Southampton-2

[RW20]

So SOU has no new routes,no development news,but decreasing pax!. Obviously there is something fundementay wrong!. SOU is ideally positioned for pax from London and across the south. If Bournemouth was in Southampton position geographicly it would be in the 3m+ pax by now,simply because it has had airside investment and a progressive management team!. Wake up Southampton it will be to late soon!!!

[sinbad73]

AGS Airports. Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton all owned by the same company and all performing poorly. Coincidence?

[AirportPlanner1]

Originally Posted by sinbad73

AGS Airports. Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton all owned by the same company and all performing poorly. Coincidence?

Yes. Fortunes of Aberdeen are inextricably linked to offshore which has been in long-term decline. Southampton’s main operator (the one that best fits the airport’s constraints) has been in intensive care.

[rog747]

No wonder SOU and Flybe have little competitive future - Lazy management and exorbitant fares.

I want to go to Leeds -

Just had an email today from BE saying 100,000's of seats from OCT 1st from £35 - Great I thought...!
SOU for me is superb as I can get the direct train from West Dorset.
Go to the BE booking engine and you cannot get a fare to LBA (on a non-stop flight) for under around £160-200...(£500 if you want a fully flexible!!)
If one wants to go via Belfast taking almost all day (0800-1430, with a 3 hour stop over in BHD) then you might find a fare for under £70...

Go to BA.com and using my Avios I can get Club Europe (with the Galleries Lounge, plus a nice hot breakfast onboard) for £0.50p - but I have a 2 hour drive to LHR

[PDXCWL45]

Originally Posted by rog747

No wonder SOU and Flybe have little competitive future - Lazy management and exorbitant fares.

I want to go to Leeds -

Just had an email today from BE saying 100,000's of seats from OCT 1st from £35 - Great I thought...!
SOU for me is superb as I can get the direct train from West Dorset.
Go to the BE booking engine and you cannot get a fare to LBA (on a non-stop flight) for under around £160-200...(£500 if you want a fully flexible!!)
If one wants to go via Belfast taking almost all day (0800-1430, with a 3 hour stop over in BHD) then you might find a fare for under £70...

Go to BA.com and using my Avios I can get Club Europe (with the Galleries Lounge, plus a nice hot breakfast onboard) for £0.50p - but I have a 2 hour drive to LHR

You need to remember that the LBA route is Eastern Airways not Flybe so probably isn't included in the sale.
I read this thread a lot and I wonder if the expectation is too high for the airport and SOU is around the passenger numbers it will always be around between 1.5 million people and 2 million passengers a year with the route network it has being the network it can sustain. I do know that my local airport would kill for quite a lot of what Southampton has with airlines and routes.

[SWBKCB]

Originally Posted by rog747

No wonder SOU and Flybe have little competitive future - Lazy management and exorbitant fares.

I want to go to Leeds -

Just had an email today from BE saying 100,000's of seats from OCT 1st from £35 - Great I thought...!
SOU for me is superb as I can get the direct train from West Dorset.
Go to the BE booking engine and you cannot get a fare to LBA (on a non-stop flight) for under around £160-200...(£500 if you want a fully flexible!!)
If one wants to go via Belfast taking almost all day (0800-1430, with a 3 hour stop over in BHD) then you might find a fare for under £70...

Go to BA.com and using my Avios I can get Club Europe (with the Galleries Lounge, plus a nice hot breakfast onboard) for £0.50p - but I have a 2 hour drive to LHR

"A nice hot breakfast on BA" - are you sure?? I think you know more about airline economics than your post suggests, so this seems to be an excuse to have a pop!

[rog747]

Originally Posted by SWBKCB

"A nice hot breakfast on BA" - are you sure?? I think you know more about airline economics than your post suggests, so this seems to be an excuse to have a pop!

No pops at all - My post clearly says it all - £160-£200 quid for a O/W from SOU-LBA is like ouch!

As for a BA CE hot breakie - yes HB is still served for now, on Domestics in Club until 0930...Thus I'll use my Avios thanks, but I have now to drive as I said, 2 hours to LHR ISO of using my local airport.

[stewyb]

Latest direct from the airport themselves - 'the Master Plan has now been finalised and will be published via our website within the next few weeks. Please keep checking back on our channels for more updates very soon'

Does this mean that planning will go in at the same time?

[PintofDoom]

SOU-LBA

Main problem with this route is it is fairly high demand but not enough for a q400, hence why Eastern Airways are still flying the route, currently they are using a J41 and sub in the Saab 2000 which was ideal but apparently not making money. Where as the J41 is making money. But with only 29 seats capacity is limited so at a premium.

[rog747]

Originally Posted by PintofDoom

Main problem with this route is it is fairly high demand but not enough for a q400, hence why Eastern Airways are still flying the route, currently they are using a J41 and sub in the Saab 2000 which was ideal but apparently not making money. Where as the J41 is making money. But with only 29 seats capacity is limited so at a premium.

Sit in a dinky J41 for an hours flight to LBA for £200 each way?
No thanks, my nostalgia does not run that far - I'll do the big BA Airbus jet cheers.

I'm pretty peeved to say the least as I am keen to use SOU where I can, and support it, but this upcoming LBA trip is simply untenable from there.

[RW20]

The Leeds route will surely be the next to go!,and as for the finished master plan to be published in the next few weeks is just kbosh!!.As far as SOU is concerned it has had master plan after master plan since 2005,but nothing materializes from them. There will be no planning application,but maybe the owners are happy with a stagnated growth with paxa 1.5to 2.mill for the near future till they sell to land development.

[Dropoffcharge]

Originally Posted by stewyb

Latest direct from the airport themselves

Via what format may I ask? As I've seen nothing mentioned through the usual routes about anything.

[stewyb]

Originally Posted by Dropoffcharge

Via what format may I ask? As I've seen nothing mentioned through the usual routes about anything.

They replied on their Facebook page to a question asked by a poster (the actual post was general aviation related)

[SWBKCB]

I'm pretty peeved to say the least as I am keen to use SOU where I can, and support it, but this upcoming LBA trip is simply untenable from there.

Or roughly translated, you're not prepared to pay the going rate on a thin regional route?

And for comparison, flying Friday afternoon LHR-LBA is £273, SOU-LBA £108.

[Buster the Bear]

I thought Eastern mostly used ancient Saab 2000s compared to ancient J41?

[shamrock7seal]

Loganair seem to be going crazy with expansion at the moment. I wonder if they would be a good fit for SOU? Certainly better than BOH that's for sure.

I could easily imagine them replacing a lot of the non-core Flybe network if it ever comes to that

[Saabdriver1]

I can't think so. Airfield performance on the E135/145 at SOU is dreadful.

[stewyb]

Originally Posted by Saabdriver1

I can't think so. Airfield performance on the E135/145 at SOU is dreadful.

Airfield performance on anything is dreadful!

[shamrock7seal]

How is it possible that Loganair operates the ERJ135/145 out of GCI with a 1,583m runway but can't operate out of SOU's 1,723m runway?

[Wycombe]

How is it possible that Loganair operates the ERJ135/145 out of GCI with a 1,583m runway but can't operate out of SOU's 1,723m runway?

I suspect that at least part of the reason is due to obstacle clearance issues at SOU?