Southampton-2
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: In the doghouse (usually)
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I think both sides in the debate over the last few comments have it right in their own ways.
Yes, the Southampton / Bournemouth / Winchester / Salisbury / Basingstoke / Portsmouth / Chichester area has a large catchment area and an airport smack bang in the middle of that area would no doubt be in a good position to attract passengers.
However, as has been rightly pointed out above, the airport in that exact position has been on a bit of a downward curve recently, which begs the question, if the location is so great, why is it not doing better?
My answer to that would be that the section of the market that it serves (UK domestic and short haul European turboprops) is in decline and has been for a while. So the airport feels that decline acutely as that’s most of its traffic.
It can’t do medium or long haul due to its runway, and most people in the area are accustomed to immediately looking to Heathrow or Gatwick for their flights and holidays.
What it needs to do is move up to the next level of the market, namely Loco twins able to fly to holiday destinations. Once it can do that there’s a large market of regular travellers waiting for it who currently fly from elsewhere due to the extremely limited offering SOU currently has.
Business travellers will no doubt stay with their expenses-paid taxis to Heathrow or business parking there, and continue to fly BA for the benefit of their Executive Club accounts, so there’s no point chasing them.
Sun routes are where SOU’s future lies I feel, there’s a huge demand in the local area that currently goes mostly unserved from local airports.
I think the new owners recognise this hence the masterplan.
Yes, the Southampton / Bournemouth / Winchester / Salisbury / Basingstoke / Portsmouth / Chichester area has a large catchment area and an airport smack bang in the middle of that area would no doubt be in a good position to attract passengers.
However, as has been rightly pointed out above, the airport in that exact position has been on a bit of a downward curve recently, which begs the question, if the location is so great, why is it not doing better?
My answer to that would be that the section of the market that it serves (UK domestic and short haul European turboprops) is in decline and has been for a while. So the airport feels that decline acutely as that’s most of its traffic.
It can’t do medium or long haul due to its runway, and most people in the area are accustomed to immediately looking to Heathrow or Gatwick for their flights and holidays.
What it needs to do is move up to the next level of the market, namely Loco twins able to fly to holiday destinations. Once it can do that there’s a large market of regular travellers waiting for it who currently fly from elsewhere due to the extremely limited offering SOU currently has.
Business travellers will no doubt stay with their expenses-paid taxis to Heathrow or business parking there, and continue to fly BA for the benefit of their Executive Club accounts, so there’s no point chasing them.
Sun routes are where SOU’s future lies I feel, there’s a huge demand in the local area that currently goes mostly unserved from local airports.
I think the new owners recognise this hence the masterplan.
Join Date: Sep 2008
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Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Southampton
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Join Date: Sep 2008
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I apologise if the way I wrote it offended you. It wasn’t meant to be an exaggeration, the expansion plans were first announced shortly after they took over.
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: South
Age: 43
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You do realise your facts and figures around conurbation size are exactly the reason for a low cost base to utilise SOU. The potential footfall is huge, add that to excellent transport links and you have a viable product to serve a selection of european financial districts and capital cities with a few sun routes added in. London’s airports are at bursting point with over capacity, hence SOU want to get in on the act asap and leave BOH to pick up the bucket and spade brigade.
Join Date: Dec 2011
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BMI: No more;
KLM: AMS is slot restricted and they had to drop routes based on feed to their international routes. No reflection on SOU as the AMS route saw circa 200k passengers last year;
Volotea: SOU was its only UK base so they are hardly known in the UK, they are also making the strange decision to re-fleet with the A319. Again no reflection on SOU;
Flylooloo: Did it ever even exist? No comment is needed surely;
Flybe: Has been run into the ground by a very poor CEO and a previous decision to replace their USP with some badly financed bottle rocket powered jets.
Stobart: Probably the strangest of the lot but they have returned their two ATR-500s and have not replaced them. Perhaps they had to drop routes accordingly.
SOU's likely future is a slimmed down Flybe operating domestic routes and the odd French destination, and a low cost operator flying to the usual places on the continent.
KLM: AMS is slot restricted and they had to drop routes based on feed to their international routes. No reflection on SOU as the AMS route saw circa 200k passengers last year;
Volotea: SOU was its only UK base so they are hardly known in the UK, they are also making the strange decision to re-fleet with the A319. Again no reflection on SOU;
As has been discussed many times, airlines come and go at SOU and don't seem to stick - this must be a concern.
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Southampton
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The airport seems to be bumping along at the bottom at the moment,lots of departing airlines ,but nothing new,unless something dramatic happens,then expect more of this.
The proposed runway works are way off,even if they are approved,it's to little to late,but that's SOU for you!
The proposed runway works are way off,even if they are approved,it's to little to late,but that's SOU for you!
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Southampton
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The airport is in decline!,many departed airlines,no new!
The proposed runway extension even if approved is not going to change the fact that SOU have missed the boat,it should have happened in 2005 Master plan!
The proposed runway extension even if approved is not going to change the fact that SOU have missed the boat,it should have happened in 2005 Master plan!
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Essex
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Nil desperandum. Apologies for SEN invading your airspace again. But less than 10 years ago a once proud airport had but one departure per week to Jersey. Now there's around 30 a day with more to come.
Don't ask me exactly how that's been achieved. But it does require a vision, a commitment that means there's no going back and a willingness to speculate to accumulate that blurs the boundaries between investment and gambling.
Don't ask me exactly how that's been achieved. But it does require a vision, a commitment that means there's no going back and a willingness to speculate to accumulate that blurs the boundaries between investment and gambling.
Flylolo is dead
no more
an ex programme
all flights canned from SOU S19 I read today- including the JSI - all canx
no plane no airline - never was one, was there
no more
an ex programme
all flights canned from SOU S19 I read today- including the JSI - all canx
no plane no airline - never was one, was there
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Daws Heath Essex
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Well I'm very sorry but to quote a comedy programme many years ago "Specialist subject..'The bleedin' obvious!!.
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Cardiff
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The apparent CEO of this company was vocal in posts on LinkedIn. The quality of his posts were somewhat lacking professionalism and he can be associated with the joker that is Jason Unsworth from Atmosphere whatever they are this week as they were often vocal on the same topics.
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Southampton
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Flylolo have cancelled all operations from SOU,to say it is a shambles would be an understatement!.What's left for SOU?,frankly very little!.The airport continues to bump along the bottom,where as down the road at BOU things continue to expand!. Perhaps the owners and management has something to do about it?