Belfast International-2
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Greater Aldergrove
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Why not both? The Max will do Toronto as well as it will do New York, so no need to fill a 787...and the market is certainly there.
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: UK
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It will do Toronto but it will be going to Hamilton just down the road where the fee’s will be less and no doubt Norwegian will add a shuttle bus to downtown just have they have done at Stewart.
The next batch of MAX deliveries start in May.
Edinburgh will likely miss out unless the SNP deliver on their promise to slash APD, no such issues in DUB and BFS is APD exempt for long haul routes.
The next batch of MAX deliveries start in May.
Edinburgh will likely miss out unless the SNP deliver on their promise to slash APD, no such issues in DUB and BFS is APD exempt for long haul routes.
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: London
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I'm amazed that there hasn't been a direct service to Canada for so long.
I used to be a travel agent and I remember Ulster Maple Leaf, Chieftain Tours and later Globespan filling planes all summer!
I used to be a travel agent and I remember Ulster Maple Leaf, Chieftain Tours and later Globespan filling planes all summer!
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: N.Ireland
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Great to see, but why leave it so late? Surely January would have been a better time to launch / promote FAO
Looks like finishing 28th August?
They are cancelling the late STN service on Saturdays to accommodate FAO and Tuesday was previously the Berlin flight
Looks like finishing 28th August?
They are cancelling the late STN service on Saturdays to accommodate FAO and Tuesday was previously the Berlin flight
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: United Kingdom
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Cutting back on domestic routes in favour of leisure routes is very common during peak summer season, with both easyJet and Flybe doing it across their Belfast networks.
TUI only base one aircraft at BFS during the summer season, and it has a full schedule. If TUI were to add a new route from BFS, they would have to a) base a second aircraft (very unlikely) or b) reduce frequencies on existing routes.
Join Date: Jan 2012
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TUI only base one aircraft at BFS during the summer season, and it has a full schedule. If TUI were to add a new route from BFS, they would have to a) base a second aircraft (very unlikely) or b) reduce frequencies on existing routes.
Join Date: Jan 2017
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Severnside
Age: 36
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Good to see the Ryanair Faro back on sale, especially with Aer Lingus cutting back from Belfast.
Be interesting to see what TUI programme for 2019. Their current BFS operation is very Spain biased with multiple frequencies on Palma and Reus. The return of Dalaman is certainly a possibility, perhaps something less obvious like Dubrovnik, or Pula. Or what about a Hurghada or even a Cape Verde? Sharm worked well from Belfast before the general problem there, helped enormously by incurring no APD from Belfast. Both Hurghada and Cape Verde would also qualify for Zero APD, based on range.
Be interesting to see what TUI programme for 2019. Their current BFS operation is very Spain biased with multiple frequencies on Palma and Reus. The return of Dalaman is certainly a possibility, perhaps something less obvious like Dubrovnik, or Pula. Or what about a Hurghada or even a Cape Verde? Sharm worked well from Belfast before the general problem there, helped enormously by incurring no APD from Belfast. Both Hurghada and Cape Verde would also qualify for Zero APD, based on range.
Join Date: Jan 2017
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The problem with Cape Verde is that a single round trip takes up a full day. Currently TUI can fly one round trip to the Canaries/Greece and up to two round trips to the Balearics/Spain in one day. TUI would have to be making a fortune on a potential Cape Verde route in order to sacrifice three flights for just one.
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: United Kingdom
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It is possible to operate both PMI and Cape Verde within in a 24 hour period, but the logistics of doing so from BFS make it an unattractive option.
TUI's morning departures to Spain leave BFS between 05:30-06:00. That means that the latest an aircraft returning from Cape Verde can arrive at BFS is 04:30-05:00. This requires the previous morning's departure to Spain to leave before 05:00, which on some days forces the evening before's flight to be shifted further forward and so on. Given that the vast majority of TUI's routes from BFS are operated by other airlines, passengers would choose their more convenient departure times over an extremely early TUI departure.
In addition, TUI's afternoon departures are to destinations only served x1 weekly, except for on a Tuesday, when a second weekly flight to REU and fourth weekly flight to PMI operate instead. Logic would dictate that TUI would choose Tuesday to operate a potential route to Cape Verde, as they wouldn't want to completely axe one of their destinations from BFS. So TUI would replace x2 flights to Spain with x1 flight to Cape Verde. This means that TUI would offer 6,803 fewer seats from BFS each year, which is 6.25% of the total available seats offered from BFS in 2018. TUI would consequently make less money from BFS, given the average price spent per person on a trip to Cape Verde does not exceed that of a trip to REU and a trip to PMI.
So, by operating a route to Cape Verde from BFS;
-TUI offer fewer seats from BFS and makes less money from their base.
-Fewer passengers fly to Spain with TUI because of unattractive flight times, meaning the airline makes even less money.
