Jan Passenger Loads
 

For your interest, here are the loads on some routes:

Belfast 48%
Jersey 53%
Dublin 54%
Gerona 59%
Geneva 62%
Gdansk 75%
Katowice 81%
Faro 84%
Tenerife S 91%

Belfast, Jersey and Dublin not looking too healthy compared to TFS! But I guess thats to be expected at this time of year.

Belfast certainly isnt a seasonal route. As has been said before, its flight times that dont allow for a day return which are causing the problems - the morning flight is too late

Not surprising at all that the polish routes have high load factors, seems the poles like Doncaster :\

Gerona expansion
 

Ryanair are running x5 a week to Gerona from April, the new flight being on Saturdays.

:)

Virgin airways
 

I heard today from a very good sauce that Virgin has spoken to DSA to start a weekly service long haul could this mean Robin Hood is going up in the world? The biggest a/c they have these days are the Antonov!:ok:

Tomato, Cheese or Brown ;)

No the MD PA is a very good late night friend!!

Pillow talk always works!!:mad:

More long-haul dreaming from Yorkshires second airport? Or a charter service summer only to Orlando?

February 2008 statistics
 

Again, for your interest, here are some load factors from the provisional statistics:

Jersey 55%
Dublin 63%
Alicante 69% - though I can't distinguish FR/TOM
Gerona 70%
Gdansk 72%
Geneva 73%
Las Palmas 81%
Katowice 83%
Malaga 84%
Tenerife S 85%
Turin 93%

The Virgin rumour has been around since long before the airport even opened., the most extravagant being Sir Richard has bought land on which to build a hangar, basing his fleet of A380s here. We get plenty of 747 in though, so Virgin won't be bringing anything new... (unless it's a 340!)

Dream? I must have imagined those services to Florida and Cancun last year then... unless they were at Leeds, Yorkshire's "First" airport?

According to two different Thomson travel shops, long haul is to return for Summer 09, but we'll have to wait and see on that one...

Very saucy indeed.

Hope you've not dropped her/him in it with this comment.:uhoh:

Suzeman

Did you read the full sentence i wrote? Weekly Orlando flight perhaps? I dont doubt that... But why would Virgin want to operate a weekly Orlando charter flight.

Ok dreaming may be a bit harsh but still, after the three years DSA has been open, people still believe it is a major airport. Take a look around, look at the facts!

It may not be a major airport yet, but it has the potential (both in terms of facilities and catchment area) to expand beyond what it is now.

Please explain, how has the catchment area got the potential for major expansion?

That's not what I meant. I mean a large area of people are within about an hour or so drive of the airport, thus providing the airport with a (potentially) large passenger base. Not that the actual catchment area will expand.

sorry if its been brought up before, but does anyone know why shaheen chose leeds in the end over doncaster?

Its not as easy as that though, as they are finding this time around.

It is quite obvious why Shaheen went to Leeds, any other significant long-haul will do the same.

Doncaster/Sheffield airport might have a big catchment area but Leeds Bradford airport has the biggest population within an hour of the airport it is also serving a bigger population overall and serves a major financial sector outside London. This is what some of the long haul arilines will be looking at, its not just the longer runways but the number of people that will use them.