CAMBRIDGE
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CAMBRIDGE
I see Cambridge Airport (previously called Marshall Airport Cambridge) has decided to expand its services to include 24hr opening, refrubish the passenger terminal, etc. It also sees ''a range of regional passenger services''. The full story can be seen on the BCC News Website but unfortunately I cannot seem to link it.
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Is this it Compton3bravo
BBC News - Cambridge Airport sets out plans for future
BBC News - Cambridge Airport sets out plans for future
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Yes thanks Ian. Besides Stansted what about Luton and Norwich. They must all be really worried. Probably take a Jersey service for a few weeks in high summer - remember the British Midland Viscounts!
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Watch out Stansted. Just announced: flights from Cambridge to Dôle in France, twice weekly in an ATR for the summer, operated by Danube Wings (!). (Given the OTT enthusiasm of the airport director in the press release, it's just as well that this isn't a real route to a real destination with a known airline, or the poor chap might have a coronary.)
See well-known Cambridge landmark in this poster. 
What's the obligatory waiting time before it gets renamed London Cambridge?
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Quote: "See well-known Cambridge landmark in this poster"
So it's already happening. If FR start up there could it become "London North"?
So it's already happening. If FR start up there could it become "London North"?
Cambridge flights
Went out on the inaugural flight from Cambridge to Schipol yesterday. Flights operated by Darwin Airlines with a Saab 2000. Flights were far from full - I'm not sure that there has been enough advertising - but it will be interesting to see if they can get enough business to make it pay. They will have to make their money from business traffic, I think, though the promotional fare we paid was pretty good.
PBW
PBW
As it's been almost 4 weeks since the route started up, anyone living in or near Cambridge able to report on how Darwin is likely doing ?
Having seen scheduled passenger flights from Oxford struggle on more than 1 occasion, despite the oft-claimed "bookings are better than we expected", am interested as to whether Darwin are managing to make a better go out of flying from Cambridge. Would be interested to know how visible the local marketing has been, the reception it's had in the business community, what sort of passenger loads there were (1st day of flying is not representative), etc...
Yes, I know the CAA will publish provisional stats in mid October, but I'm an inpatient b*gger who wants to know earlier rather than later !
Having seen scheduled passenger flights from Oxford struggle on more than 1 occasion, despite the oft-claimed "bookings are better than we expected", am interested as to whether Darwin are managing to make a better go out of flying from Cambridge. Would be interested to know how visible the local marketing has been, the reception it's had in the business community, what sort of passenger loads there were (1st day of flying is not representative), etc...
Yes, I know the CAA will publish provisional stats in mid October, but I'm an inpatient b*gger who wants to know earlier rather than later !
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The flight I was on was great but the load was lower than the number of people handling the aircraft. Ok they were still training staff so that is probably why they outnumbered us. 
There was some advertising downtown so let's hope they have learned from the Oxford disaster...
There was some advertising downtown so let's hope they have learned from the Oxford disaster...
CAA stats
CAA provisional stats are out for Sept 2013
Amsterdam AMS - 1155 pax on 51 round trips = 11.3 pax per one way flight
Geneva GVA - 264 pax on 12 round trips = 11 pax per one way flight
Milan MXP - 333 pax on 13 round trips = 12.8 pax per one way flight
Paris CDG - 199 pax on 25 round trips = 4 pax per one way flight
As Darwin flies scheduled, I've ignored charter flights
Assuming a Saab 2000 with 50 seats, load factors are
Amsterdam - 23%
Geneva - 22%
Milan - 26%
Paris - 8%
I'm not 100% on the number of round trip flights flown (particularly on the Geneva route) so if anyone has better information, please do say
For a first month, the load factors are less than ideal but I guess it's posssible that Amsterdam, Geneva and Milan might get into healthier numbers given a bit of time.
