CORK - 5

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SIDS and STARS

ATC training for the SIDS/STARS was delayed due to recent much publicised staff difficulties.
Until ATC has had full training on these new procedures, then they wont be implemented. i have no idea of the time frame involved

[fivejuliet]

Centralwings have now withdrawn the Cork-Krakow route, resulting in no more centralwings services to Cork.

[ryan2000]

Polish Bubble bursting?

Polish traffic in freefall at Cork, Shannon-Gdansk gone as well with SNN-WAW cut to 2 per week. Obviously these routes were dependent on a strong construction sector.

[en2r]

Always sad to see a route go but the writing seems to be on the wall for Centralwings and it seems likely that they'll cease trading within a few months so we would have lost the route then anyway. The Huge cull of routes (14 routes were axed today) seems to be a last ditch attempt to stave off bankruptcy. At least we still have the Wizzair service to Katowice (4 weekly this summer), which Wizz market as Katowice/Krakow since they operate a connecting bus service to Krakow after every flight so most of the passengers who would have travelled on the Krakow service will now probably travel with them. We also still have Wizzair to Gdansk (3 weekly this summer) which should benefit from the axing of Shannon-Gdansk. All the Polish routes from both Cork and Shannon do seem to be suffering because of the sharp slowdown in the Irish construction sector.

[EC-ILS]

DUB-WRO dumped as well as all MAN routes, unfortunate for ORK but not the only airport suffering.

[Tom the Tenor]

Cork's vulnerability to relatively low yielding longer flight time LCC operations is catching up on itself slowly but surely now in my opinion. Other than to big holiday and city breaks spots like Rome and the Canaries destinations flights of up to around three hours plus like to Poland etc is hard going for any airline and even harder again for operations out of a relatively smaller European city like Cork. I feel that flight times of around 2 to 2.5 hours is about what any airline can hope to maximise ex Cork enabling an airline to get in more sectors because using up the scarce resource of an A320 or 737 for up to six hours on one out and back is not in Cork's best interest in the overall long run.

Saying that let us hope for Cork's sake the remaining Wizz Air flights from Katowice and Gdansk stay safe for a long time to come. Wizz would seem to be a far more organised outfit that Central Wings are and their future must be better in the long run than Central Wings.

Heard over the weekend that EI are planning on trying out some more practice CATIII approaches at Cork over the next few months. Last October an Aer Lingus A321 came down from DUB on the Thursday before the Jazz Festival and passed an interesting few hours trying out some special appraches to runway 17. Hats off to whomever or whatever party is responsible for bringing this ambitious and welcome programme to the fore.

For nearly an hour on Sunday morning between around 11.30 am and 12.30 pm it was all go at Cork with 737s and A320 series from EI, FR, FUA, BMI all appearing on finals to 35 at around five minute intervals. It was exciting and impressive to witness at first hand. Gave me a bit of a boost anyway!

With the Easter holidays and Paddy's Day in full swing it sure looked like there were some very looooong take off rolls down runway 17 by the jammed Futuras heading south to the sun!

An extra few hundred feet to play around with would be just dandy!

Fat chance, I suppose.

[ryan2000]

Marketing Krakow

No attempt made by CAA or Centralwings to market Krakow as a city break destination. This would have given it Irish as well as Polish traffic. I know several Cork people who visited Krakow last year and who flew from SNN with FR.

They didn't even know that there was a direct service from Cork!

Outlook for Gdansk can't be great if WAW.KRK, WRO and BUD didn't work. It seems Cork is destined to be dominated by bucket and shovel destinations.

Maybe its time to talk to CSA about restablishing the Prague service now that competition from Malev and Centralwings has disappeared.

Surely the cultural splendour of Central european cities has more to offer than Fuengerola, Torremolinos and Santa Ponsaaa!

[en2r]

No attempt made by CAA or Centralwings to market Krakow as a city break destination. This would have given it Irish as well as Polish traffic. I know several Cork people who visited Krakow last year and who flew from SNN with FR.

I think the real problem with marketing Krakow as a city break destination was the flight times. Who wants to get a flight at 2AM? The times over the winter improved a little but the flights from Krakow were still at 4AM.

As for Gdansk, I think its future is more secure with the axing of Cork-Warsaw and Shannon-Gdansk. It is now the only route to Northern Poland from Cork and the only route to Gdansk from Munster. I also believe its only a matter of time before someone relaunches Warsaw.
As for CSA returning, I think this is unlikely given that Aer Lingus are now well established on the route with a four weekly service.

