Wizzair
Join Date: Jul 2005
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Thanks for that list! You learn something every day!
In my ignorance, and blinded by the length of the list of destinations, I had just assumed Wizz already had aircraft based at Luton!
In my ignorance, and blinded by the length of the list of destinations, I had just assumed Wizz already had aircraft based at Luton!
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: LV
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Perhaps they could try other bigger Euro cities from GLA instead of the smaller secondary city migration markets. Wizz have a huge network with lots of opportunities. Brexit must undoubtedly have an impact for these types of routes. Maybe Blue Air will step up as they have elsewhere.
There's anecdotal evidence that several sectors, including the NHS, where application from European candidates for jobs has fallen since the Brexit referendum. There will be various reasons for that, but Wizz relies to a large extent on Eastern European workers traveling between their countries of origin and UK to sustain their UK routes, so it can only be expected that some routes may come under pressure.
Hopefully, with a common sense solution to the Brexit talks, any down turn may be only temporary, but we shall see; but anyway it's out of the hands of the airlines, and their passengers.
Hopefully, with a common sense solution to the Brexit talks, any down turn may be only temporary, but we shall see; but anyway it's out of the hands of the airlines, and their passengers.
Perhaps they could try other bigger Euro cities from GLA instead of the smaller secondary city migration markets. Wizz have a huge network with lots of opportunities. Brexit must undoubtedly have an impact for these types of routes. Maybe Blue Air will step up as they have elsewhere.
People will chop and change depending on availability / price but seems to be what I am seeing.
I believe Wizz have plenty of routes from Belgrade and have 1 route from Sarajevo
Do Ljubljana, Nis, Osijek, Pristina, Split. Skopje and Tuzla count as important ? Wizz flies to all of these cities, although admittedly these seem to be much more centred on routes to central Europe countres (rather than the UK) instead compared to routes from Poland
Do Ljubljana, Nis, Osijek, Pristina, Split. Skopje and Tuzla count as important ? Wizz flies to all of these cities, although admittedly these seem to be much more centred on routes to central Europe countres (rather than the UK) instead compared to routes from Poland
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: london
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Yugoslavia finished 25 years ago so the locals hate hearing this reference. Wizz tried Zagreb and the locals preferred OU and BA. Wizz have a base at BEG. Serbs, Bosnians, Kosovans and Macedonians need a visa for the UK so fair play to Wizz for offering theses routes. LTN to SPU and LJU are mainly for UK tourists.
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Oban, Scotland
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I am well aware of the history! And I was specifically referring to flights from Scotland. After all there are flights from GLA and/or EDI to most of the major cities of central Europe, just not to the cities I mentioned.
Join Date: Jan 2017
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Airlines serve routes that have demand and make money. Wizz Air specialise in flights to Eastern Europe, so they will serve UK destinations that have high levels of Eastern Europeans. It doesn't depend on the total population of the area, as a service to say Paris might do. For example, Doncaster/Sheffield handles barely 1 million annual passengers, but the demand is there to operate 12 routes to Eastern Europe. Bristol has a much larger catchment area, but is only able to sustain three Wizz Air routes.
Evidently the demand is not there to sustain a Glasgow-Lublin service, meaning there are probably only small numbers of Eastern Poles living in Glasgow. However, if Wizz do research and find that lots of Lithuanians have moved to Scotland, they'll probably start a Vilnius service. If you look at all UK airports served by Wizz Air, each airport has a completely different combination of destinations based on the demographics of that area.
Regarding Wizz Air upgrading services to the A321, it's a much more efficient and gradual way to increase capacity on a route, and you shouldn't read into it too much. Remember that most of Wizz Air's routes to the UK are served only 2-3 times a week, so it's not as if they're adding thousands of extra seats a week on UK routes. For example, if Wizz serve a route twice weekly with an A320 and want to increase capacity, their options are to add a third weekly flight, or upgrade to the A321.
x2 weekly A320: 38,800 annual seats
x2 weekly A321: 49,690 annual seats
x3 weekly A320: 58,320 annual seats
By upgrading to the A321, it allows Wizz Air to increase capacity slightly so that they don't end up flying three half empty A320s each week.
Glasgow: Lublin dropped
Bristol: Kosice dropped
Liverpool: Lublin added
Luton: Kutaisi, Pristina, Tel Aviv added
I'm not sure it makes much sense for Wizzair to make Luton into a large base - labour costs are significantly lower in Eastern Europe than London; Wizzair will not want to let their cost base increase any more than absolutely necessary.
In any case, I doubt this is much of an option for Wizzair until there are lots more overnight stands and early morning departure slots available
In any case, I doubt this is much of an option for Wizzair until there are lots more overnight stands and early morning departure slots available
Join Date: Jul 2005
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The guessing game for me is which routes will be operated by the based aircraft and why!
I assume it only makes sense to have a based aircraft for a limited number of routes they want to operate to non-bases that can't easily fit into a w pattern either operationally in a convenient manner or because operating the flights at particular times non-based aircraft can't do is strongly beneficial.
Given that they don't really do business routes (or maybe they want start doing so?) timing isn't an issue (and perhaps giving people till later in the morning to get to Luton is even an advantage, seeing as it's not the easiest airport to get to?).
I assume it only makes sense to have a based aircraft for a limited number of routes they want to operate to non-bases that can't easily fit into a w pattern either operationally in a convenient manner or because operating the flights at particular times non-based aircraft can't do is strongly beneficial.
Given that they don't really do business routes (or maybe they want start doing so?) timing isn't an issue (and perhaps giving people till later in the morning to get to Luton is even an advantage, seeing as it's not the easiest airport to get to?).