BIRMINGHAM - 4

[Monty Gordo]

Flights to Brasilia

Crewmeal and Phileas Fogg: Thanks for your information, valued and a great help. Regards, Monty Gordo

[OltonPete]

April route analysis

Finally somebody at the CAA found the provisional figures for April
My estimates for rotations using a BHX blog and libhomeradar.

BRUSSELS/8717/47 PAX/57%
LARNACA/6895/181 PAX/85%
COPENHAGEN/7137/81 PAX/70-75%
BERGERAC/666/37 PAX/47%
CHAMBERY/661/55 POAX/71%
GRENOBLE/1709/107 PAX/68%
LYON/3062/36 PAX/71%
MONTPELLIER/1739/109 PAX58%
NICE/3014/94 PAX/63%??
PARIS/28037/85 PAX/80%
DUSSELDORF/13440/44 PAX/54%
FRANKFURT/24033/74 PAX/63%
HAMBURG/1994/38 PAX/49%
HANOVER/4641/54 PAX/69%
MUNICH/10797/70 PAX/75%
STUTTGART/2711/39 PAX/50%
CORK/5881/49 PAX/68%
DUBLIN/42713/129 PAX/71%
KNOCK/4055/119 PAX/80%
SHANNON/2985/50 PAX/69%
WATERFORD/1125/35 PAX/73%
MILAN MXP/61 PAX/52%
TRIESTE/119 PAX/63%
MALTA/4717/135 PAX/80%
AMSTERDAM/108 PAX/77%
FARO/17719/158 PAX/81%
ALICANTE/22767/152 PAX/80%
ALMERIA/2853/178 PAX/83%
GIRONA/3734/144 PAX/76%
IBIZA/2997/125 PAX/66%
MAHON/2939/163 PAX/76%
MALAGA/27609/157 PAX/83%
MURCIA/7399/137 PAX/79%
PALMA/13378/163 PAX/85%
REUS/3563/137 PAX/73%
ARRECIFE/9896/165 PAX/81%
FUERTEVENTRA/5307/147 PAX73%
LAS PALMAS/5615/165 PAX/82%
TENERIFE/17181/168 PAX/82%
GOTHENBURG/1220/23 PAX/61%
GENEVA/6957/116 PAX/80%
ZURICH/12256/68 PAX/68%
ISTANBUL/4919/112 PAX/70-75%
DALAMAN/2833/177 PAX/83%
KAUNAS/2664/167 PAX/88%
BYDGOSZCZ/4374/168 PAX/89%
GDANSK/2813/156 PAX/83%
KATOWICE/2976/165 PAX/87%
RZESNOW/2636/165 PAX/87%
BRATISLAVA/4250/163 PAX/86%
ASHKHABAD/5412/159 PAX/84%
TEHRAN/3873/149 PAX/71%
DUBAIA/45067/376 PAX/86%
ISLAMABAD/10103/297 PAX/88%
NEWARK/8675/145 PAX/83%

Obviously Easter helps somewhat with load factors but certainly
some hope for the future in these lot.

Although the TK increase was quite modest the whole month
saw A320's only compared to A321's in the past over Easter.
This seems to have improved the load factor and hopefully this
is the start of it moving forward.

PIA is another airline which has reduced seats without
affecting passenger numbers, producing high load factors.

Pete

[ATNotts]

Sky Wings Debacle

Nigel:

You are sadly probably correct. It's amazing the difference over the water in Germany, where Thos Cook actually had to revert to the Condor brand from Thos Cook Airways because the carrier is respected, and customers demanded a quality carrier.

Shame that your average bucket and spade customer in UK seems to "know the price of everything and the value of nothing"

I guest they (the delayed PAX only have themselves to blame - as do Olympic Holidays for contracting a half baked carrier, for two halves of nothing and having to cope with the resulting headache)

[OltonPete]

Sky Wings

Tech again today with Balkan Holidays A320 operating for them
several hours late (8 hours).

On the subject of sub-ins, Titan 757 currently inbound on Aer Lingus 276
from Dublin.

Per another site another new A320 to be delivered to Dublin tomorrow,
I assume ash-cloud depending.

CAA April figures

Not sure but the individual routes for April seem a very good set and I
don't mean the % increase compared to 2010 but general load factors.

Paris at 80%, Amsterdam 77% although the former has seat quite a
large seat capacity cut compared to summer 2010 although the latter
has seen more 738's increasing capacity but not frequencies.

Pete

[legalize]

Skywings delay in the Birmingham Mail

Passengers in 36-hour wait at Birmingham Airport - Top Stories - News - Birmingham Mail

[GayFriendly]

Sky Wings

Can't see this 'outfit' lasting very much longer? I always thought it was a very ambitious schedule with only one aircraft and no obvious back up. Lets just hope their whole summer schedule does not fall through.......I wonder if Olympic are trying to organise an alternative carrier for these flights?

In line with OP's April CAA pax analysis, friends of mine flew out/back from BHX last week, one with SK to CPH, the other to LYS with AF, both reporting that on both sectors flights were nearly full, OK only two flights but encouraging especially as these are 'legacy' carriers

[getonittt]

RE April route analysis

Thanks to Olton pete for the analysis, always of interest to me. I was one of the statistics having used the Stuttgart service during april, 36 out and about the same coming back , flights on time and no fuss from from the crew , so an average flight. Unfortunately it was not long after the new one terminal security facililty opened and the queue was snaking back to nearly where you have your boarding pass checked , resulting in a dash to the gate after having to dodge the endless staff coming at me from the compulsory walk through the new duty free, offering samples and such like. It reminded me of that scene from airplane where leslie nielsen has to kung-fu kick the hare krishnas' offering the daisy chains out of the way.
Anyway , back to the analysis , how long has it been that Dubai has outdone Dublin? Is DXB now the No 1 destination from BHX?

