BELFAST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - BFS (Aldergrove)
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'They' are airport management who should have the ability to negogiate with airlines. Why are they happy, time and time again to obtain sun routes to Malaga etc. BFS is still the main airport for Northern Ireland and we have two semi-economic routes to continental Europe. Amsterdam and Paris, we need more routes to the likes of Germany and elsewhere.
If FR were to come on the scene, I'd welcome them if they did provide such new routes, but if they just came to provide "competition" (on sun routes.) No thank you.
P.S Mind your tone.
If FR were to come on the scene, I'd welcome them if they did provide such new routes, but if they just came to provide "competition" (on sun routes.) No thank you.
P.S Mind your tone.
Last edited by NorthernCounties; 6th Jul 2011 at 11:45.
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I'd bet FR would cherrypick the routes most likely to make a profit, so that would equal the typical routes to Spain. Maybe a few new destinations, but to be fair many routes have been tried and unfortunately failed. EZY to Berlin managed to last a good few years, but sadly ended, EI to Munich and Milan was marketed heavily and failed. Jet2.com scheduled summer service to Bergamo only lasted one or two seasons. Even the charters have pulled routes that are served from basically every other UK airport. Corfu one of the most popular Greek islands, Naples for Sorrento, Paphos for Western Cyprus!!
So really it's not through lack of trying, more the lack of demand for anything that's not Spain or Portugal. The pure lack of imagination for seemingly the mass market from Northern Ireland is shocking. If it's not Ballyponsa the Northern Irish don't wanna go!!
So really it's not through lack of trying, more the lack of demand for anything that's not Spain or Portugal. The pure lack of imagination for seemingly the mass market from Northern Ireland is shocking. If it's not Ballyponsa the Northern Irish don't wanna go!!
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They should be demanding more business routes, especially of Aer Lingus
Hi there NorthernCounties, sounds nice in theory but airports cant demand much unless you are say Heathrow where there are huge limiting factors in terms of slots etc, and in Belfast, since there is competition and fierce competition for operators to move over and back etc, the airport managements respectively have to worry about keeping what they have.
Aer Lingus dont have the correct size of aircraft to operate thin routes to Europe and at a push maybe flybe do but many of the desired routes are at best marginal. Milan was a disaster and the loads so often in single digits. We will need to wait until the recession has lifted and employment improves and then hopefully we will see some new markets in the mean time BFS managements focus and challenge is to keep the Newark route.
Oddly, say CO pull it and then the tax is abolished would this be the ticket to get AerLingus to base a A330-200 and do daily or 6 weekly JFK and a weekly Toronto? Low fares etc more seats? Anyone have any views?
EI-BUD
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Oddly, say CO pull it and then the tax is abolished would this be the ticket to get AerLingus to base a A330-200 and do daily or 6 weekly JFK and a weekly Toronto? Low fares etc more seats? Anyone have any views?
I remember asking about the liklihood of something similar to this before but Jamie2k9 stated the earliest Aer Lingus would start new long haul routes would be circa 2012/13.
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Can't see EI taking up long haul from BFS
If Continental cannot make it pay with their hub at Newark offering a multitude of connections, I don't see what incentive EI would have to operate to JFK or BOS. I know they could offer interline but it would compete \ take some sales from their DUB services and incurr a cost of £60 APD for customers.
If more than 1 person travelling in a group £120 becomes a big incentive to go down the road.
If more than 1 person travelling in a group £120 becomes a big incentive to go down the road.
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I remember asking about the liklihood of something similar to this before but Jamie2k9 stated the earliest Aer Lingus would start new long haul routes would be circa 2012/13.
Regaruds to European routes EI don't have right aircraft but EZY do.
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EI have a partnership with JetBlue, so they would serve JFK, but has anyone read the small print about missed connections between two (semi) locost airlines?
I hope for BFS's sake that CO stays, but I don't think it will happen - once an airline starts to talk down a route, it isn't good for passenger confidence - and it doesnt look like a political solution will be (or can be) reached in time.
CO has to be Northern Ireland's main (or only) hope for transatlantic service - the airport play up the 'don't fly east to fly west' thing, but I think that as carlrsymington says, it is more about the links available at the other side of the pond.
I hope for BFS's sake that CO stays, but I don't think it will happen - once an airline starts to talk down a route, it isn't good for passenger confidence - and it doesnt look like a political solution will be (or can be) reached in time.
CO has to be Northern Ireland's main (or only) hope for transatlantic service - the airport play up the 'don't fly east to fly west' thing, but I think that as carlrsymington says, it is more about the links available at the other side of the pond.
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If Continental cannot make it pay with their hub at Newark offering a multitude of connections, I don't see what incentive EI would have to operate to JFK or BOS
I would disagree strongly with the notion that the transatlantic machine could be used on routes to Spain, as already said plenty enough capacity to Spain at the moment and 330 would be way too big, despite what advantages the down time may bring to the 330.
Elsewhere, EI is extremely well connected to US destination's not only in terms of interline agreement but their website is well geared to offer as seemless a service to across america in terms of booking process as any any of the US carriers including CO (DL, AA US etc to Dublin and elsewhere). In fact I think EI is much nicer site to navigate than CO one.
