DURHAM TEES VALLEY AIRPORT - 5
Join Date: May 2006
Location: North West
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Any service into LCY would need to be on a 40+ seat aircraft due to the high landing charges. The J41 is too small and performance (restricted take off weight) too limiting to be viable at Lcy anymore. Keeping enough crew trained and current to operate into there is also an added expense.
The service to Southampton will be given a shortish period to sink or swim. Fingers crossed.
The service to Southampton will be given a shortish period to sink or swim. Fingers crossed.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Teesside
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Darlington to Kings Cross, 2 1/2 hrs something like 20 returns each day no check in times and no stripping. Carry your laptop on and use it wi fi. Reasonable advanced booking fares even First Class. MME is too close for flying but too far for driving but the train has driven the air journey out of sight .Not just for the foreseeable future but for ever I'm afraid.Security concerns when flying are really not worth the hassle for most commuters nowadays.
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: On the flightpath
Age: 61
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Out of the several hundred people each day who travel by train from Darlington to London, I wonder what proportion then trogs across town by Tube to take another train from London Bridge/Waterloo/Victoria/Paddington etc. to places like Kent, Sussex, Essex, Hampshire and the West Country. Probably not enough to fill planes to the likes of Manston, Lydd, Gatwick, Heathrow, Southampton, Bournemouth or Bristol. However, if you add in those catching a flight overseas, then maybe. Heathrow is a non-starter, obviously. But surely Gatwick still has potential. bmi baby gave it a go, but one flight a day with a 737 wasn't right. The obvious candidate to me would be flybe with Q400s. Maybe flights to both Gatwick and Southampton.
Right, that's the pie-in-the-sky pensive bit over with. Now for the reality. What about people in London and the South wishing to travel to County Durham or the Tees Valley for business or leisure? Yes, there are some! I used to work in London and often travelled to towns and cities around England. I far prefer flying to the train, so always took the plane when I could. Huddersfield or Liverpool? (= fly to MAN then direct train). Durham? (= fly to NCL, then Metro and 10 minutes on the train). It is easy to connect to public transport, which is more important for inbound pax (most returning locals will be picked up by rellies, but inbound visitors will rely more on public transport). With one bus an hour from MME to Darlington, it barely rates as an option. Therefore, inbound visitors will instead fly to NCL or take the train all the way.
The free bus that One North East funded went empty most of the time, because there were no flights coming in most of the time. Then it was packed solid when one flight did come in. If they had been foresighted enough and flexible enough to provide a dedicated large enough bus just to meet each flight, then provision would have more closely matched demand. If they can do it at "Stockholm"-Skavsta, why not at MME?
Right, that's the pie-in-the-sky pensive bit over with. Now for the reality. What about people in London and the South wishing to travel to County Durham or the Tees Valley for business or leisure? Yes, there are some! I used to work in London and often travelled to towns and cities around England. I far prefer flying to the train, so always took the plane when I could. Huddersfield or Liverpool? (= fly to MAN then direct train). Durham? (= fly to NCL, then Metro and 10 minutes on the train). It is easy to connect to public transport, which is more important for inbound pax (most returning locals will be picked up by rellies, but inbound visitors will rely more on public transport). With one bus an hour from MME to Darlington, it barely rates as an option. Therefore, inbound visitors will instead fly to NCL or take the train all the way.
The free bus that One North East funded went empty most of the time, because there were no flights coming in most of the time. Then it was packed solid when one flight did come in. If they had been foresighted enough and flexible enough to provide a dedicated large enough bus just to meet each flight, then provision would have more closely matched demand. If they can do it at "Stockholm"-Skavsta, why not at MME?
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Newcastle
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I now live in Sussex (near to Hastings) and by the time I drive to Gatwick (it's quicker than the train on that line), park, check in/loose luggage and get through security, fly to Newcastle, get luggage, get metro into city centre etc I have worked it that it all saves me 25 minutes as opposed to taking the train.
You also have to remember that employers are cutting budgets but at the same time becoming far more interested in the environment. In my organisation if I do fly then a £30 surcharge is put onto my budget to offset the carbon emissions and I understand we aren't the only large company to do this. Also, in terms of efficiency you can work the majority of the way on the train - employers are demanding far more of their employees at the moment and don't want to think that they are 'wasting time' when travelling.