[OltonPete]

DUB/DXB

getonittt

Up to now it has only been various months and there is still far more seats available on Dublin. About 68000 seats available per month on Dublin now and just short of 54000 on Emirates.

Dublin should see 50000 per month again for a few months and Emirates has yet only managed 46000-47000.

2010 figures for Dublin 534908 down about 8%
2010 figures for Dubai 497363 up 14%.
2010 figures for Amsterdam 426138 up 4%
2010 figures for Paris 313533 down about 1%.

A third Emirates service would end the debate unless EI or FR increase
which seems likely although Aer Lingus will be four daily on Monday and
Friday this winter and Ryanair are keeping Saturday at three daily.

Dublin higher in March (Gold Cup) but Emirates higher in Feb,


Pete

[jabird]

getonittt, don't you mean Robert Hays? Great scene though

[mmeteesside]

Any ideas who the RAF Avia Saab 340 + An26 are based for and what they do (presumably just one-off cargo charters?).

[OltonPete]

RAF Avia

mmeteesside

I think they are on stand-by for one-off cargo charters. I know that JLR sometimes require last minute flights but have no idea if they have done any of these.

One charter last week was described as "taking newspapers to the Isle of Man" due to a delay with the ferry.

The AN26 does on average one to two flights a week and changes but the Saab has not moved since 4th May per a BHX blog and libhomeradar.

Pete

[Occams Razor]

That would be the AN26 that has the loudest APU in the world...

[crewmeal]

An interesting comment from a Midland's businessman.


Birmingham Airport ‘needs to get its act together’ : Birmingham Airport News Stories

[Keyvon]

Thomson Airways has added :

- Marrakech
- Catania (Sicily)

to the list of its summer 2012 departures from BHX.

[ATNotts]

Midlands Businessman telling it as it is

I think David Grove has it about right; however I think his comments could be directed equally towards East Midlands, Stansted, Luton, Heathrow etc etc etc.

[GayFriendly]

Cape Verde Airlines?/BHX One Terminal

BHX website listing the following flight from Cape Verde Airlines tomorrow morning:

VR674 BHX arr 0850 VR675 BHX dep 1000

A one off charter, a new scheduled service gone unnoticed (as there are so many at BHX these days ) or more probably a mistake?

Flew through BHX last Sunday for the first time in ages (to EDI) new security area was a breeze and IMO a big improvement on the old area (I know many have reported long queues at times but despite terminal being busy with pax there were no queues when I went through at about 1130 ish) the new shopping area (sorry just can't call it a departure lounge anymore) is claustrophobic (who thought now windows and a low ceiling a good idea?) but escape down the international pier and its another world of light and views (pity @ 1200-1330 when I was it was deserted!). The pier IMO is an excellent facility but at the mo sadly underused. The one terminal thing I think seems a good idea even if it does mean an unnecessary dog leg walk through surprise surprise a shop to get to what was T2!! (Quite a few pax on my flight commented on this)

Don't quite understand the one terminal idea on arrival though, picked up bag in old T2 domestic arrival hall, are there plans to have just one bag hall to match the single arrivals point?

Overall I was impressed, in terms of facilities BHX now has that 'big' airport feel, my only gripe is that the departure boards do not contain many of the flights they IMO should, at least a few city destinations are back in 2012 with WW but there is a lot of room for improvement in that area. Will it happen, i'm not holding my breath but what a shame such excellent facilities do not seem to be attracting new routes or airlines

[OltonPete]

Cape Verde/Terminal

GayFriendly

Terminal - totally agree. I believe there are plans to increase T1 arrivals but not sure what the long-term plan is for the T2 arrivals.

I think I posted back in April I was shocked when I came back and it was the same old T2 arrivals.

Cape Verde - slot request jut not removed from the system.

Pete

[nigel osborne]

Cape Verde/Terminal

The main reason for making just 1 terminal was simple, they have been able to restructure (love that word) as it always means jobs being cut.You don't have to provide security staff etc for 2 swperate areas any more.

The new pier.. well the main thing is it has 6 proper widebodied stands and 1 for a 380.Not many regional airports in Europe can boast that.The pier itself is very boxy and looks from the outside more like a thin warehouse with windows..with all that cladding

However that doesn't really matter it does the job it was intended to do.

With a new Pier, control tower , new ILS, and runway extension starting next year you can't say anymore that BHX isn't investing in its infrastucture and buildings.

How you turn all that into some major new carriers and routes is another matter.

Nigel:

[BHX5DME]

flybe to discontinue Frankfurt

BHX and MAN to FRA to finish in July

[jpthomas72]

BE's sudden chop of FRA...

BHX and MAN to FRA to finish in July

While this is a bit sudden from them, hardly a surprise for those who used those services as there was often quite empty, and also had frequent delay issues (typical for FRA). Well, they could have tried the E175, which is a more viable alternative to LH/BD's Airbus. FRA taxes (federal and airport) are very high, another reason, and they had a somewhat unwelcoming area at FRA's T2 (US departure gates with tight security). Am wondering if they will cut more, e.g. HAJ or STR. FR should recognise that this opens a big door for them to re-introduce at least MAN-HHN, maybe even BHX-HHN. Wishful thinking, I know. This probably means the E175 is put on DUS, I do hope so. Oh, BTW, quite a few people here thought BHX should have _more_ flights. Now we have less...