While it would be great to see TUI offering more destinations from BFS, the fact that BFS is TUI's sole seasonal base, and is operated by a Sunwing aircraft, makes it clear that TUI are not interested in the NI market. A permanent base, or at least a second aircraft, would make destinations such as Cape Verde a more feasible option, but by the looks of things, what BFS has currently got is as good as it gets from TUI.
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
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TUI base only one aircraft at BFS during the summer season, and is the airline's only seasonal base. TUI's sole aircraft has a full schedule, meaning in order to add Cape Verde or Egypt, other routes will need to be axed.
It is possible to operate both PMI and Cape Verde within in a 24 hour period, but the logistics of doing so from BFS make it an unattractive option.
TUI's morning departures to Spain leave BFS between 05:30-06:00. That means that the latest an aircraft returning from Cape Verde can arrive at BFS is 04:30-05:00. This requires the previous morning's departure to Spain to leave before 05:00, which on some days forces the evening before's flight to be shifted further forward and so on. Given that the vast majority of TUI's routes from BFS are operated by other airlines, passengers would choose their more convenient departure times over an extremely early TUI departure.
In addition, TUI's afternoon departures are to destinations only served x1 weekly, except for on a Tuesday, when a second weekly flight to REU and fourth weekly flight to PMI operate instead. Logic would dictate that TUI would choose Tuesday to operate a potential route to Cape Verde, as they wouldn't want to completely axe one of their destinations from BFS. So TUI would replace x2 flights to Spain with x1 flight to Cape Verde. This means that TUI would offer 6,803 fewer seats from BFS each year, which is 6.25% of the total available seats offered from BFS in 2018. TUI would consequently make less money from BFS, given the average price spent per person on a trip to Cape Verde does not exceed that of a trip to REU and a trip to PMI.
So, by operating a route to Cape Verde from BFS;
-TUI offer fewer seats from BFS and makes less money from their base.
-Fewer passengers fly to Spain with TUI because of unattractive flight times, meaning the airline makes even less money.
While it would be great to see TUI offering more destinations from BFS, the fact that BFS is TUI's sole seasonal base, and is operated by a Sunwing aircraft, makes it clear that TUI are not interested in the NI market. A permanent base, or at least a second aircraft, would make destinations such as Cape Verde a more feasible option, but by the looks of things, what BFS has currently got is as good as it gets from TUI.
It is possible to operate both PMI and Cape Verde within in a 24 hour period, but the logistics of doing so from BFS make it an unattractive option.
TUI's morning departures to Spain leave BFS between 05:30-06:00. That means that the latest an aircraft returning from Cape Verde can arrive at BFS is 04:30-05:00. This requires the previous morning's departure to Spain to leave before 05:00, which on some days forces the evening before's flight to be shifted further forward and so on. Given that the vast majority of TUI's routes from BFS are operated by other airlines, passengers would choose their more convenient departure times over an extremely early TUI departure.
In addition, TUI's afternoon departures are to destinations only served x1 weekly, except for on a Tuesday, when a second weekly flight to REU and fourth weekly flight to PMI operate instead. Logic would dictate that TUI would choose Tuesday to operate a potential route to Cape Verde, as they wouldn't want to completely axe one of their destinations from BFS. So TUI would replace x2 flights to Spain with x1 flight to Cape Verde. This means that TUI would offer 6,803 fewer seats from BFS each year, which is 6.25% of the total available seats offered from BFS in 2018. TUI would consequently make less money from BFS, given the average price spent per person on a trip to Cape Verde does not exceed that of a trip to REU and a trip to PMI.
So, by operating a route to Cape Verde from BFS;
-TUI offer fewer seats from BFS and makes less money from their base.
-Fewer passengers fly to Spain with TUI because of unattractive flight times, meaning the airline makes even less money.
While it would be great to see TUI offering more destinations from BFS, the fact that BFS is TUI's sole seasonal base, and is operated by a Sunwing aircraft, makes it clear that TUI are not interested in the NI market. A permanent base, or at least a second aircraft, would make destinations such as Cape Verde a more feasible option, but by the looks of things, what BFS has currently got is as good as it gets from TUI.
While it would be great to see TUI offering more destinations from BFS, the fact that BFS is TUI's sole seasonal base, and is operated by a Sunwing aircraft, makes it clear that TUI are not interested in the NI market. A permanent base, or at least a second aircraft, would make destinations such as Cape Verde a more feasible option, but by the looks of things, what BFS has currently got is as good as it gets from TUI.
If TUI weren't interested in NI, they wouldn't be there - especially not with a leased in a/c!
How would a permanent base make it more feasible - as you've just pointed out, it's to do with a/c availability.
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Co
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Cape Verde cannot be served from BFS on a B738 without a fuel stop.
It could be done with a B757 but this would be additional cost for positioning / night stopping crew.
Currently it’s not possible to do a uk to Cape Verde return with the same crew. A night stop is required so therefore even further increased costs.
It could be done with a B757 but this would be additional cost for positioning / night stopping crew.
Currently it’s not possible to do a uk to Cape Verde return with the same crew. A night stop is required so therefore even further increased costs.