BRISTOL - 4
Must have missed your comment a few weeks back Merchant -glad to see I am not the only one thinking along the same lines.
I have always really quite liked BRS. I do not use it as often as I used to - still though for AGP and GLA every now and again. I do like the way i is likely to expand but I guess like all things in accordance with growththe small intimate feeling is going.
Nivsy
I have always really quite liked BRS. I do not use it as often as I used to - still though for AGP and GLA every now and again. I do like the way i is likely to expand but I guess like all things in accordance with growththe small intimate feeling is going.
Nivsy
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lack of seating might be somebodys thoughts as when shopping or looking around that it wont need seats. but then not everone wants to go looking in shops or buying.but thyen another problem crops up is if planes running late. but in one sense its profit before passenger comfort.
Brunel to Concorde
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easyJet A320
Looks as though the based A320 will appear next week.
Mayfly shows it operating from Wednesday 14 April as follows:
Wednesday
0710-1255 Malaga 1340-2350 Paphos
Thursday
0710-1255 Malaga 1430-2210 Funchal
Friday
0640-1525 Tenerife South 1655-0015 Corfu
Saturday
0705-1250 Faro 1340-2350 Paphos
Sunday
0710-1250 Alicante 1340-2350 Paphos
I presume it will also operate the Paphos on Mondays and the Tenerife South on Tuesdays plus Med destinations on those days but Mayfly is yet to be published for the following week.
Mayfly shows it operating from Wednesday 14 April as follows:
Wednesday
0710-1255 Malaga 1340-2350 Paphos
Thursday
0710-1255 Malaga 1430-2210 Funchal
Friday
0640-1525 Tenerife South 1655-0015 Corfu
Saturday
0705-1250 Faro 1340-2350 Paphos
Sunday
0710-1250 Alicante 1340-2350 Paphos
I presume it will also operate the Paphos on Mondays and the Tenerife South on Tuesdays plus Med destinations on those days but Mayfly is yet to be published for the following week.
Brunel to Concorde
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Continental Airlines
There is an item on the BRS website that the route from BRS to EWR is to cease from 7 November this year.
Brunel to Concorde
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Loads tended to be the lowest of the CO EWR routes from the UK, especially in the winter and to be honest the decision hasn't surprised me.
In fact, I'm surprised the route lasted so long. I didn't want to say as much on this public message board but I have been expressing my concerns in PMs to one or two people for a long time.
The herculean efforts of the airport and indeed the airline to promote all sorts of initiatives in the past year or so also gave a clue that the route was in need of a big boost.
Obviously yields are the important thing and there were rumours that the airport had given CO exceptionally good terms but even that, if true, has not worked in the end.
Probably the bottom line is that Bristol is rather too close to London (I know Birmingham is a similar distance from the capital but the West Midlands has a much larger population) with its huge choice of transatlantic routes, and also the failure of business people to use the route in sufficient numbers.
Paul Kehoe warned of this during his short tenure as CEO at BRS.
This will now play hugely into the hands of SBAE and its fellow travellers. They made a great fuss when the FRA route was axed last year.
It is a great shame. It was fun while it lasted. The airport says it will be looking for a replacement carrier - of course it has to - but it won't be easy.
I feel very sorry for those who worked so hard to get the route in the first place and I am sure they will try to find another carrier. If they do they will really have earned their corn.
Addendum
The official reasons given are the forthcoming rise in APD, the weakness of the pound and the recession.
The other thing that might have a bearing is CO's increasing its rotations from LHR from 3 daily to 5 daily later this year. When the CO to BRS started CO had no LHR routes and the London gateway was Gatwick.
In fact, I'm surprised the route lasted so long. I didn't want to say as much on this public message board but I have been expressing my concerns in PMs to one or two people for a long time.
The herculean efforts of the airport and indeed the airline to promote all sorts of initiatives in the past year or so also gave a clue that the route was in need of a big boost.
Obviously yields are the important thing and there were rumours that the airport had given CO exceptionally good terms but even that, if true, has not worked in the end.
Probably the bottom line is that Bristol is rather too close to London (I know Birmingham is a similar distance from the capital but the West Midlands has a much larger population) with its huge choice of transatlantic routes, and also the failure of business people to use the route in sufficient numbers.
Paul Kehoe warned of this during his short tenure as CEO at BRS.
This will now play hugely into the hands of SBAE and its fellow travellers. They made a great fuss when the FRA route was axed last year.
It is a great shame. It was fun while it lasted. The airport says it will be looking for a replacement carrier - of course it has to - but it won't be easy.
I feel very sorry for those who worked so hard to get the route in the first place and I am sure they will try to find another carrier. If they do they will really have earned their corn.
