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DURHAM TEES VALLEY AIRPORT - 5

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Old 2nd Oct 2009, 23:14
  #141 (permalink)  
 
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Skyman,if there is not enough passenger volume in the North East, then why were both MME and NCL having huge increases in passenger volume 2 yrs ago. Ryanair have demonstrated that given favourable market conditions you can actually grow a market from nothing in a very short time. These favourable market conditions will return and sooner than most doom and gloom merchants would predict. The leisure industry on Teesside has never been busier and this will overspill into the holiday market sooner rather than later.
As for transport infrastructure I do not see why Scotland which nowadays is effectively a foreign country should have any bearing whatsoever on Teesside.The problem with commuter flights from Teesside especially to London is that we are too close to fly and too far to drive/train.
Growth at Teesside has always been based on the holiday market and the LHR loss whilst hurting local pride was not a major blow in the longterm.
As for needing a strong industrial base to justify an airport,have you actually been to Teesside recently. It is a hive of current activity and building for further industrial enterprises. It is the industrial powerhouse for the North of England. Leeds has banking, Manchester Leisure,Liverpool culture with Newcastle..............Metro Centre?
We don't need to be a special case just to have someone in charge at the Airport who knows what they are doing.The name change is a very minor issue but it demonstrates how inept and out of touch the management are.
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Old 3rd Oct 2009, 06:53
  #142 (permalink)  

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How about Middleton St. George?

Could attract loyal subjects of England, and even a few pilgrims!
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Old 3rd Oct 2009, 06:56
  #143 (permalink)  
 
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Skilly

The last aberdeen does not get in until about 2045hrs

And stop moaning about the prices you tight t*** flights very popular and punctual, you pay for what you get
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Old 3rd Oct 2009, 08:08
  #144 (permalink)  
 
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Paarmo, knocked the nail on its head!

I do think that DTV will see a large increase for next summer, with the Tall Ships in Hartlepool. Wouldn't surprise me if Northern Rail actually had a few more trains stopping there each week (Currently one), to deal with the overcrowding.

Should be a good week in August next year, let's just wait and see.
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Old 3rd Oct 2009, 08:53
  #145 (permalink)  
 
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I've heard that a new rail halt is proposed, and it will be relocated nearer the Airport.
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Old 3rd Oct 2009, 10:02
  #146 (permalink)  
 
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"Proposed", but this would mean only Tees Metro services would get it.
Northern Rail have no intentions of stopping at DTV other than the one weekly service on a Sunday.

I sent an email to them about it, 3 weeks later they reply:
"Dear Mr Clark,
We currently have no intentions to stop at Durham Tees Valley airport for services other than the one that is currently placed. Stopping at DTV would mean a hefty workload to try and re-position train timetables to allow the one or two extra minutes necessary, meaning that access rights could be constrained.

Although there are no intentions of changing the routes, I have forwarded your E-Mail to the appropriate section".
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Old 3rd Oct 2009, 11:40
  #147 (permalink)  
 
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Paarmo
why were both MME and NCL having huge increases in passenger volume 2 yrs ago
Err particularly in DTV's case then 100% increase on nothing is still nothing ! The market at that time was also supported by carriers obsession as to "bums on seats" irrespective of price, which stimulated pax no.'s if not revenues. Put the fares up & the pax. soon disappeared! As for Scotland reference, then this was to reflect airport availability to the North of the region as a whole, whatever your interpretation as to Scotland's position within the UK, the fact is that it generates substantial no.'s of pax from the borders and further north into the NE regional airport framework. As you quite correctly state Scotland
should not have any bearing whatsoever on Teesside
it doesn't!, but this IS part of DTV's problem... not many areas do have a bearing on DTV, only those, as you state, that are looking for cheap holiday flights (which as I suggested earlier disappered faster than the increasing fares). In reality those pax that can afford to pay more are now well catered for under the existing infrastructure, it may not be the best, but it does suffice. The problem is that the Tour Operators themselves have also identified this and it is one reason why they choose to prefer DTV's neighbours with their flight offerings.
Insofar as your summary of DTV & indeed many other parts of the region. My Company has very strong business links with Teesside and we maintain a constant presence, I am well aware as to the position of the local economy & even if I were to borrow your rose tinted spec's I would not be able to interpret the current situation as you choose to represent it.
I do however concur with your last paragraph comment on the airport management of which my views were well known. I am unsure as to whose "pride" was hurt at the loss of LHR but I would not expect many outside the current management to have experienced such an emotion. Most people that I come accross have by now overcome what frustration did exist and simply adapted to other alternatives. I suspect many of these pax. having now adapted to alternative arrangements are not seeking further change.
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Old 3rd Oct 2009, 12:40
  #148 (permalink)  
 
