SOUTHEND - 3 The new beginning
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: In the sticks
Posts: 9,860
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Might be a factor that there is no public transport available from London to get passengers to the airport for this 7am departure.
Last edited by LTNman; 17th Aug 2012 at 07:16.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Luxembourg
Posts: 791
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I wonder if Stobart has enough influence over the railway company to introduce more early and late trains next year. Personally, if I have an early departure, I stay overnight in a hotel and travel refreshed. Next month the Holiday Inn will be open so that may appeal to some. Others will make alternative travel arrangements.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Essex
Posts: 1,109
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
EI-BUD wrote:
GLA & EDI, why would easyJet go for this? STN routes to these 2 airports are very successful and would be canibalised, and if were withdrawn in favour of SEN it is almost a cert that Ryanair would join STN EDI...? 17th Aug 2012 07:39
One factor might be the large presence Royal Bank of Scotland has at Southend?
GLA & EDI, why would easyJet go for this? STN routes to these 2 airports are very successful and would be canibalised, and if were withdrawn in favour of SEN it is almost a cert that Ryanair would join STN EDI...? 17th Aug 2012 07:39
One factor might be the large presence Royal Bank of Scotland has at Southend?
LTNman
I have monitored the fare levels on LON-BFS-LON regularly since the SEN route started and the differential whereby SEN was much cheaper initially than STN, LTN or LGW has started to decrease in the past couple of months. I tend to choose dates 7 days ahead and a glance at travel on the 24 or 25 August shows much less differential than the figures you quoted for travel next Monday - correct as those are. Quite what that tells us I'm not quite sure to be honest!
The first BFS departures to LGW, STN and LTN are all before 0700, so I wonder if easyJet actually place some value on having an 0840 departure to LON in the shape of the SEN service. Generally the LON-BFS-LON traffic will be business biased so the build up of any new route is likely to be slower in that case and I would be surprised if easyJet are unhappy with a 73% load factor for SEN-BFS in July.
I agree with the point you make in your other post to the effect that some routes will work better than others and it takes time to see which are which. I would say the jury is still out on BFS and the winter traffic levels will probably give us the answer.
Your point about the lack of a early train from Liverpool Street is certainly true and I haven't heard recently of any progress in resolving that problem. Apparently Network Rail are very reluctant to open up the line any earlier and it may perhaps need Stobarts to use any political influence they may have to break the stalemate.
I have monitored the fare levels on LON-BFS-LON regularly since the SEN route started and the differential whereby SEN was much cheaper initially than STN, LTN or LGW has started to decrease in the past couple of months. I tend to choose dates 7 days ahead and a glance at travel on the 24 or 25 August shows much less differential than the figures you quoted for travel next Monday - correct as those are. Quite what that tells us I'm not quite sure to be honest!
The first BFS departures to LGW, STN and LTN are all before 0700, so I wonder if easyJet actually place some value on having an 0840 departure to LON in the shape of the SEN service. Generally the LON-BFS-LON traffic will be business biased so the build up of any new route is likely to be slower in that case and I would be surprised if easyJet are unhappy with a 73% load factor for SEN-BFS in July.
I agree with the point you make in your other post to the effect that some routes will work better than others and it takes time to see which are which. I would say the jury is still out on BFS and the winter traffic levels will probably give us the answer.
Your point about the lack of a early train from Liverpool Street is certainly true and I haven't heard recently of any progress in resolving that problem. Apparently Network Rail are very reluctant to open up the line any earlier and it may perhaps need Stobarts to use any political influence they may have to break the stalemate.
Last edited by Expressflight; 17th Aug 2012 at 08:41. Reason: Added thoughts on train service
If the rail line cannot be opened easily, can Stobart persuade National Express, Terravision, Easybus or Greenline to run a route to central London or Stratford early morning and late evening ?
I realise that with only a few services a day and traffic likely to be very unidirectional operational cost per passenger will be higher.
I realise that with only a few services a day and traffic likely to be very unidirectional operational cost per passenger will be higher.
Last edited by davidjohnson6; 17th Aug 2012 at 08:54.
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: essex
Posts: 131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Earlier trains from London would be helpful. However I'm curious to know what percentage of Pax are coming by train. I'd suspect its quite low from how full the car parks are and the constant dropping off of people by cars / taxis outside he terminal. A lot of the people using the airport are local to South Essex. In addition there is the new Holiday Inn at the airport opening this month and there is a Premier Inn moff the A127 by the 06 threshold, just 3 mins away by cab.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Essex
Posts: 1,109
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, there always seems to be a stream of people crossing over to the station after a flight arrival, but I suppose 20-30 people looks a lot in that confined space. It would indeed be interesting to know the balance between rail and road - maybe this is something the aviation enthusiasts (can't bear the derogotary title of "spotters") can do one day?
