This is the first time I have looked at the full winter timetable with Ryanair and just picked some dates in November and December, the schedule and routes is shocking! Next summer however seems a lot better.
Murcia, Reus and Gerona are all cut for winter and Reus does not seem to be coming back next summer either... These routes have usuaully had a 2-3 times weekly presence even during the winter months, and Murcia is popular all year round with the huge ex-pat population in nearby Torrevieja.
As discussed some time ago, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura are cut for winter, but maintain their twice weekly schedule next summer.
Marrakesh is reduced to twice weekly, last winter it was five times weekly as I used the service.
(Goes back to 5x daily next summer)
Malta is reduced to 3-4 times a weekly and this was operated at least five times weekly last year.
(Next summer however some days will be operating twice daily!)
There is no flights to Italy this winter, it is showing in the booking engine drop down menu Alghero and Rome (CIA), but I don't think either routes were operated last winter.
In actual fact I didn't know Ryanair operated to Rome from Luton at all, I cannot find any schedule (for now, winter or next summer) so the route may be about to be announced for next summer... If so that then means we have three airlines operating the route next year!
Ireland seems to be the only winner this winter... I cannot remember exactly the full schedule from last year, but thought Kerry and Knock only operated several times a week but are now daily. Also Dublin maintains its 3x daily schedule, where a winter a year or two back it was reduced to a twice daily schedule.
The routes to Lithuania, Poland and France seem to stay the same. However Vilnius seems to be getting the chop next summer.
The other thing I noticed is that virtually all Ryanair services are operated by Luton based aircraft.
This has always seemed to be the case, with only the odd route or two operated by aircraft from other bases... We have seen a few of the Canary routes operated from these bases or where they share the route operated on different days by alteranate bases. Malta this year has operated like this.
I think wherever possible routes operated to London from other bases by Ryanair, operate into Stansted.
Even though it is great to have a Ryanair base at Luton, and seems to work well, always maintaining their four aircraft base over the last 10 odd years... We have never seen any further commitment of growth from them and I struggle to see how the base fits in for the airline, with Stansted only down the road.
Even though Ryanair are happy to go head to head with easyJet and other carriers at other bases, they do not seem to have that mentatilty at Luton. They seem to operate their own niche of routes, and avoid direct competition (with the odd exception). For example Malta, Marrakesh, Murcia, Gerona and the Irish routes.
While they are happy to duplicate some of the routes they operate from Stansted and fly them also from Luton. You would think they would do the same for the major tourist routes like Majorca, Ibiza, Malaga, etc...