premium pax will be paying approx £180 extra per person on SFB or £300 on a VRA which equates to an extra £11k on a SFB or nearly £19k on VRA a welcome boost to any charter operator.
Once the CWL flights start it will be interesting, I personally think that it will hold its own, however we know that some of the flights from BRS will have shared loads with MAN/EMA so the stats will not prove very conclusive, the only way we will really know is to wait until April when next summers brochures come out, if they still have BRS-SFB/VRA/POP we'll know its been doing good enough for FC.
I've been management in a travel agency as well as worked for a BIG charter airline, in my experiance I dont recall (and this is the gods honest truth) ever booking a passanger from the south west from CWL-SFB/MCO, most people in the BRS/South west dont see CWL as an option for the US, although some must for the flights to be maintained in CWL, people that i've seen over the last 10 years would rather go to LGW and hop on VS or BA as apposed to MYT OR TRAVELCITY as they know they will get a far better service.
The FCA economy inflight service is now being hailed as better or as good as economy in VS/BA, both by passangers, reporters and pruners, coupled that with the strong FC retail influence in the South west it has the hallmarks of doing well.
248 booked on SFB this week at the moment, 8 from being full, PREM full again.
Did the TOM longhaul not ops via MAN? I'm 99% sure the CWL-POP did, what abouth the others?
200 booked on POP operating next week so far.
Watch this space i guess
