BIRMINGHAM - 4

[MAN777]

Is this a shot across the bows of BAA, objecting to the increase in landing fees at Stansted.

[call100]

If you really believe this has been done in only ten days then gullible is probably appropriate.
The detail has been discussed in the last ten days but, discussions have been going on for a good while longer.....
Feel sorry for Glasgow. or maybe Prestwick....but think it's Glasgow. but not Edinburgh.......

[call100]

Seems it was Glasgow that lost out.....Shame they needed to keep up with edingburgh on the LOCO front.

[OltonPete]

Ryanair

The only surprise here is that it happened so quick especially before
the much rumoured Polish & EDI bases.

Some interesting routes, which will no doubt not see the light of
day in summer 2009 but on the whole very carefully picked not
upset too many of the existing airlines.

Was this done at BHX's request or otherwise?

Flybe Brest and La Rochelle and SkyEurope's BTS are the most likely
casualties for 2009 if not before.

Also there are gaps in the schedule, both aircraft do nothing on Monday
midday, which could be more new routes or some re-timed Dublin's etc.

Wednesday also sees three afternoon aircraft, again some tinkering
required.

Right...next please - Fried Chicken, that would do nicely.

Pete

[call100]

Hi Pete.
It would make no sense for the airport to do a deal that was going to kill off other airlines on a wholesale basis. We all know Ryanair are very good at announcing/starting routes but soon bale if necessary.
Let's keep fingers crossed......

[GayFriendly]

I should imagine that the arrival of FR at BHX has set off panic warning bells at both BE and WW. However when you look at route structure, I doubt that many of the destinations offered by BE from BHX would be of direct interest to FR (HAM, HAJ, FRA, DUS, CDG etc). I doubt that even if FR start BVA, Hahn etc that many pax would migrate from BE as they use BE for the reason that they go into major airports. I can see BE concentrating its expansion efforts now at SOU/EXT and in Scotland (with the new Loganair franchise), dropping its 'leisure' routes from BHX (La Rochelle, Brest etc) and concentrating at BHX on its few core ex BACON business routes.

For Baby, its a more worrying situation, FR have not overlapped on any routes this summer (except MRS) but who knows what next summer - all Babys routes from BHX are prime FR fodder. But maybe there is a clause in the deal struck to 'protect' Baby, after all BHX have spent a lot of time developing a good relationship with them and they are now a respected and well known brand in the West Midlands (offering dare I say it a better all round product too). I doubt that Baby wil up sticks from BHX but perhaps this is the end of their expansion plans and they will simply now stay relatively static as has happened at EMA.

IMHO I think there is room for all three airlines at BHX, good luck to them all and heres to the long awaited and well deserved good news for BHX

[GayFriendly]

More new routes???

FC - what do you know???!! Blimey at this rate BHX will see more new routes this summer than it has seen in the last good few many years........would love to see Qatar come in, much as I like EK it would be nice to have another 'fly direct into BHX choice' when coming back home from the Middle East..........out of interest, Safir Air (Kabul based) have now started flying into Dubai, it was mentioned again in the local paper that they are looking at flying to BHX as soon as possible.

[A Very Civil Pilot]

It might not be 'bye bye baby' at BHX, but it's certainly 'for you the war is over' for TOM at CVT!

[uncovered]

RYR at BHX

The arrival of RYR is of not a major issue for Flybe. Over 70% of what Flybe do is Domestic. They can put 2 domestic rotations into the air for the price of one 737 domestic rotation. 80% plus of Flybe's network is on a frequency of 2 or more a day, over 80% of RYR's network is on a frequency of one a day or less. They are in different parts of the market.

Baby and RYR are in same market. I do think it's Bye Bye Baby....

[befree]

Ryanair could cut Stansted planes by half (down to 20 from 40) and move them to luton, EMA and BHX. Rename BHX to London NEC. The every 20 minutes train service to Euston from December 2008 will take around 1 hour.

It would help BHX planning applcation and decamate BAAs application to expand Stansted. Love him or hate him MOL is very cunning.

[take-off]

~Personally i think it will create more competion, but people will have their favourites too, saying that its bye bye baby, already is a bit early, as has said in previous/other threads FR have a tendancy to start routes and cancel them just as easy if they fall out with an airport, good luck to all of them i say, and well done the airport if they are looking out for baby, why not? Baby put faith in the airport when FR wern't interested, now baby has grown up at bhx, FR are looking for a slice of the pie, Same things are being said about baby and Jet2 up at man, with the arrival of easy and ryan . Really if baby and BE upped and went , would you really want to be left with FR and a token monarch/charter selection, Fr are the be all and end all .

