DURHAM TEES VALLEY AIRPORT - 5
Another year.....
well 2011 is upon us..wonder what awaits our wonderful airport?
starts off badly with Ryanair pulling out.All the good work with Thomson lost in one swoop! Any chance of someone replacing? Jet 2 Easy? or maybe a foreign airline?
Wonder what Peel/Vas are doing to encourage traffic..no doubt they will be burning the midnight oil at the routes conference again.Does anything ever come of these?
Of course if I was really cynical I could ask why the airport yet again was affected by ice this morning when the temperature wasnt too bad?KLM off to Newcastle(again)Thomson delayed out by 3/4 hours.Could it be that someone in their wisdom decided not to de ice the runway and wait for the sun to melt it?? If true its a disgrace and not what our customers or remaining airlines deserve.I agree though...very cost efective!!! Blessing we only had 2 flights !!
OK shout at me...
ps and we wont win the cup either this year!!
starts off badly with Ryanair pulling out.All the good work with Thomson lost in one swoop! Any chance of someone replacing? Jet 2 Easy? or maybe a foreign airline?
Wonder what Peel/Vas are doing to encourage traffic..no doubt they will be burning the midnight oil at the routes conference again.Does anything ever come of these?
Of course if I was really cynical I could ask why the airport yet again was affected by ice this morning when the temperature wasnt too bad?KLM off to Newcastle(again)Thomson delayed out by 3/4 hours.Could it be that someone in their wisdom decided not to de ice the runway and wait for the sun to melt it?? If true its a disgrace and not what our customers or remaining airlines deserve.I agree though...very cost efective!!! Blessing we only had 2 flights !!
OK shout at me...
ps and we wont win the cup either this year!!
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Didn't think the news of Ryanair pulling out would have lead the news like it has, BBC Tees had a good interview today though with someone who stuck up for the airport & criticised anyone who goes to alternative airports because of the new tax only to pay more in parking & fuel. This is the atitude everyone needs to take!!
What surprised me is someone from Peel said Ryanair had already decided to leave prior to the announcement of the tax.
What surprised me is someone from Peel said Ryanair had already decided to leave prior to the announcement of the tax.
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High wide I think you will find the Thomson delay was a LBA knock on and nothing to do with Teesside.
Losing Ryanair is not the worst news in the world. Their ALC flight was always well populated and so their assertion that the route was being pulled in November before the passenger surcharge is strange.Eastern and KLM both disagree with the surcharge and both say so in public. KLM have never to my knowledge disagreed with MME policy publicly even when the strangest ideas of the so called management team were released.
This appears to be the tipping point for the Canadians. Have they something up their sleeves or are they about to close the airport and commit professional suicide? If they close then no one will ever believe them again and their promises will count for nothing.
Losing Ryanair is not the worst news in the world. Their ALC flight was always well populated and so their assertion that the route was being pulled in November before the passenger surcharge is strange.Eastern and KLM both disagree with the surcharge and both say so in public. KLM have never to my knowledge disagreed with MME policy publicly even when the strangest ideas of the so called management team were released.
This appears to be the tipping point for the Canadians. Have they something up their sleeves or are they about to close the airport and commit professional suicide? If they close then no one will ever believe them again and their promises will count for nothing.
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Originally Posted by DTV Airport
Didn't think the news of Ryanair pulling out would have lead the news like it has, BBC Tees had a good interview today though with someone who stuck up for the airport & criticised anyone who goes to alternative airports because of the new tax only to pay more in parking & fuel. This is the atitude everyone needs to take!!
What surprised me is someone from Peel said Ryanair had already decided to leave prior to the announcement of the tax.
What surprised me is someone from Peel said Ryanair had already decided to leave prior to the announcement of the tax.
I always tried to use the Airport when I lived in the UK but to get where I needed to be it often involved either taking very expensive charter flights or connecting through AMS when I could toddle up to NCL or EDI and get a direct scheduled flight for half the price.
If there's a large group going away on holiday it's just as cost effective to hire a minibus or taxi and get up to NCL so I don't buy the fuel cost argument, nearly every taxi company in the area does decent deals on NCL airport transfers
Regardless of the merits of any fee it's going to put people off purely on a PR basis. It's got negative connotations.
