LUTON - 6

[mcdhu]

Flying out of Luton for the first time in a week or so. Can anyone update the 'up the hill' fiasco since the traffic lights have been installed (I gather). When does the q develop in the morning and how is it for lunchtime reports. Of course it will vary day to day, but any advice on time to allow to the south car park would be appreciated.

Cheers
mcdhu

[kingston_toon]

Having a play on the booking system...

Luton - Bergamo is now unbookable for winter (from daily)
Luton - Girona goes from daily to 4 x week.
Luton - Reus is now unbookable for winter (from daily)
Luton - Limoges is now unbookable for winter.
Luton - Bergerac is now unbookable for winter.
Luton - Malta down to 5 x week.
Luton - Murcia down from daily to 4 x week.
Dublin loses a few rotations, but Derry and Kaunas gain one a week
Kerry also goes daily from 4 x week.

So a mixed bag... (there are probably a few other changes I've missed too)

[MUFC_fan]

Are those all LTN based routes?

Bergamo seems to be a bit odd - maybe an Italian based flight from winter?

[Powerjet1]

Last winter Bergamo was 4 weekly. Maybe easy going twice daily in Oct to Milan Malpensa has something to do with it.
Girona was 4 weekly in W08. No change.
Bergerac & Limoges were only ever summer destinations.
Malta was 4 weekly W08. Now 5, increase of 1.
Murcia was 3 weekly W08. Now 4, increase of 1.
Dublin was 23 weekly W08, Now 21 weekly, decrease of 2.
Beziers I don't think operated in W08. Now 2 weekly. Increase 2
Reus was 3 weekly in W08. Now 0. Decrease 3

Allowing for other increases to Kerry, Knock, Kaunas, Derry, Marrackech etc , it seems to come out just on the positive compared to last year.

[LTNman]

Flying out of Luton for the first time in a week or so. Can anyone update the 'up the hill' fiasco since the traffic lights have been installed (I gather). When does the q develop in the morning and how is it for lunchtime reports. Of course it will vary day to day, but any advice on time to allow to the south car park would be appreciated.

The delays are lasting longer since the lights went in. The jams were between 5am and 7am but they are still there now at 08.15 now when I pass though the airport. I would guess the queue at 08.15 is around 8-10 minutes as it still queues to the Ibis Hotel. There are no problems once the morning rush is over and unlike other years once they have gone they are gone for the day.

[Buster the Bear]

I see that El-Al have announced 'low cost' flights to a few of their existing destinations, with 'London' to be considered for this treatment soon. Are they reacting to others with a low lead in price then adding the 'extras' like bags, nosh and checking in fees to create pricier flying (like some other airlines)?

Personally, I would rather a fare which includes being able to board without an additional expense, but then again, I am a bit old school who seems lost in the late 1980's!

In fact, I am just like LBC! Anyway, with one of the two incumbant MP's living 100 miles away from Luton, maybe I should run for MP? Buster's Anti Stansted Party! Or, Buster Has a Chip on his Shoulder Party? Better still, Buster Winds Stansted Folk Up Party!

[mcdhu]

Thanks LTNman!

mcdhu

[Powerjet1]

Windjet transferring their twice weekly Forli flights to LGW from 25 Oct, as expected.

[LTNman]

I see signs have gone up on the recently completed Airport Way /A505 stating that road works will start on both carriageways from August 10th and that delays are possible.

[gilesdavies]

Windjet transferring their twice weekly Forli flights to LGW from 25 Oct, as expected.

Really, why was it expected?

Seems a bit weird if it was expected and they have only been flying for one month from LTN... Also could you confirm your source?

[globetrotter79]

Check the Windjet website...LGW does indeed replace LTN end October onwards (data not available in the timetable section yet, but it is there in the booking engine).

With the exception of some odd dates, it appears that the flights are planned to operate on Day 4 and Day 7 for the winter season.

[Buster the Bear]

Wind Jet
New:London, Gatwick (LGW) to Catania, Fontanarossa (CTA)
New:London, Gatwick (LGW) to Forli, Luigi Ridolfi (FRL)
New:London, Gatwick (LGW) to Palermo, Punta Raisi (PMO)

Moving to Gatwick, BAA must seemingly be offering all kinds of inducements to bolster the sale price of Gatwick (allegedly)........but I am a bear, so what do I know!

