CAMBRIDGE
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Darwen, UK
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A great shame. Another regional airport - while not biting the dust - is losing its charter and scheduled flights.
I see there's an announcement for extra trains for Cambridge to Stansted Airport - doubt that helped.
I see there's an announcement for extra trains for Cambridge to Stansted Airport - doubt that helped.
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: In the sticks
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A terminal that Joe Public found difficult to visit and just the odd passenger flight. This was no Southend with its famous history but just an engineering base that dabbled in scheduled services and charter flights.
Au contraire, Cambridge Airport is very easy to access off the A14 and there's a lot of parking space. As to no history I think anybody who has read the "Marshall History" will disagree with that. I used to use the Suckling service to Manchester fairly regularly back in the day and I think Cambridge could work at that sort of level. Certainly beats the congested nightmare that''s Stansted in the early morning rush of departures.
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Outer London
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The airport might be just off the A14, but LTNman's comment is a fair one. The terminal was hidden away and isn't that well signposted.
I would also agree that Cambridge doesn't have much in the way of pax history. Suckling were only there because they couldn't continue at Ipswich. I don't think their scope for pax ops extended much beyond what they currently have.
That said I'm surprised that they are shutting down pax ops altogether. To reference Southend again, they survived many years with a similar model and only one weekly flight. The article suggests they have staff specifically for the pax flights, if so it doesn't surprise me the venture is unviable. I would have thought they could carry on if staff multi-tasked with other roles?
It is also odd that a doubling of the Jersey operation is announced one week, and the plug pulled on everything the next.
I would also agree that Cambridge doesn't have much in the way of pax history. Suckling were only there because they couldn't continue at Ipswich. I don't think their scope for pax ops extended much beyond what they currently have.
That said I'm surprised that they are shutting down pax ops altogether. To reference Southend again, they survived many years with a similar model and only one weekly flight. The article suggests they have staff specifically for the pax flights, if so it doesn't surprise me the venture is unviable. I would have thought they could carry on if staff multi-tasked with other roles?
It is also odd that a doubling of the Jersey operation is announced one week, and the plug pulled on everything the next.
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: In the sticks
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Seem to remember that the terminal was through a security gate. Not sure how people picking up passengers got on with no e ticket to show. It certainly stopped me visiting the terminal once.
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Darwen, UK
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The airport might be just off the A14, but LTNman's comment is a fair one. The terminal was hidden away and isn't that well signposted.
You go into the car park, towards the back and turn left, going behind the white building. You then see this:
You go through this entrance which leads you even further back, round a corner and you finally see the terminal:
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Cambridge
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Great shame, although the terminal was a bit awkward to find, it was well appointed and spot on for a small regional airport with a handful of commercial flights. The challenge though was making any money out of the commercial activity. It costs too much for the staff and the terminal for so little throughput and so much on marketing and sharing some of the pain (or risk) with the airlines. However, when Stansted airport is just 29 minutes away by train and Luton not so far away, nothing but niche services make sense, but those are unsustainable with such a small catchment population. The holiday charters make sense to Jersey and skiing in the winter for example but only if your staff used for handling and promoting those operations are doing something else most of the time. I guess it's back to shipping Sheikh Mo's horses then, could turn the terminal into stables....
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Farnborough
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Never made any sense at CBG having one third party team run the private jet terminal, the FBO (Execujet) for typically just two private flights a day and an entirely separate team for the commercial terminal. Both should have been manned by the same staff. Any business aircraft that had to go through security screening had to go through the commercial terminal anyway which was a bit of an inconvenience and handicap for both the users and the FBO staff.
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Bangor (Gwynedd)
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No more scheduled services at Cambridge from 24th March 
Cambridge - Gothenburg | Gothenburg - Cambrigde
(Thursday is the 24th)
The remaining BA flights are no longer bookable on any day, with the booking engine always bringing back:
Adam
Cambridge - Gothenburg | Gothenburg - Cambrigde
Cambridge - Gothenburg
Dep. Arr. M T W T F S S Flight nr.
07:00 10:00 · · · · BA8235
Gothenburg - Cambridge
Dep. Arr. M T W T F S S Flight nr.
18:00 19:00 · · · · BA8236
This timetable is valid until 26 March 2016
Dep. Arr. M T W T F S S Flight nr.
07:00 10:00 · · · · BA8235
Gothenburg - Cambridge
Dep. Arr. M T W T F S S Flight nr.
18:00 19:00 · · · · BA8236
This timetable is valid until 26 March 2016
The remaining BA flights are no longer bookable on any day, with the booking engine always bringing back:
Error
We are unable to find seats for your journey. The most common reasons for this are:
You may have requested a route that we do not operate at that time of year.
We may not fly to the destination you have chosen.
What you can do:
Search again using different dates.
View our network
View our flight timetable
Contact us
We are unable to find seats for your journey. The most common reasons for this are:
You may have requested a route that we do not operate at that time of year.
We may not fly to the destination you have chosen.
What you can do:
Search again using different dates.
View our network
View our flight timetable
Contact us
Last edited by AdamThePassenger; 12th Mar 2016 at 05:53.
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: UK
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BA/Sun Air will continue to operate the route for Astra Zeneca employees but the flights will not be publicly bookable. This is apparently to save costs. I flew this route a couple of weeks ago an there were 8 passengers on the plane.
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Rochford
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There may be an obvious answer I am missing but how exactly will this save costs? Surely any public tickets sold subsidise the cost to AZ/BA? I presume the AZ employees still have to clear security and have use of the terminal/lounge so where do the savings come from?
As a private charter with only "known" customers aboard, they are likely to be able to remove any requirement for full NASP-compliant security. The costs of providing that, with staffing and oversight, on a daily basis is not insignificant.
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Cambridge
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So, just announced today that Marshall will close Cambridge airport completely within ten years and relocate hangar ops at least to another airport whilst developing 12,000 houses on land.
Gob Smacked!
Gob Smacked!
They started this about ten years ago. They will be very welcome at Durham Tees Valley airport the local Mayor has a large pot of cash for inward investment, some of us locals could do with a new employer.
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: BMA
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“New sites being considered are Duxford and Wyton in Cambridgeshire, and Cranfield in Bedfordshire.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-engl...mpression=true
Given 777s have landed at Cambridge for work by Marshalls surely they will have to give up such work if they go to Duxford?
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-engl...mpression=true
Given 777s have landed at Cambridge for work by Marshalls surely they will have to give up such work if they go to Duxford?
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Not so many places currently
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Wyton has got to be the only serious contender, Duxford, bless, Cranfield maybe. With Wyton only 'up the road' then Ok for existing employees.
