Cabincrewe, I'm noticing a theme with your posts : negativity. Why do you seem to think that companies are going to fail ? We'll see in a year as you say.

I think you will find that there is quite a strong bond between NWI/MAN and
Den Helder in a quite high value business so I don`t see a reason in it not doing well.

Chaps

Not negativity. Reality.

I've flown MAN-NWI four times in the last few months, and there's never been more than two or three seats free. Unlike T3, BE can offer loads of handy connections in MAN (BHD and GLA for me) and the route appears to be doing very well out of connecting passengers.

Loganair
 

It appears that Loganair is merging Suckling into the Loganair brand.

Here's a quote from the Suckling Airways thread

"Sad day, all remaining CBG staff have been served notice, Suckling AOC to be relinquished, and everything to be absorbed by Logan. Merlyn has resigned as a director. End of era."

> The exeter route is finished in March, word is that a second aircraft
> will be based NWH.
>

Has it finished early?! Trying to book next couple of weeks but FlyBE website only offering me flights via MAN.

Den Helder doesn't seem to start until early March though?

andy - the ever reliable (!) wikipedia indicates the NWI-EXT route ended on 04 January 2013.

BRR / BEB & BEB / SYY Flight cuts
 

Seen in the press:-
As a result of budget cuts, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar ( Western Isles Islands Council) PSO Flights (operated by Loganair) between Barra and Benbecula will end. In addition, services between Stornoway and Benbecula will be reduced to three days a week unless NHS Western Isles will commit to paying cost price for flights.

- Not so good!:*

Which press? Can't find anything confirming this, even on the Western Isles Council website? Any pointers?

Thanks virginblue. A sad day. :(

Any consideratin being given to a saab340 replacement? would some new ATR42-600 be able to do the Highland Island job, if so, would be a good fit for them, but cant see them putting their hands in their pockets!

The Press & Journal, the organ of social comment, NOT! makes me want to :yuk:

For reliable reporting in the H & I there is only one organ, the WHFP :ok:

BRR, NWI
 

Not good news if true, having flown on it a few times in 2010 and 2011 however there were never been more than 3/4 pax on board. Back in BA franchise days it was a steal at £25 return, the flight was advertised as a 'sightseeing flight' and you came straight back from BEB. On a clear sunny day the views were incredible

As for NWI-MAN, I used this route weekly in 2007-8, it was never less than 80% full. The alternative train journey is awful, 2 carriage over crowded trains and a 4 hour + journey time. I think this route probably does very well for Loganair/BE.

Your more likely to get an Islander flying the inter-island routes than an ATR.

Those short sectors would kill the airframe cycles and it has way to many seats.

I am sure George could get a couple of airframes based up in Stornoway and then run a bus service up and down. No hostie single pilot. Might work.

Those short interisland routes kill aircraft cycles so will always cost a premium.

Must admit I could never see it working after the Jetstream 31's came off the routes. As much as some punters hated them.

The islands demand something with a high x wind limit, about 30 seats max doesn't need to be that fast.

There really isn't that much on the market that fills the neiche. J41 too expensive and a bit rubbish for wheelchairs. Shed would sort of work but none of them about now and rubbish in xwinds. Dash 8 200/300 would work although a bit on the big side and also issues with airframe cycles.

Everything else is a bit to big.

Although to be honest the thought of flying between the islands in an Islander really wouldn't appeal to me.

SYY-BEB-BRR
 

This route used to be flown by Loganair Trislanders in the early 80s with the aircraft stationed at SYY. It was then replaced by a Twin Otter for a few years and then an Islander then back to the Twin Otter (I think).
Highland AIrways took over the PSO contract INV-SYY-BEB-SYY-INV from Loganair and used J31s until sadly Highalnd Airways went under.
Loganair/flybe then reinstated the link between SYY-BEB as an extension of the INV-SYY service on SF340s.
It's an important link for the Island communities but not commercially viable in its own right sadly.
Back in the late 60s and early 70s when BEA/BritishAirways operated Scottish highlands and islands themselves, flights were on a Viscount 800 operating GLA-BEB-SYY-INV-SYY-BEB-GLA Daily except Sunday.
Just a useless bit of trivia I felt like throwing in.

And those Viscounts seated 80+ as against the Saab 340's 34

SYY-BEB-BRR 2
 

Scotbill

True, True.
However, the flight operated just once a day Mon-Sat, and the schedule prevented any 'day return' options.
When BA formed Highlands Division in 1982 and re-equipped with HS748s the GLA-SYY and INV-SYY went to double daily (ex Sat 1 flight only and Sun No flights)) and the SYY-BEB-BRR-BEB-SYY was operated by Lognair (at that time an independent airline) Mon-Fri only..
Loganair operated SYY-BEB-SYY twice a day and then onward connection to BRR (3 x per week I think) on the morning rotation SYY-BEB. Cant recall how long it continued for, certainly Highland Airways didnt op BEB-BRR.
I might have been wrong in thinking the LC Trislander/Twin Otter night stopped in Stornoway, it might have operated GLA-SYY early morning mail/newspaper flight and then SYY-GLA around 5:30pm, again as a Mail/Newspaper flight; slipping in 2 x SYY-BEB-SYY inbetween.
More useless trivia :-)

Loganair
 

mad_jock not wanting to rain on your parade but Loganair carries the papers daily to Shetland. Maybe some goes by ferry but I doubt it.

The omission of Sunday was governed by Lewis Sabbatarianism and the original Viscount schedule being Gla-Beb-Sto-Inv-Sto-Beb-Gla did indeed permit some one day trips - to Beb at least.
(Nit-picking mode off)

The important point is that the larger aircraft with reasonable fares could carry a lot of people and all the papers and mail. I believe the later ATP seated 66.
The current Saab 340 full return fare to Bennie is about £375 and the 34 seater is often half full. (BEA Pionairs carried 32 in the 50s)

We should not forget that commercial aviation came to the islands before it was seen to be a practical alternative to trains on the mainland. That early market has been seriously damaged by fares out of all proportion to the rest of the aviation world. (Resident discounts are no use to the Hebridean diaspora or potential visitors/businessmen)

It is a major problem in the Hebrides as Elf 'n Safety, Working Time Directives and fears of litigation make the ferry services more and more erratic in winter - while convoys of campers in summer make last minute emergency bookings difficult for locals.