Addendum
The official reasons given are the forthcoming rise in APD, the weakness of the pound and the recession.
The other thing that might have a bearing is CO's increasing its rotations from LHR from 3 daily to 5 daily later this year. When the CO to BRS started CO had no LHR routes and the London gateway was Gatwick.
Last edited by MerchantVenturer; 6th Apr 2010 at 13:06. Reason: Addendum
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That's a huge blow to Bristol! Is the cancelling of the route for the winter only or is it permanent?
In all honesty, I can’t see Bristol finding a replacement service to the United States. If Continental can’t make it work, none of the US carriers can.
In all honesty, I can’t see Bristol finding a replacement service to the United States. If Continental can’t make it work, none of the US carriers can.
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[
Very sorry to hear about Bristol's sad news. I have no doubt that Bristol will be able to make up for this in different ways with more new routes elswwhere.
]
Bristol will just attract even more LOW COST airlines.
Bristol has had its peak and with CO pulling out that leaves only AIR FRANCE/KLM & SN with the rest all being made of LOW COST airlines.
Perhaps the airport should do some deals with some of the other prestige airlines to make it more attractive for these airlines to come in.
In the long run the airport would get the money back through Parking retail etc.
Very sorry to hear about Bristol's sad news. I have no doubt that Bristol will be able to make up for this in different ways with more new routes elswwhere.
]
Bristol will just attract even more LOW COST airlines.
Bristol has had its peak and with CO pulling out that leaves only AIR FRANCE/KLM & SN with the rest all being made of LOW COST airlines.
Perhaps the airport should do some deals with some of the other prestige airlines to make it more attractive for these airlines to come in.
In the long run the airport would get the money back through Parking retail etc.
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Oh blow.
I'm likely to use BRS-EWR more this year than in the previous 5 combined (less Asia, more America), and it gets pulled. I rather suspect that the dramatic increase in capacity at LHR has quite a bit to do with it - both in terms of passenger demand from the West, and Continental's own assessment of where to put aircraft.
It still surprises me to find people who don't know you can fly to New York from Bristol, or still go pootling off to London like sheep. I may use LHR, but primarily because I've got *G status, and I'm not prepared to fly SkyTeam to Asia.
More worryingly, LCCs continue to form the overwhelming presence at the airport, and that can't be helpful for positioning the airport as valuable to business and the region. When KL/AF have got a stranglehold on business flying with just 6 flights a day, it's not a great position to work from.
I'm likely to use BRS-EWR more this year than in the previous 5 combined (less Asia, more America), and it gets pulled. I rather suspect that the dramatic increase in capacity at LHR has quite a bit to do with it - both in terms of passenger demand from the West, and Continental's own assessment of where to put aircraft.
It still surprises me to find people who don't know you can fly to New York from Bristol, or still go pootling off to London like sheep. I may use LHR, but primarily because I've got *G status, and I'm not prepared to fly SkyTeam to Asia.
More worryingly, LCCs continue to form the overwhelming presence at the airport, and that can't be helpful for positioning the airport as valuable to business and the region. When KL/AF have got a stranglehold on business flying with just 6 flights a day, it's not a great position to work from.
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Yes that is a shame, a lot of hard work went into getting them here and keeping them by the routes team. I expect they're already on the case for a replacement knowing them.The other thing ,is it falls in quite nicely with 'Mikey the Pikey's grand plan, rememember he said we are looking at setting up a low cost trans atlantic service to several US destinations in about four or five years and that Bristol would feature in those plans !, well that was about four years ago- so problem solved, pull your finger out and get it sorted. only hope that say New York service actually lands at one the New York airports and not take the European scheme where some flights don't even land in the right country of the destination and we end up with a New York service that actually lands in Boston or Bangor-Maine and coach to destination
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Terrible news for BRS, Bristol, and the South West.
I too thought this day was coming- the campaigning of late by BRS seemed a little on the desperate side.
I can't see another US carrier taking this route over.... If CO can't make enough from it, I don't see how AA/ Delta or anyone else would either.... Unless they happen to have a load of spare 757/ 767's sitting around they want to put to good use. (i.e. not going to happen). No British carrier will pick this up, VS, BMI, BA, are all either fighting for their lives or don't have the equipment for such a route.
The other problem is that even if it were picked up by someone else, how are they going to offer the huge range of onward connections that CO has a available at EWR? Presumably that was a big part of the reason that the route was started up in the first place?
If it does not work from New York, then it won't work from anywhere else in the US either.
Also, the fact they could not even fill a 757 let alone anything bigger pretty much proves it is unworkable.
We just have to face facts- there is simply not enough demand in the South West to sustain a direct connection to the US.
The only non- budget carriers I can see arriving at BRS now are one of the UAE carriers once the next generation Boeings and Airbuses are flying.
