Fascinating stuff B_T and it’s good to see you’re doing your bit to encourage use of the local airport.
I once travelled AMS-BRU-BRS but it was only because we volunteered to be bumped off a full KLM flight (the offer was too good to refuse) and we were then re-routed with Sabena, changing aircraft at Zaventem – some years ago of course.
It’s a pity about KLM letting the side down. I still notice the odd CityHopper cancellation at BRS but not as many as was the case earlier in the year. Seems the Fokkers are sometimes, uhm……………. Fokkers.
Had they come up to the mark you would have had a near one hundred per cent satisfaction rate. I think a lot of people will use regional airports if the product is right and the price competitive.
Like you I have done my bit in fostering the use of BRS by putting a fair few people their way down the years – not completely altruistic because I want to keep routes and carriers going as I never know when I might need them. We’re much too old now to want to flog over to Heathrow.
My best effort was in suggesting to an entire family emigrating to South Africa – they were our neighbours at the time – that Bristol would be worth looking at. They did look, liked what they saw, went from Lulsgate and subsequently said they were delighted they did – using our old friends KLM via AMS.
Incidentally, I note the outgoing CEO’s comments about the FRA route (your favourite?) in the minutes of the airport consultative committee meeting that took place towards the end of October last when he said the route was doing ‘very well’. If true it could mean those high prices sometimes thrown up in the LH booking engine were actually paid by some people, because the load factors didn’t appear to be earth-shattering through the summer, although they might have been more than acceptable for a new route I suppose.
He also said the Oslo route had performed ‘very successfully’ during the summer period and he hoped it would return in summer 09.