You also need to consider that the vast majority of the country's business is done in central London - in which case the train will win everytime, especially from the NE.
What you need is a significant leisure market and those all important long haul transfers to make a MME - London air route work.
You also have to remember that employers are cutting budgets but at the same time becoming far more interested in the environment. In my organisation if I do fly then a £30 surcharge is put onto my budget to offset the carbon emissions and I understand we aren't the only large company to do this. Also, in terms of efficiency you can work the majority of the way on the train - employers are demanding far more of their employees at the moment and don't want to think that they are 'wasting time' when travelling.
You also need to consider that the vast majority of the country's business is done in central London - in which case the train will win everytime, especially from the NE.
What you need is a significant leisure market and those all important long haul transfers to make a MME - London air route work.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: UK
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I think a LCY is possible but really there appears to be only VLM available to offer such a service, especially with the Air France KLM link and obvious onwards connections.
For the next 12 months, I feel DTV should be pushing out all the stops for the following;
JER 1 x weekly summer by FlyBE
BFS via IOM 2 x daily with Manx2.com (kills two bitds with one stone even with an NCL service)
DUB/ORK 1 or 2 x daily Aer Arann
LCY 2 x daily VLM
AGP/FAO/ALC/TFS/PMI summer timetable from one of the charters like TOM/TCX or even MON who could base a single 737 or A320. Obviously an EMB 190 sized aircraft would be better but I feel flyBE have committed to NCL/LBA for forseeable future even though they currently don't offer the med routes from these airports.
I cannot see anything more than the above being viable at MME but there should be no reason why the above services could not be successful.
For the next 12 months, I feel DTV should be pushing out all the stops for the following;
JER 1 x weekly summer by FlyBE
BFS via IOM 2 x daily with Manx2.com (kills two bitds with one stone even with an NCL service)
DUB/ORK 1 or 2 x daily Aer Arann
LCY 2 x daily VLM
AGP/FAO/ALC/TFS/PMI summer timetable from one of the charters like TOM/TCX or even MON who could base a single 737 or A320. Obviously an EMB 190 sized aircraft would be better but I feel flyBE have committed to NCL/LBA for forseeable future even though they currently don't offer the med routes from these airports.
I cannot see anything more than the above being viable at MME but there should be no reason why the above services could not be successful.
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Teesside
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KLM Increasing...
OK, not exactly riveting news but it looks like 2 out of the 3 daily flights to AMS will be on an F100 over winter.
From a booking I have in January; KL1530/9 & KL1533/4 move to F100. The second probably to take the extra capacity needed due to Newcastle losing this slot.
All short lived as bookings I have for April revert back to 3 x F70.
From a booking I have in January; KL1530/9 & KL1533/4 move to F100. The second probably to take the extra capacity needed due to Newcastle losing this slot.
All short lived as bookings I have for April revert back to 3 x F70.
Aviation experts report on services between Durham Tees Valley and London Heathrow
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: NE ENGLAND
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Iteresting reading, but alas predictable. A lot of rhetoric, particularly suggesting that looking to regional MP's / Minister would have the slightest impact
PSO vs. free market forces = free market
MME/DTV - LHR R.I.P. 
PSO vs. free market forces = free market
MME/DTV - LHR R.I.P.
If the money has to support the PSO and buy the Heathrow slots has to come from the North East, then is it the best use of the North East's development budget ?
It's an awful lot of money to have to explain why flights from Newcastle aren't good enough as a proxy, and given the train connections to King's Cross, why MME deserves the connectivity into Heathrow rather than the larger metropolis of Leeds.
Get behind the campaign for a 3rd runway at Heathrow, and the additional slots available mean MME will have a decent chance of regaining flights to Heathrow again.
It's an awful lot of money to have to explain why flights from Newcastle aren't good enough as a proxy, and given the train connections to King's Cross, why MME deserves the connectivity into Heathrow rather than the larger metropolis of Leeds.
Get behind the campaign for a 3rd runway at Heathrow, and the additional slots available mean MME will have a decent chance of regaining flights to Heathrow again.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Teesside
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Even if the 3rd runway was given the go ahead tomorrow it would take 6/10 years to plan build and open , far too long for MME if that is going to be the saviour. As it isn't going to happen at all it is not really relevant. Times and attitudes have changed and the MME London routes whichever you choose are no longer viable.