SOUTHEND - 3 The new beginning
What trains do Stobart have that are capable of carrying passengers (not freight) and which don"t partly involve a steam train pulling ancient coaches on a tour through the countryside ?
Join Date: Oct 2006
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I think some of you guys want to gen up on how and how not the railway system in the UK works. Stations owned by one company, carriages owned by another etc. You just cannot put a ´´Puffing Billy´´ on when you want to!
Stobart used to run steam trains for spotters - ceased a few years ago. Stobart used to (still do ?) have an involvement with moving freight by train. Sourcing 4 carriages for a twice daily run to Liverpool St for passengers is quite a different game.
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Routes are awarded as franchises for the payment of large fees. No doubt one off charters are allowed but not a scheduled passenger service.
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In case you want to know the passengers per employee per day number for Manchester Airport is 2.8. The Manchester airport site state "around 19,000 people employed directly on-site" and with 19,324,997 terminal passengers in 2011 out of the calculator pops this rather low number. As a comparison my own home airport, Oslo Airport/Gardermoen, has 4.8 passengers per employee on site per day.
Now back to the July numbers for Southend, or more correct the passenger numbers the four last months at the airport. The growth these four months compared with the same months last year was 248,906 passengers. During the same months the neighbouring Stansted continued its decline with 275,718 passengers. The growth at SEN was 90% of the decline at STN. I don't think we can conclude that SEN is the cause to the decline at STN, but SEN has a share in this. In 2011 the decline at STN was 2.8%. These four last months the decline at STN has been 4.1% - bit worse than the average last year. I guess some of the growth at SEN can have been old STN customers.
To set this growth at SEN in perspective, let's look at the largest London airports and their growth January to July this year. I have corrected the growth numbers due to the leap day in February, and here they are:
Heathrow = +229,792 passengers
Gatwick = +232,238 passengers
Stansted = -487,008 passengers
Luton = +64,653 passengers
London City = -14,351 passengers
Southend = +255,107 passengers
In other words Sounthend has the strongest growth of all London airports the first 7 months this year. This may come as a surprice to many here I guess.
Now back to the July numbers for Southend, or more correct the passenger numbers the four last months at the airport. The growth these four months compared with the same months last year was 248,906 passengers. During the same months the neighbouring Stansted continued its decline with 275,718 passengers. The growth at SEN was 90% of the decline at STN. I don't think we can conclude that SEN is the cause to the decline at STN, but SEN has a share in this. In 2011 the decline at STN was 2.8%. These four last months the decline at STN has been 4.1% - bit worse than the average last year. I guess some of the growth at SEN can have been old STN customers.
To set this growth at SEN in perspective, let's look at the largest London airports and their growth January to July this year. I have corrected the growth numbers due to the leap day in February, and here they are:
Heathrow = +229,792 passengers
Gatwick = +232,238 passengers
Stansted = -487,008 passengers
Luton = +64,653 passengers
London City = -14,351 passengers
Southend = +255,107 passengers
In other words Sounthend has the strongest growth of all London airports the first 7 months this year. This may come as a surprice to many here I guess.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: The glasshouse, a stone's throw from you
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This year's growth figures are very misleading, so should be ignored. Hopefully the airport management are happy with the figures that they have currently got.
Next year will be telling, no Olympic Passengers just your normal type of traveller going into London on a cheap flight.
Next year will be telling, no Olympic Passengers just your normal type of traveller going into London on a cheap flight.
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-450,085 passengers if not corrected for the leap day compton3bravo.
In 2011 there was 133,594,431 terminal passengers at the six London airports Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City and Southend. The total growth the seven months of 2012 is 635,367 passengers which equals to 0.48% growth. These growth numbers are including the leap day, and with that day excluded the real growth is only 0.2% over these seven months.
There are other parts of the UK that have experienced more positive tones, like Britol, Aberdeen and Birmingham that all had a growth of over 4% in July.
In 2011 there was 133,594,431 terminal passengers at the six London airports Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City and Southend. The total growth the seven months of 2012 is 635,367 passengers which equals to 0.48% growth. These growth numbers are including the leap day, and with that day excluded the real growth is only 0.2% over these seven months.
There are other parts of the UK that have experienced more positive tones, like Britol, Aberdeen and Birmingham that all had a growth of over 4% in July.
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As pottwidler says, you can't really look at SEN's 2012 year-on-year growth figures with any degree of realism as it really is a different airport to this time last year. This time next year (if there hasn't been a total economic meltdown by then 
), perhaps we might be seeing growth in percentage terms more similar to other UK airports... especially if the rumour regarding proposed U2 expansion is true.
), perhaps we might be seeing growth in percentage terms more similar to other UK airports... especially if the rumour regarding proposed U2 expansion is true.
Regarding the "rumoured U2 expansion", I would be surprised if they increased the based fleet until the doubling of the size of the terminal is completed. Perhaps some w-patterns might be operated to increase the number of destinations available for S13.
How does the sale (when it actually happens !) by BAA of Stansted affect Southend ?
Presumably any new operator will likely be rather more aggressive for new customers, will not be constrained by internal policies vis-a-vis Heathrow, and no longer need to adopt a strategy at STN consistent with its legal arguments against the Competition Commission.
In particular, will this make Southend more or less appealing to airlines compared to Stansted, once the sale is completed ?
Presumably any new operator will likely be rather more aggressive for new customers, will not be constrained by internal policies vis-a-vis Heathrow, and no longer need to adopt a strategy at STN consistent with its legal arguments against the Competition Commission.
In particular, will this make Southend more or less appealing to airlines compared to Stansted, once the sale is completed ?
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Remember that STN is still a regulated airfield so the charges are set to a certain extent by the government. Whilst I have no doubt the new owners will find ways to "sweeten the pot" if needs be, it will still put STN at a competetive disadvantage to the likes of SEN & LTN.
I see no need for SEN to panic!!
I see no need for SEN to panic!!
Join Date: May 2011
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Well, tried SEN last Sunday with a flight to AMS. Very impressed with the quick transit from the rammed train to the terminal. Less than 10 mins from bag drop to through security and a cold beer. Speedy boarding worked fine. Just one point, security. No problem, rucksack and belt, coins, mobile etc into the tray. Through the arch and away. Only later in the hotel, 'er in the window seat produced a three pointed triangular screwdriver about 6" in diameter, a large railway 'T' key and a large bunch of various keys from the rucksack. I had forgotten to remove them with the other railway equipment. They seemed more interested with swabbing laptops for explosive residue. If security is to be effective then the sharp metal objects should have been identified.