WATERFORD Airport
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Waterford Ireland
Age: 38
Posts: 100
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well wouldn't that be down to Flybe and Birmingham Airport and not Waterford they can only do so much and I agree with Jamie there is plenty of Flybe advertising on the airport website
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Antrim
Posts: 1,601
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Very true it is a joint thing and I guess the advertising has to be seen as justified in terms of return, it just strikes me that airlines other than EI and FR seem to struggle on routes to Ireland and I wonder why? BE seem to be bleeding passengers on NOC-MAN for instance.
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Ireland
Posts: 1,621
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Are we looking at the same website? I was curious, based on your comment, so I went over to the WAT website. On the first few pages I've looked at I've seen a large promo banner for flyBE connecting flights, a flyBE logo at the bottom of the page, a "How do I...?" link to the flyBE booking engine, and a timetable page which shows all the possible flyBE connections through BHX as well as the direct flights, with a link to the flyBE booking page for each. That all seems fairly reasonable to me - what's missing in your view?
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Waterford Ireland
Age: 38
Posts: 100
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A flight should only show up on the flight information system if it is scheduled for that day. Perhaps you flew in on a day when there was no Birmingham flight?
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Antrim
Posts: 1,601
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Having looked through on my laptop instead of my phone fair dues there is quite a few mentions, but when I went looking in contacts for an airport email address I noticed only EIR listed, given they pull out in a few days I found it rather odd. Daza was referring to the day his brother flew through WAT and his flight didn't show on dept board.
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Ireland
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I still think there is a good market there for WAT-LTN, but i think the fact that there are so few turboprop operators left these days then it may not come back again.
Maybe now that manx2 have renamed themselves they might consider coming back to Ireland?
Maybe now that manx2 have renamed themselves they might consider coming back to Ireland?
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: dublin
Age: 64
Posts: 394
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
MANX2
Well something is better than nothing mind you I am not a fan of these VIRTUAL airlines the new name is just that , no planes of their own and no plans to get a plane even one, just a name change to mitigate against the current USA legal case spilling over onto them ....all a wee bit tawdry in my opinion, I hope they never darken our airspace again .
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Lichfield
Posts: 563
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
EI-WAT wrote
As i said in my earlier post 237 2nd Jan, it was my brother and he was traveling to Birmingham on the Flybe flight 28th December 2012. My brother has contacted the airport and left a message about it on the Waterford Airport Facebook page. It seems very strange that an airport that has lost many of its flights would fail to have its only remaining destination loaded into their information system? 
Hangar6 wrote
Please see my post 237 the full schedule for February/March and then for Summer is posted and Flybe have moved the re-start date forward by two weeks. The flight is bookable. 
On a brighter note my brother commented on the excellent experience he had travelling to and from Waterford Airport and its accessiblility to his relatives in Wexford. A much better option than the trek from Dublin
A flight should only show up on the flight information system if it is scheduled for that day. Perhaps you flew in on a day when there was no Birmingham flight?
Hangar6 wrote
Soon BE take a winter break so for a good few weeks no sceduled service with anyone at all, lets hope they return
On a brighter note my brother commented on the excellent experience he had travelling to and from Waterford Airport and its accessiblility to his relatives in Wexford. A much better option than the trek from Dublin
Last edited by Daza; 3rd Jan 2013 at 13:54.
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 2,781
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Maybe now that manx2 have renamed themselves they might consider coming back
to Ireland?
Sadly.
That leaves so few possible airlines who could serve the airport, ie airline who are Ireland/UK based and who have suitable equipment.
- Eastern - but no base or ops at LTN, brand unknown, v high fares
- Manx2 - confirmed not coming
- Aurigny/ Blue Islands, unknown brands, unlikely to be interested.
- bmiregional - no base or ops at LTN, EMB 135 suitable?
- Flybe - only show left in town as far as I can see.....
EI-BUd
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ireland
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
EI-BUD would tend to agree with your assessment unfortunately , viable regional carriers into Ireland are limited in reality to EIR and Flybe.
Also elephant in the room for non state owned regional airports is government's position on terminating operational supports from 2014 which for Watwrford with increasing yearly losses which I expect will only get bigger with loss of EIR services could signal the end of regional connectivity.
Also elephant in the room for non state owned regional airports is government's position on terminating operational supports from 2014 which for Watwrford with increasing yearly losses which I expect will only get bigger with loss of EIR services could signal the end of regional connectivity.
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Dublin
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
EI-BUD would tend to agree with your assessment unfortunately , viable regional carriers into Ireland are limited in reality to EIR and Flybe.
