Easyjet & N Ireland
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Easyjet & N Ireland
I see from local press www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business that the Easyjet spin doctors are active again - now claiming they are the single biggest contributor to the NI economy and tourism over the past 5 years! - this is a crass insult to local agencies such as the NI Tourist Board who have made massive efforts to boost inward tourism.
How can an airline which pays minimal charges at BFS claim to contribute significantly to the regions economy - the vastly reduced revenues at BFS bear testament to this - they also state that over 7m passengers have been carried to and from Belfast since Sep 1998 - this may be true but it is very likely that the majority of these were NI passengers taking advantage of cheaper fares after being ripped off by the mainliners for years.
Easy also claim they are the most successful airline operating in N Ireland - by what yardstick do they measure "success" - do they mean making money? - for an airline that not so long ago was showing losses of £48m this seems unlikely. It would be better if Easyjet justified these claims rather than insulting peoples intelligence by issuing rash statements like these!
How can an airline which pays minimal charges at BFS claim to contribute significantly to the regions economy - the vastly reduced revenues at BFS bear testament to this - they also state that over 7m passengers have been carried to and from Belfast since Sep 1998 - this may be true but it is very likely that the majority of these were NI passengers taking advantage of cheaper fares after being ripped off by the mainliners for years.
Easy also claim they are the most successful airline operating in N Ireland - by what yardstick do they measure "success" - do they mean making money? - for an airline that not so long ago was showing losses of £48m this seems unlikely. It would be better if Easyjet justified these claims rather than insulting peoples intelligence by issuing rash statements like these!
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Lighten up ALLMCC, have you never heard of marketing? If easyJet don't blow their own trumpet no one else well. You admit they have brought low fare to NI, a very good thing. People have flown that would have never dreamed of it before, a good thing. If you doubt the validity of their claim why don't you ask them directly. PS, and the reason fares are low is that low cost airlines negotiate low airport costs to keep them that way.
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ALLMCC,
'by what yardstick do they measure "success" - do they mean making money? - for an airline that not so long ago was showing losses of £48m this seems unlikely'
I see in the FT that analysts are expecting pre tax profits of £50m for Easyjet this year.
'by what yardstick do they measure "success" - do they mean making money? - for an airline that not so long ago was showing losses of £48m this seems unlikely'
I see in the FT that analysts are expecting pre tax profits of £50m for Easyjet this year.
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ALLMCC, before spouting off in future please get your facts right. The £48m loss was for the winter season, there were also one off costs involved in that sum.
Most airlines make a loss in the winter and a profit in the summer.
As for what has eJ done for NI, well they've opened a base which has created jobs, the jobs at Aviance rely to a certain extent on eJ presence, we bring loads of tourists from Holland and the rest of the UK and on the short EDI/GLA we are providing a much better service than the ferry!
When I started in aviation the EDI-BFS route was operated by a Shorts 360, ATP or Jetstream 41.
Most airlines make a loss in the winter and a profit in the summer.
As for what has eJ done for NI, well they've opened a base which has created jobs, the jobs at Aviance rely to a certain extent on eJ presence, we bring loads of tourists from Holland and the rest of the UK and on the short EDI/GLA we are providing a much better service than the ferry!
When I started in aviation the EDI-BFS route was operated by a Shorts 360, ATP or Jetstream 41.
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Scottie
I assume you are an EJ pilot - if so your response is what I would have expected. All i am saying (in laymans terms) is that to go from a £48m loss to a £50m profit in less than 12 months will require nothing short of a miracle! If you add reducing load factors ( by EJ's own admission), increasing fuel costs, increasing competition from other locos (particularly a certain Irish based concern) then it seems even more like a pipedream.
Adding additional rotations to routes out of BFS will simply result in more aircraft with more empty seats and lower load factors. it simply doesn't add up! Air travel in/out of N Ireland doesn't revolve around EJ. There are other operators such as BA, BMI & Flybe who have served the province for years & long before Easyjet was even thought of. I suspect they will still be there after Easyjet is consigned to the annals of history.
Sorry but one mans view!
