BELFAST AIRPORT INTERNATIONAL
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: County Armagh
Posts: 267
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It confuses me how a worker for Marcon knows about a new airbridge being installed and nobody from the airport itself seems to know. I'm not saying its not true, I just find it strange.
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Antrim
Posts: 1,601
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I know this is a rumour site but seriously some of the stuff people post on here is one big whatever. Someone in a suit viewing a business lounge. Of course they have - any business worth its salt would invite people over for coffee and a walk round such a facility. Its virtually free marketing. I'm sure BFS would do anything to poach an airline like BA in, and vice versa with BHD - this is business, it's ruthless and takes no prisoners. But please remember, a person in a suit does not mean a deal has been signed.
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: home
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Fair point, I stand corrected. Maybe not paying as much attention as I should as I am so bored hearing that BA are being shown around BFS, extending the lounge for BA, building an air bridge for BA,etc. I think we can be sure that the only way BA will ever come back to BFS is if City closes down and that is not going to happen. WW stated quite some time ago that key customers, particularly in financial institutions preferred City Airport so unless citigroup relocate to Crumlin or Killead they will just have to keep dreaming. It is not going to happen.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Ballymena
Posts: 1,438
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BA now know that they will have no competition from Belfast to Lhr for at least another 10 years. Regardless of what they have said, if they get an interesting deal from Bfs, they will move. And those business men , who for years had to use Bfs because there was no other option, what are they going to do if they want to get to/from Belfast? Many of here seem to forget that the only link to Lhr was from Bfs for many years, why is it such a problem now? Why if getting to Bfs is such an issue, has Bfs always carried more pax than Bhd to Lgw once Ezy got going? All those pax who use Bfs to Lgw had the choice to use Bhd, but didn't. Why would it be such an issue if pax had to use Bfs to get to Lhr, apart form personal opinions?
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Antrim
Posts: 1,601
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
See all that true blue but people flying in on business prefer a land centrally. BHD actually looks the part as well. And with no disrespect to BFS (I like it) but its old and tatty, it has carved itself whether intentionally or otherwise a role as a low cost airport, like the LTN of NI. Trying to sell such a move to BA pax what would you say? BA - now landing further from your destination, with an expensive bus connection. The only tangible benefit is later flying hours, hours of the day many of their passengers wouldn't thank them for flying, similar to BE and a lesser extent EI. I can fully see with that in mind why say EZY or LS wouldn't move to BHD, totally unsuitable for their operations, even more so for TCX and TOM.The whole discussion about BA moving and why we have 2 airports in Belfast is boring, for what it's worth both are growing and both are attracting routes. All being well we will see FR open some new destinations and a route development fund, I watched the stormont debate on it recently and places like Madrid, Lisbon etc were mentioned. Actually was good to listen to, sounds positive.
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Belfast
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Who ever thought that BMI would move to City and that BA would cease operating Belfast International - LHR, but both eventually happened. While BA currently seem quite happy at City who is to say that at some stage in the future they wouldn't move back to BIA.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: belfast
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bfs watcher started this rumour then dissappeared, personally I think its total pie in the sky. I do like bfs and it would be my preferred choice but why would a full service airline choose it, its filthy,run down and outdated. Some serious doh required to update and management dont seem willing to spend. "Build and they will come" attitude needs adopted and fast!!! then we can take rumours like BA serious.
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Antrim
Posts: 1,601
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Exactly cessnarocket, and the arguments about BHD being the thorn in the side of BFS and its existence is the cause of the lack of investment are nonsense. There are much quieter airports in far better condition.
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 464
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The suits that the boss showed around were SDLP Politicians and their associates (twitter folks, twitter!) - The BA group were visiting BFS weeks ago.
The MD (also on twitter folks) said that the possibility of additional airbridges was being considered (a bit of slippery wording though)
But to ask a really dumb (or perhaps not so dumb) question - who says it has to be BA they are considering the bridges for? That just runs with the same old game of pinching existing business. I say, lets try and bring in something new. Radical, I know given how backward we are at going forward here but how about we aim high for a change??
