Air Wales
 

Anyone know how in general they are doing?

Noticing quite a few ABZ cancellations over at least the past fortnight.

Should be two daily flights Mon-Fri with ATR43,CWL-LPL-ABZ.

However the morning flight (6G610)is,at least at the ABZ end,often canx(was canx something like 3-4 days out of 5 last week).

The evening flight is very often over an hr late.

Just snow-related(given recent weather)or are they over-stretching themselves,given that they also fly some BMI Baby routes also?

Probably not a case of over stretching but a case of low passenger loads. I had thought that the CWL-LPL-ABZ flights were quite popular - according to the press but hey - not sure!!!! Hopefully the Pax figures are good and that 6G will be successful - we need more expansion!!!!

"www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/200411/ Table_12_2_Domestic_Air_Pax_Traffic_Route_Analysis.csv" shows November's traffic - 938 from LPL and 1438 from CWL so not really a bad return for a double daily ATR. Add in the 703 for CWLLPL and overall a relatively productive unit, but certainly not encouraging for any of the three routes in isolation. Eastern managed 1,340 on BRS-ABZ in the same month (new startup route?) so 1,438 on CWL is not surprising. However, the CAA stats do not show yield - if they're in business type fare zones, they should be fine, but I suspect Air Wales they may have fallen for the it's-a-turboprop-so-has-to-be-cheap mindset as they are selling tomorrow at just £99 each way including tax. Guys, if someone in Wales had to travel to Aberdeen in the morning, do you not think they would pay you a lot more than that - even Ryanair hit you with a few hundred quid the day before flight!

A few people i have spoken to who have flown with AWW to ABZ have said loads have been very good. Ive even heard that some flights that have been full from ABZ have had to have bags off loaded due to weight restrictions which i do find hard to believe but if it is true it obviously says loads are good.

Well they are certainly advertising the route for £99 in the local rags here.

If they are cancelling the rotations on the day itself,then I could imagine scores of p.d off pax having to make alternative arrangements though,business pax or otherwise.

Not the best way to promote your airline.

In fairness, you have to respect the way Air Wales have turned from a rubbish operation just two years ago to one which appears to have a plan and know what it's doing. Its deal with BmiBaby gives them strength whilst abandoning some of the faff they started out with (Swansea, domestic Irish operations and overstretched aircraft) has streamlined their ops.

That said, Norwich - Dublin seems a bit off the beaten track for an airline from the vahleez - how much longer before FlyBE push them off this?

HEY THERE

I can see the point you are trying to make but take offence at some of your comments. I am not sure how many airlines you have started but I have been a catalyst in starting three - two of which continue to trade successfully to day including Air Wales.

Faffing around with a little Dornier on Cardiff to Cork ( we never flew out of Swansea but did intend to fly from Pembrey) was the only way this airline would have ever get going with the sole weight of the financial burden falling on the shoulders of one brave man Roy Thomas who to this day has had the balls to back his original investment through thick and thin.

Many people broke their backs to make it happen, satisfy the CAA and create an airline for Wales, some are still there fighting and some like myself have retired or gone on to do other things.

I left the Company in its early days and understand it did have a period under a less than popular MD but credit to all involved for getting through it and still being there.

Please explain to us all what gives you the right to describe the early days of Air Wales in such derogatory terms and whilst entitled to your opinion the relevant experience that validates it.
Please at least get the history right.

When we started Air Wales ( the man who started it all was Capt John Howard Evans by the way) many on Pprune laughed, one even agreed to plait sh*t if it ever got off the ground and yet others said it would never last six months. Well how wrong they all were and so are you.

Well that's got that off my chest, I doubt many at AW would even know who I was now, but damned good luck to you all and may you go from strength to strength and continue to prove the detractors wrong.

DS
Founder Director of Air Wales
(GROUNDHOG will now self destruct)

Well said Dave. You and John were brave and Roy has had the balls to stick with it thick and thin. Do you still have that lovely Jag? There are some complete To$$ers on this thread

Sorry Groundhog, no offence intended. I should have been more specific in my comments.

The faffing around I referred to was not the original 228 operation but the the experience of the first forays into ATR's in 2002/3. They were initially overscheduled with ultra-tight turnarounds and multi-multi-sector days and resulted in many delays and a lot of strife for all involved. Similarly, bringing the ATRs out of Swansea via Cardiff to London City and dabbling in the Irish domestic markets were maybe not the best of plans at the airline's stage of growth but, again, these were identified and adjusted to serve the market properly. The less-than-popular-MD issue added to the perception of a company wallowing without a clear direction, a situation which has now thankfully been totally reversed. I look on the initial ATR period as just a blip on the record of AWW, a company which has given Wales an airline of which to be proud.

So no offence at all was intended - the opposite in fact.

The Red Dragons will be heard for a long time to come.

Hey There - eat more humble pie, the Dragon on the NWI - Dublin route is doing very nicely thank you, whether BEE decide to risk competing against a very successful operation has yet to be decided, however it's unlikely that they'll have the capacity to do so for at least 12 months or even longer.

Typical British trait - knock success.:rolleyes: