Isle of Man-2
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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What has happened with the LCY flights over the past few days?
Sunday's two rotations cancelled. The aircraft which had positioned in the day before from Humberside (after maintenance perhaps?) to operate the service went tech and needed to go to the hangar medivac for several hours of TLC. First rotation cancelled, second "delayed". Eastern apparently unable to unable to find another aircraft due to lack of crew. Then hurrah! A revised departure time for the second rotation appears on the BA website and airport departure board, but later that service too is also cancelled. Eastern finally manage to find an aircraft to operate the last flight back from LCY. Monday's three rotations operate ok. However this morning's is cancelled yet there are TWO Saabs stand idle on the apron at Ronaldsway.
Are BACF/Eastern bring to quietly kill this route? I know that with reliability being this bad (and it does seem to be happening more often lately) then what loyal pax remain are going to use the often cheaper Orange alternative in preference.
Of course they will still have to make it through the frequently reported one hour delay at Ronaldsway security in time to catch their flight.
Sunday's two rotations cancelled. The aircraft which had positioned in the day before from Humberside (after maintenance perhaps?) to operate the service went tech and needed to go to the hangar medivac for several hours of TLC. First rotation cancelled, second "delayed". Eastern apparently unable to unable to find another aircraft due to lack of crew. Then hurrah! A revised departure time for the second rotation appears on the BA website and airport departure board, but later that service too is also cancelled. Eastern finally manage to find an aircraft to operate the last flight back from LCY. Monday's three rotations operate ok. However this morning's is cancelled yet there are TWO Saabs stand idle on the apron at Ronaldsway.
Are BACF/Eastern bring to quietly kill this route? I know that with reliability being this bad (and it does seem to be happening more often lately) then what loyal pax remain are going to use the often cheaper Orange alternative in preference.
Of course they will still have to make it through the frequently reported one hour delay at Ronaldsway security in time to catch their flight.

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It does seem to be more frequent and is unsettling. We were caught up in September -- original flight cancelled for "technical reasons", later flight to which we were transferred 156 minutes (per BA) late due to "rotational engineering issues." We decided this time around to try a different routing with another carrier ---- and it definitely wasn't to the Orange alternative whose on time performance is famously bad and goes where we don't want to go. LCY is too important to the IOM to allow this sort of thing to creep in again.

Join Date: Jan 2006
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Saturdays rotation was also operated in reverse by BA so was some 4hours late.( crew sickness apparently, standby cover?). But the SAAB managed to leave for Humberside whilst the delayed pax sat in IOM waiting for the replacement EMB190 to arrive. Same SAAB was subsequently dragged back for the one flight they managed on the Sunday night to the IOM and that did not get back til 22.30.
I have been caught out by a few of these cancellations this year, oddly for a purported business route it seems to be the early rotation that's binned. It must be costing someone a fair bit of cash for the EU compensation.
I have been caught out by a few of these cancellations this year, oddly for a purported business route it seems to be the early rotation that's binned. It must be costing someone a fair bit of cash for the EU compensation.

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Its got nothing to do with low load factors! Te published data on the Ronaldsway airport website indicates around 5300 people are travelling on the route each month. This equates to a load factor of circa 75% which is not too bad. Some of the sectors can also be sold out. However to prevent it being lost people should support it. There is nothing like consumer demand to drive the behaviour of an airline and if more people flew the route then BACF would no doubt upgrade to an E170 which would offer more reliability. I have said before please be positive about this route its the only London option offering regular well times daily services which if booked in advance are reasonably priced. Please encourage as many people as possible to use it! Thanks

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Manx Radio reporting airport saying Menzies "went through two years supply in one day due to the conditions".
That sounds like a lot of de-icer fluid but it does depend the definition of "two years supply". Joe public will be thinking something bowser size but it probably was only a woefully inadequate couple of drums.....
But then again the chance of snow on the island is probably regarded by Menzies as minimal so why should they bother holding more, despite a three day prior warnings by the Met Office here.
That sounds like a lot of de-icer fluid but it does depend the definition of "two years supply". Joe public will be thinking something bowser size but it probably was only a woefully inadequate couple of drums.....
But then again the chance of snow on the island is probably regarded by Menzies as minimal so why should they bother holding more, despite a three day prior warnings by the Met Office here.

Join Date: Jun 2006
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That is a disaster!
easyJet to Belfast is not what the IOM needs, the IOM needs double daily flights to support the business community, now with easyJet taking the cream off the top on the two peak days at a single daily frequency the IOM connectivity just got a whole lot worse .. again!
easyJet to Belfast is not what the IOM needs, the IOM needs double daily flights to support the business community, now with easyJet taking the cream off the top on the two peak days at a single daily frequency the IOM connectivity just got a whole lot worse .. again!

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I am afraid Easy will do what is commercially right for them. If IoM wants services that support its community objectives then either it or the UK government will need to financially support it. Can it be funded out of registration of all those business jets?

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What has it got to do with the UK government?
No, what the IOM should do is route license, they have just had a big consultation on this and yet again they bow to pressure from the orange brigade!
No, what the IOM should do is route license, they have just had a big consultation on this and yet again they bow to pressure from the orange brigade!

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It's gatwick all over again ... you go for 4 daily flights to 1-2.
Joe public love easyJet but business on the Island almost unanimously say the poor level of air service and frequency impacts business.
eastern will go (again) and so we will in the last 2 years have gone from 3 -4 flights a day to Belfast to 2 a week ... how is that good?
Joe public love easyJet but business on the Island almost unanimously say the poor level of air service and frequency impacts business.
eastern will go (again) and so we will in the last 2 years have gone from 3 -4 flights a day to Belfast to 2 a week ... how is that good?

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Eastern have been fleecing the fares since they arrived, fella - £200 single weeks in advance too in october. 2 easy flights a week isnt going to make much difference and some compitition is what's needed. If anybody suffers it might be the Racket

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That is a disaster!
easyJet to Belfast is not what the IOM needs, the IOM needs double daily flights to support the business community, now with easyJet taking the cream off the top on the two peak days at a single daily frequency the IOM connectivity just got a whole lot worse .. again!
easyJet to Belfast is not what the IOM needs, the IOM needs double daily flights to support the business community, now with easyJet taking the cream off the top on the two peak days at a single daily frequency the IOM connectivity just got a whole lot worse .. again!
I see this service as similar to Bristol, in that it will generate new custom, mostly leisure, mostly short breaks. Eastern will probably plough on, fleecing the business pax, in the process.

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But cumbrianboy's comments remain true. The IOM economy needs good and reliable business connections. Not the occasional cheap flight for the leisure crowd. If EZY cannibalises the Eastern connection, it doesn't do the IOM any good at all. Quite the contrary.

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If there could only be a happy medium of frequent flights on smaller aircraft. Shame EZY dont operate any 50-100 seaters, coupled with the cheaper fares than Eastern; that'd be perfect
