Flybe - 7
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Middlesex (under the flightpath)
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But you do have to check in so early, so that you can be enticed to spend your hard earned cash on stuff you don't want / need in the shopping malls that are an integral part of all major airports today. Not only that but as you've had to get to the airport so early you'll need refreshment - and low and behold, the airport has got that one covered too - generally at exorbitant cost to the punter!
A good tip is to check-in online. Another is to travel with hand baggage only if possible, that saves a lot of time.
Also, pre-flight time on the kind of smaller airports that BE mostly operates out of doesn't have to be that long. In fact this is a good selling point for small airports, they should make more of it.
In fact for those of us whose local airport is Heathrow, passing through a small airport is a novelty, and makes a very pleasant change.
Oh for the "good old days" of flying in the 60s and 70s - things were so much simpler in those days! (I appreciate that some won't remember them, that's the benefit of being a "grumpy old man").
This cosy arrangement ended when non-IATA carriers started charter flights and the legacies introduced ABC ("Advance Booking Charter") and APEX ("Advance Purchass Excursion") fares to compete.
Also, most longhaul flights were multi-stop, and frequencies were shockingly low.
Am also an old(ish) git, but not a grumpy one.
Last edited by Fairdealfrank; 6th Jan 2015 at 22:03.
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: cornwall, uk
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Further changes being made to the summer schedule.
NQY-BHX now available daily until October 24.
NQY-STN now 4 weekly instead of the three that was initially loaded, now tues, thurs, sat and sun
NQY-BHX now available daily until October 24.
NQY-STN now 4 weekly instead of the three that was initially loaded, now tues, thurs, sat and sun
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 39
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Ah yes, the good old days when we paid £400 for day returns to London, £600 for Paris and Amsterdam and when we had next to no choice on departure days if you wanted to go somewhere for a holiday. You went away for a week on one allotted day per week. Yeah, them were the day. Must have been nice if you could have afforded that but today's system provide safe travel for all and relatively stable companies to be employed by but also to do business with.
Join Date: Jul 2009
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ref. the Flybe shuttle, i just flew the competition on LBA-SOU, and was the only passenger on the flight..they didn't even operate the preceeding ABZ-LBA leg..not good for Eastern
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Flying Officer Kite, the leg you flew on is the 3rd SOU departure of the day from LBA, at only 1030am, it's madness, I think it was always going to struggle. I've seen as little as 6 on a Dash from LBA to ABZ. I'd hazard a guess not much money is being earned by either operator.
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Middlesex (under the flightpath)
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ref. the Flybe shuttle, i just flew the competition on LBA-SOU, and was the only passenger on the flight..they didn't even operate the preceeding ABZ-LBA leg..not good for Eastern
So alongside screwing up the MAN-IOM schedule (see IOM thread) to miss the hub banks at MAN and move to less attractive times, the NCL-SOU schedule is being changed from Summer 2015 to accommodate the awfully-timed NCL-STN service.
First departure ex NCL to SOU will now be 1225 on weekdays as the aircraft which does the northbound SOU-NCL does NCL-STN-NCL before flying the first southbound. The afternoon NCL-STN is being flown by a BHD-based aircraft.
Why, oh why, would you make a total mess of schedules on two long-established routes to launch new routes (IOM-STN and NCL-STN) at poor timings themselves? This is an airline losing the plot in a big way.
First departure ex NCL to SOU will now be 1225 on weekdays as the aircraft which does the northbound SOU-NCL does NCL-STN-NCL before flying the first southbound. The afternoon NCL-STN is being flown by a BHD-based aircraft.
Why, oh why, would you make a total mess of schedules on two long-established routes to launch new routes (IOM-STN and NCL-STN) at poor timings themselves? This is an airline losing the plot in a big way.
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Europe
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A Saturday-only DUS-EXT service has operated during the last two summer seasons. Mainly incoming German holidaymakers.
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: London
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I see FlyBe have axed a number of flights from their SOU schedule with routes dropped or services reduced. Have they overestimated their 'London' operations with STN, SOU & LCY all being used?