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Despite a fear of sounding like a typical pre-25 yr old ppruner I don't mind saying I've been told of four routes in the pipeline but have been told in confidence. Two we're already aware of so I'll share those - Larnaca & Paphos with Monarch apparantly still in the pipeline (VAS connection, which contradicts my 1st paragraph but hey ho), the third I'm supremely skeptical about & the fourth is possible I suppose but no idea who would operate it.
After a 12.5% increase in traffic in November, December figures are down by 4.5%. I suppose this can be largely put down to the numerous snow closures and Christmas schedules.
Can anyone shed any light on the reduced yet annual Grenoble charters? Are these privately booked in a similar way to the Lourdes flights?
Hardly a surprise and more bad publicity.
Concern for ?vital? airport as passenger numbers hit a low (From The Northern Echo)
Concern for ?vital? airport as passenger numbers hit a low (From The Northern Echo)
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Disappointing to see HUY gaining from our misfortune but I guess it is more of a deal with MAG airports more than HUY (which was probably part of the bargain with the 4 routes announced from MAN with FR)
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Mr Tudor said it was unlikely any new routes would be introduced this year.
Surely we should be offering free EVERYTHING to Thomson to operate ALC in the summer and continue Sharm, Tenerife and (Vancouver owned) Paphos and Larnaca for winter 2011????Whilst the likes of LBA (bmi LHR) DSA (Aer Lingus, FR to Dublin and Girona)suffer the same axes as MME, I must admit this proved some comfort but I am now starting to see the 'parting of the ways' with FR now expanding at DSA (FAO and TFS) and even HUY, I am beginning to genuinely think if we are seeing the beginning of the end for Durham Tees Valley.
Not sure why you're confused about FR expanding at HUY, it has a bigger core catchment area than MME for a start, and i believe they are actually looking at adding more if the route does ok.
Clearly the ADF has had a negative impact, such a shame its come to this for MME. Hopefully there will be better news down the line.
Clearly the ADF has had a negative impact, such a shame its come to this for MME. Hopefully there will be better news down the line.
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I can't believe the local authorities that still own a share in the airport (don't they?) can just sit back and let this happen. They must be applying some pressure on Peel/VAS to do something.
The manangement are always blaming the 'difficult time' in aviation, but I don't see another airport in whole country that has had such a shocking decline in passenger numbers. They must bear some responsibility.
As an example of poor management, there are some 1 off holidays with Omega holidays been arranged, but any mention of the them on the airport's website - not a thing, not even a press release. And if you go to the Airlines and Tour Operators list on the website, it still lists Airtours, Thomas Cook and Direct holidays which haven't flown from here for over a year, and under Thomson and First choice no mention of Tenerife and Sharm El Sheik.
To say at this stage of the year that there will be no new routes this year just shows that there is nothing in the pipeline at all, so what are the development/marketing teams doing?
Of course passenger numbers in 2011 will be even less than 2010, with the loss of Ryanair and Aer Lingus
I know we have the winter Thomson flights which is a good start, but if Thomson think there is a demand in winter for flights, why not a demand in summer? Even if it is just to Alicante, Tenerife etc...
Very sad state of affairs and the £6 fee just will not help, I hope the management see this and reverse a very poor decision.
The manangement are always blaming the 'difficult time' in aviation, but I don't see another airport in whole country that has had such a shocking decline in passenger numbers. They must bear some responsibility.
As an example of poor management, there are some 1 off holidays with Omega holidays been arranged, but any mention of the them on the airport's website - not a thing, not even a press release. And if you go to the Airlines and Tour Operators list on the website, it still lists Airtours, Thomas Cook and Direct holidays which haven't flown from here for over a year, and under Thomson and First choice no mention of Tenerife and Sharm El Sheik.
To say at this stage of the year that there will be no new routes this year just shows that there is nothing in the pipeline at all, so what are the development/marketing teams doing?
Of course passenger numbers in 2011 will be even less than 2010, with the loss of Ryanair and Aer Lingus
I know we have the winter Thomson flights which is a good start, but if Thomson think there is a demand in winter for flights, why not a demand in summer? Even if it is just to Alicante, Tenerife etc...
Very sad state of affairs and the £6 fee just will not help, I hope the management see this and reverse a very poor decision.
Dtv Rip ?
said it before and will say it again..if cobhams/frl pull out..the airport will close.the only meaningful revenue coming in is from those 2.
worringly..it may be out of everyones hands as the defence cuts may make the decision on our behalf.
the future...who knows..i think all airports are struggling..especially with domestic taxes..so (1)domestic flights imho are out of the question.