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"Proposed", but this would mean only Tees Metro services would get it.
Northern Rail have no intentions of stopping at DTV other than the one weekly service on a Sunday.
Tees Metro services will replace the current Northern services, and may even be operated by Northern. So while Northern arent going to add any extra DTV stops now, when the Metro service happens with relocated station, then they will
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Old 3rd Oct 2009, 22:54
  #149 (permalink)  
 
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Skyman, No one mentioned the percentages of increase of passengers ,just that there was a massive increase. The downturn was not instigated by the raising of prices. The prices stayed the same and the loads stayed the same, the airlines withdrew. Why they withdrew is still a matter of conjecture.
As far as I know passengers have never travelled from Southern Scotland to Teesside after all it is a 2 1/2 hour journey by car at the best of times. We are actually a long way from Jockland. I did think that you meant road and rail links but again they have no impact on Teesside.
I do think it is patronising to suggest that the only people travelling from Teesside are those looking for a cheap holiday although I do not see why it costs more to travel by air in the school holidays. I hope the staff are paid more in the school holidays!
Your company may maintain a presence in the area but they obviously don't go out much. Every one I know in the manufacturing industries in the area has never been busier than in the last 6 months. This includes Corus who are working flat out to complete orders even under the threat of redundancy . The problems mainly come from foreign based owners who are under pressure in other strands of their business.Teesside is booming at the moment believe it or not. I have lived and worked through two recessions in the 70s and 80s and this one is nothing as compared to those. The difference this time is that City is involved and so therefore it is headline news. My specs are not rose tinted they are clear and show the realities of life. The only problem at Teesside Airport is the people who are managing it. They get paid huge salaries when things are going well but only earn that money when things are going wrong. They are not earning that money and have not done so in the last 2 years. What did they do to hold onto Globespan ,Tui, BMI etc? Obviously not enough. They either did not realise the enormity of their inaction or perhaps they did and this is part of the master plan.
As an aside the Metro is operating the same rolling stock over the same rails on a more frequent schedule. The lunatics have taken over the asylum.
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Old 4th Oct 2009, 00:11
  #150 (permalink)  
 
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paarmo - the management are not on huge salaries, at least, not compared to the management at other airports. In fact, most of the staff are on poor wages compared to their counterparts at other airports, and that's half the problem - you pay peanuts & you get Monkey's - and as such, DTVA is like a zoo!
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Old 4th Oct 2009, 09:36
  #151 (permalink)  
 
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Because of the prospect of the Tees Metro, Im pretty sure there will be some increases because of people being able to actually get to the airport, due to the loss of the bus links by Arriva, there is a need!

As paarmo has said, there have been huge increases in use of Teesside manufacturing industries, and Hartlepool is also one to show for that. What we need is trains to stop there for the time being, to keep that small amount of passengers going. A train every hour would do it, meaning the through Saltburn - Darlington trains would stop every 2 trains - atleast its a frequent service, and the airport can boast good transport links to major north east areas. From Thornaby, there's links to Hartlepool (to London by Grand Central), Newcastle, Hexham, Manchester Airport, Leeds, York and many more. This atleast gives the airport some kind of service in which it requires - the bus was not quick enough as it had called at (From Middlesbrough) - Stockton & Yarm. Therefore taking the long route round.

The airport also needs new management, and management that care about the airport, not just whats in their wallets. Im sure a majority of you will agree - DTVA staff are lacking, quite badly, in the management fields.
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Old 4th Oct 2009, 11:48
  #152 (permalink)  
 
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Gentlemen,

If you look at Newcastle you will see that only 11% of all passengers use ANY form of public transport to get to the airport, that is a complete red herring.

You also need to look more closely at industrial Teesside. Unemployment has been soaring and industrial plants have been CLOSED and mothballed across the region. This dream that the economy is ready to soar and bring prosperity quickly is tosh.

The lack of connection to the capital means that a lot of onward connections are lost as well as the daily commute to the smoke, it does have a knock on.

