DERRY/LONDONDERRY
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Dublin
Age: 34
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Alas the inadequacies of the London Stansted Service, booked my tickets back home for the Xmas period, and wanted to book a flight into Derry, to see the improvements and support my home's local airport. However do to the 23/12/2010 service departing London at circa 16:00, in is inconvenient to those who need to work.
Tickets now booked, unfortunately with Easyjet from Gatwick to Belfast... here's hoping a return to Morning & Evening flights between London and Derry.
Tickets now booked, unfortunately with Easyjet from Gatwick to Belfast... here's hoping a return to Morning & Evening flights between London and Derry.
September pax stats: Total 30007, -1.2%. (BFS -12.2%; BHD +13.2%).
Good to see pax numbers stabilising somewhat, especially as total flights fell 11.3%.
Individual routes are as follows (flights/total pax/pax per flight):
Stansted: 60/8629/144
Birmingham: 34/4164/122.5
Prestwick: 34/3953/116
Liverpool: 42/5331/127
Alicante: 18/2440/136
Faro: 18/2869/159
Dublin: 120/1199/10
Palma had 525 pax, with Reus having 852, but I don't know how many flights there were to these airports.
I see the winter timetables have been loaded on CODA website. At first glance, the pick 'n' mix nature of RYR's scheduling continues.
Good to see pax numbers stabilising somewhat, especially as total flights fell 11.3%.
Individual routes are as follows (flights/total pax/pax per flight):
Stansted: 60/8629/144
Birmingham: 34/4164/122.5
Prestwick: 34/3953/116
Liverpool: 42/5331/127
Alicante: 18/2440/136
Faro: 18/2869/159
Dublin: 120/1199/10
Palma had 525 pax, with Reus having 852, but I don't know how many flights there were to these airports.
I see the winter timetables have been loaded on CODA website. At first glance, the pick 'n' mix nature of RYR's scheduling continues.
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Derry
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Load factors
Thanks cuthere but you omitted the all important load factors:
Destination Flights......pax............average pax per flight......load factor
Stansted......60.........8629..........144.................. ..............76%
Birmingham...34.........4164..........122.5................. .............65%
Prestwick.....34.........3953..........116.................. ...............61%
Liverpool......42.........5331..........127................. ................67%
Alicante.......18.........2440..........136................. ................72%
Faro............18.........2869..........159................ .................84%
Not great, hardly an enticement to Ryanair to put on more flights or new destinations. On the other hand maybe everywhere else is just as bad.
10 pax per Dublin flight. Is that an improvement on the last few months?
Destination Flights......pax............average pax per flight......load factor
Stansted......60.........8629..........144.................. ..............76%
Birmingham...34.........4164..........122.5................. .............65%
Prestwick.....34.........3953..........116.................. ...............61%
Liverpool......42.........5331..........127................. ................67%
Alicante.......18.........2440..........136................. ................72%
Faro............18.........2869..........159................ .................84%
Not great, hardly an enticement to Ryanair to put on more flights or new destinations. On the other hand maybe everywhere else is just as bad.
10 pax per Dublin flight. Is that an improvement on the last few months?
Amelia, yeah, I couldn't be bothered to be honest! Thanks for putting the LFs on there.
The argument over how good or bad these figures are has several sides really. One is we don't know the yields/costs of operating though LDY. Furthermore, would PROPER timetabling mean more people would be willing to fly from LDY? Also, I'm sure the airport is hoping to gain some of BHD's pax after RYR's withdrawal from there at the end of the month (10% would be an extra 80k pax).
There are still signs of hope. A soon to be completed dual carriageway. Proper public transport links now there's an hourly service between the airport and Derry city centre. A levelling off in pax number falls, despite the continued decrease in flights.
Still, a second, strong operator (I say second as RE ain't gonna be around for much longer.....their pax/flight did increase by 1 mind!) like Flybe is required. We can but hope!
The argument over how good or bad these figures are has several sides really. One is we don't know the yields/costs of operating though LDY. Furthermore, would PROPER timetabling mean more people would be willing to fly from LDY? Also, I'm sure the airport is hoping to gain some of BHD's pax after RYR's withdrawal from there at the end of the month (10% would be an extra 80k pax).
There are still signs of hope. A soon to be completed dual carriageway. Proper public transport links now there's an hourly service between the airport and Derry city centre. A levelling off in pax number falls, despite the continued decrease in flights.
Still, a second, strong operator (I say second as RE ain't gonna be around for much longer.....their pax/flight did increase by 1 mind!) like Flybe is required. We can but hope!
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Londonderry
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A 2 X daily STN service is back!.......for one day only, on Monday 20th December. A sign of things to come? Fingers crossed.
