LEEDS

[aeulad]

This route would suit Air Southwest, Flybe. or Jet2, lets hope someone steps in.

Regards

Mike

[682ft AMSL]

Let's hope we get a similar announcement soon in respect of LBA-ORK. Both routes now firmly sit in the low-cost space so far as Joe Public is concerned and running these under the bmi regional 'full service' banner was/is increasingly a waste of effort. Hopefully other carriers, esp Jet2, have simply been waiting for bmi to walk away before having a crack themselves. Time will tell.

682

[Jet2LBA]

Air Southwest and it's 50-seat Dash 8's would be perfect for a daily LBA-JER-GCI round-robin service together with a daily ORK flight. People have simply refused to pay £130+ with bmi when you can get ORK and JER services from MAN or DSA (JER only) for £35 return, and who can blame them?

[LBIA]

Heres the full report that has appeared on the BBC leeds website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/eur...ey/4689606.stm

Jersey-Yorkshire route suspended

More passengers are flying from Jersey to Doncaster
Air services between Jersey and Leeds Bradford Airport have been suspended because of a lack of demand.
Airline bmi said there is a possibility it could stop the route completely, although no decision has yet been made.

There have been flights between Jersey and Leeds Bradford Airport for almost 50 years. Airline bmi took over the route in 1993.

Passengers who have already booked flights to Leeds Bradford from Jersey are being promised a full refund.

It was announced last week that 14,000 fewer passengers travelled in and out of Jersey Airport in the past 12 months, compared with figures for 2004.

The airline's flights to Leeds Bradford appear to have been hit by the introduction of competitor Thomsonfly's route from Jersey to nearby Doncaster, which has seen the largest increase, with 42, 318 more people flying than the previous year.

A statement from bmi confirmed the twice-weekly service between Leeds Bradford and Jersey had been suspended for the remainder of the winter schedule from 3 February to 25 March 2006.

It said: "No decision has yet been taken with regard to flights for the summer season.

"The bmi group has enjoyed a long relationship with the Channel Island dating back to 1953 and continues to offer direct services to Jersey from Nottingham East Midlands, Manchester, Durham Tees Valley and Cardiff."

[Leodis]

Originally Posted by 682ft AMSL

Let's hope we get a similar announcement soon in respect of LBA-ORK. Both routes now firmly sit in the low-cost space so far as Joe Public is concerned and running these under the bmi regional 'full service' banner was/is increasingly a waste of effort. Hopefully other carriers, esp Jet2, have simply been waiting for bmi to walk away before having a crack themselves. Time will tell.
682

I don't think it will be long before someone makes a move on the Jersey route. The general synopsis is that the low cost model is the way forward here. Likewise on the Isle of Man route.

Hmm the days of Dan dare! when there were several 737-200 departures just over the weekend alone!

Leodis.

[GBALU53]

LEEDS Routes

With Leeds losing the Jersey route that hasoperated for many a decade whould Jet2 look into operating down to Jersey.

We know the figures for BMI have been very poor so this is the reason the route has been stoped.

If it is marketed correctly could it be opened up again.

The one reason of the poor loads relate to the Thompsons operation to Jersey from Doncaster.

The Doncaster flight does not operate every day at the moment so could there be an oppertunity to do a service when there is no Doncaster??

[qcode]

And what was the quote made by the MD of LBA something on the lines of DSA will not affect LBA

[Leodis]

Originally Posted by Leodis

NEW CARPARK EXTENSION
An application for 2222 carpark spaces has been submitted to Leeds City Council.
I cannot see how it can be viable to build many more parking spaces without building up. This also contradicts the airports so-called green management stance, more green fields vannished forever. I am in favour of expansion to facilities but wise, justified and reasoned expansion.
I am pleased that Air Southwest is adding to their alrealy successful operation at Leeds. There is obviously a need for improved links to the South West of England. I would like to think that Flybe will make a similar announcement in due course.

That was back in August. I now understand that plans are now being drawn up for a terminal extension. The top of the long-stay carpark and the short-stay carpark 2 will go to make way for the development.