Teesside has always been the poor relation to the other neighbouring airports and frankly always will. Apart from a few who will doubtless take a great deal of delight in correting me, Teesside itself is a dump. Sorry to break it to you but people go elsewhere for weekend city breaks, cultural outlets and to take their onward connections for inward tourism. I know there are a lot of great places within easy travel but it cannot compete on any basis with any of the other closeby airports.

Ryanair et al are not the panacea as they bring their own set of problems and if you actually look at RYR's route selection policy its usually a very short term gain before much chopping and changing at everywhere other than their major mega bases.

Someone mentioned earlier about the military and Germany; not sure if you've noticed but we have very little military presence in Germany now compared to years ago and if a loco can't make NCL to Germany work it seems unlikely that MME will do.

The organisation and management appear a shambles but reallistically what does anyone expect them to pull off given the economy, the infrastructure and the relative wealth of their local clientele?
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Old 4th Oct 2009, 13:11
  #153 (permalink)  
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The bus service is still there, an hourly link to Hurworth/Darlington and Stockton/Middlesbrough. Takes around half an hour from Stockton, 55 mins from Middlesbrough, and under half an hour from Darlington. It does not go via Yarm any more though, which means people from Yarm need to change.
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Old 4th Oct 2009, 13:25
  #154 (permalink)  
 
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Well said, andrewmcharlton.

Teesside Airport is not alone in the challenges it faces. Perhaps it ought to look elsewhere for inspiration. Many years ago, I lived in Belgium for a while. At the time, Sabena operated a Beech 99 from Liege, via Ostend, I think, to London. That link has long since demised, and indeed Liege now has, according to OAG, only one scheduled flight a week - a Belle Air A319 to Prishtina. However, somehow it managed to see over 400,000 passengers pass through last year and 500,000 tonnes of freight. Many of the passengers are on charter flights to sunnier climes than eastern Belgium, and a lot of the freight is in transit, with TNT, EL Al and most recently Avient using the place as a hub.

Let's remember that Liege is a former iron and steel town, of both industrial and manufacturing heritage. Much of that has gone, replaced by mechanical and space tech industries, biotech and science. It's airport - served by regular buses to the railway station - is linked into a fast and efficient motorway and rail network from the city. The happy burghers of Liege can therefore be at Brussels Airport in about an hour, and CDG or FRA in 2-3. So how come LGG is so successful? Why can't MME emulate some of that success? Liege has carved out a number of key niches over recent years, and sought to cleverly fill them. Yes, Brussels takes a lot of cargo; but runway capacity and night operations are constrained, and road traffic is heavy: So Liege has developed into a hub for perishable cargoes, with fast handling, customs and road transportation provided.

Perhaps MME managers need to sit down with One North East, Yorkshire Forward, local authorities, business leaders, operators and regional transport planners to brainstorm some potential niches. I'm not saying Teesside could or should do what Liege has done; but it's an inspiration and an example of how an industrial centre sandwiched between larger air transport centres can still make itself a going concern.
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Old 5th Oct 2009, 13:17
  #155 (permalink)  
 
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ConstantFlyer - A very interesting post, and example as to how an innovative management team can survive & grow given the close proximity of a much larger hub.
A few comments, I can see that in retrospect with decent management there probably was an opportunity to develop akin to that at Liege, but for any number of reasons over the years all possible seeds of development have not been nurtured to grow into strong thriving areas of business. Ironically you mention TNT where at DTV the great promises of an expanding regional freight hub have simply evaporated. Why ? well much of it is down to politics, in the UK distribution centers have been set out having regard to communications & what resource there was available directed there & encouraging further external investment. The road transport network in the UK is 30 years out of date with virtually zero resource being directed at the North East so that effectively killed off DTV. Most politicians have more than one agenda and it is the same at One North East where with "more than one mouth to feed" there can easily be a lack of focus on either DTV or indeed NCL.
On another tack then there is some cynicism in that the EU is conveniently located in Brussels & that perhaps in the availability of grants & subsidies, then when handouts are required, there may perhaps be those closer at hand with connections to Liege to lobby and provide a strong business case for the whole region if not Belgium as a whole. Clearly something has worked with as you state fast & efficient trains & road network!
With the current management team and with their paymasters based in the North West then again perhaps those with the greater management skills and experience are attracted to more rewarding projects away from DTV. Politics enter into all spheres of operation and I have seen nothing to suggest that government performance in respect of transport over the last 30 years is going to improve, lets face it even "local lad" Blair quickly become seduced by the bright lights & trappings elsewhere, when he above all had the ability to direct resource “Up North” as opposed to empty jingoistic promises.
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Old 5th Oct 2009, 22:38
  #156 (permalink)  
 