And for anyone who is interested, it looks like the 08 offset ILS is going to be delayed by a few more weeks. NOTAMS currently saying it'll be operational by the end of October sometime but im told there is some sort of software issue with the system that they can't get sorted.
And for anyone who is interested, it looks like the 08 offset ILS is going to be delayed by a few more weeks. NOTAMS currently saying it'll be operational by the end of October sometime but im told there is some sort of software issue with the system that they can't get sorted.
So, the winter timetable is now in effect, with daily flights to Stansted, Prestwick and Liverpool; and four weekly to Birmingham. Much as we who support and follow the fortunes of the airport expected.
What has changed in the last few months, is the withdrawal of RYR from BHD. This may give LDY an opportunity of picking up some more passengers.
As an example, I recently looked at flight prices around the Christmas period travelling from the SW of England back to Northern Ireland. Flybe (from either EXT or BRS) came in at around £120 (although the website suggested the flights would be about £30, when taxes/charges and a £9 booking fee were added.....!) EZY from BRS to BFS came in at £100 rtn. When I looked at RYR, (before the cessation of ops at BHD) it was around £45 rtn all in.
So, what did I do in the end? Booked a train from Exeter St Davids to Birmingham International, and paid £38 rtn from there to LDY with RYR. Although this lengthened the journey on the England side of the pond, the convenience of landing at Derry, rather than BFS/BHD easily made up for this.
People from NI who have utilised the BHD RYR services (yeah RYR are crap blah blah blah, don't operate from BFS like all the proper airlines blah blah), may look at the cheap flights they offer and decide perhaps the drive to LDY is worth it after all. As I've said before, if LDY can capture 10% of the the former RYR traffic from BHD, that will add ~80k pax, which would be a welcome boost.
As for next summer, I believe Alicante and Faro will be back. It's just a matter of whether RYR decide to add one/or all of Palma, Reus and Malaga (or other wonderful places!). (N.B. I am no lover of RYR, but for getting from A 2 B, whilst knowing how to play the game, they're hard to beat). (As an aside, the recent RYR strikes stranded 300 pax according to the BBC, meaning ~150 pax/flight on the last Alicante/Faro operations of the season)
As for RE...............I fear 'tis but a matter of time. Shame.
What has changed in the last few months, is the withdrawal of RYR from BHD. This may give LDY an opportunity of picking up some more passengers.
As an example, I recently looked at flight prices around the Christmas period travelling from the SW of England back to Northern Ireland. Flybe (from either EXT or BRS) came in at around £120 (although the website suggested the flights would be about £30, when taxes/charges and a £9 booking fee were added.....!) EZY from BRS to BFS came in at £100 rtn. When I looked at RYR, (before the cessation of ops at BHD) it was around £45 rtn all in.
So, what did I do in the end? Booked a train from Exeter St Davids to Birmingham International, and paid £38 rtn from there to LDY with RYR. Although this lengthened the journey on the England side of the pond, the convenience of landing at Derry, rather than BFS/BHD easily made up for this.
People from NI who have utilised the BHD RYR services (yeah RYR are crap blah blah blah, don't operate from BFS like all the proper airlines blah blah), may look at the cheap flights they offer and decide perhaps the drive to LDY is worth it after all. As I've said before, if LDY can capture 10% of the the former RYR traffic from BHD, that will add ~80k pax, which would be a welcome boost.
As for next summer, I believe Alicante and Faro will be back. It's just a matter of whether RYR decide to add one/or all of Palma, Reus and Malaga (or other wonderful places!). (N.B. I am no lover of RYR, but for getting from A 2 B, whilst knowing how to play the game, they're hard to beat). (As an aside, the recent RYR strikes stranded 300 pax according to the BBC, meaning ~150 pax/flight on the last Alicante/Faro operations of the season)
As for RE...............I fear 'tis but a matter of time. Shame.
Join Date: Jun 2010
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As for next summer, I believe Alicante and Faro will be back.
Ryanair will have summer 2011 routes on sale in the next week or two. Faro shows as operating but no bookable yet but Alicante shows nothing but we will see over the next few weeks.
Join Date: Jul 2006
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"So, what did I do in the end? Booked a train from Exeter St Davids to Birmingham International, and paid £38 rtn from there to LDY with RYR. Although this lengthened the journey on the England side of the pond, the convenience of landing at Derry, rather than BFS/BHD easily made up for this. "
You could have flown Brs to Bfs on Easy for £100 you said. Yet to avoid, it seems, arriving at Bfs, you take a train from Exeter to Birmingham. So in the end, how much did you save on this Fr fare, when you take the cost of the train, eating due longer journey and what value do you put on your own time? Or are you just very anti Bfs?
