BIRMINGHAM - 5

[OltonPete]

Diversions

I can't remember too many diversions before at BHX due stray dogs

That aircraft was only delivered through BHX the week before and although
BHX gets TK I didn't think we would see it that quickly again.

Talking of TK, I wonder if they have any plans for BHX as the service seemed
to struggle for ages until Mahan Air went and suddenly it awakens.

November 2011 Istanbul 4481 up 31% and at an average of 112 or 72% based
on 155 seats. Maybe a little low overall but strong for November and at 5 a week there must be scope for a daily service in summer at least.

Also another upgrade yesterday to an A321 and no doubt more over the holiday period.

Pete

[Monty Gordo]

Stray dogs?

OP

Is the reference to stray dogs some sort of airline code for diversions? If not, its lost on me...

[BHX2FRA]

Flights delayed after whippet strays onto runway at Manchester Airport

Monty Gordo see the news report link

Flights delayed after whippet strays onto runway at Manchester Airport | Manchester Evening News - menmedia.co.uk

[Guest 112233]

Errum

MG t'was a stray dog at MAN - The four leggeded kind, but I've worked for a few of the other sort.

PS: I wonder if the divert had to perform a "Dog Leg" to get in ?

PPS That's enough "Doggeral"

CAT III

[Edit: Those whippits are quick: My granda raced them. It must have been on Steroids to block both RWY's] - Uncontrolled animal on an airfield - Not a clever situation.

[Monty Gordo]

Stray dog!

Thanks for the info chaps. Just goes to prove that life's a bitch upt' north...

[FR-]

Uncontrolled animal on an airfield

That will be Ryanair

[OltonPete]

November Route Analysis International (schedule)

Source for the passenger figures: CAA

Average pax per flight: BHX blog and libhomeradar

Load Factors: planespotters.net for aircraft configurations.

I have not checked every config on planespotters.net and
have gone my own records. 2010 figures in brackets.

Some routes are down but load factors up due to the reduction
in frequencies.

DUBLIN - 45,160 up 1.2 (44606) - 123 pax - 68%
DUBAI 39,280 down -1.8 (40012) - 327 pax - 77%
AMSTERDAM 38,155 up 7.6 (35451) - 96 pax - 74%
PARIS (CHARLES DE GAULLE) 29,015 up 15.1 (25206) - 87 pax - 74%
TENERIFE (SURREINA SOFIA) 16022 down 1.5% (16267) - 178 pax 88%
ALICANTE 17204 up 12% (15389) - 169 pax - 85%
FRANKFURT MAIN 19,932 up 0.5 (19842) - 83 pax - 54%
DUSSELDORF 15,013 up 7.9 (13910) - 44 pax - 54%
ARRECIFE 6980 down 5% (7320) - 166 pax - 84%
MALAGA 11516 down 11% (12967) - 175 pax - 90%
MUNICH 12,457 up 21.2 (10279) - 78 pax - 71%
ZURICH 11,060 up 1.7 (10876) - 61 pax - 61%
BRUSSELS 10,543 up 14.8 (9187) - 46 pax - 53%
FUERTEVENTURA 3042 up 115% (1411) - 152 pax - 78%
LAS PALMAS 4984 up 6.5% (4673) - 156 pax - 78%
COPENHAGEN 7,663 up 24.1 (6177) 76 pax - 66%
ISLAMABAD 7,538 down -4.2 (7806) - 290 pax - 74%
FARO 7133 up 25% (5716) - 170 pax - 84%
CORK 6,494 up 14.2 (5686) - 54 pax - 75%
HANOVER 4215 up 8% (3939) - 54 pax - 69%
NEW YORK (NEWARK) 6,287 down -9.1 (6913) - 143 pax - 82%
ASHKHABAD 5,021 down -37.9 (8084) - 148 pax - 78%
ISTANBUL 4,481 up 30.9 (3423) - 112 pax - 72%
BYDGOSZCZ 4,264 up 2.4 (4163) - 164 pax - 87%
BRATISLAVA 4,007 down -12.4 (4280) - 154 pax - 82%
PRAGUE 3,758 up 4.4 (3598) - 117 pax - 79%
LARNACA 3,644 down 25% (4814) - 182 pax - 83%
IRELAND WEST(KNOCK) 3,451 up 15.1 (2997) - 102 pax - 69%
STUTTGART 3,204 up 23.0 (2604) - 35 pax - 45%
LYON 3,104 up 7.1 (2897) - 36 pax - 71%
SHANNON 2,952 up 31.9 (2230) - 49 pax - 69%
MALTA 2,615 up 21.0 (2162) - 163 pax - 86%
KATOWICE 2,527 down -7.9 (2743) - 140 pax - 73%
GERONA 2,518 down -25.7 (3391) - 157 pax - 83%
RZESZOW 2,501 down -7.9 (2716) - 139 pax - 74%
GDANSK 2,456 down -8.6 (2686) - 136 pax - 72%
KAUNAS 2,438 n/a 0.0 (135 pax - 72%
MILAN (MALPENSA) 1,799 down -10.7 (2015) - 41 pax - 52%
HAMBURG 1,608 down -10.5 (1796) - 38 pax - 49%
GOTEBORG 1,168 down -43.5 - 25t pax - 55%

