Originally Posted by
Siggyboy
That's a much improved web site.
New owner talking Paris, Amsterdam and possibly Frankfurt within 12-18 months.
It's great to be optimistic about new ownership and I'd imagine there's a bit of feelgood factor around BOH at the moment with the change, but realistically, who can you see wanting to operate these routes?
The obvious one would have been Flybe, but they've tried already and it didn't end well.
Bournemouth's strength is its long runway and variety of aviation businesses on site. An expanded holiday flight program could work, along with further development of long haul charter for those who don't wish to traipse up to Gatwick.
But business flights? With SOU along the road with its better catchment, motorway junction, train station, and existing route/airline portfolio? I really can't see what value there is in going after that market. Flybe tried and it didn't work, the yields were a fraction of those from SOU. Stobart to Dublin, Jet2 to Belfast, Thomsonfly to Amsterdam. All came and went while those routes have continued and grown from SOU. You may pick up passengers from the Bournemouth/Poole conurbation who can fly from their closest airport, but not enough to make the route worthwhile.
I think Bournemouth has a great niche as a kind of south coast Prestwick, with a variety of movements, but there will never be enough passenger demand to make airliners the dominant business model.