BMI Baby at Teesside.
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Manchester UK
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BMI Baby at Teesside.
BMI Baby website shows the following new routes from MME for Summer 2004:
Alicante,Jersey,Nice,Palma,Prague with Belfast and Malaga continuing from the current winter schedule.
I guess Geneva will come back next winter?
Well done MME!
Alicante,Jersey,Nice,Palma,Prague with Belfast and Malaga continuing from the current winter schedule.
I guess Geneva will come back next winter?
Well done MME!
Join Date: May 2002
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From the MME website
From To Frequency
Teesside Malaga Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday
Teesside Prague Tuesday & Sunday
Teesside Jersey Saturday
Teesside Nice Saturday
Teesside Alicante Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Teesside Palma Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Teesside Belfast daily
From To Frequency
Teesside Malaga Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday
Teesside Prague Tuesday & Sunday
Teesside Jersey Saturday
Teesside Nice Saturday
Teesside Alicante Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Teesside Palma Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Teesside Belfast daily
Join Date: Jun 2003
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Assuming the website is correct, Belfast now appears to be reduced from one daily rotation down to one weekly (Sat) from the 03/04 - am reliably informed that this route is a consistently poor performer with load factors regularly less than 20% (unless those that claim to be in the know can tell me any different).
If demand cannot even support a daily service during the busiest period of the year then for how much longer will the route be sustainable?
If demand cannot even support a daily service during the busiest period of the year then for how much longer will the route be sustainable?
Last edited by ALLMCC; 15th Jan 2004 at 21:22.
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Yes, its been announced on MAN's website today, daily service to Knock commencing sunday 28th March, seats go on sale tomorrow (16th Jan).
Departs Manchester 0700
Arrives Knock 0755
Departs Manchester 0700
Arrives Knock 0755
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ALLMCC
I think the one a week flight is just until the new summer flights go on sale on Friday. You have been able to book this one Saturday morning flight for sometime. Just looking at the latest CAA figures, in the first 5 days of operation 628 people flew betweeen MME and BFS making about 62 people on every flight, which if I have worked it out right makes about a 47% load factor on a 737-500. Still not brilliant but there you go, it was the first few days!
Anyway the new routes are great news for Teesside, lets hope the flights do well
I think the one a week flight is just until the new summer flights go on sale on Friday. You have been able to book this one Saturday morning flight for sometime. Just looking at the latest CAA figures, in the first 5 days of operation 628 people flew betweeen MME and BFS making about 62 people on every flight, which if I have worked it out right makes about a 47% load factor on a 737-500. Still not brilliant but there you go, it was the first few days!
Anyway the new routes are great news for Teesside, lets hope the flights do well
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mmeman
Thanks for your comments - I do hope that loads will improve in the long term as Teesside has lived in Newcastle's shadow for too long - however, at the risk of upsetting BFS supporters, I still maintain that if this service (and all Baby routes) operated from BHD it would stand a much better chance of success (after all the mainline BMI to LHR route successfully operates from BHD) - ok Baby would be up against Flybe to NCL but Flybe generally use a 36 seater Q200 on this route whereas Easyjet use a 733 with 130+ seats.
In addition, Manchester would be better served by Baby from BHD and give BACX some real competition - lets hope the powers that be at Baby will see that they would flourish by operating from BHD rather than staying in the "orange" shadow at BFS!
Thanks for your comments - I do hope that loads will improve in the long term as Teesside has lived in Newcastle's shadow for too long - however, at the risk of upsetting BFS supporters, I still maintain that if this service (and all Baby routes) operated from BHD it would stand a much better chance of success (after all the mainline BMI to LHR route successfully operates from BHD) - ok Baby would be up against Flybe to NCL but Flybe generally use a 36 seater Q200 on this route whereas Easyjet use a 733 with 130+ seats.
In addition, Manchester would be better served by Baby from BHD and give BACX some real competition - lets hope the powers that be at Baby will see that they would flourish by operating from BHD rather than staying in the "orange" shadow at BFS!
Last edited by ALLMCC; 16th Jan 2004 at 17:52.
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The schedules are a bit of a laugh aren’t they?
Prague - Tuesday or Sunday! Two nights or five?
Nice Saturday only!
Only Belfast daily!
Malaga four times a week!
Alicante, Palma three times a week!
Jersey Saturday only replacing the Bmi flight?
With Nice about to be lunched from Newcastle apart from Jersey all these destinations are available daily from there. I have also checked some fares, Palma in July, one I couldn’t get the dates I wanted and then dates around them were still £70 more expensive than Easy and Easy’s been on sale two weeks!
I am disappointed I thought Baby would be decent competition to Easy helping keep some fares down but……
Prague - Tuesday or Sunday! Two nights or five?
Nice Saturday only!
Only Belfast daily!
Malaga four times a week!
Alicante, Palma three times a week!
Jersey Saturday only replacing the Bmi flight?
With Nice about to be lunched from Newcastle apart from Jersey all these destinations are available daily from there. I have also checked some fares, Palma in July, one I couldn’t get the dates I wanted and then dates around them were still £70 more expensive than Easy and Easy’s been on sale two weeks!
I am disappointed I thought Baby would be decent competition to Easy helping keep some fares down but……
Join Date: Aug 2002
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ALLMCC,BFS from MME WILL BE SERVED DAILY EXCEPT SAT FOR THE SUMMER.And the powers that be at BMI have already learned the error of their ways by moving from BFS to BHD.The chief operating officer <MR HOGAN>was sacked and the chief airbus captain resigned.Then AIRBUS recommended non A321 ops to BHD and all because they have a ****e runway.and a proper low cost airline could never operate from BHD as the hours are too restricted and lo cos maximise flying hours till late into the night.As the government white paper has stated,the majority of air expansion in NORTHERN IRELAND must be done at ALDERGROVE and it must remain the main airfield for the province I think you should get used to it..................................................