The MD (also on twitter folks) said that the possibility of additional airbridges was being considered (a bit of slippery wording though)
But to ask a really dumb (or perhaps not so dumb) question - who says it has to be BA they are considering the bridges for? That just runs with the same old game of pinching existing business. I say, lets try and bring in something new. Radical, I know given how backward we are at going forward here but how about we aim high for a change??
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 2,782
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mart901,
I think you are missing the point that is being made above, people well may rather land in Belfast City, great little airport. But the point is well made that BA hold the cards here, they won't have any competition on the LHR route now that EI has in effect been neutralised as a competitor. Something in the region of 50% of passengers are transfer passengers on the route, so there will not be an alternative available ex BHD except for the token service offered by KLM via AMS.
Furthermore, huge assumptions are continually made here about where people want to land. Neither airport can hold claim to what the customer ideally wants, the passengers come from all over the province and cross border too, so yes for some BHD is more suitable, for more BFS is.
I think you'll find there are more tangible benefits than later flying hours. Like earlier opening, which may just allow for a realistic arrival time into LHR during the winter months, rather than the current 9am arrival. They need an arrival into LHR by 745/8am to give the business traveller on point to point the flexibility they need, an earlier departures may just give BA more options in terms of arrivals... Weather at BHD has seen multiple diversions in the last year. More fundamentally and connected to type point about the benefit of later opening hours, an increase in ac utilisation makes for a much lower unit cost. Just because BA is not classed as a low cost airline does not mean that they are not interested in the lowering operating costs. So while you are absolutely right that the likes of EZY, Jet2 etc may not be interested in the BHD opening hours, BA will absolutely be interested in improving its costs at any juncture.
In terms of competing with the others for point to point business and indeed business passengers, LHR is eye watering in terms of costs. Like something in the region of £70 taxes, charges etc on each departing passenger. WW himself cited these costs as the very reason why Bmi couldn't compete profitably on the domestic and short haul routes as they were in effect competing with all the low cost airlines on routes ex London and couldn't offer a ticket price that was profitable and somewhat comparable ( they can obviously charge a premium ex LHR but cost gap is huge). So if BFS can offer a knock down deal, which in the round even at a marginal return would all be incremental revenue for BFS. It should also come as no surprise as BHD had targeted BFS airlines over the years, as you would expect them to.
Whether this rumour develops into a reality or not, it is clear that the airlines hold the cards in negotiations and and hence the downward pressure on airport revenue.
There are also widespread comments on here consistently about BFS, I have been to and used 100's of airports around the world. I find BFS perfectly fine to use, the arrivals hall is by far the most grim aspect and external fascia, but otherwise I think it is of an acceptable standard, over 4m passengers didn't mind using it and judging by the year on year performance many were returning passengers. I've also noticed some progress, though slow but it is going on the right direction.
I think you are missing the point that is being made above, people well may rather land in Belfast City, great little airport. But the point is well made that BA hold the cards here, they won't have any competition on the LHR route now that EI has in effect been neutralised as a competitor. Something in the region of 50% of passengers are transfer passengers on the route, so there will not be an alternative available ex BHD except for the token service offered by KLM via AMS.
Furthermore, huge assumptions are continually made here about where people want to land. Neither airport can hold claim to what the customer ideally wants, the passengers come from all over the province and cross border too, so yes for some BHD is more suitable, for more BFS is.
I think you'll find there are more tangible benefits than later flying hours. Like earlier opening, which may just allow for a realistic arrival time into LHR during the winter months, rather than the current 9am arrival. They need an arrival into LHR by 745/8am to give the business traveller on point to point the flexibility they need, an earlier departures may just give BA more options in terms of arrivals... Weather at BHD has seen multiple diversions in the last year. More fundamentally and connected to type point about the benefit of later opening hours, an increase in ac utilisation makes for a much lower unit cost. Just because BA is not classed as a low cost airline does not mean that they are not interested in the lowering operating costs. So while you are absolutely right that the likes of EZY, Jet2 etc may not be interested in the BHD opening hours, BA will absolutely be interested in improving its costs at any juncture.
In terms of competing with the others for point to point business and indeed business passengers, LHR is eye watering in terms of costs. Like something in the region of £70 taxes, charges etc on each departing passenger. WW himself cited these costs as the very reason why Bmi couldn't compete profitably on the domestic and short haul routes as they were in effect competing with all the low cost airlines on routes ex London and couldn't offer a ticket price that was profitable and somewhat comparable ( they can obviously charge a premium ex LHR but cost gap is huge). So if BFS can offer a knock down deal, which in the round even at a marginal return would all be incremental revenue for BFS. It should also come as no surprise as BHD had targeted BFS airlines over the years, as you would expect them to.
