Originally Posted by
cessnarocket
Another problem they are facing is its right on the edge of max range so any head winds will require a stop in Stornaway.
As mentioned before the Q400 does operate longer sectors than this one, SOU-ALC for example is longer than either the Air Iceland ABZ or BHD routes, and that's on an aircraft with more seats too. The Q400 has better range than pretty much anything else in it's size and efficiency category.
Stornoway? Why would you divert so early on a route with headwinds, when you could go to Egilsstadir (an Icelandair diversion airport) or Vagar if you really needed to?
Reliability could well be a non-issue. If we forget about a certain purple Q400 operator and look to Wideroe, their pilots have nothing but praise for the machine.. 'unusually very reliable for an aircraft' was the quote.
I'm not sure why you'd think the airline won't start the route, they launched Aberdeen a good while ago, so I'm sure they know what they are talking about.
Hopefully the prices will drop a little bit, but I look forward to using this service in the future, KEF can be a little bit manic during their rush hour but it's a good hub for connecting to North America.