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Personally I don't hold out much hope for a number of these new routes. Small airport to small airport is not normally a recipe for success unless there's a particular connection eg same significant industry at both ends of the route. I think they would have been much better trying to take a very small share of a very large market and looked at Brussels, Paris etc
I really don't think that you can call the Flybe/Stobart Air route network "small airport to small airport" as the "particular connection" is this case is metropolitan London.
One can reasonably argue the merits of the various London airports with regard to their travel times to different parts of London, but I'm sure that potential travellers from the European cities on the network will consider London Southend a perfectly acceptable arrival airport.
Effective marketing is usually the key to success in the case of routes which have previously been unserved for a period of time and I'm sure the parties concerned are trying very hard to achieve that in this case.
One can reasonably argue the merits of the various London airports with regard to their travel times to different parts of London, but I'm sure that potential travellers from the European cities on the network will consider London Southend a perfectly acceptable arrival airport.
Effective marketing is usually the key to success in the case of routes which have previously been unserved for a period of time and I'm sure the parties concerned are trying very hard to achieve that in this case.
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Only time will tell. It will be interesting to see what happens. Do you or anyone else down SEN way have the split for easy as to what percentage pax UK originating vs other end of route originating. That may give us a clue as to what extent SEN being recognised as a gateway to London.
I don't think the SEN easyJet split on pax origins would be very useful except on perhaps AMS and SXF but, no, I don't have that information
I see that anna.aero interviewed Flybe CCO Paul Simmons and asked him specifically about the LCY operation:
aa: "Do you envisage any potential conflicts with the London Southend operation for Stobart Air?"
PS: "Not really: the London Southend offering ...... is more leisure-based whereas our operations at London City will be more business-based."
I see that anna.aero interviewed Flybe CCO Paul Simmons and asked him specifically about the LCY operation:
aa: "Do you envisage any potential conflicts with the London Southend operation for Stobart Air?"
PS: "Not really: the London Southend offering ...... is more leisure-based whereas our operations at London City will be more business-based."
Last edited by Expressflight; 24th Apr 2014 at 13:46.
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Well one things for sure, easyJet are certainly moving towards consolidating the SEN base by cutting the less successful routes and increasing frequencies on the more popular ones such as AMS up to 3x daily.
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I think they would have been much better trying to take a very small share of a very large market and looked at Brussels
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Only time will tell. It will be interesting to see what happens. Do you or anyone else down SEN way have the split for easy as to what percentage pax UK originating vs other end of route originating. That may give us a clue as to what extent SEN being recognised as a gateway to London.
FLY DIRECT TO LONDON (Southend)
and if you are in Groningen or Caen or somewhere, I think that's a pretty appealing pitch.
Fell off my stool (pardon the pun) laughing at that one.Join Date: Mar 2003
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Five of the six destinations have no competing London link and Antwerp just 200seats per day to LCY. So if there is demand for London, people will use the SEN flights. With the exception of ANR, they really have no alternative - no other carrier and no nearby airport with a London link.
I wish Stobart the best of luck. The big question really is how the strategy to serve regional airports with no London link leaves room for future expansion. The number of regional airports that are too small to attract a larger operation but big enough to sustain a daily ATR72 flight to London - and near enough to be served by a turboprop - is rather limited in my book.
I wish Stobart the best of luck. The big question really is how the strategy to serve regional airports with no London link leaves room for future expansion. The number of regional airports that are too small to attract a larger operation but big enough to sustain a daily ATR72 flight to London - and near enough to be served by a turboprop - is rather limited in my book.
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Jota Aviation
Is this a re-incarnation from Southend's past.
I don't know the background of Andy Green but wasn't Mike Sessions involved with British World and/or Flightline?
Anyway, best of luck to them and let's hope they are successful.
Regards
Southender
I don't know the background of Andy Green but wasn't Mike Sessions involved with British World and/or Flightline?
Anyway, best of luck to them and let's hope they are successful.
Regards
Southender
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Thomson website shows that next year's weekly flights to Palma will again be operated by Volotea. It looks like an extended season next year, starting on 23rd May and finishing 26th September.
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Thomson
The start dates are the same weekend in 2014 (Sat 24th May) as 2015 (Sat 23rd May). This years flights run through until October 18th, but October 2015 holidays are not on sale yet (only up to September 26th). When they are, we will know if it is a shorter operating period or not.