[fireflybob]

Baby put faith in the airport when FR wern't interested, now baby has grown up at bhx,

And for many years BM (aka Baby) neglected us lot who wanted to fly from EMA! RYR then stepped in to fill the breach.

[TartinTon]

take-off, you really need to start getting your facts straight. Following on from your refusal to accept that Monarch pulled out of BLK cos it was rubbish in terms of yields, a "token" Monarch presence of 4 based aircraft is not a token presence!! I suggest some surgery to remove that Monarch chip from your shoulder.....

[take-off]

I dont have a monarch chip! Infact have used them several times since from man, but when the airline pr says it was succesful which is why they carried on into summer and following winter albeit for a short period, again saying in the summer when launching the winter flights! I accept yields were poor, but who wants to fly close to midnight, same reason the stansted flights were pulled due to poor paxnumbers/yield down to bad timings, Its generally accepted that the times for stansted should have been the other way round.
As it happens used monarch from bhx as well, they have always given good service, so no chip my friend, annoyance of having to travel down m6 yes!! the use of 'token' is probably wrong word but as night worker brain is in shut down, so no offence meant, mearly trying to point out that its better to have a choice ,rather than ending up with one airline steam rollering over everyone else, on other hand do you think monarch would stay in bhx for long if baby upped and left? Are they in a stronger position than baby to ride it out , if and more of a case of when FR do start to compete on same routes? oh and not a Fr basher either

[call100]

There is no point in the airport doing a deal that would kill off another airline.
There is room for all of them at BIA. There is a bigger customer base than at many of Ryanairs other ventures. If anything is going to affect any of them it will be the general downturn in the economy. At the end of the day its the customers who make it work or not.
I think that Coventry will be the biggest casualty.

[call100]

BHX certainly does not need a London tag on it. If one thing in life is guaranteed its the fact that it will never happen.
Planning application will be approved without the need for a Public enquiry. So they don't need the help.
You are right though, in that BHX could advertise the new rail times to its advantage and steal some of that London Traffic. How long is the journey from Heathrow/Stansted/Gatwick to central London?

[eu01]

Many shares are diving today, but FR's do not. It gives some hints as well.

Shares at Ryanair were up 6c to 3.74 after it announced its 25th base at Birmingham.

Ryanair continues to attract airport business, which in previous times would perhaps not even have talked to the company, according to Stephen Furlong, analyst at Davy Research.

"The selection of Birmingham is illustrative of the airports, which want Ryanair's business and the growth potential still available in the UK regions," he said.

Source: Business World

[befree]

I was partly saying it in jest. BHX does have very good rail links and would be very usable if you lived near Euston or Watford. the only problem would be the silly train fares. Stansted is being downgraded quite a lot by ryanair who had 40% of there fleet based there.

BHX does need to show that it is growing to justiy any investment in extra runway length. Moving the A45 into a tunnel does not sound cheap. It would not be worth the bother for just a few flights per day.

[bruppy]

BHX Space??

I dont think anyone has yet asked where are all these FR aircraft going to park?, during the summer the 70's always fill up quickly, (Can't see the TCX/MYT & TOM/FC merges changing that too much), FR won't want to be put on the 80's and if the arrival times are anything like STN (80% of FR aircraft STA after 2300) the residents clause wont allow them too.
If they do use the bussing gates it will cause mayhem as there single flights now have pax queueing back up the stairs blocking the route for other pax. I hope BIA are prepared for the backlash that will follow from thier "established" carriers if the FR product causes problems at security (srill an issue) in the lounge (too small even with extension) & at the gates, (God help us if they are parked on 45-51, the glasshouse will be murder).
Bearing in mind FR's awful "customer service" record (read reviews off of airlinequality.com) the decison to let Mr O'Leary's troops loose may backfire on BIA's management. Hope not!!
what do other BHX staff think?

[Phileas Fogg]

As I travel thru BHX regularly I look at those departure screens and it only ever seems to be the same operator that has significant delay(s).

I'm not about to get in to a debate regarding one operator vs another but next time thru BHX check the screens for yourself and you'll figure out the operator I refer to