New routes for Bristols new extension

[WATABENCH]

Nice car? Whereabouts is it parked mate? Any good stereo equipment in it?
Ha Ha

[terrier21]

Not really!!!

Although someone did put a nice big scratch down the side of it the other day at work!!!

Lots of Geordies in at the moment!!! alot of them turning up late due to traffic in CWL. Ezy's normal flights tonight and tommorrow are all over booked as well.

The question is why are they late they could have left at half time!!!

[MerchantVenturer]

I’ll have a few pennyworth from the viewpoint of the pax, as opposed to you boys ‘in the trade’.

1. About 18 months ago I remember seeing the BBC West trade and industry correspondent standing outside the airport confidently predicting an increase in Ryanair routes from BRS. Hasn’t happened yet, although perhaps he had a long-range crystal ball.

Won’t all of FR’s Boeing 732s be phased out either this year or next and replaced by 738s, giving around 45% capacity on the DUB route with the current rotations? So, presumably, if FR is talking to the airport, it might be about new destinations. Obviously airlines chat to airports all the time but isn’t FR ‘committed’ to opening a given number of new bases in a set time (I forget how many or the period)?

I heard that FR were talking to CWL some time ago as were ThomsonFly. Whether these rumours are/were true or whether it was mere supposition because of the poor hand baby has dealt CWL I don’t know. I guess CWL would be in an excellent position to offer MOL the sort of deal he looks for with the route development fund apparently being made available by the Assembly to try to push the airport along a bit.

2. I see from its website that BRS is really stepping up the momentum for the EWR service. They have just commenced a “massive regional advertising and events campaign” as part of the route’s promotion.

The campaign is being rolled out for the next four weeks across the Southwest and South Wales, including radio, bus and poster advertising. They are also visiting shopping centres and travel agents in the main cities and towns giving out goodies and publicising the route in other ways.

They don’t mention local television. This medium was certainly used when Flybe first started their French routes.

I have seen a number of large posters around the central area of the city advertising BRS-EWR but little else as yet, except for airport-based publicity.

3. Also on the BRS website is an announcement confirming the Taba flights, to be flown weekly on Saturdays commencing 8 October this year by Peltours, Egyptian holiday specialists. The website article says the only other UK airports operating to Taba are LGW and MAN. The carrier is not given.

4. There was a travel show on telly today that asserted that Dubai will be the biggest tourist destination in the world by 2015. If so, we might expect flights there from the majority of UK regional airports of any size by then.

terrier,

re the Geordies late arrival, it was never like that in 1922 when a certain team from Yorkshire won the cup - all charras and steam trains then.

[terrier21]

To be honest MV don't know if there were enough supporters for even that!!!

On CO I saw several Taxi's plastered in the route advertisement this week. Also looking on there website the seat allocation part is filling up nicely so looks like this could be extremely popular.

And before anyone says anything this marketing campaign was always planned for about a month before the launch and it's not being done because sales are down! before anyone says anything.

I remember the article about Ryanair and also remember having the same sort of comments from Flybe. If anything an extra DUB service late afternoon could be added, 1600-1700 ish, as this is the time of day with no service. DUB is a big tourist attraction for passengers around here and Im sure there are Irish passengers who want to Visit Bristol area not just for the Gold Cup!

[terrier21]

Here was the Press Release following the opening of the new Checkin area today:-

Bristol International Airport today unveiled the first stage of £14 million worth of improvements. The 16 new check-in desks and a new baggage carousel are a temporary measure to cope with growing passenger numbers until airport managers submit plans which could see the terminal nearly double in size.

From today, the number of check-in desks rises from 31 to 47, which should cut waiting times.

It also means the airport will be able to offer more destinations and handle an expected increase in the number of passengers it carries each year.

The airport carries an average of 4.5 million people a year. But this year the number is expected to top five million, and over the next decade it could handle about nine million passengers.

The South West Regional Development Agency has contributed £1.5 million to the project.

Bristol Airport managing director Andrew Skipp said the expansion was a stop-gap measure. Mr Skipp said: "We are going to plan for an extension to the current terminal, which will increase it by about 80 per cent. That is a bigger project which we will submit at the end of the year.

"This interim expansion highlights the demand that the region was not being served by the old terminal building.

"Today's opening is just the first stage of Bristol International's infrastructure improvement programme.

"Next month the international baggage reclaim hall extension, which will provide an additional carousel and facilities for oversized baggage, will be completed, speeding up baggage reclaim.

"These improvements will help the airport to provide business and leisure passengers with enhanced levels of service."

Bristol Airport has tripled the number of flights it handles in the last three years and is now the UK's fourth largest regional airport.

