BELFAST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - BFS (Aldergrove)

[BFS101]

If Zoon could not make Toronto work (and that was before Air Transat built up its presence at Dublin)... ...why would anyone consider a BFS route?

We all understand the basic economics of making a routes successful, demand and yield. We have seen EI try Budapest and EZY try summer GVA and they just didn't work, so are pulled after a season or so. However with Canada, let us not forget, these services operated in consecutive years since at least the early 80's. Air Canada with L1011, 747, 767, Air Club International 747, A310, Air Transat L1011, A330, A310, 757, Canada 3000, Worldways, and more recently Zoom and Flyglobespan. These airlines transporting huge numbers of passengers year in year out from Belfast.

So Northern Ireland had an established operation, Chieftain, Globespan and American Holidays amongst others, sold the flights and mostly using Air Transat metal, just before the arrival of Flyglobespan and Zoom. All running smoothly year after year.

Then Zoom entered with weekly Toronto, via Halifax. Then added additional rotations, then added Vancouver and then went year round with both routes (via Cardiff). Not something I would imagine an airline would do if demand and yield did not exist. Yes Zoom went under, but none of us know that Belfast specifically was profit or loss making.

Again when Globespan started up their own airline flying to Hamilton, together with Zoom completely affected the dynamic of the market. With Zoom especially taking trade away from the established consolidators, so their demand drastically fell. Then since the demise of Zoom and Flyglobespan, while the demand that has existed for the past 30 odd years is still there, now the operators that had their fingers burnt in the past aren't returning. Personally I think it is ludicrous to think that if Exeter can have direct Canada, albeit via Newcastle, that BFS could not sustain the link once more. Yes there are people who will chase the pounds and fly from DUB, but there are others who are prepared to pay for convenience and fly from BFS. It's just trying to convince the likes of Canadian Affair to re-enter the Belfast market, after Zoom caused them much headache.

For all intents and purposes Belfast may have had absolutley no influence in the demaise of both these carriers, however has suffered greatly as a result.

Just remember we have to new airlines starting at BFS this year Monarch and Olympic Airlines.

Haven't heard about Olympic Airlines. Where are they operating to, when??? Know that Olympic Holidays have added Rhodes, think using Fly Hellas, but in saying that have cut capacity vastly to Cyprus due to the demise of Eurocypria.

[Aaron9890]

Know that Olympic Holidays have added Rhodes, think using Fly Hellas

I thought Olympic Airlines where doing this route, sorry!

starts 25th May doesn't it??

yeah your right!!

[Aaron9890]

Aberdeen Airport now has a long haul flight to Baku from Azerbaijan Arlines. Still we have no long haul flights. BFS must be so unattractive to airlines.

[NorthernCounties]

Aberdeen Airport now has a long haul flight to Baku from Azerbaijan Arlines. Still we have no long haul flights. BFS must be so unattractive to airlines.

How have you come to that conclusion. The route to Baku is to do with the North Sea operations out of Aberdeen Dock. It's hardly a route that'll be used for tourists. FYI, Newark is as a long haul route.

On a further note, please edit previous edits if no one has responded instead of posting new ones. Cheers.

[EGAC is Better]

New Air Canada LCC

Air Canada to launch cut-rate carrier - The Globe and Mail

A potential candidate to mop up some of the demand for Canada from NI? Discuss!

[tigger2k8]

Air Canada to launch cut-rate carrier - The Globe and Mail

A potential candidate to mop up some of the demand for Canada from NI? Discuss!

oh one can hope, would save me having to travel as a transfer passenger any time i go to Canada, was so conveniant when Globespan was around. The demand is there for a flight to Canada in summer, but with fuel prices so high and our higher taxes compared to DUB.. will it ever happen?

[dublindispatch]

More likely that the AC YYZ-DUB-YYZ would convert to the LCC than risk new launch at BFS

[ara01jbb]

More likely that the AC YYZ-DUB-YYZ would convert to the LCC than risk new launch at BFS

The seasonal YYZ-DUB-YYZ already was a hint of what might be to come, using a 767 that hadn't received Air Canada's XM ("eXtreme Makeover") interior. Without lie-flat J or the personal IFE, and the old J cradle cabin was sold as Economy Extra instead of J.

[Aaron9890]

Air Canada

even if that does happen. It will not be for at leas 5 -10 years

[BFS101]

Provisional March CAA statistics are in. Bizarrely on the domestics, with BHD competition, most are up. On European routes, the picture is much less rosey. On the whole though passengers -4.6% from March 2010, at 286473.