[682ft AMSL]

Originally Posted by qcode

And what was the quote made by the MD of LBA something on the lines of DSA will not affect LBA

I think it was along the lines of DSA shouldn't affect LBA's overall growth prospects. I doubt he's going to be revising that view based on the news that bmi have at last fallen on their sword with the JER route. As Inkjet said, the full service Embraer approach to a route firmly established in the public mindset as a 'low-cost' route was always going to struggle. The irony is, most of the competiton came from bmi themselves with WW running low-cost services to JER from MAN, MME and EMA and the rot had set in long before Thomsonfly started up - year on year passenger number in Jan-Apr 05 were well down on the equivalent period in 04 for example. As it was, JER contributed just 13,929 passengers to LBA's 2005 throughput of 2.6m passenengers - about the same number Jet2 handled to AGP in 2.5 weeks lasy summer - hence I suspect there will not be too many sleepless nights at LBA HQ. If anything, bmi moving off of the route (and hopefully ORK too) will open up opportunities for other carriers perhaps better suited to such routes - which may well make the 3m target easier to reach, not tougher!!

682

[PTH needs tarmac]

682

I'll agree with you that LBA-JER may be worth a look from Jet2 or someone else. The Thomsonfly figures from DSA to JER look quite healthy, certainly comparable or better than other domestic routes that Jet2 operate.

However, taking a look at the direction of things on the Cork thread on this forum and the fact that Jet2 already have direct access to their own data on the demand for ORK via their NCL-ORK flight they might be less keen to jump on LBA-ORK.

bmi still seem to be hanging in well with the LBA-CDG service, though Jet2 are held back though the lack of a two flights per day option. Paris is defintely another route that is becoming a mostly LCC route in the public perception.

[coasting]

LBA-JER and Jet2

It's obvious that Jet 2 are not working in harmony with the airport here. This flight should have been picked up by Jet 2 the same day BMI dropped it. OK, the numbers of people going to Jersey has gone down over the years as fares to other destinations have dropped, but a route that has been in place and well used for 50 years hardly needs any marketing by either party, and would probably sell itself! It could still support 3 to 5 flights per week. BMI lost the route through lack of imaginative fare structure, overpricing themselves out of the market, something they are extremely good at doing with all their BMI Regional flights from Leeds. No wonder 42,000 have used the TOM flight from Doncaster in its first 8 months of existence with lead in fares at £19.99 and now free car parking for those displaced Leeds pax who have to travel to DSA for their inconvenience.
I can't help thinking if this had happened at Newcastle Airport, had they lost the flight in the morning by one airline, another major player would have picked it up by sunset, with lots of hype and publicity that would see it flourish, even better than before.
Come on JET2/LBIA start working together...it is your main base after all!

[PTH needs tarmac]

Aren't traffic rights to the Channel Islands controlled locally? I don't know what time-length they have from receiving a slot/route rights request to making that request public or granting/refusing applications. Perhaps something from Jet2 is making its way through the process but it isn't public yet. It also depend on how much warning everyone got that bmi weren't going to post a summer schedule, even though they had suspended the JER route until the end of the winter timetable.

I agree that if Jet2, or anyone else, do want to take on LBA-JER they will have to get a move on or Thomsonfly will hoover up all the pax for the spring and Easter period at least.

[Jamesair]

Eastern increased capacity on the ABZ route from the 13th Feb by replacing J32 a/c with J41's on the 3 x daily route

[GBALU53]

Jersey Route

The reason the Jersey route was dropped was for a number reasons i believe.

British Midland Mainline returned some Airbuses and they needed to bring in an Airbus from another route and so it required the Airbus from the LBA-LHR-LBA route leaving the route with no aircraft.

By doing this they had to aquire a BM Reginal E145 to operate these sectors and the only way to get this aircraft was to drop the Jersey service.

This was all done at short notice if there had been i believe a lot more time BMI Baby may well have been interested in operating a service but with very little notice this would not be possible.

Will BMI Baby or Jet2 ever start this service up we can only waite and see.

[WOWBOY]

I would like to see WOW operate the LBA-JER route!!

[jswings]

Jersey Route

To me the route contenders are-

. Air Southwest
. FlyBe

More than likely this route will not be absent for long as it is a prime route, has been running for many years now but is financially unsecure.

[Mr @ Spotty M]

Air Southwest have applied for charter service from Leeds to Jersey from May 20th to 16th September.

[BombardierCR7]

Yes that is well known. For CITS. It has been in the system for at least 2 months now.

CITS have operated that flight for donkeys years now, excluding the last 2 years where it has been advertised but pulled onto the BMI shortly before its operation due to low take up.

Hopefully it may get it's chance to operate this year in light of the circumstances

[SASfox]

LBA-INV

Eastern to start LBA-INV with J41's on 24th April. 6 flights a week. Now can we please get our JER flts back. Any news anyone?

[ashmac33]

Thomsons have changed their aircraft from the 762 to the 752 for the saturday am rotation to reus (by 4973). Whether the 76 will make an appearance at leeds is unknown at the minute. We keep getting a lot of s06 flight amendments, so will keep this info posted.

ash