I too thought this day was coming- the campaigning of late by BRS seemed a little on the desperate side.
I can't see another US carrier taking this route over.... If CO can't make enough from it, I don't see how AA/ Delta or anyone else would either.... Unless they happen to have a load of spare 757/ 767's sitting around they want to put to good use. (i.e. not going to happen). No British carrier will pick this up, VS, BMI, BA, are all either fighting for their lives or don't have the equipment for such a route.
The other problem is that even if it were picked up by someone else, how are they going to offer the huge range of onward connections that CO has a available at EWR? Presumably that was a big part of the reason that the route was started up in the first place?
If it does not work from New York, then it won't work from anywhere else in the US either.
Also, the fact they could not even fill a 757 let alone anything bigger pretty much proves it is unworkable.
We just have to face facts- there is simply not enough demand in the South West to sustain a direct connection to the US.
The only non- budget carriers I can see arriving at BRS now are one of the UAE carriers once the next generation Boeings and Airbuses are flying.
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The timing of this will definitely help make the new Aer Lingus Regional connectivity to the US over Dublin from Cardiff very competitive against the drive up the M4 to LHR or backhaul to AMS, especially with US immigration preclearance at Dublin. EI's launch fares from Cardiff to the US have been aggressive so clearly they see a market there for connections from the region.
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how are they going to offer the huge range of onward connections that CO has a available at EWR?
However, we don't seem to be scoring too well on the codesharing front, which I'm hoping is cock-up rather than conspiracy.
SN just published a *massive* codeshare setup with UA and US (shudder), which brings them into line with *A, after using AA for many years as their feeder into the USA.
However BRS-BRU isn't on either the UA or US codeshare lists I've seen. BHX, MAN and others are.
Similarly, CO offers a routing of BRS-BRU-EWR (although you'd have to look hard to find it - their own website doesn't recognise it). It would be good if that stayed in place as well.
I'd like to see more global airlines codeshare out of BRS. It'd be good to see Bristol added to the dropdown box of origination airports on the SQ website, even if it's BRS(SN)BRU(SQ)SIN that they're actually selling.
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Came back on AF today, just have to ask... what are those passport gates in arrivals for? They are NEVER working/ enabled. The queue was half- way up the stairs down to arrivals for passport control, and the passport gates were all......empty!
I wonder if BRS will find anyone to pick up the US route? Does anyone consider it a lost cause?
Thinking about it more, the only other viable airline with existing routes in the UK is probably Delta... However, they are part of Skyteam so potential conflicts there... Also if it didn't work for CO....?
I wonder if BRS will find anyone to pick up the US route? Does anyone consider it a lost cause?
Thinking about it more, the only other viable airline with existing routes in the UK is probably Delta... However, they are part of Skyteam so potential conflicts there... Also if it didn't work for CO....?
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It's worth bearing in mind FR and MOL's reputation for blurting out anything that generates publicity. I do believe the phrase "free bl*w j*bs in business class" was used by MOL in connection with this alleged trans-atlantic idea. Maybe one to file alongside the "£1 for the loo on flights of less than one hour" concept as well.
But let's just assume, for one horrifying moment, that FR (or some other organisation) decided to go transatlantic on the true loco model.
1) They'd be hard pressed to get below CO's entry fares on BRS-EWR.
2) The extras would be doubtless be ridiculous.
3) A large number of people who will bear FR for up to 2 hours would baulk at that for 7 hours, particularly on the overnight coming back the other way.
4) They'd clearly have to fly to the middle of nowhere, which in the US, can be considerably middle of nowhere. Getting slots at EWR/LGA/JFK/IAD/BOS/ORD is inconceivable on a low-cost model.
5) There doesn't seem to be the latent demand in the West Country for a US route. If a loco managed to generate such demand (£99??), then it would be pulling people in from all over the place, which doesn't seem to be very compatible with the airport's position of being for the West Country and contributing to our economy.
6) If you were going to do it from BRS, why they heck wouldn't you start at STN or LTN first?
Just some thoughts.
I think we might have to conclude that our region doesn't (yet) have the demand to warrant a direct US link. As others have said, if CO can't make it work as a scheduled, it seems unlikely anyone else would. (Bearing in mind CO seem happy with BFS, BHX, EDI, GLA). I think we just have to (glumly) accept that too many people in the West go to Heathrow rather than to Lulsgate.
But let's just assume, for one horrifying moment, that FR (or some other organisation) decided to go transatlantic on the true loco model.
1) They'd be hard pressed to get below CO's entry fares on BRS-EWR.
2) The extras would be doubtless be ridiculous.
3) A large number of people who will bear FR for up to 2 hours would baulk at that for 7 hours, particularly on the overnight coming back the other way.
