Thomas Cook

[AP1995]

TCX have annocenced new routes from DSA and SOU, SOU-mahon & DSA to bourgos so good news for the airline.

[goldeneye]

These new flights from DSA and SOU are not TCX. They are allocations that Thomas Cook Tour Ops have got from TOM (DSA) and BE (SOU).

[AP1995]

i think thr bourgus is operated by tcx i think it says it on the dsa thread but not completly surre

[planenut321]

Will TCX be operating CWL-MAH in the summer? Usually in a W pattern with BRS. Also will we be keeping a based unit for Winter 11/12 like this year?

Cheers.

[goldeneye]

AP1995

I've just done a booking search on TC's website and it is a TOM flight that is listed.

Flight departs Fridays at 21:55 arrives 0330.

[AP1995]

okay thanks for the infomation any more news of thomas adding new routes anywhere?

[JonnyBfs]

has the whole canadian affair contract/situation been sorted out yet?
are TCX yes to do it, or is it Monarch and Air Transat replacing them?

J

[tamtam2]

I hear that TCX is doing the longer flights to YVR and YYC while MON are doing YHZ, YOW, YUL.

[Fernanjet]

A321 to SSH

TCX have sent an A321 to SSH today from Manchester....can this aircraft get back from there in one go with a full load?

seems a long way for an A321??

[Kestrel_Stu]

TCX have sent an A321 to SSH today from Manchester....can this aircraft get back from there in one go with a full load?

seems a long way for an A321??

G-TCDA is being used on this route today - a higher gross weight version of the A321 with 2 additional centre fuel tanks (ACTs) with additional total capacity of 2,500kg over the rest of the fleet which have only 1 ACT installed. The maximum takeoff weight of this version is 93,500kg as opposed to 89,000kg for the standard A321 (which applies to the other three aircraft in the TCX fleet). The maximum zero fuel and maximum landing masses are also higher.

So to answer your question - yes it can do SSH-MAN in one go with 220 pax. After all, the A321 will be replacing the B752 at Thomas Cook over the next few years so they will need to cope with these Egypt routes, even the longest ones like HRG-GLA and SSH-BFS. The new aircraft are also likely to be equipped with 'sharklets' as well as 2 ACTs, which should achieve a fuel burn improvement of around 3.5% on the A320/321 on long sectors like this.

Having said all that it's still no 757 - these long sectors are tight for this machine and so often utilise 'reclearance flightplans' with en-route alternates.

[Jamie2k9]

SSH-BFS

being dropped in May. Thomson will take it over.

[Torque2]

Sorry Jamie could you be a bit more explicit. Do you mean TCX is ceasing BFS-SSH for the summer (or completely) or is TUI taking over the flying line and operating for TCX for the summer or what.

[BFS101]

BFS-SSH back to TCX again on 3 Nov for the winter season, through to the end of April 2012.

[Jamie2k9]

As Thomson don't operate form BFS in the winter (except a few North Pole flights) that would explain TCX resuming it.

[Torque2]

So what you're saying is that as per normal, the TCX flights BFS-SSH will cease at the end of the winter season 2010/11 and will resume as per normal for the winter season 2011/12.

Subtle difference to being dropped.

[Jamie2k9]

Subtle difference to being dropped.

There is a difference but when I checked a few weeks ago there was no SSH flights bookable from BFS with TCX or TOM for winter 2011/12.

[Fernanjet]

Thanks Kestrel Stu...

it still seems a bit of a push on an "underpowered" aircraft compared to a B757/767

i know the A321's are replacing the 757's for narrowbodied fleet but my guess will be 767/A330 (or their future replacements) will operate ssh/hrg etc....

longhaul to go - i still predict this will be the case

[Kestrel_Stu]

The A321 is not "underpowered" of course (it would not be certified to fly if so), more correctly it is "less overpowered" than the 757.

It is simply a much more efficient aircraft - if the A321 with sharklets does consume 3.5% less fuel than the standard A321 as Airbus claim, then a fully laden one will consume 10% less fuel per passenger than a 757 operating SSH-MAN. That's massive.

The new A321s will certainly see their share of SSH/HRG - the 757s which they will replace currently operate over 75% of our year-round SSH flights alone. We do not have the widebody capacity to replace that amount of flying.

While there will no doubt still be some 767 and A330 Egypt flying, a key requirement of the narrowbody fleet replacement type was the ability to operate routes like HRG-GLA and so these aircraft will continue to be the main type used.

longhaul to go - i still predict this will be the case

Not impossible but it would be contrary to vehement denial from management! The widebody fleet replacement (while admittedly it incorporates Condor and TC Scandinavia as well as TCX) is still well and truly on the agenda for decision this year.

[Fernanjet]

It is simply a much more efficient aircraft - if the A321 with sharklets does consume 3.5% less fuel than the standard A321 as Airbus claim, then a fully laden one will consume 10% less fuel per passenger than a 757 operating SSH-MAN. That's massive.

Massive? 10% less fuel is a lot but the aircraft carries 7% less passengers....so not quite as good as it sounds but still better of course!

[Kestrel_Stu]

Well the 10% is per passenger - for SSH-MAN:

B757 22,200kg
A321 18,700kg (w/sharklets) = -15.8%

Per passenger:

B757 (22,200/235) - 94.5kg
A321 (18,700/220) - 85.0kg = -10.1%

Our annual fuel bill is over £200 million. If we could save just 1% it would be enormous (£2 million), 10% is £20 million . That saving would pay the lease costs of about 15 A320s each year!! Or pay our entire annual cabin crew wage bill.

So yes, massive

Don't get me wrong the 757 is a great aircraft and uniquely capable, but it's a gas guzzler compared to the minibus. Fuel isn't the only worry either, the 757s are becoming less reliable in their old age, and more costly to maintain compared with the Airbus fleet.

Incidentally it wouldn't have mattered if we'd gone for the 737-800 / -900ER instead of the A320 / A321 - apparently the numbers come in almost identical on fuel burn / range.