(2)international schedules..doubtful..never worked in the past when the economy was 'good' so why now.(3)Bucket and spade, well how many times do people really want to go to Spain(and can they afford it?)(4)now no military to fall back on
Its going to be a hard couple of years fo rDTV(and all airports) the question is can we survive as a going concern and come out the other end in decent shape?
Only time will tell...fingers/legs/cheques crossed !
worringly..it may be out of everyones hands as the defence cuts may make the decision on our behalf.
the future...who knows..i think all airports are struggling..especially with domestic taxes..so (1)domestic flights imho are out of the question.
(2)international schedules..doubtful..never worked in the past when the economy was 'good' so why now.(3)Bucket and spade, well how many times do people really want to go to Spain(and can they afford it?)(4)now no military to fall back on
Its going to be a hard couple of years fo rDTV(and all airports) the question is can we survive as a going concern and come out the other end in decent shape?
Only time will tell...fingers/legs/cheques crossed !
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As an example of poor management, there are some 1 off holidays with Omega holidays been arranged, but any mention of the them on the airport's website - not a thing, not even a press release. And if you go to the Airlines and Tour Operators list on the website, it still lists Airtours, Thomas Cook and Direct holidays which haven't flown from here for over a year, and under Thomson and First choice no mention of Tenerife and Sharm El Sheik.
One look at the news section on the DSA website (who recently announced an INCREASE in pax numbers) shows how proactive the marketing team are in comparison to MME. It also mentions how DSA management have hit local travel agents advertising new TCX routes (inc. bonuses from TCX). Now I wonder if MME management (who are one in the same people as DSA????) have done that regarding TOM's winter routes?
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MME going down the tube
I used MME a couple of week back and it was worse than bad. In the arrivals hall was one man with a walkie talkie whilst a very aggressive drunk making threats of violence was permitted to wander around that part of the airport. I was extremely cautious as this was something that should have a visible presence of police, and not just a guys witha walkie talkie.
The 6 quid entrance fee is just stupid beyond imagining. If Peel want people to go there then its incentives they need, not disincentives.
The parking is punitively expensive. Even picking someone up can run into 5 quid very quickly.
If Peel wanted to create an "airport experience" then they have made the worst combination of negative factors I fan think of.
The 6 quid entrance fee is just stupid beyond imagining. If Peel want people to go there then its incentives they need, not disincentives.
The parking is punitively expensive. Even picking someone up can run into 5 quid very quickly.
If Peel wanted to create an "airport experience" then they have made the worst combination of negative factors I fan think of.
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One look at the news section on the DSA website (who recently announced an INCREASE in pax numbers) shows how proactive the marketing team are in comparison to MME. It also mentions how DSA management have hit local travel agents advertising new TCX routes (inc. bonuses from TCX). Now I wonder if MME management (who are one in the same people as DSA????) have done that regarding TOM's winter routes?
I think you will find the MME has no marketing department and this with 'route development' is actually based at DSA or LPL....I will let you draw your own conclusions as to where their loyalities lie
I think you will find the MME has no marketing department and this with 'route development' is actually based at DSA or LPL....I will let you draw your own conclusions as to where their loyalities lie
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Given that DSA's original business plan involved taking 87% of their traffic from other existing airports (never mind closure of Sheffield City), surely it's no surprise that Peel might soft-pedal (to say the least) on DTV?
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Mr Tudor said it was unlikely any new routes would be introduced this year.
Perhaps I fear that he may actually wanting to ensure that on his CV that he was actually the last person who actually came out and faced the truth, though it would in retrospect be a seriously sad epitaph in the annals of the troubled history of Teesside Airport.
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The load figures for Dec 2010 for Thomson were very good, 85/95%. The yields appear to be good because they are not discounting to any great degree and the local travel agents are still pushing the holidays.
I really don't see what more can be done by Teessiders or any other outside influences. Mind you it is typical of MME's luck that Egypt may be going into an Islamic Republic just as the first flights to Sharm are warming up.
It's now down to VAS and not Peel.
I really don't see what more can be done by Teessiders or any other outside influences. Mind you it is typical of MME's luck that Egypt may be going into an Islamic Republic just as the first flights to Sharm are warming up.
It's now down to VAS and not Peel.