I assume you are an EJ pilot - if so your response is what I would have expected. All i am saying (in laymans terms) is that to go from a £48m loss to a £50m profit in less than 12 months will require nothing short of a miracle! If you add reducing load factors ( by EJ's own admission), increasing fuel costs, increasing competition from other locos (particularly a certain Irish based concern) then it seems even more like a pipedream.
Adding additional rotations to routes out of BFS will simply result in more aircraft with more empty seats and lower load factors. it simply doesn't add up! Air travel in/out of N Ireland doesn't revolve around EJ. There are other operators such as BA, BMI & Flybe who have served the province for years & long before Easyjet was even thought of. I suspect they will still be there after Easyjet is consigned to the annals of history.
Sorry but one mans view!
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It is very "easy" to go from posting a loss in the winter period to making a profit in the summer - yields are that much higher. Load factor is not the best measure here -it's the difference between the break even load factor and the acutal load factor.
That's not to say that their claims of being the biggest contributor to the NI economy are "accurate" (not having detailed NI economic data to hand).
That's not to say that their claims of being the biggest contributor to the NI economy are "accurate" (not having detailed NI economic data to hand).
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allmcc i see you also mention ba be and bd,mmmmm, funny they all operate from bhd.i think its all just a case of sour grapes on your behalf. lets face,ezy carry more pax per annum than all of the outfits put together at bhd and long may they do so...
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glynn-kayes
Funny how BA & BMI used to operate from BFS but now they don't - wonder why! If BFS is so attractive why don't Flybe use it except as a convenient diversionary?
Just wait until the WIP at BHD is finished & then we'll see some developments.
Funny how BA & BMI used to operate from BFS but now they don't - wonder why! If BFS is so attractive why don't Flybe use it except as a convenient diversionary?
Just wait until the WIP at BHD is finished & then we'll see some developments.
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ALLMCC
Please. You're making comments here which are incorrect, note easyJet has posted increased loadfactors on the London Stock Exchange news service yesterday - up on the period last year, not falling. Scotties point is very valid regarding the 48m figure. This also is off the back of a downturn in business which has affect most carriers, including the Ryan's.
easyJet has been good for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland has been good for easyJet, I'd rejoice in that fact and not focus on the PR machines comments. And we'll see who survives in the years to come.
Please. You're making comments here which are incorrect, note easyJet has posted increased loadfactors on the London Stock Exchange news service yesterday - up on the period last year, not falling. Scotties point is very valid regarding the 48m figure. This also is off the back of a downturn in business which has affect most carriers, including the Ryan's.
easyJet has been good for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland has been good for easyJet, I'd rejoice in that fact and not focus on the PR machines comments. And we'll see who survives in the years to come.
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ALMCC.......What a lot of childish vitriol.A similar article in the Irish News shows that Bmi and British European have also experienced increases in passenger figures.All of this is good for the NI economy and anyone who can't see that is stuck too deep in his anorak.
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Eastern Wiseguy
True but neither BMI or Flybe make outrageous unsubstantiated claims to be "the single biggest contributor to the NI economy" - simply because they aren't - neither are Easyjet - if claims like these can't be backed up they shouldn't be made in the first instance! They only end up insulting peoples intelligence.
True but neither BMI or Flybe make outrageous unsubstantiated claims to be "the single biggest contributor to the NI economy" - simply because they aren't - neither are Easyjet - if claims like these can't be backed up they shouldn't be made in the first instance! They only end up insulting peoples intelligence.
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ALLMCC
To try to test easyJet's claims, do you have access to data on the size of the NI economy and tourism statistics? It would be interesting to know what are the major contributors to the NI economy - in terms of largest employers/producers - and in terms of tourists what proportion arrive by air and what by sea. I understand that the ferries have been hit by the rise in low cost flights, however, how many people still go by sea?
To try to test easyJet's claims, do you have access to data on the size of the NI economy and tourism statistics? It would be interesting to know what are the major contributors to the NI economy - in terms of largest employers/producers - and in terms of tourists what proportion arrive by air and what by sea. I understand that the ferries have been hit by the rise in low cost flights, however, how many people still go by sea?