Not sure what happened with Paris though - am guessing that it's difficult to compete with 45 mins by train to King's Cross followed by the high frequency Eurostar
Amsterdam AMS - 1155 pax on 51 round trips = 11.3 pax per one way flight
Geneva GVA - 264 pax on 12 round trips = 11 pax per one way flight
Milan MXP - 333 pax on 13 round trips = 12.8 pax per one way flight
Paris CDG - 199 pax on 25 round trips = 4 pax per one way flight
As Darwin flies scheduled, I've ignored charter flights
Assuming a Saab 2000 with 50 seats, load factors are
Amsterdam - 23%
Geneva - 22%
Milan - 26%
Paris - 8%
I'm not 100% on the number of round trip flights flown (particularly on the Geneva route) so if anyone has better information, please do say
For a first month, the load factors are less than ideal but I guess it's posssible that Amsterdam, Geneva and Milan might get into healthier numbers given a bit of time.
Not sure what happened with Paris though - am guessing that it's difficult to compete with 45 mins by train to King's Cross followed by the high frequency Eurostar
Last edited by davidjohnson6; 15th Oct 2013 at 16:21.
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Paris route
Although I donīt know- easyJet seem to do rather well out of Luton (average 20,000 monthly) and have done for a number of years even with a First Capital Connect service straight into St Pancras next to Eurostar. I would suggest the Darwin operation out of Cambridge will not last too long I am afraid with those sought of load factors.
Last edited by compton3bravo; 15th Oct 2013 at 16:26.
compton - you may well be right, but it's possibly worth noting that Easyjet fly Luton-Paris 19x per week (3x on weekdays and 2x on weekends), making a day trip for work quite possible whether you live in the UK or France
Darwin fly Cambridge-Paris 6x per week (not Saturdays), and at times which make even an overnight trip for work really quite inconvenient.
CBG 0950 CDG 1200 12345--
CBG 0900 CDG 1110 ------7
CDG 1240 CBG 1240 1-3-5--
CDG 1655 CBG 1700 -2-4--7
Darwin fly Cambridge-Paris 6x per week (not Saturdays), and at times which make even an overnight trip for work really quite inconvenient.
CBG 0950 CDG 1200 12345--
CBG 0900 CDG 1110 ------7
CDG 1240 CBG 1240 1-3-5--
CDG 1655 CBG 1700 -2-4--7
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Main story on BBC Look East last night was the poor passenger loads on the new Cambridge routes. BBC iPlayer - Look East - West: 22/10/2013 The link will only last until around 6:30 tonight.
Last edited by LTNman; 23rd Oct 2013 at 04:29.
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Passengers statistics have been released for October
They are;
Amsterdam 1146
Paris 459
Geneva 162
Milan 198
Still very poor I believe not sure how many sectors flown but figures are very Close to last month although Paris has improved whilst Geneva and Milan have dropped but again could be due to sectors flown so if anyone knows that would be good
They are;
Amsterdam 1146
Paris 459
Geneva 162
Milan 198
Still very poor I believe not sure how many sectors flown but figures are very Close to last month although Paris has improved whilst Geneva and Milan have dropped but again could be due to sectors flown so if anyone knows that would be good
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Passengers statistics have been released for October
They are;
Amsterdam 1146
Paris 459
Geneva 162
Milan 198
Still very poor I believe not sure how many sectors flown but figures are very Close to last month although Paris has improved whilst Geneva and Milan have dropped but again could be due to sectors flown so if anyone knows that would be good
They are;
Amsterdam 1146
Paris 459
Geneva 162
Milan 198
Still very poor I believe not sure how many sectors flown but figures are very Close to last month although Paris has improved whilst Geneva and Milan have dropped but again could be due to sectors flown so if anyone knows that would be good
AMS 24/week -> 4800 seats over 4 weeks (24% LF)
CDG 12/week -> 2400 seats over 4 weeks (19% LF)
GVA 6/week -> 1200 seats over 4 weeks (14% LF)
MXP 8/week -> 1600 seats over 4 weeks (12% LF)
Unless the capacity was reduced hugely compared to the original schedule, those are truly shocking load factors. (And I assumed a 4-week month so the actual load factors may be a little worse.)
Media reports have suggested that Darwin may be in talks with Etihad for a shareholding. If this is the case and if something comes of it, I would assume that Etihad would have to change something here pretty rapidly: either focus on feeding EY traffic at AMS or CDG (and advertise it very heavily), or call a halt to the Cambridge adventure.