BA Cityflyer

[virginblue]

Berne: 1730m runway at an altitude of 510m
Dortmund: 2000m runway at an altitude of 130m

There have been a handful of one-off sports charters with A320s at Bern, but AFAIK none of those were fully loaded.

[planedrive]

Both runways in Dortmund have displaced thresholds reducing the LDA to 1700m. Jersey also see's regular A319/A320 service and has a runway length of 1703m again with no impact at all. To suggest that the runway in Bern is not long enough is just laughable. If you want to really hammer home the point, look at the runway in Santos Dumont Brazil - 1323m and currently inbound are B738's and 319's as well as the Embraer/Turboprops.

[virginblue]

No reason to get so worked up. Santos Dumont / Jersey etc. are all not at an altitude of 510m.

A simple fact is that the Airbus A320 has been around for 30 years, but there has never been a regular service by that type to/from Berne. And the only B737-800s that have ever served Berne were BBJ2s with a handful of people on board.

More importantly, I think we are discussing if there are niche markets for which the E170/190 has a competitive edge over 150/180 seaters operated by LCCs. And I think Berne is an example. Not everywhere where you can technically dump a larger aircraft in the runway does it make sense.

[nguba]

BACF is reported to have suspended LCY-GVA for the summer season:

https://londonairtravel.com/2017/02/...-october-2017/

[virginblue]

With now five routes cancelled, how will the aircraft be used? The cancellation of MAD and GVA plus no resumtion of ALC must free up the capacity of almost two Embraers. While it also means that leased-in capacity from Eastern can be returned (E70 on HAM) or replaced (S20 on IOM), at least one airframe needs to find work. Will existing routes be ramped up, is heavy maintenance due or is a back-up airframe planned for the summer season?

[tigertanaka]

Berne Belp airport only has 3 gates and 1 luggage carousel. There is simply not the demand for large planes to land there.

Nice city though.

[Skipness One Echo]

CFE has never had profit and loss split out publically?
We all rather assumed this operation was some form of high yield gold mine but it feels a little like having muscled everyone else off core routes, BA are not doing as well as perhaps they thought. Has a bubble burst perhaps?

[cornishsimon]

Or could BA be remodeling cityflyer

Core LCY business and secondary regional markets..........

Don't they have plans for more E-Jets ?

cs

[monkey.tennis]

Profit and loss information is available through the financial reports filed at companies house. Every year in recent memory, the company has met its 'stretched' financial target. Whether that will continue, who knows.

[richardwpprn]

KL are starting AMS-LCY with their own E90s, they'll be 4 flights per day for the summer timetable, putting Cityflyer under pressure on this route.

It'll be interesting to see what happens when Cross rail opens from Heathrow to Liverpool St and Canary Wharf.

[pamann]

BACF Geneva

If BACF have suspended operations on LCY-GVA, how will this affect the STN-GVA service that utilises the aircraft from LCY via GVA to operate over the weekend from STN? This route has only just been announced so it would seem a bit odd if you ask me.

[virginblue]

I guess they will add XXX-STN-XXX from whereever the E90 now flies instead of GVA. Or they will simply position the aircraft LCY-STN-LCY. STN-GVA was nothing more than a glorified positioning flight in the first place and not a bedrock of BACF overall business plan.

As for the handful of folks already booked on GVA-STN, I would assume this means LHR on mainline if they do not want to cancel.

[tigertanaka]

I wonder if KLM have launched LCY in the hope that it does well and they can then sell off some of their LHR slot pairs? They are definitely slot sitting there as they regularly fly 70 seat Fokkers into LHR when MAN, EDI and NCL take 737s.

[inOban]

British Airways announces new Skiathos route from London City, two million seats for summer | Travel News

Strangely this doesn't mention dropping GVA

[pamann]

BACF Geneva

As much as it's a 'glorified positioning flight' similar to the TXL flight, why would they put it in place if the GVA route was being dropped? Decisions like this would have been made behind closed doors before this was route was announced last week, it just doesn't make sense.

No official announcement from BA that the route has been canned?

Edit:

The above linked article has been amended and now states...

'The last flights operate on Friday 16 June 2017 and resume on Monday 11 September 2017'

Which would answer why the STN-GVA service doesn't show on quite a few dates if this is the case.

Strange as I would have thought GVA to be popular during the summer with leisure traffic.

[toledoashley]

Maybe CF are just repeating what BA are doing at LHR. Reducing capacity on routes which don't perform as well in July/August and replace them with leisure routes for the peak holiday season...?

[Skipness One Echo]

GVA was a winter only flight for years, only recently returning to year round. Seems they can better place the asset elsewhere outwith skiing season....

[FRatSTN]

More new routes...

Birmingham - Florence
Birmingham - Ibiza
Birmingham - Malaga
Birmingham - Palma de Mallorca

Bristol - Florence
Bristol - Ibiza
Bristol - Malaga
Bristol - Palma de Mallorca

[nguba]

It's noteworthy that announcements seem to be coming by order of airport owner.

MAN and STN are both owned by Manchester Airports Group.

BRS is owned by the Ontario Teachers Plan which also owns significant stake in BHX.

Do we think there will be any more announcements?

[cornishsimon]

Wouldn't rule it out.

If they think they can make money there's several airports/regions that could be served here. Either way, this is good for flyers.


cs