[ASU.ORK]

EI Expansion For ORK

A fair amount of talk has been going on re 5th Airbus for ORK this Summer. Some posters are saying it's as no-no. But the talk in the airport at the moment between EI staff is that 16 new flight deck crew positions to be filled... Leads a question to whats happening, why the need for so much more staff.

[ASU.ORK]

Re Security in Cork Airport

It is true to a point that a company has the contract for a certain part of security in Cork(Hold Baggage Screening). This company is Fernley Airport Services who have had the contract for the last couple of years going back to the Old Terminal. They won the contract in a competition with ICTS (who have no longer any staff in Cork after the ceasation of the Departure Gate security check at the end of last summer). Fernley provide cleaning & partial catering facilites for RE and some other airlines. They also provide the wheelchair assistance for all pax in the airport.
All other security for both staff and pax is provided by CAA through the Airport Search Unit and A.P.F.S.

[840]

At present, Aer Lingus are using some Dublin flight deck crew for flights from Cork, so it could simply be phasing that out. Or it could be recognition that Cork will have four permanently based aircraft from now on and the possibility of moving the LHR service to one that originates there has been permanently discounted.

I'd like to think Cork will get a fifth airbus this summer, but with the opening of the Belfast base Dublin hasn't seen any expansion lately either. The next A320 after that isn't due til June 2009. That could mean no short-haul expansion in Dublin for almost two years and I really can't imagine that. I suppose they could release some aircraft that have been operating Ws into Cork (Is that only Manchester now?). If I was putting odds on that 5th aircraft coming to Cork, I'd only make it 20-30% at the moment.

What do people reckon about the rumours of Ryanair starting Shannon-Berlin? Is this just a case of them trying to jump on another EI route out of Cork? Is there enough of a market for both to survive? Has enough route loyalty built up around the Berlin route out of Cork for it to make little difference?

[Charlie Roy]

What do people reckon about the rumours of Ryanair starting Shannon-Berlin?

The SNN - SXF flights will be on Tuesdays and Fridays (evening).

Is this just a case of them trying to jump on another EI route out of Cork?

Yes

Is there enough of a market for both to survive?

I doubt it. ORK - SXF isn't exactly thriving.

Has enough route loyalty built up around the Berlin route out of Cork for it to make little difference?

Unfortunately not. Most of the ORK - SXF traffic is leisure pax, rather than Munster people living in Berlin and Berliners living in Munster. I fear Aer Lingus will drop ORK - SXF in the light of SNN - SXF It's going t be like Madrid all over again

[840]

The real trick is to get a hardcore of regular commuters on a route, but the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday evening rotations out of Cork won't facilitate that. Still, that Ryanair schedule doesn't look like it will pick up huge volumes.

The one plus of Centralwings withdrawal is that with no Wroclaw, Berlin could be the best airport for a lot of western Poland traffic.

[ASU.ORK]

Polish Flights Leaving Cork

There is a demand for the flights. I have yet to see any Whizz or Central Wings flights depart Cork with less than 80% plus load.. It's certain members in CAA management in Cork want to down grade the Airport from a so called 24 HOUR operation to an operation allowing departures ONLY between 06:00 and 00:00. Management won't allow departures after midnight.. It will be interesting to see how that effects Central Wings schedule from the 30/03/08 with planned departure @ 03:40 3 times a week all bar one for the Summer.

[fivejuliet]

ASU.ORK, you must have missed something as Centralwings are pulling their last route into Cork in the next 8 weeks

[CCR]

Bristol has been added on the timetable on the ryanair website. The list of destinations from Cork. Was it a once off for the recent Cheltenham races or are they adding another new route to the UK?

[Angry Rebel]

Bristol has been there a while but doesn't seem to work. May just be a residual glitch from the site upgrade?

[dubh12000]

Munster Gloucester perhaps.....

[CorkEICK]

For Heineken cup

Going Out From Cork - Bristol

Adult
72.99 EUR
Sat, 5 Apr 08
FlightFR500210:00 Depart
10:55 Arrive


Coming Back From Bristol - Cork

Adult
99.99 EUR
Sun, 6 Apr 08
FlightFR500517:25 Depart
18:25 Arrive

[orkpilot]

SID's STAR's

Anybody any idea when the new SID's and SATR's will come into effect in Cork or have they already?