Also elephant in the room for non state owned regional airports is government's position on terminating operational supports from 2014 which for Watwrford with increasing yearly losses which I expect will only get bigger with loss of EIR services could signal the end of regional connectivity.
Also elephant in the room for non state owned regional airports is government's position on terminating operational supports from 2014 which for Watwrford with increasing yearly losses which I expect will only get bigger with loss of EIR services could signal the end of regional connectivity.
Mayfly - was interested to read your comments about operational support from 2014 onwards. I don't know much about this - would you be kind enough to point me to a good source of information on this, or perhaps explain some of the implications of this policy on Waterford and other Irish airports in the future ?
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Dublin
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mayfly - was interested to read your comments about operational support from 2014 onwards. I don't know much about this - would you be kind enough to point me to a good source of information on this, or perhaps explain some of the implications of this policy on Waterford and other Irish airports in the future ?
There should be some infomation on Dep on Transport website.
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Middlesex (under the flightpath)
Posts: 1,946
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Quote: "airlines other than EI and FR seem to struggle on routes to Ireland and I wonder why?"
Is this really true, mart901? Is this why there is no U2 presence in Ireland?
Quote: "Waterford, Kerry, Knock and Donegal get operational support yearly which will be stopped next year however it will most likely change by then. This is seperate to the PSO routes from Dublin-Kerry/Donegal (also up in 2014)."
Was Galway effected by the ending of PSO obligations? Is this the reason it closed to scheduled pax flights?
Is this really true, mart901? Is this why there is no U2 presence in Ireland?
Quote: "Waterford, Kerry, Knock and Donegal get operational support yearly which will be stopped next year however it will most likely change by then. This is seperate to the PSO routes from Dublin-Kerry/Donegal (also up in 2014)."
Was Galway effected by the ending of PSO obligations? Is this the reason it closed to scheduled pax flights?
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Dublin
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Was Galway effected by the ending of PSO obligations? Is this the reason it closed to scheduled pax flights?
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 2,781
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wateford Airport Runway...
Just a thought given the distance between Cork and Waterford, would a runway extention at Waterford that would enable a 738 to land attract Ryanair away from Cork??
(60 miles approx, I realise Kerry Airport to Cork is similar distance but the roads possibly better between Wat and Cork?)
Outside of the London routes, I could see this working similar to other Ryanair destinations around their network, e.g. Weeze, Hahn, Skavsta, Torp etc.
It could put the cat among the pigeons as regards Ryanair's relationship with DAA and Cork Airport?
All hypothetical I know but an enhanced facility, and an ability to handle 738s, Waterford if marketed well, could draw some Dublin and Cork Traffic, much to the pleasure of MOL. Catchment areas south of Dublin through Wicklow etc and West as far as Cork could create an attractive proposition for Ryanair. Surprised MOL is not all over this given FRs historical links with the airport , where it all began....
What sort of investment would be needed to bring this to life?
(60 miles approx, I realise Kerry Airport to Cork is similar distance but the roads possibly better between Wat and Cork?)
Outside of the London routes, I could see this working similar to other Ryanair destinations around their network, e.g. Weeze, Hahn, Skavsta, Torp etc.
It could put the cat among the pigeons as regards Ryanair's relationship with DAA and Cork Airport?
All hypothetical I know but an enhanced facility, and an ability to handle 738s, Waterford if marketed well, could draw some Dublin and Cork Traffic, much to the pleasure of MOL. Catchment areas south of Dublin through Wicklow etc and West as far as Cork could create an attractive proposition for Ryanair. Surprised MOL is not all over this given FRs historical links with the airport , where it all began....
What sort of investment would be needed to bring this to life?
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Dublin
Age: 37
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A lot. There's a road at both ends of the runway which would need rerouting or tunnelling. Terminal while functional for a 70 seater is far too small for a 189 seater.
The extension that never happened was apparently still too short for a fully laden 738, it was priced at >€25M.
The M9 and N25 are both killing and capable of saving WAT - they makes the airport a lot closer to a lot of areas that would be consider its service area; but it also makes them a lot closer to DUB. The old N9 was a cart track, the worst national primary in the country.
The extension that never happened was apparently still too short for a fully laden 738, it was priced at >€25M.
The M9 and N25 are both killing and capable of saving WAT - they makes the airport a lot closer to a lot of areas that would be consider its service area; but it also makes them a lot closer to DUB. The old N9 was a cart track, the worst national primary in the country.