Pete

[GayFriendly]

Thanks again for the stats OP, good to see some solid performances on some of BHX's long established routes but Newark is a worry down again by quite a percentage. Uncertainty must be hanging over this route with the refitting of UA 757s with more premium seats. It would be a huge and almost irrecoverable blow to lose it, I hope BHX are trying to keep UA sweet as best they can.

TK another star performance - it has been said that this is because they have inherited much of the flow of pax from Mahan but I see that TK don't actually fly to ATQ, they must be offering some good deals to convince pax to fly BHX-IST-DEL-change airline or overland it-ATQ? I have used TK from BHX to go to the Middle East, IST is a bit of a chaotic hub but they offer some very impressive onward connections and price wise often beat LH and AF/KL

FR routes on the face of it doing well as always just such a pity they don't seem to want to expand at BHX, i'm no fan of theirs but it would be nice to see some new routes

[NorthernCounties]

Have to bag drop tomorrow with Ryanair. Never done it before at Birmingham. Any idea how much time I should set aside for doing it? Cheers

[JSCL]

15 minutes. Queues for bag drops aren't typically that hectic around this time. Early morning flight, give it 5 mins. As the day goes on, add 5 mins for each 4 hours that pass (some logic)

[NorthernCounties]

I'll give it 15 minutes then, should be arriving around 16:00. Cheers JSCL!

[nigel osborne]

Peter,

A few years back they had a fox airside at BHX.Watched them chase it one morning around the airfield, three security jeeps and 4 men on foot...Impossible, three days later they took down part of a fence and shooed it through.

Last week there was a pheasant near the old short runway and close to the new hangar !

Nigel

[getonittt]

without going too much off topic , 4 legged deviants are not the only ones to cause the authorities headaches , some time ago , mid 80's , a drunk was found one night swinging from the prop of a parked BMA ATP !

[Burpbot]

I remember a long time ago, an Emu escaped from the hold of a canada 3000. I bet that was an amusing phone call to ops!

[OltonPete]

Monarch/flybe

The mystery of the 7th based Monarch aircraft on Sundays in summer 2012
has been resolved. The new IT services to Kefalonia and Preveza are no longer bookable!!!

This should take the base down to six fully utilised aircraft (other than nights).

I don't believe BHX or Monarch every announced EFL or PVK but I was advised on Sunday on another group that they were no longer bookable I have checked with the same result.

Same source also revealed Budapest has appeared in the flybe drop-down box of the booking engine.

Lufthansa are showing the Frankfurt 733 flight as an A319 from 10/1/12 and
Munich as 3 x 195 (no CRJ9).

Air France also have more A320 upgrades in the system for January although flybe only fly the midday Paris on Monday and Friday.

Pete

[jabird]

More of a long term question than current routes:

Has anyone seen a detailed plan of the proposed HS2 station to serve BHX?

Trying to work out the practicalities of such a location - to the east of the M42 as either an interchange facility (rail to rail), or to serve the airport.

The existing people mover is approx. 400m long, to go to new location would be more like 1k, but the trains themselves might add another 400m to this. So will the people mover stop in the NEC site, then at the existing station, then the airport? Or will it just go straight to the airport? Or will there be two people movers?

Whatever the pros and cons of hs2 itself, this is relevant because the airport want this link to encourage more long haul traffic from London to justify the runway extension. Unless the people mover takes people straight into the terminal building, it might be quicker just to use the existing service, if of course they stay at current standards.