4) They'd clearly have to fly to the middle of nowhere, which in the US, can be considerably middle of nowhere. Getting slots at EWR/LGA/JFK/IAD/BOS/ORD is inconceivable on a low-cost model.
5) There doesn't seem to be the latent demand in the West Country for a US route. If a loco managed to generate such demand (£99??), then it would be pulling people in from all over the place, which doesn't seem to be very compatible with the airport's position of being for the West Country and contributing to our economy.
6) If you were going to do it from BRS, why they heck wouldn't you start at STN or LTN first?
Just some thoughts.
I think we might have to conclude that our region doesn't (yet) have the demand to warrant a direct US link. As others have said, if CO can't make it work as a scheduled, it seems unlikely anyone else would. (Bearing in mind CO seem happy with BFS, BHX, EDI, GLA). I think we just have to (glumly) accept that too many people in the West go to Heathrow rather than to Lulsgate.
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USA route
I can't see much hope for a regular scheduled link in the forseeable future though would love to be proved wrong.
Although the loads for much of the summers were pretty good sometimes very good/excellent for the most part, the winter loads were not very good at times.
A local tv reporter confirmed my suspicions this week when he said a Continental source told him that the business/first cabin was one of the problems in that people did not fill it often enough. You would expect business to be the main customers for the front cabin but as Bristol Traveller points out there were still people who were unaware of the route from BRS and continued to use LHR as did others who were aware of the BRS link.
The 'official' reasons given for the discontinuance were the recession, the weak pound and the impending increase in APD.
CO started BRS when it had no access to LHR. When that situation changed I feared for the route and when CO announced some months ago that they were to increase their daily rotations from LHR to EWR from 3 to 5 daily I was convinced the writing was on the wall.
Would it make much sense to operate a route to a regional airport just a hundred miles away from LHR when they had decided to go full tilt from there? Even if the BRS route did make money for CO a concentrated LHR operation would likely make more money pro rata.
Never say never because who can forecast travel and economic trends in the future but I can't think of an airline that would be a fit for BRS at the moment, although I hope the Bristol routes team can.
The loss of the CO route is a blow to the airport's prestige but from a practical point of view I miss the LH Frankfurt more with its worldwide connections and Star Alliance partners as a counter to KLM/AF. Getting that back is more likely than a replacement NYC route in my view.
I was preparing this as B T was posting his input and we seem to be largely singing from the same hymn sheet.
I also agree also with his Ryanair transatlantic assessment.
Although the loads for much of the summers were pretty good sometimes very good/excellent for the most part, the winter loads were not very good at times.
A local tv reporter confirmed my suspicions this week when he said a Continental source told him that the business/first cabin was one of the problems in that people did not fill it often enough. You would expect business to be the main customers for the front cabin but as Bristol Traveller points out there were still people who were unaware of the route from BRS and continued to use LHR as did others who were aware of the BRS link.
The 'official' reasons given for the discontinuance were the recession, the weak pound and the impending increase in APD.
CO started BRS when it had no access to LHR. When that situation changed I feared for the route and when CO announced some months ago that they were to increase their daily rotations from LHR to EWR from 3 to 5 daily I was convinced the writing was on the wall.
Would it make much sense to operate a route to a regional airport just a hundred miles away from LHR when they had decided to go full tilt from there? Even if the BRS route did make money for CO a concentrated LHR operation would likely make more money pro rata.
Never say never because who can forecast travel and economic trends in the future but I can't think of an airline that would be a fit for BRS at the moment, although I hope the Bristol routes team can.
The loss of the CO route is a blow to the airport's prestige but from a practical point of view I miss the LH Frankfurt more with its worldwide connections and Star Alliance partners as a counter to KLM/AF. Getting that back is more likely than a replacement NYC route in my view.
I was preparing this as B T was posting his input and we seem to be largely singing from the same hymn sheet.
I also agree also with his Ryanair transatlantic assessment.
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Terminal improvements / Western Walkway
Moving on from the sad EWR news...
Does anyone happen to know when the current round of terminal improvements are going to be completed and when the new Western walkway might be opening?.
It is getting busier by the week in the departure lounge with floor and stair space now taking the brunt of the seating shortages.
And last but probably more importantly, has a date been set for the final meeting to approve (
) the Airport Expansion by North Somerset Council, all I can find is "later this month"
Does anyone happen to know when the current round of terminal improvements are going to be completed and when the new Western walkway might be opening?.
It is getting busier by the week in the departure lounge with floor and stair space now taking the brunt of the seating shortages.
And last but probably more importantly, has a date been set for the final meeting to approve (
) the Airport Expansion by North Somerset Council, all I can find is "later this month"