Cityjet
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UK
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Wonder if they'll move the Antwerp service from LCY to (a) free up LCY slots for something more profitable (more DUB possibly?) and (b) nullify need to wet lease from DAT since VLM's demise? The ANR off peak services have certainly been fairly lightly loaded recently and it's a fare sensitive route - Pax originating from north east and east London would have little problem getting to SEN from Liverpool St or Stratford.
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Outer London
Age: 43
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The loads on SEN-ANR just a couple of years ago would suggest it isn't particularly attractive. The problem with that route is that once you remove the flight from LCY you remove the benefit of getting straight into London. Otherwise people might as well just get the train to Brussels and connect to Eurostar.
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Antwerp
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Indeed, the ANR route only works because it connects to LCY. There's a decent mix of leisure and business passengers on that route which wasn't the case at all when Flybe used to fly into SEN. Also, any plane with more than 50 seats is just too much for ANR, so even if they did switch to SEN they still couldn't do it with their own metal.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UK
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Indeed, the ANR route only works because it connects to LCY. There's a decent mix of leisure and business passengers on that route which wasn't the case at all when Flybe used to fly into SEN. Also, any plane with more than 50 seats is just too much for ANR, so even if they did switch to SEN they still couldn't do it with their own metal.
The money is made on Antwerp (and indeed other LCY routes) from business and commercial contacts with Central London, not any eastern suburbs which might be towards Southend. The Antwerp diamond traders who go to and fro with their colleagues in Hatton Garden are not going to be impressed with somewhere another 2 hours east down the A13 (which it is in the evening rush hour traffic). And if you think they are going to squash into a standing-room-only train out of Liverpool Street, you've got another think coming.
Join Date: Apr 2008
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The money is made on Antwerp (and indeed other LCY routes) from business and commercial contacts with Central London, not any eastern suburbs which might be towards Southend. The Antwerp diamond traders who go to and fro with their colleagues in Hatton Garden are not going to be impressed with somewhere another 2 hours east down the A13 (which it is in the evening rush hour traffic). And if you think they are going to squash into a standing-room-only train out of Liverpool Street, you've got another think coming.
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Outer London
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Pure speculation on my part but Derry could be a good bet. It's about to be left without a London service and a 100 seater a couple of times a day could work well. Especially if the aircraft started and finished the day in Derry.
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Cheshire
Age: 45
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Why is it so strange, they are buying Stobart Air so why would Stobart sell to them only for Cityjet to base at SOU when Stobart own SEN. it's clearly part of the deal that they open a base at SEN. Nothing strange about it whatsoever.
Join Date: Mar 2004
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SSJ EI-FWA found itself scheduled on today's WX122 Dublin - LCY flight, small problem, the SSJ isn't certified into LCY yet so after a while holding over Cambridge it ended up at Stansted with pax being bussed to Liverpool St/LCY.
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dublin
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I'm not at all surprised an airline would want to try SEN. It's an airport that offers good prospects to the right airline.
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Ireland
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SSJ EI-FWA found itself scheduled on today's WX122 Dublin - LCY flight, small problem, the SSJ isn't certified into LCY yet so after a while holding over Cambridge it ended up at Stansted with pax being bussed to Liverpool St/LCY.
Join Date: Jul 2005
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Clearly the SSJ is not going to be steep approach certified so it's time for Cityjet to try somewhere new. Southend is a move that makes sense but when 2/3s of its catchment area is water it's always going to be a tough ask.
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Leeds, UK & Cork, Ireland
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I assume part of Stobart's support for the deal is that they have been guaranteed that WX will operate from SEN.
To be fair, both parties need this to work. WX need to prove that the SSJ can work in the western regional market and Stobart need to prove that SEN is a viable airport - despite its restrictions.
The initial opinion on SEN seemed to be very positive, now posters seem to take delight that it is taking time to find its place in the market. Remember that if it werent from Ryanair and, laterally, Go STN would be a much different place than it is today. New airports take time to develop and the SSJ seems like the perfect size aircraft to cater for SEN right now.
To be fair, both parties need this to work. WX need to prove that the SSJ can work in the western regional market and Stobart need to prove that SEN is a viable airport - despite its restrictions.
The initial opinion on SEN seemed to be very positive, now posters seem to take delight that it is taking time to find its place in the market. Remember that if it werent from Ryanair and, laterally, Go STN would be a much different place than it is today. New airports take time to develop and the SSJ seems like the perfect size aircraft to cater for SEN right now.
V_2
With respect the much repeated assertion that part of SEN's catchment 'radius' is water rather misses the point. The fact is that SEN has a population of 5.4 million living within 60 minutes drive of the airport and provided suitable routes are chosen that is quite adequate to make them a success. The fact that SEN can support an AMS route that offers a capacity of up to 540 daily outbound seats proves the point.
Brian Dromey is correct in saying that WX need to show the market that the SSJ is an attractive and reliable aircraft prior to its introduction at LCY in 2018. It should be well suited to the longer sectors from SEN with its speed and high service ceiling making it ideal for routes that might not support the larger A319/320.
With respect the much repeated assertion that part of SEN's catchment 'radius' is water rather misses the point. The fact is that SEN has a population of 5.4 million living within 60 minutes drive of the airport and provided suitable routes are chosen that is quite adequate to make them a success. The fact that SEN can support an AMS route that offers a capacity of up to 540 daily outbound seats proves the point.
Brian Dromey is correct in saying that WX need to show the market that the SSJ is an attractive and reliable aircraft prior to its introduction at LCY in 2018. It should be well suited to the longer sectors from SEN with its speed and high service ceiling making it ideal for routes that might not support the larger A319/320.