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AC and Skyman I really must take you to task.
Teesside is not a dump. Yes it has less desirable areas but every town in the world has them including Newcastle. No one ever said that Teesside should rebrand itself as THE place to go for a weekend getaway.
If you actually came to Teesside you would see for yourself the strength of the industrial heartland of the North.
Skyman when was the last time you used the motorway system in Europe?
Yes they are very good for 50 miles and then you have to stop,pay, drive on for 50 miles, stop, pay etc. If you used the free roads around the motorway system then you would have something to complain about. I travel 220miles down the A1 two or three times a month and it always takes between 3hrs 5mins and 3hrs 15mins without fail The only time I have been delayed was during the snowstorms earlier this year when it took me 45 mins extra. Yes the roads are crowded but that is because this is a crowded island. Tell me anywhere else in the world where you can average 70mph for over 200miles.
Get real and both of you get facts before you start running down this marvellous country of ours.
DTV Airport. I realise that the management at MME do not get paid Heathrow type salaries but they still get paid a lot more than their average customer or at least they did when they had any. As for cargo flights TNT left as well as the passenger companies and it would appear not enough was done to keep them either, after all everyone has his price even multi national companies.
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Old 5th Oct 2009, 23:03
  #157 (permalink)  
 
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Paarmo, Teesside is a dump. Drive up or down the A19 and anyone who isn't from Teesside will be appalled at the blight on an otherwise attractive landscape.

The motorways in Europe are a joy compared to the UK. Pay as you go, vote with your feet and you find generally under utilised roads, in a good state of maintenance at a price admittedly but take Belgium and Netherlands with almost completely lit road networks? Stopping for 30 seconds to pay is an easy way to go compared to the appalling roadworks generally found in the UK.

I am as proud of the UK as any man and I am not running down the UK. Just trying to get you to see that MME is not going to compete (as it never really has in modern times) with any of the other airports neighbouring.

Whatever the management are paid they have limited options in this current economic climate, the infrastructure and the desire of locals and incomers to use the facilities.

The North East has about the worst unemployment in the UK and Teesside is about the worst in the region. There is neither the commercial case nor the willing passengers if there was to utilise the airport on any grand scale.

MME would be better off delivering charters, freight and GA than kidding itself and its users that it is an International Airport in any great sense of the word. The timetable they published is a joke, period.

I am very proud of our region and my country and it has jack to do with that. It has everything to do with deluding anyone that it can be something grand.

Reality is that the Metro may never happen, even if it does it will make no difference. The branding won't matter too much because in the final analysis not enough people want to fly to it or from it. Supply and demand.
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Old 5th Oct 2009, 23:17
  #158 (permalink)  
 
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Yes Teesside is never going to be as big as it's neighbours, but we should have hit 1m pax per year - and hovvered around that mark for a very long time, at the very least we should have a charter airline with a seasonal one aircraft base - that's something that's worked for decades & should still work for many decades to come.
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Old 5th Oct 2009, 23:23
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Absolutely agree DTV, I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation.

Just looking at the CAA web statistics for scheduled movements MME is in 38th place currently.
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Old 5th Oct 2009, 23:54
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Aren't we below Humberside now? No offence to them, but that should NEVER have happened, regardless of how bad things get. I know the management are limited in what they can do due to the conditions they face etc, as has been discussed endlessly in recent days on this thread - but they should still be doing a lot better than they are.

Kerry Quinn is a puppet on a string, Hugh Lang is basically still the MD of DTVA, i.e. two people are doing the same job, I also am told there's a member of staff within Peel who's job it is to go out looking for airlines and business, not sure if its just for DTV or for all Peel airports, either way, isn't this something the MD does at most other airports?

Also, didn't Kerry state not to long ago in an interview that her favourite route was Newquay & she loved seeing the surfing crowd boarding the aircraft - even though the route had finished months before - does she actually know what's going on in her own airport?
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