SOUTHEND 5
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Essex
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Don't be too dismissive. Anything that improves the appearance/ambience of the passenger terminal will help when prospective airlines come to see the facilities. When Southend came out top in the Which? Airports survey the one thing that didn't receive such high marks from passengers was the facilities in the terminal.
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Peterborough
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I totally accept your point. But coming in a tie with DSA and starting from a low base isn't that fantastic. Don' get me wrong I support SEN as much as anyone, and as my mothers is only a five minute walk from the terminal I would love to see a steady stream of new flights!
Join Date: Jul 2014
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I agree with an earlier comment that the Berne routes will not be ongoing and that Skyworks will switch back to LCY.
As for new S15 routes experience dictates that they would have to be announced well in advance of commencement, so time is already ticking
As for new S15 routes experience dictates that they would have to be announced well in advance of commencement, so time is already ticking
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Essex
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Intriguing to see a BE flight from Aberdeen on this afternoons arrivals board - presumably positioning ready for the additional Flybe / Stobart flights commencing tomorrow.
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Essex
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A question to Neile1 if I may -
Sorry if you are an expert with secret knowledge (where was this previous comment by the way please??)- but how can you say that SkyWork at SEN will fail as in (not be "ongoing") when it has not even started?? Evidence please!!
For someone who "supports SEN as much as anyone" - you seem to have a jolly strange flavour to your posts.
And - with sincere apologies to PpruneMods - as someone who actually regularly uses Southend to travel - I found some of his / her comments a little bizarre. Apologies if I have over-stepped the line. I will shut up from now.
Thank you.
Sorry if you are an expert with secret knowledge (where was this previous comment by the way please??)- but how can you say that SkyWork at SEN will fail as in (not be "ongoing") when it has not even started?? Evidence please!!
For someone who "supports SEN as much as anyone" - you seem to have a jolly strange flavour to your posts.
And - with sincere apologies to PpruneMods - as someone who actually regularly uses Southend to travel - I found some of his / her comments a little bizarre. Apologies if I have over-stepped the line. I will shut up from now.
Thank you.
EssexMan - it is certainly possible that Southend-Berne will do reasonably OK over the next few years, and anyone who absolutely rules out this possibility is almost certainly ignoring the unexpected.
However, it's worth remembering, that if an airline flies aircraft with 33 seats, they need to charge premium fares. Skywork between London and Berne do not offer cheap tickets (although they sometimes have fare sales for bookings made in the few days around Xmas and Easter). The lowest normal return fare for Southend-Berne-Southend is £181. Skywork will likely want to sell quite a few tickets at a higher price if they are to make a profit.
Berne airport does not have a train station - one must take a taxi or bus to Belp, and then a local train to Berne to get anywhere.
Zurich airport has a large train station with excellent service all over Switzerland, as well as superb connections at Zurich's city centre train station
Direct trains run from Zurich airport to Berne city centre twice per hour and take 1h15.
Someone who is price conscious will likely choose Easyjet between Gatwick/Luton and Zurich. Those who can afford Skywork's fares may be looking additionally at BA or Swiss on the London City (or Heathrow) - Zurich route, followed by a train to Berne or elsewhere in Switzerland.
It's worth noting, that from Caen, Rennes and Groningen, it takes typically over 2 hours to reach the nearest hub airport with trains operating at a much lower frequency. Trains run from Munster to Dusseldorf twice per hour and take 1h20.
One cannot rule out the possibility of Skywork doing OK at Southend, but in moving from City to Southend, fewer of Skywork's typical passengers are likely to be interested in their offering and the airline will have to devote more marketing resources to keep yields and load factors healthy.
However, it's worth remembering, that if an airline flies aircraft with 33 seats, they need to charge premium fares. Skywork between London and Berne do not offer cheap tickets (although they sometimes have fare sales for bookings made in the few days around Xmas and Easter). The lowest normal return fare for Southend-Berne-Southend is £181. Skywork will likely want to sell quite a few tickets at a higher price if they are to make a profit.
Berne airport does not have a train station - one must take a taxi or bus to Belp, and then a local train to Berne to get anywhere.
Zurich airport has a large train station with excellent service all over Switzerland, as well as superb connections at Zurich's city centre train station
Direct trains run from Zurich airport to Berne city centre twice per hour and take 1h15.
Someone who is price conscious will likely choose Easyjet between Gatwick/Luton and Zurich. Those who can afford Skywork's fares may be looking additionally at BA or Swiss on the London City (or Heathrow) - Zurich route, followed by a train to Berne or elsewhere in Switzerland.