It has 90 direct destinations. So far this year nine new routes have been added and on May 20 the first continental flight to New York leaves Bristol.

As well as its plans to expand its capacity to carry up to nine million passengers a year by 2015, Bristol Airport is consulting the public on its plans for the next three decades.

It has to meet targets set by the Government White Paper, The Future of Air Transport.

The targets suggest that by 2030 Bristol Airport will carry between 10 and 12 million passengers a year.

Ian Thompson, head of operations at the South West Regional Development Agency, said: "Bristol International Airport is a key contributor to the South West's growing economy, employing 2,500 staff, and providing key business routes. We are keen to support its growth.

"Through the funding of important infrastructure developments, the RDA's investment will enable Bristol International to handle further increases in passenger numbers, which in turn will help to bring long-lasting benefits for the South West."

[WATABENCH]

Reports from our friends at FCA, they're the only ones checking in in new bit at mo, belts went down yesterday along with screens, and also belts down again this morning and 1 screen not working - Well well theres a suprise!

[terrier21]

Some interesting and some upsetting news today.

Lets start with the good; Looks like the joint owners of Bristol are in the front seat to buy Exeter according to the exeter website.

Now for the Bad at least from this side of the channel Thomson Fly have increased their base in CWL and will be operating a 767-300 to Mexico,Barbados and The Americas from summer 2006.

The first Choice Long Haul webpage looks like it is having some work done on it, Will we be dissapointed once again?

[GrahamK]

Indeed you will be, looks like only LGW,MAN,EMA and GLA get FCA long hauls in 2006.

London-Gatwick
• Antigua (Weekly plus a Fornightly flight via St Thomas)
• Aruba (Fortnightly)
• Cancun (Weekly)
• Cozumel (Fortnightly)
• Holguin (Fortnightly)
• Male (Weekly)
• Mombassa (Weekly)
• Montego Bay (Fortnightly)
• Orlando-Sanford (Weekly)
• Porlamar (Fortnightly)
• Puerto Plata (Weekly)
• Puerto Vallarta (Fornightly - refuels in Cancun outbound only)
• Punta Cana (Fortnightly)
• Salvador (Fornightly)
• St Thomas (Fornightly - inbound via Antigua)
• Varadero ( Fortnightly)


Manchester
• Barbados (Fortnightly)
• Cancun (Weekly)
• Cozumel (Fortnightly)
• Holguin (Fortnightly)
• Huatulco (Fortnightly)
• Male (Weekly)
• Montego Bay (Fortnightly)
• Nassau (Weekly)
• Orlando-Sanford (Weekly)
• Porlamar (Fortnightly)
• Puerto Plata (Weekly)
• Puerto Vallarta (Fornightly - refuels in Cancun outbound only)
• Punta Cana (Fortnightly)
• Salvador (Fornightly)
• Varadero ( Fortnightly)

East Midlands
• Cancun (Weekly)
• Orlando-Sanford (Weekly)
• Punta Cana (Fortnightly)

Glasgow
• Cancun (Fortnightly)
• Orlando-Sanford (Weekly)

http://www.airliners.net/discussions....main/2066774/

[dwlpl]

Thomson Fly have increased their base in CWL and will be operating a 767-300 to Mexico,Barbados and The Americas from summer 2006

Where is the flying program listed?

[terrier21]

Oh well what can you do! Can't say im not disappointed!

[MerchantVenturer]

As terrier has said, it was announced today that South West Airports Consortium (SWAC) are the preferred bidders to purchase Exeter Airport. The consortium consists of Macquarie and Ferrovial, the current owners of Bristol Airport.

This part of the announcement interests me particularly.

In bidding for Exeter International Airport, which has a long runway, scope for expansion and good weather record, SWAC say there is a clear commercial synergy between Exeter and Bristol, which would help reduce the migration of South West travellers to airports outside the region.

This strikes me as a clear statement that if they do acquire ownership of EXT Macquarie/Ferrovial would run the airports making use of the different advantages that BRS and EXT have.

BRS’s main plus-point is its large catchment area, including a lucrative business market. For EXT they would surely see its longer runway (than BRS) as the way forward for long haul holiday flights from the West Country.

I could see BRS continuing to build up its highly successful UK and European programme together with any other long haul scheduled routes that were capable technically of being operated non-stop from the Lulsgate concrete, if indeed there are any such routes. I say this because BRS has the major business market of the South West and South Wales, and business pax, who might be expected to be the principal contributors to such routes, don’t want to have to travel too far to catch their aeroplane. I have no doubt that this was why CO opted to use BRS instead of CWL for its daily EWR flight.