True Blue
You could have flown Brs to Bfs on Easy for £100 you said. Yet to avoid, it seems, arriving at Bfs, you take a train from Exeter to Birmingham. So in the end, how much did you save on this Fr fare, when you take the cost of the train, eating due longer journey and what value do you put on your own time? Or are you just very anti Bfs?
True Blue
I saved £35 thanks very much True. Like using Ryanair, if you know what you're doing, you can actually get cheap train tickets in the UK.
Time-wise it will more likely than not prove quicker than flying to Aldergrove.
And yeah, I'd rather get a train to BHX, which takes about 2.5 hours, then get home in about 5 minutes from LDY, than spend 1.5 hours travelling to BRS, flying to BFS, then spending anything up to 3 hours getting home. Also, I will support my local airport when I can, which I am sure you do when you travel back to NI.
Time-wise it will more likely than not prove quicker than flying to Aldergrove.
And yeah, I'd rather get a train to BHX, which takes about 2.5 hours, then get home in about 5 minutes from LDY, than spend 1.5 hours travelling to BRS, flying to BFS, then spending anything up to 3 hours getting home. Also, I will support my local airport when I can, which I am sure you do when you travel back to NI.
Tower, who mentioned a car? Making assumptions I'm afraid.
As someone who has epilepsy, driving is not an option. Therefore, public transport is my only option when arriving into NI in the middle of a work day.
So, yes, it CAN AND DOES take up to 3 hours to get from Aldergrove to Derry for me. Perhaps you should give it a go some time, and as I said, I'd prefer to use my local airport, rather than BFS, where I have had one too many poor experiences.
As someone who has epilepsy, driving is not an option. Therefore, public transport is my only option when arriving into NI in the middle of a work day.
So, yes, it CAN AND DOES take up to 3 hours to get from Aldergrove to Derry for me. Perhaps you should give it a go some time, and as I said, I'd prefer to use my local airport, rather than BFS, where I have had one too many poor experiences.
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Dublin
Age: 34
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I can understand the frustration Cu, TheAirporter always seems to have just departed when you land, so it's an hour wait and then an hour and a half to get to Derry, traffic and weather permitting. Plus the hefty £25 return journey cost.
Never get a taxi from Derry Airport though, I always prebook with Foyle Delta... far cheaper. (But when you tell them you're in Liverpool, or Birmingham they do keep asking if you'll be on time!)
Never get a taxi from Derry Airport though, I always prebook with Foyle Delta... far cheaper. (But when you tell them you're in Liverpool, or Birmingham they do keep asking if you'll be on time!)
Join Date: Apr 2009
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Some of the other routes have not been loaded up yet so Alicante might be still operating in the summer
Join Date: Jul 2009
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If I recall correctly, the same thing happened last year regarding LDY - ALC, and it was last to be added to the ALC base roster. The load factors for summer 2010 were no worse really than what we seen at NOC or KIR, but then comes in the argument about profit yields on each flight.
If it is being dropped, then I hope the are giving us AGP or BCN as replacement.
If it is being dropped, then I hope the are giving us AGP or BCN as replacement.
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Derry
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For the period March - August 2010:
ALC-NOC 17,492 pax, 114 flights = 81% flown LF
ALC-LDY 11,745 pax, 82 flights = 76% flown LF
ALC-KIR 15,476 pax, 102 flights = 80% flown LF
ALC-NOC 17,492 pax, 114 flights = 81% flown LF
ALC-LDY 11,745 pax, 82 flights = 76% flown LF
ALC-KIR 15,476 pax, 102 flights = 80% flown LF
ALC-LDY 14,185 pax, 100 flights, 75% load factor.
Not great but compares OK to the Ryanair LDY domestic routes.
Join Date: Apr 2009
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It's a shame if the ALC route is gone. I was unsure when they extended the season.
Load factors for July and August were 84% and 88%, it's the rest of the season that didn't fair so well, so it's a real shame if by extending the season the impression is given that the route is not profitable whereas a shorter season might have been more profitable.
I mean it must have been profitable in 2009 for it to be re-run in 2010.
Can we look forward to Faro being axed in 2012? And what chance of additional destinations?
Load factors for July and August were 84% and 88%, it's the rest of the season that didn't fair so well, so it's a real shame if by extending the season the impression is given that the route is not profitable whereas a shorter season might have been more profitable.
I mean it must have been profitable in 2009 for it to be re-run in 2010.
Can we look forward to Faro being axed in 2012? And what chance of additional destinations?