LGW +13%
LHR +1%
STN +29%
BRS +8%
EDI -1%
GLA +10%
LBA +15%
LPL +12%
NCL -7%

CDG -7%
AMS +3%
GVA +5%
INN +41%
MJV +93%
KRK +4%
FAO -27%
ALC -21%
BCN -19%
AGP -9%
PMI -48%
ACE -6%
FUA -15%
LPA -14%
TFS -11%
MIR +412%
SSH -9%
EWR +2%

Of note maybe is that besides LHR, BFS was the only UK airport to report a growth figure to Newark, and at 8152 we are close to BHX at 8215, 8906 for EDI and 8645 at GLA.

[tigger2k8]

Quite surprised at some of those figures, good to see routes doing well.. as already said on the LDY thread, April and May will be confusing months with the ash clouds..

as a comparison for Belfast to Alicante (used 2011 for EZY, EI and LS and 2012 for WW) this could be an unfair way of looking at it, but anyway.. dates are a little different due to schedules

EZY

Dep - 14th Aug, Return - 21st Aug
1 Bag @ £25 (no mention if this is in total or 1 way, never booked baggage with ezy before)
1x Adult
Total - £183.98

EI

Dep - 16th Aug - Return 20th Aug
1 Bag @ - £24 (£12, each way, online purchase)
1x Adult
Total - £181.36

LS

Dep - 15th Aug - Return - 22nd Aug
1 Bag @ £31.98
1x Adult
Total - £193.96

WW (2012)

Dep - 13th Aug - Return 20th Aug
1 Bag @ £31.98
1x Adult
Total - £173.96

now the flights by EZY, EI and LS are this year, just a few months away and the prices are between £180-£200, WW who have only just announced their flights and probably have very little booked compared to EZY, EI and LS, due to it being next year and yet they are charging almost £174

now that could be a completely unfair way to judge pricing, but the fact that the flights by EZY, EI and LS already have id say around 100+ sold for that time of year..

Edit - I could have missed options or clicked the wrong buttons, was done quickly, if anyone else wants to try it, feel free

[BFS101]

After what I put about the CO pax numbers, caught the front page of the Telegraph on my way home from work, and would appear likely that Continental will pull out of Northern Ireland. Would be a big blow, especially for the convenience of business links!! Blaming the high APD tax in the UK.

[TSR2]

On the whole though passengers -4.6% from March 2010, at 286473.

But unfortunately the rolling year is down 10% at 3,976,769.

[Aaron9890]

caught the front page of the Telegraph on my way home from work

i noticed this as well
this article is said to be from February but it was similar to what was in todays newspaper.

Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

i doubt they will lower taxes for one airline. It will be a massive loss if Continental pull out. that would completely cut off N.I from the west after SFB is finished this summer

[belfastmark]

Tonight there are four aer lingus planes arriving in, London, Rome, Tenerife & Lanzarote i thought we only had three? Does a fourth one make a show this summer some times?

[tigger2k8]

Tonight there are four aer lingus planes arriving in, London, Rome, Tenerife & Lanzarote i thought we only had three? Does a fourth one make a show this summer some times?

More than likely an error in the FMS, EI043 isnt scheduled tonight

[AIRPORT66]

airport66

Anymore talk about the continental do we still have it or has it gone.

[tigger2k8]

Found the article mentioned yesterday online (i think?)

Emergency talks in bid to protect Northern Ireland’s threatened US air link - Northern Ireland, Local & National - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

fingers crossed they can sort something out, after all if they are wanting to lower business taxes here to be in competition with Ireland then i dont see how ADP rates can be ignored, especially here in N.Ireland

the last paragraph is interesting, which sums up the whole article.. unless fuel prices drop or something is done with ADP then I would say it could be dropped after summer.. which would be a shame as plenty of people use the route, as growth has been seen despite the economy

Industry insiders have said that Belfast is particularly at risk because it is already making a loss.

[dublindispatch]

I have also heard that the big push is to use star alliance flights into DUB and use CBP then onto the CO flight to EWR. SNN DUB and BFS all being looked at im told not just the BFS flight

[Jamie2k9]

Also United are pushing CO to drop European routes. United only fly to major European airports where as CO fly to smaller ones as well as major ones.

It wouldn't surprise me if SNN and one or two other UK airports get dropped as a result.