Whether this rumour develops into a reality or not, it is clear that the airlines hold the cards in negotiations and and hence the downward pressure on airport revenue.
There are also widespread comments on here consistently about BFS, I have been to and used 100's of airports around the world. I find BFS perfectly fine to use, the arrivals hall is by far the most grim aspect and external fascia, but otherwise I think it is of an acceptable standard, over 4m passengers didn't mind using it and judging by the year on year performance many were returning passengers. I've also noticed some progress, though slow but it is going on the right direction.
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 2,782
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't think that is the point here. BA inherited the bmi position I.e. Ops at BHD, EI being already in situ meant that BA had to compete at BHD and rightly so, they'd be unlikely to go up to BFS and hand over the business to EI on the well established BHD LHR route. Now all of that has changed, BA now is in a very different position.
We could debate why any airline is at any airport in Belfast, there are specific business rationale for each, like eg easyJet not seeing ' any tangible benefit' from being at BHD... (though I don't necessity agree with their assessment/ findings).
It is of no consequence to me whether they fly from BHD or BFS.. I use BA frequently and incidentally live closer to BHD. My perspective is about giving balance this very one sided debate. It is a competitive market place. Whether BA move or not they'd be stupid not to assess the options...
There have been multiple rumours of various airline staff visiting the competing airports, some resulting in moves, and some not..
BA investigating a move to BFS is completely plausable. Given their position of relative strength, they could move and maintain their customer base in my view. For the business traveller particularly BHD is an excellent option, but they would have little choice but to follow BA if they moved. That's the point I think that needs to be considered.
EI-BUD
We could debate why any airline is at any airport in Belfast, there are specific business rationale for each, like eg easyJet not seeing ' any tangible benefit' from being at BHD... (though I don't necessity agree with their assessment/ findings).
It is of no consequence to me whether they fly from BHD or BFS.. I use BA frequently and incidentally live closer to BHD. My perspective is about giving balance this very one sided debate. It is a competitive market place. Whether BA move or not they'd be stupid not to assess the options...
There have been multiple rumours of various airline staff visiting the competing airports, some resulting in moves, and some not..
BA investigating a move to BFS is completely plausable. Given their position of relative strength, they could move and maintain their customer base in my view. For the business traveller particularly BHD is an excellent option, but they would have little choice but to follow BA if they moved. That's the point I think that needs to be considered.
EI-BUD
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Doncaster
Age: 50
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I flew in and out of Belfast International in January (flying Easyjet). The experience was fantastic.
No queue at security, able to sit and work with power for the price of a coffee. Efficient staff, room to swing a cat.
The only thing that City has going for it in comparison is it's closer to the City. The 20 minute drive to me is well worthwhile.
No queue at security, able to sit and work with power for the price of a coffee. Efficient staff, room to swing a cat.
The only thing that City has going for it in comparison is it's closer to the City. The 20 minute drive to me is well worthwhile.
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Greater Aldergrove
Age: 52
Posts: 851
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BA investigating a move to BFS is completely plausable. Given their position of relative strength, they could move and maintain their customer base in my view. For the business traveller particularly BHD is an excellent option, but they would have little choice but to follow BA if they moved. That's the point I think that needs to be considered.
However, if BA do move to BFS, does this open an opportunity for FlyBe? Either via LCY or maybe a return to LGW?
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 2,782
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
NWSRG,
Absolutely, if BA did move, you can be sure a huge opportunity exists for Flybe to expand its LCY route, but a return to LGW most unlikely due to the unavailability and cost of slots, and with the two largest low cost airlines on LGW ex BFS with expanded capacity unlikely they'd touch it.
EI-BUD
Absolutely, if BA did move, you can be sure a huge opportunity exists for Flybe to expand its LCY route, but a return to LGW most unlikely due to the unavailability and cost of slots, and with the two largest low cost airlines on LGW ex BFS with expanded capacity unlikely they'd touch it.
EI-BUD