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Brabazon
Have a look at www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/top_100_cos/ - not a definitive list I admit but a rough guide - note BFS at 91 but no sign of Easyjet!
Have a look at www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/top_100_cos/ - not a definitive list I admit but a rough guide - note BFS at 91 but no sign of Easyjet!
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ALLMC
Having looked at that list, I noticed that there is one over-riding factor that links all of the top 100 companies-they are all based in Ireland or are Irish subsidiaries of larger companies (i.e. it states Tesco (NI)).
As, to the best of my knowledge, EJ have never professed to be an Irish company or have an Irish subsidiary, how could they possibly appear in this list??
Rather than be on the offensive about some marketing claims, why don't you do as brabazon suggests and put a little bit of research in?
Having looked at that list, I noticed that there is one over-riding factor that links all of the top 100 companies-they are all based in Ireland or are Irish subsidiaries of larger companies (i.e. it states Tesco (NI)).
As, to the best of my knowledge, EJ have never professed to be an Irish company or have an Irish subsidiary, how could they possibly appear in this list??
Rather than be on the offensive about some marketing claims, why don't you do as brabazon suggests and put a little bit of research in?
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Ladies - you can argue over this point until the end of time.
I think the important issue to be drawn from it all is that
N.Ireland PLC is benefitting in many areas from the success of
airlines such as Easyjet, BMI, Flybe & BA and long may this continue.
All these airlines are directly employing many hundreds of people in NI and resulting in many more employed at the airports of BFS & BHD.
Fingers cross that this trend continues and when we have the likes of Ryanair joining the fray at one of our 2 Belfast airports we all benefit and the consumer will benefit from an even greater range of destinations at affordable prices.
I think the important issue to be drawn from it all is that
N.Ireland PLC is benefitting in many areas from the success of
airlines such as Easyjet, BMI, Flybe & BA and long may this continue.
All these airlines are directly employing many hundreds of people in NI and resulting in many more employed at the airports of BFS & BHD.
Fingers cross that this trend continues and when we have the likes of Ryanair joining the fray at one of our 2 Belfast airports we all benefit and the consumer will benefit from an even greater range of destinations at affordable prices.
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I don't think anyone is denying the major impact the the no-frills carriers have had on NI and other regions of the UK, it's just a matter of cutting through some of the marketing hype that these airlines put out.
Re: Ryanair, I thought they were considering another NI airport!
Re: Ryanair, I thought they were considering another NI airport!
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ej have gone from nothing to nine routes and 40 per cent plus of the Northern Ireland market in five years, bringing cheap fares to the market and forcing down fares across the board.
60 consecutive months of growth is, I suspect, a record that no other airline can match in the region.
As has been pointed out in another post, load factors are high and increasing. Mid to high 80s across the network, including NI. As a plc, the company is legally bound to be honest and transparent about these figures, so they must be believed.
In the last full financial year, the airline recorded a small profit during the first half (partly due to easter failling early) and a full year profit of around £70 million.
Given that the airline is now twice the size and yields have held up well during the summer, moreso than Ryanair (plc info), it is not unreasonable to expect that it will once again post a healthy profit this year.
ALLMCC - Even by PPRUNE standards your postings on this matter have been extremly biased, highly uninformed, and frighteningly naive.
You have a real bee in your bonnet about ezy. Get out more!
60 consecutive months of growth is, I suspect, a record that no other airline can match in the region.
As has been pointed out in another post, load factors are high and increasing. Mid to high 80s across the network, including NI. As a plc, the company is legally bound to be honest and transparent about these figures, so they must be believed.
In the last full financial year, the airline recorded a small profit during the first half (partly due to easter failling early) and a full year profit of around £70 million.
Given that the airline is now twice the size and yields have held up well during the summer, moreso than Ryanair (plc info), it is not unreasonable to expect that it will once again post a healthy profit this year.
ALLMCC - Even by PPRUNE standards your postings on this matter have been extremly biased, highly uninformed, and frighteningly naive.
You have a real bee in your bonnet about ezy. Get out more!
Last edited by Uncle Monty; 10th Oct 2003 at 18:52.