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Austrian Airlines
Hey guys, for anyone that doesnt knew BFS had an Austrain Airlines B767-300 Divert in this lunch time while enroute from Vienna to Toronto
Has it left yet??
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Came in at 12:32 and departed again at 15:55, reason for divert was a passenger took a heart attack while onboard, the passenger is now in a local hospital after ambulance crews met the aircraft at stand 27A.
Last edited by david1994; 6th Jul 2011 at 17:04. Reason: Spelling
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Agree with you
EI-BUD.
You are correct regarding the situation if after the APD was abolished would EI look at it?
Removing my £120 for pax from the equation, I think EI may just decide that if the good folk of NI really want to go to the US, then they can travel to DUB or LHR and EI will take their share of it. I'm not criticising them as it is just business. I personally would be very disappointed not to have either CO or EI operating direct to US of A from BFS. Lets hope the APD issue gets resolved in a good way & CO continue to operate from BFS but I'm not full of hope.
You are correct regarding the situation if after the APD was abolished would EI look at it?
Removing my £120 for pax from the equation, I think EI may just decide that if the good folk of NI really want to go to the US, then they can travel to DUB or LHR and EI will take their share of it. I'm not criticising them as it is just business. I personally would be very disappointed not to have either CO or EI operating direct to US of A from BFS. Lets hope the APD issue gets resolved in a good way & CO continue to operate from BFS but I'm not full of hope.
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60,000 Passengers to Pass through BFS this week
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Note that the article is 60,000 this weekend, not week as in the topic of the post with the link.. on average BFS will handle around 55-65,000 PAX a week depending on the time of year (obviously more when summer charters kick in).. lets hope the baggage systems can hold up with the stress, there has been issues within the last week
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Yet more media attention in the APD issue...
MP's call for NI air passenger duty to be abolished
BBC News - MPs call for NI air passenger duty to be abolished
MP's call for NI air passenger duty to be abolished
BBC News - MPs call for NI air passenger duty to be abolished
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I do understand the NI position over APD, but it still leaves a catch 22 situation for the Government, firstly they state that this is a green issue and justify the tax take on that position. If you say OK there is water between Belfast and the mainland therefore NI is exempt because of no land based surface transport, how do you justify the charge to the other remote parts of the UK mainland, in addition you give NI an advantage over the rest of the UK, based on past performance it will be like Uni fee's so if you live in Scotland Ireland or Wales you'll pay no APD and England will take it on the chin and pay up
Some point to the Dublin issue, given the state of the ROI finances i can see why they want every drop of inward investment, but this comes at the same time as Europe and the UK is throwing money at the ROI to keep it a float. So a country that is bust drops it APD to zero whilst a country that is going bust charges its citizens a fortune with a further increase due in a couple of months.
I think the answer is to buy one of these carriers (aircraft carriers) taht the goverment will flog on the cheap and park it out side the 12 mile limit and fly from there and tell them to stuff the APD.
Seriously though if NI gets zero APD it could well be the start of the end of it for the UK. I was glad to see the back of Gordon Brown, but this lot cuddled up to Lib Dems and polar bears is a joke, the French and Dutch must think we have gone mad over LHR
Some point to the Dublin issue, given the state of the ROI finances i can see why they want every drop of inward investment, but this comes at the same time as Europe and the UK is throwing money at the ROI to keep it a float. So a country that is bust drops it APD to zero whilst a country that is going bust charges its citizens a fortune with a further increase due in a couple of months.
I think the answer is to buy one of these carriers (aircraft carriers) taht the goverment will flog on the cheap and park it out side the 12 mile limit and fly from there and tell them to stuff the APD.
Seriously though if NI gets zero APD it could well be the start of the end of it for the UK. I was glad to see the back of Gordon Brown, but this lot cuddled up to Lib Dems and polar bears is a joke, the French and Dutch must think we have gone mad over LHR
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........
@Facelookbovvered....
Please let me remind you that ROI is paying back anything we have recieved with interest!! You lot make out as if we are getting free money. It by no means free. We also pay a commitment fee to the UK for the loan we have recieved from them. You would want to do your research mate, before you go around making loose statements like that!
The fact of the matter is N.I is a part of the UK, you can't pick and chose the bits that you like and the bits you don't, why shouldn't people in N.I not have to pay the same taxes on flights as every other British citizen? Most flights out of N.I are to the UK and bucket and spade routes anyway, besides the "prized" CO flight. If they want to fly out of BFS, they can pay the premium for it, otherwise DUB/NOC is just down the road.
Please let me remind you that ROI is paying back anything we have recieved with interest!! You lot make out as if we are getting free money. It by no means free. We also pay a commitment fee to the UK for the loan we have recieved from them. You would want to do your research mate, before you go around making loose statements like that!
The fact of the matter is N.I is a part of the UK, you can't pick and chose the bits that you like and the bits you don't, why shouldn't people in N.I not have to pay the same taxes on flights as every other British citizen? Most flights out of N.I are to the UK and bucket and spade routes anyway, besides the "prized" CO flight. If they want to fly out of BFS, they can pay the premium for it, otherwise DUB/NOC is just down the road.