Hello again B_T. Happy New Year.
MV - I can't shake off the years of BM being BD!
Neither can I. Wasn't me who pointed it out.
VIE - I put VIE lower on my list because it's a long block time from BRS, and not very useful for Western European hubbing. It would really only make sense for flying into Eastern Europe (which might go into decline) and onto OS' modest long-haul network. I'm not sure BRS-VIE point-to-point traffic is sustainable, even when VIE is looking gorgeous in the wintertime. They're taking delivery now of their new E195 aircraft, but I think they're pretty much 1:1 for the F100s.
Do you mean OS point to point traffic? easyJet seems to be doing pretty well with loads on VIE (last winter and last summer) - don't know yield of course. They continue at 2 x weekly through this winter and through summer 17.
ZRH - my thinking behind ZRH is that LX have a strong hubbing operation out of ZRH, a pretty attractive long-haul network, and they're taking delivering of their C-Series aircraft which would be "right-size" for BRS-ZRH (and less gas-guzzling than the Jumbolinos). They're also not afraid, bizarrely, of undercutting LH on fares ex-UK.
Helvetic used to operate into BRS with no connectivity at ZRH unlike the routes they operate for Swiss. Passenger numbers were rising steadily when they pulled the plug with regular monthly load factors into the 60s% - obviously not to the airline's liking for all that.
easyJet at up to 6 x daily in part of the ski season (plus some winter charters) has made BRS-Geneva the busiest UK GVA route outside London airports for the past few years (in terms of annual passenger numbers). When easyJet began BRS-Basel just over a year ago I thought that 4 x weekly was an overkill and initially the loads didn't seem that great (by easyJet standards). However, they persisted with 4 x weekly throughout last summer, the current winter and into next summer. Loads rose and, importantly, don't seem to have affected the easyJet GVA loads.
As both routes are point to point only there is a persuasive argument that a Swiss airport with connectivity would bear serious consideration.
DY - would certainly be a wildcard. They have a base at LGW from which they operate TATL flights - MAN, BHX and EDI are pretty much all bucket-and-spade out of Spanish bases. If WW fold from BRS in March, then I think it's very unlikely we'd see a DY 787 trying to do TATL out of BRS. Even at the very limits of possibility, it still only makes sense (IMO) for an airline with connecting opportunities into the rest of the US - UA / AA / DL.
I too have doubts that a transatlantic point to point airline would would succeed at BRS especially if it operated into the New York area secondary airports. Bristol area travellers are notoriously difficult to prise away from LHR for their long haul scheduled travel at any time, although the CO BRS-EWR loads were good until the recession began to bite but seemingly not the yield.
Interestingly, articles have appeared in both the Bristol and Plymouth press in the past week telling readers of the Norwegian operation from EDI to the USA. The articles suggest that people from the South West could reach EDI by easyJet from BRS. There is no indication that easyJet and Norwegian are in any way embarking on a code share so, presumably, anyone trying this would be on their own if the easyJet flight was cancelled or seriously delayed. I don't know who initiated these articles - I would assume Norwegian - but the idea does seem (as Americans would say) a bit out of left field.
TK and QR - I just can't see the available traffic flows to fill a 737 or 330 to IST/DOH. It's a long block time, and they both already fly from BHX and LHR. Maybe I'm being harsh on TK.
Of the two, Qatar seems to me the more likely, although how likely is still a moot point. As SWBKCB points out, the Turkish market is not what it was even a year or two ago.
I've found a link to the report that Qatar was looking at the South West although that doesn't necessarily mean BRS.
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar...nd-612899.html