I imagine this location has been chosen to 'save' costs, but a spur or loop bringing an integrated complex under one roof (like what they have at CGN) would be more useful for rail passengers, and therefore in turn would provide a better option for the air passengers too, rather than using the DUS model, which is much more cumbersome.

[grundyhead]

Jabird, take a look at this:

http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/site...R-RW-04225.pdf

Current proposed section that should "serve" BHX. Mono rail link to airport from station that sits somewhere between A45/M42 and Stonebridge Island.

[jabird]

GF,

I am aware of the proposed location, my question was whether or not that is really the best place to serve both the airport and rail passengers.

Whatever the pros and cons of the project itself (I'll leave that for Jetblast), neither this station, nor the Curzon St station in the city centre provide a direct platform-platform link for rail passengers. Even a short walk between buildings massively diminishes the interconnectivity such a link can provide.

Last time I even made a local journey from Coventry to Kidderminster, it was quicker to change at International, then again at Smethwick GB, rather than walk from New St to Moor St. That wasn't me being a pain, that is what National Rail advised.

Sure, it would cost more to bring hs2 directly in to International station - and space is limited, but it is there, perhaps for a track either side of the current station. This would also enable trains to run from Wolverhampton onto hs2. If a loop ran back onto hs2 in addition to the spur, you would only need one station, there would be some demolition to rejoin hs2, but there would be savings by not having the extra people mover link, and if they followed the Hong Kong model, they could release some land for higher rise development to replace the lower rise which might be lost.

Otherwise, BHX ends joining JFK with the dubious distinction of being the only airports in the world (at least that I know of) to be served by two offsite stations - at least with DUS, there is a suburban station underneath the terminal. I suppose some will say two remote station are better than none.

[FlyOften]

I've not commented for a while, firstly OltonPete, many thanks for your analysis of trafic and comments.

Regarding the link from HS2, if they replecate the link in Paris from Antony to Orly then thay cann't go too far wrong. Its a great high speed low capacity link.

A general observation is that BHX is finally receiving proper service (i.e. 737/A320/MD80) planes on the trunk EU capital routes. The traffic on these routes has increased accordingly and long may it continue.

I am concerned with the United EWR link especially as my family are booked on it via EWR to Floriday next easter. We have travelled long haul a few times in recent years and it is always much more expensive to the USA from BHX than LHR, even against a 757 from LHR. As least Emirates seem to keep the same prices between MAN/BHX/LHR. United must make a load on this route based on the prices?

[jabird]

Flyoften:

I am concerned with the United EWR link especially as my family are booked on it via EWR to Floriday next easter. We have travelled long haul a few times in recent years and it is always much more expensive to the USA from BHX than LHR, even against a 757 from LHR. As least Emirates seem to keep the same prices between MAN/BHX/LHR. United must make a load on this route based on the prices?

There aren't many LH 757's ex LHR - iirc, wasn't CLE a 757, short lived following move from LGW? So you would be comparing a direct with a change en-route - the directs are more profitable as yields better, but having the change usually costs them more to operate.

Also, for Florida, is it not usually cheaper on one of the leisure players direct to SFB?

Emirates are different kettle of fish - see the Etihad / Air Berlin thread for a similar story. Much lower cost base in Dubai compared to Europe, they use this to their advantage, so similar fares wherever you depart from.


Re: airport station - what you describe is not unlike the arrangement at the present station, except the OrlyVAL needs to serve two terminals. Also, the high speed line goes through CDG, and that is a different story.

I know the airport is keen to push the whole hs2 project, as they see it as key to the long term growth of BHX, especially if the government keeps twiddling its thumbs over capacity in the southeast. But ultimately, I think that will be resolved, and BHX will look less appealing, especially if there is a £100+ return rail fare to add on to the flight price. Yet BHX can still serve a huge range of places within the Midlands and further afield, making it an important rail hub in its own right, not just somewhere on the end of the line, like most airport rail stations are. Therefore, from a rail point of view, two stations off site doesn't make sense if they could provide all the interchanging on one site, and as Curzon St will also be an end station, the case for a proper interchange at International becomes even stronger. This then means more trains serve a combined station, better for airport passengers.

Also, being purely cynical, how much car parking can they squeeze on a greenbelt site? If one station is used on the current site, BHX can sell parking space to rail users, something that is less appealing if they have to jump one one train to catch another.