EXT could be the Macquarie/Ferrovial camp’s answer to long haul charter routes from the West Country. Once or twice a year long haul charter holidaymakers aren’t so worried at travelling a bit further to catch their aeroplane as business travellers whose time is money.

I doubt that too many would argue against the suggestion that if BRS had a longer runway, better land communications, better weather and a larger site it would be the major airport for all types of flights in the south west segment of Britain. But it hasn’t so airport operators, airlines and tour companies have to cut their cloth accordingly.

In the current changing philosophy of tour companies trying to fight back against the low cost airlines by finding more and more long haul leisure destinations, I fear that BRS's runway is coming home to haunt them.

I have taken this up with the BRS management more than once in recent years but they always assure me their runway is adequate for the types of services they would wish to operate. I suspect this answer might be more for local 'political' consumption (after all they can't be sure of my motives), because any suggestion of a lengthened runway brings near apoplexy to some sections of the community around Lulsgate.

I cannot think that one needs to look further than the runway when one is seeking answers as to why BRS, streets ahead of its neighbours at EXT and CWL in terms of routes and passengers, has no transatlantic charters whilst these other airports do. If there is a market at EXT and CWL, there is certainly one at BRS.

At the time of the completion of the new BRS terminal I was told by one of the senior airport managers that tour operators "would be falling over themselves" to operate to such places as Florida and the Caribbean now the airport had some proper facilities for passengers. Well, we are still waiting.

Let BRS concentrate on which it is exceptionally good at - developing more routes to those places it can reach.

I am just a simple passenger so you people in the trade tell me I've just spouted a load of nonsense.

But if you do, please tell me why.

[WindSheer]

I know we all keep harping on about extending BRS's r/way, but have you all stopped and thought of the massive problems this work would cause BRS.

It could very easily go against them. Night curfews could force charters' to use nearby CWL and EXT, depriving them of hard earned business.

There is also the enviromental side of it all, which is obviously a very governing thing these days.

I think it could be 10 years before we see anything started.

[WATABENCH]

I'm afraid to say i picked up a copy of the FC florida brochure and definatley no SFB, what a shame, but why am I not suprised, we heard the same rumours coming from the FCA camp last year, hey ho!

[WindSheer]

They may well fish for seats off Thomson at CWL at a later stage.
Maybe

[WATABENCH]

Someone at First Choice Towers really needs to pull their finger out their arse, they have such a strong grip on the south west both retail and airline and they're just letting it slip from their grasp, They have a great working relationship with BRS.
I'm going to be bold and say that i think give it 2 years and FCA will be totally eclipsed at BRS by XLA, they seem to be the only charter airline intrested in BRS at the moment, they've left it too late to go into CWL and cover longhaul as Thomson got there first, they can't be arsed with EXT over the summer season and still continue to fanny about with this EXT for winter CWL for summer when both airports blatently have enough business year round to support based units and not effect the 2 a/c at BRS, it really confuses me, the research has been done and the new 767s could do SFB, I can just see XLA popping up with a 767 via DUB to SFB and it being very very popular,and the Honcho's at FCA will be sat there saying 'wish we'd done that'.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhh! silly silly people

[WindSheer]

Wise words mate.

[WATABENCH]

Cheers mate, after I had posted saying Hey Ho, i had a good think about it and the more i thought about it the more p**sed off i got!
Is it 11 am yet, i need a pint!! watch out Tavern here i come!

[terrier21]

Know exactly what you mean. Saying that though when DO XL release their summer 2006 flights.

I thinks FCA have been waiting on an announcement regarding the Exeter takeover now that seems almost set they may release something. FCA rep seems to be very quiet when you ask about '06!!

I read somewhere regarding FCA and their 2 new 767's that they are reducing the capacity (seems like a very Bristol thing to do) and they won't be operational until Oct' 06. Why don't they just park 1 on the western Apron and we can rip out some of the seats. Better still bring it here and operate it via SNN to SFB and further. Sell say 50 BRS/SNN seats put all their luggage in one hold and the onward luggage/Cargo in another. After all a long haul with tech stop is better than no Long Haul at all.

On another Long Haul note Fancy X-mas shopping In NY fly Co for around £350. Has to be better and quicker than going into Brs!!!

[NCLRULES]

Its appears First Choice won't be operating from Newcastle Airport next year with the 767. Maybe FCA may consider BRS?

Its the same up at NCL here WATABENCH. XLA appear to be the only airline interested in Newcastle. XLA will be expanding at NCL from last summer. They based a 737 last year, this year they will base 2 737\'s and a Finnair 757.

Does Bristol have any long-haul charter flights?

[terrier21]

In a word NO!!!

Just the Scheduled CO EWR due to start in may