Air Southwest Exits Gatwick
Shortly after Brymon replaced the DHC6 with the DHC7 on the PLY/EXT/LGW route I overheard a conversation between two Brymon flightcrew in the Exeter terminal cafe. They were puzzling over why passenger numbers had increased on the route since the introduction of the DHC7. After all, they could not fill a DHC6 but now the DHC7 loads exceeded the capacity of the Otter. Perhaps the Twin Otter and Bandit were the wrong aircraft for the route? Evidently the pax numbers from Exeter were insufficient to maintain the service though.
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Morris,
If only pax could get on a train to somewhere like BRS airport! Let it not be missed that Lulsgate airport is on a hill in the countryside and a pain in the butt to travel to, long distance, via public transport.
As for EXT, can one simply get on a train in Plymouth city centre and alight that same train at EXT airport?
If only pax could get on a train to somewhere like BRS airport! Let it not be missed that Lulsgate airport is on a hill in the countryside and a pain in the butt to travel to, long distance, via public transport.
As for EXT, can one simply get on a train in Plymouth city centre and alight that same train at EXT airport?
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Morris,
If only pax could get on a train to somewhere like BRS airport! Let it not be missed that Lulsgate airport is on a hill in the countryside and a pain in the butt to travel to, long distance, via public transport.
As for EXT, can one simply get on a train in Plymouth city centre and alight that same train at EXT airport?
If only pax could get on a train to somewhere like BRS airport! Let it not be missed that Lulsgate airport is on a hill in the countryside and a pain in the butt to travel to, long distance, via public transport.
As for EXT, can one simply get on a train in Plymouth city centre and alight that same train at EXT airport?
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EGTE,
If you've ever flown on a DHC7 in turbulent conditions! I did it one morning, low level, between PLH and NQY, it was comparable to being inside a tumble dryer, I can't imagine anyone raving about wanting to travel on a DHC7!
Perhaps FlyBE (AF) could pick-up on a NQY-EXT-CDG service for international connecting passengers from the South West, alas I don't believe FlyBE have any equipment capable of operating in/out of PLH.
I'm aware that Jim French knows his stuff, I worked with him at Air UK.
If you've ever flown on a DHC7 in turbulent conditions! I did it one morning, low level, between PLH and NQY, it was comparable to being inside a tumble dryer, I can't imagine anyone raving about wanting to travel on a DHC7!
Perhaps FlyBE (AF) could pick-up on a NQY-EXT-CDG service for international connecting passengers from the South West, alas I don't believe FlyBE have any equipment capable of operating in/out of PLH.
I'm aware that Jim French knows his stuff, I worked with him at Air UK.
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What I find interesting is that ASW not too long ago thought that the passenger figures would make LCY work on top of LGW - and that they now think that they cannot make a singe LON route work, particularly a LCY service when giving up LGW. I mean they had some passengers on LCY, and some of those who used to travel on the LGW flights might rather take a LCY flight than a train from Plymouth or BE from NQY. After all, the product would be different than Flybe's LGW flights from NQY so that ASW would not just compete on price. Of course most of the connecting pax would not be interested in a LCY service (although there are some short-haul connections). The performance of both routes must have been really dismal
No. And when I needed to take the bus from the railway station in central Exeter, I was less than impressed that during certain times of the day busses run like every two hours only.
As for EXT, can one simply get on a train in Plymouth city centre and alight that same train at EXT airport?
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Yep, crew work and stay down in NQY usually for 3 days at a time.
Phileas Fogg
The Q400 can get into and out of PLH but only really on dry non icing days. As soon as the runway is wet, or it's icing conditions the performance especially for landing takes a massive hit and you wouldn't be able to land, or if you could you wouldn't be able to have your passengers in the back (not really ideal
). PLH would need to add about another 500m to get around 1600m before the Q400 could start to do anything in and out of PLH, maybe a bit less if all you wanted to do was a hop to EXT or NQY.
Phileas Fogg
The Q400 can get into and out of PLH but only really on dry non icing days. As soon as the runway is wet, or it's icing conditions the performance especially for landing takes a massive hit and you wouldn't be able to land, or if you could you wouldn't be able to have your passengers in the back (not really ideal
). PLH would need to add about another 500m to get around 1600m before the Q400 could start to do anything in and out of PLH, maybe a bit less if all you wanted to do was a hop to EXT or NQY.
Last edited by big d1; 12th Jan 2011 at 13:25.
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LGW does not have the international connections that LHR has, I posted a while back, as no LHR slots available, they need a South West to CDG or AMS route to offer pax international connections from/to the South West.
However, it would not be that difficult to collect one's baggage on arrival and bag drop onto a connecting flight of your choice having already checked-in to your connecting flight online. Probably safer in terms of seeing your baggage at your final destination!
From Gatwick's Web site:-
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the busiest single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 200 destinations (more than any other UK airport) in 90 countries for around 33 million passengers a year on short- and long-haul point-to-point services.
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the busiest single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 200 destinations (more than any other UK airport) in 90 countries for around 33 million passengers a year on short- and long-haul point-to-point services.
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I'm surprised Air Southwest didn't engage in wider connectivity with some of the larger airlines at Gatwick, but then again it's easy for me to say that with no knowledge of the airline business.
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Hardly short of International Connections then!
easyJet and Ryanair don't connect or interline so let's take them, Thomson and Thomas Cook out of the equation.
Once they're gone, there's not a lot of meat left at LGW. Connections are a LHR thing.
Last edited by Skipness One Echo; 12th Jan 2011 at 16:48.
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Hence, why I stated;
So therefore, you could connect yourself with the likes of Ezy and Ryan Air etc. You would just have to sort out the Baggage pick-up yourself and drop off and arrange seperate flight bookings.. No that hard to do!
Not between the more historical schedule to schedule type airlines perhaps..
However, it would not be that difficult to collect one's baggage on arrival and bag drop onto a connecting flight of your choice having already checked-in to your connecting flight online. Probably safer in terms of seeing your baggage at your final destination!
However, it would not be that difficult to collect one's baggage on arrival and bag drop onto a connecting flight of your choice having already checked-in to your connecting flight online. Probably safer in terms of seeing your baggage at your final destination!
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I agree with the view that north London and the northern home counties is a major market with no air link to NQY since Ryanair pulled off STN-NQY. Getting to LGW from this area is a pain even using Thameslink rail through central London, with its frequent delays and lack of through service at weekends due to engineering works. I'm surprised EZY haven't considered at least a daily rotation from LTN to NQY, possibly 2 x daily in summer. I know that Aer Arann operated this route several years back for one season, with poor load factors, but this was with ATR's and only operated several days a week, with little promotion in the media. As a result, one of the most prosperous parts of the UK has no effective air link to Cornwall.
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"Air Southwest has also confirmed that it is having exploratory discussions with Flybe on potential areas for future positive cooperation going forward."
Given that ASW are withdrawing from what was their long standing market it is a surrender to Flybe of their key market. What could the talks be about ASW becoming a franchisee?
EI-BUD
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No but how many have interline agreements and checked baggage through with Air South West? Do even BA have this option considering they handle WOW?
none at all, have said it many times, but if SZ offered a codeshare with BA im pretty sure that the loads and yield would of been much higher, its just amazing that considering BA handled SZ that they didnt codeshare and interline, bit pathetic really !!
cs
