BHX is the most confusing airport in the UK, it has such a massive catchment area and yet cant sustain these routes
The problem is, that it in close proximity (2 hours and under) to a lot of other airports that already do the job BHX wants to do.
LTN- serves eastern Europe very well, as well as some other loco routes
LHR- long haul mega hub, will be very very very hard to attract new long haul routes. Look at India, a huge huge potential yet none of the big 3 Indian carriers are looking into it.
EMA- seems to be sucking away a lot of loco routes, and with jet2holidays, now sucking away charter traffic too
MAN- does the same as LHR just on a smaller scale, but with a mix of charter/loco and long haul
The problem is, LTN/EMA/MAN/LHR can attract pax from 'out of region' due to the routes they offer, but BHX cant do that.
For example, emirates fares from BHX are
fairly similar to MAN, but MAN has the A380, F class and more business seats. Unless the flight is full, why would anyone want to travel down to BHX when they can jump on the same carrier, at similar prices, similar timings to the same destination from MAN?
Even if the fare is say, £50-100 cheaper from BHX, you negate that with extra travelling time and extra ground transport costs.
Like I say, maybe if BHX operated an advertising campaign similar to MAN's 'so near yet so far' one, stop the 60% of travellers from the midlands using other airports. Exploit the potential and the 'one stop connections' to Oz and asia etc.
Then, some serious subsidies to get long haulers in. They were willing to bow to FR, so why should it be different to say, AI or 9W etc.
The thing with BHX, is that its fantasising too much on this runway extention. Realistically, when it cant even keep its bread and butter airlines like Air Malta and Cyprus airlines, as well as keeping expansion going with FR/WW etc, then what hope in hells chance has it got of getting these destinations to 'china, west coast America' and so on?
due to the damaging £12 tax on short haul aviation.
Im afraid this cant be used as an excuse. The tax will apply to any route, even those with connecting flights on the continent, for example, if someone wants to fly BHX-DXB, the tax will be the same if they go direct or via AMS/FRA etc.
Also, if the tax is that damaging, why has MAN just gained TAP to Lisbon, BE to ABZ and also has Jet Airways seriously sniffing around. Why has EMA just gained a new Jet2 base as well as WW/FR expansion?
Enough of the rebrand, enough of these 'image/marketing directors' or whatever they are, and time to have some serious, frank talks internally to see where the airport is going, and then get the airlines in.