Lots of 'space' available at Gatwick and Stansted to fill this winter, so I hope Luton airport authorities have their incumbent airlines on good long-term deals?

Having said that, the openness that is the BAA nowadays, offers of 'bargains' might be harder to disguise?

I see that easyJet are sponsoring the MIGHTY HATTER's this season, bit of a coup for the Kenilworth Road club eh?

[gilesdavies]

Ryanair to the Canary Islands From LTN

Ryanair have announced huge expansion on their routes to the Canary Islands accross their network today...

Luton is one of the airports to benefits, and will be flying twice daily to Lanzorote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife (South).

The routes will fly on the following days:

Gran Canaria - Fri/Mon

Lanzorote - Thurs/Sun

Tenerife - Tues/Sat

I wonder how Monarch will swallow this news, as they have had the Tenerife traffic to themselves from LTN for a number of years and built up quite a following flying daily!

Call me a cynic as always, but does anyone know what routes LTN is loosing to accomodate these new routes, as I highly doubt FR are basing a 5th aircraft here this winter!? It definately seems to be operating with LTN based aircraft.

[OLNEY 1 BRAVO]

Ryanair W09/10

Despite all the earlier analysis of the Ryanair flights this winter (above), nobody seems to have mentioned their flights to Trapani.

I can't remember the frequency last winter but I see that it is going to be twice weekly this coming winter and that unlike the current summer flights, will be operated with Luton based aircraft.

I'll leave it somebody more capable to me to calculate whether four based aircraft will be sufficient to operate all of the routes set out earlier, the two Trapani rotations plus the just announced Canary Islands flights.


OLY1B

[gilesdavies]

Ryanair W09/10 Frequencies

Just looking Ryanair's schedule (23-29 Nov) and the frequencies are as follows:

Bergerac - Discontinued
Beziers - 2x Weekly
Brest - 3x Weekly
Derry - 4x Weekly
Dublin - 3x Daily
Gran Canaria - 2x Weekly
Kaunas - 4x Weekly
Kerry - 1x Daily
Knock - 1x Daily
Lanzorote - 2x Weekly
Limeges - Discontinued
Malta - 5x Weekly
Marrakesh - 4x
Milan - Discontinued
Murcia - 4x Weekly
Nimes - 4x Weekly
Reus - Discontinued
Rzeszow - 2x Weekly
Tenerife - 2x Weekly
Trapani - 2x Weekly

Will let someone else work out if 4x aircraft are sufficent.

[Falcon666]

Ryanair schedule

Well either something is amiss with the times but we have 5 planes arriving on Monday night after 2210hrs and on Friday night
They are 2305 Malta
2245 Kerry
2210 Las Palmas
2325 Girona
2305 Dublin

And other days only 3 so guess you can read into that the timetable is screwed or maybe just maybe we will see an additional plane and a couple more new routes in the future.

Noticed the Tue ,Thur and Sat Kerry flights are down as operating with a Kerry Based frame.

[Powerjet1]

Dublin, for the winter is also strange. Several days, two departures within an hour, at 0625 and 0725 ex LTN, and then nothing for 13 hours until 20.25. A day trip to DUB is going to be a very long day.

[Falcon666]

Sky Europe

Winter programme now on sale.They have received a bridging loan to keep them flying into the winter and beyond subject to restructuring.
Great news,they deserve the chance.

[gilesdavies]

Great news,they deserve the chance.

Obviously I don't want to see an airline disappear, but this airline has had more chances than a hot meal!

Over the last 2-3 years it has constantly been on the brink of being shut down and they manage to secure a loan at the last minute... The airline has never made a profit, surely its time this airline maybe called it a day!

I hear really good things about the service and crew on SkyEurope, but probably like many other people in the know, I do not want to book flight with them and run the risk of loosing my money or worst still being stuck stranded abroad if they do go bankrupt! For that reason I avoid them like the plague!

I notice the winter timetable they are only operating 4x weekly to Bratislava this winter and 2x weekly to the two other Slovak cities... Interesting how they are going to continue competing with Wizzair on the LTN-PRG route, with still a daily service.

Wizzair have already started their move into Bratislava by starting flights to Italy, it is only a matter of time before they launch a route to LTN.

Have noticed they will be operating 4x weekly to Vienna! Be good to see a replacement after easyJet stopped the route a while back!

[easy]

er... we still fly to Vienna, it's Bratislava we don't serve no more...