It's worth noting, that from Caen, Rennes and Groningen, it takes typically over 2 hours to reach the nearest hub airport with trains operating at a much lower frequency. Trains run from Munster to Dusseldorf twice per hour and take 1h20.
One cannot rule out the possibility of Skywork doing OK at Southend, but in moving from City to Southend, fewer of Skywork's typical passengers are likely to be interested in their offering and the airline will have to devote more marketing resources to keep yields and load factors healthy.
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Peterborough
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To Essex Man
Please accept my apologies if my comments seem a little "off" to you. I have been interested and supportive of Southend since my first visit in the mid 70's.
My reference to Skyworks comes from another comment on this site, but another forum, which I found when first navigating the site.
I concur with the comment regarding seat costs and will be interested in the load factors achieved, I do feel the business traveller may not support this route. But let me end positively and hope it succeeds!
My reference to Skyworks comes from another comment on this site, but another forum, which I found when first navigating the site.
I concur with the comment regarding seat costs and will be interested in the load factors achieved, I do feel the business traveller may not support this route. But let me end positively and hope it succeeds!
Join Date: Jan 2008
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I still cannot understand Easyjet's decision to stop the Krakow route this month. The loads have been very impressive, and in July I think it was 95% load factor. On their website, they remind Krakow passengers, without any sympathy, that there are seats available from Gatwick instead. But that route has also done well. So assuming there might be 15 empty seats, what about the remaining 140 passengers? Are Easyjet willing to lose them over to another airline? Nobody at Stobarts, Easyjet or the local press have made a statement explaining why a sucessful route is stopping permanently. I expect Jersey and Ibiza will be dropped for the winter, but what will be the trend? New routes? I can't see this happening with EZY.
Stobart Air have been brave to venture into the near Europe market. Rennes, Caen and Groningen were always going to be reasonably supported, but it will be intersting to see the loads during the winter months. Antwerp not surprisingly is up against a lot of competition into London, and my guess that would be the first one to be dropped and replaced.
Regarding the Berne service, let's give the airline a chance to convince its clients to use SEN instead of LCY. It's a big gamble I know, but wish them luck. If they succeed, maybe others will follow.
Stobart Air have been brave to venture into the near Europe market. Rennes, Caen and Groningen were always going to be reasonably supported, but it will be intersting to see the loads during the winter months. Antwerp not surprisingly is up against a lot of competition into London, and my guess that would be the first one to be dropped and replaced.
Regarding the Berne service, let's give the airline a chance to convince its clients to use SEN instead of LCY. It's a big gamble I know, but wish them luck. If they succeed, maybe others will follow.
Join Date: Sep 2012
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I do find it a bit amusing the difference in attitude towards an EZY route move when its SEN that bares the brunt.
High load factors is only part of it. All those routes that moved to SEN in the first place from STN had high load factors. Obviously they thought they'd perform better at SEN but only if they were vastly reduced or axed completely at STN.
I can only assume it's exactly the same case here and that's not to say I agree with their decision.
It's not the first time believe me! Unfortunately that seems to be the culture of EZY nowadays, inexplicably cancelling popular routes (in terms of demand) and leaving the customers to look elsewhere, whether that be with EZY or not.
High load factors is only part of it. All those routes that moved to SEN in the first place from STN had high load factors. Obviously they thought they'd perform better at SEN but only if they were vastly reduced or axed completely at STN.
I can only assume it's exactly the same case here and that's not to say I agree with their decision.
Are Easyjet willing to lose them over to another airline? Nobody at Stobarts, Easyjet or the local press have made a statement explaining why a sucessful route is stopping permanently.
It's not the first time believe me! Unfortunately that seems to be the culture of EZY nowadays, inexplicably cancelling popular routes (in terms of demand) and leaving the customers to look elsewhere, whether that be with EZY or not.
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ESSEX
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Amsterdam is the big success story from sarfend. They need to find another one of those.. Something nordic maybe. And a few ski resort airports for the winter. Geneva is there already .. Salzburg or Innsbruck
Join Date: Sep 2012
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EASYJET SPRING 2015 RELEASED!
Flights on sale up to 31 May 2015.
Destinations so far are:
Alicante
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Berlin-Schonefeld
Faro
Ibiza
Jersey
Malaga
Palma de Mallorca
Venice-Marco Polo
No Geneva or Krakow.
3 based aircraft. (Not sure if that's a reduction, is 4th a/c usually added mid June?)
Destinations so far are:
Alicante
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Berlin-Schonefeld
Faro
Ibiza
Jersey
Malaga
Palma de Mallorca
Venice-Marco Polo
No Geneva or Krakow.
3 based aircraft. (Not sure if that's a reduction, is 4th a/c usually added mid June?)