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Luxembourg
Posts: 791
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
it's all such a new operation...for the airport, the airlines, the train company, the taxis.....if only 20 pax get off the last flight and want a train, surely its not worthwhile laying on an 8-carriage train to Liverpool Street for them.....but if (eventually) there are several hundred people, i am sure minds will think differently.
For me, as a passenger on low cost carriers (not only) across the world, if there is no public transport, I make my own arrangements...no big deal and sometimes less stres.
For me, as a passenger on low cost carriers (not only) across the world, if there is no public transport, I make my own arrangements...no big deal and sometimes less stres.
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: In the sticks
Posts: 9,860
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Southend had 84,792 passengers in July 2012
The sky really is the limit for London Southend Airport as it welcomes the 500th new member of staff on site
...but other "staff on site" will be involved in aircraft maintenance, spraying, training and hotel & parking staff too. I read this bit of PR fluff to include all employers on site - to make it look more impressive!
...but other "staff on site" will be involved in aircraft maintenance, spraying, training and hotel & parking staff too. I read this bit of PR fluff to include all employers on site - to make it look more impressive!
LTNman
You are correct, I believe, (how much longer can I keep this up?) in assuming that the 500 employees relates to operation of the airport and the airline activities. I don't think it includes the MRO companies etc. operating on the airport although I stand to be corrected if anyone knows for sure. The ATC Lasham, Air Livery, Inflite and IPECO operations are substantial and must amount to well over 500 employees themselves.
I don't seem able to dig it out at the moment but I produced a paper for a local politician a few years back estimating the number of employees that SEN would be likely to generate at 2 mmpa, including MRO activity etc. and I think the answer came out at between 1,750 and 2,000. Maybe someone has comparable figures for other airports to see if 5.4 ppd per employee is as daft as it might at first appear.
Mind you if an airport wants to offer "cruise ship" levels of service it obviously needs cruise ship staffing levels!
You are correct, I believe, (how much longer can I keep this up?) in assuming that the 500 employees relates to operation of the airport and the airline activities. I don't think it includes the MRO companies etc. operating on the airport although I stand to be corrected if anyone knows for sure. The ATC Lasham, Air Livery, Inflite and IPECO operations are substantial and must amount to well over 500 employees themselves.
I don't seem able to dig it out at the moment but I produced a paper for a local politician a few years back estimating the number of employees that SEN would be likely to generate at 2 mmpa, including MRO activity etc. and I think the answer came out at between 1,750 and 2,000. Maybe someone has comparable figures for other airports to see if 5.4 ppd per employee is as daft as it might at first appear.
Mind you if an airport wants to offer "cruise ship" levels of service it obviously needs cruise ship staffing levels!
I've just found the report I produced and that showed that each employee at LCY and SOU served 4.5 ppd and BHX served 3.8 ppd. These figures were for 2009.
With SEN at 2 mppa I projected it would need 1,200 employees, excluding all the MRO and other aviation related businesses active on the airport, so that would be 4.6 ppd per employee.
So if 5.4 passengers per day per member of staff are being processed at SEN at the moment they are operating more efficiently than I predicted, but this may be accounted for by technology changes and less hold baggage etc. since 2009, so requiring less staff.
With SEN at 2 mppa I projected it would need 1,200 employees, excluding all the MRO and other aviation related businesses active on the airport, so that would be 4.6 ppd per employee.
So if 5.4 passengers per day per member of staff are being processed at SEN at the moment they are operating more efficiently than I predicted, but this may be accounted for by technology changes and less hold baggage etc. since 2009, so requiring less staff.
So that's 500 people who are employed in some way or other with the overall aim of helping their fellow Brits travel quickly to and spend their money on a Mediterranean beach, giving money for food and a roof over their head to Johnny Foreigner.
And yet we wonder why the UK economy is so feeble at the moment...
And yet we wonder why the UK economy is so feeble at the moment...
Last edited by davidjohnson6; 17th Aug 2012 at 16:45.
And yet we wonder why the UK economy is so feeble at the moment...
Its not like these new employees will be contributing to the local economy or anythingn is it..
Last edited by pug; 17th Aug 2012 at 16:53.
....... but I wouldn't even like to think about all the UK taxation that I, my employees and my aviation companies have paid over the past 40 odd years. There's always another side to every equation.
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: London Whipsnade Wildlife Park
Posts: 5,039
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In my day for every million passenger through put, would deliver 1000 jobs locally and another 1000 in ancillary. I guess today the numbers might be less?