Last edited by glynn-kayes; 17th Jan 2004 at 06:43.
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I thought there was going to be 2 73's at Teesside. It seems there is only 1.
Cold feet maybe - Easy to the north, Jet2 to the south - all on the same routes.
So the future for Teesside is???
Cold feet maybe - Easy to the north, Jet2 to the south - all on the same routes.
So the future for Teesside is???
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CR7,the point is that both those operators north and south operate from airports which serve a large city/cities. Teeside, yes good infrastructure and money being spent but it's not exactly got a huge population on it's doorstep compared to the other two.
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Size is only one factor. The fact that Teesside is still a relatively poor area compared to Leeds and Newcastle is bound to reflect on the destinations and the frequency.
After all, the burglars and junkies don't generate much demand for 'glamorous' destinations and as far as I know, most airlines don't accept stolen tins of chocolate from Woolies as valid payment.
God, I loved the place.
After all, the burglars and junkies don't generate much demand for 'glamorous' destinations and as far as I know, most airlines don't accept stolen tins of chocolate from Woolies as valid payment.
God, I loved the place.
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I think you will find teessides catchment area is bigger than newcastle's. Remember people in Sunderland use Teesside as well as the whole of Teesside (middlesbourgh, stockton billingham, redcar,saltburn,hartlepool etc.), darlington, all the way down as far as York and all the way over to Carlise as it is closer to Teesside than Newcastle. Alot bigger than Newcastles catchment me thinks.
Also has anybody heard that Air Southwest is doing Jersy this year once a week from Teesside, so not all bad news on that route.
People need to read the timetable better as well Belfast is still daily but Prague is actually 3 times a week not twice as the airports own website said.
Also has anybody heard that Air Southwest is doing Jersy this year once a week from Teesside, so not all bad news on that route.
People need to read the timetable better as well Belfast is still daily but Prague is actually 3 times a week not twice as the airports own website said.
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Newcastle is closer to Carlisle than Teesside is. Ditto for Sunderland.
York is closer to Leeds/Bradford and Humberside, and York-Teesside is probably not much less of a journey than York-Manchester.
In reality, the bulk of Teesside's catchment is south of Ferryhill and North of Scarborough/Ripon. With Durham/Peterlee etc shared somewhat with Newcastle.
For the record, Newcastle also benefits from a large number of Scottish travellers, particularly on Charter flights.
Nice is only a weekly service, meaning that if you want to go MME-NIC-MME, then you have to stay for a week, bit unfortunate if you want to go for a short break? Surely this will suffer with EZY daily from NCL and JET2 daily from LBA.
York is closer to Leeds/Bradford and Humberside, and York-Teesside is probably not much less of a journey than York-Manchester.
In reality, the bulk of Teesside's catchment is south of Ferryhill and North of Scarborough/Ripon. With Durham/Peterlee etc shared somewhat with Newcastle.
For the record, Newcastle also benefits from a large number of Scottish travellers, particularly on Charter flights.
Nice is only a weekly service, meaning that if you want to go MME-NIC-MME, then you have to stay for a week, bit unfortunate if you want to go for a short break? Surely this will suffer with EZY daily from NCL and JET2 daily from LBA.
Last edited by johnwalton; 18th Jan 2004 at 00:14.
johnwalton,
I think York is closer to Teesside than you realise. It's certainly a bit closer to Teesside than it is to Humberside (with better roads to boot) although I agree that LBA would be the obvious choice for anyone living in the York area.
As for suggesting that York - Manchester is a similar journey to York - Teesside, look at a map!! It's twice the distance, with the added hazard of the M62 to negotiate.
I think York is closer to Teesside than you realise. It's certainly a bit closer to Teesside than it is to Humberside (with better roads to boot) although I agree that LBA would be the obvious choice for anyone living in the York area.
As for suggesting that York - Manchester is a similar journey to York - Teesside, look at a map!! It's twice the distance, with the added hazard of the M62 to negotiate.
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Onion maybe right. Teesside's catchment area includes Newcastle and Leeds as it is in the middle of both. Very feasible for someone living in either place to travel to Teesside to catch a flight, as people living in Teesside/Darlington have had to travel to NCL or LBA in the past. I also hope bmibaby are going to advertise in Newcastle and Leeds as Easyjet and Jet 2 have advertised in Darlington/Stockton, etc. Even saw a Jet2 poster in Sunderland, so they must think that people might travel to Leeds.
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People from Leeds generally go west down the M62, not up the A1.
BMIbaby did not, or do not advertise ther Manchester operation in Leeds, so why would they advertise the Teesside operation?
BMI seen keen to keep the BMI - Main/Reg. full fare presence in Leeds.
As I have said before - with the daily flights from LBA and NCL to all destinations served by BMIbaby out of MME, let's not hope too much about the success of this operation.
BMIbaby did not, or do not advertise ther Manchester operation in Leeds, so why would they advertise the Teesside operation?
BMI seen keen to keep the BMI - Main/Reg. full fare presence in Leeds.
As I have said before - with the daily flights from LBA and NCL to all destinations served by BMIbaby out of MME, let's not hope too much about the success of this operation.