Thanks for that WHBM,

I wondered how XLA managed to get the 2nd AY aircraft so quickly but your explanation would make sense!
If FJE do not come back to NCL, maye XLA will hold off getting rid of one of the own 757 till next summer to cover winter flying??

Just to clarify, Finnair (AY) only use their 757s on IT charters (and a few charter-like schedules) with charter-pitch seating, it is quite a different sub-fleet from their trunk services across Europe which they use 321s/320s on, with normal scheduled-type seating, business class, etc. For many years recently Air Scandic in the UK used this spare summer 757 capacity, but they have gone now.

Just like the Canadian charter operators they do summertime transatlantic charters with them to Toronto etc, a market which peaks in the opposite part of the year to their Finnish winter sun holiday business. Actually not just sun, they surprisingly do ski charters to the Alps as well, Salzburg being a particular favourite. Plenty of snow in Finland then, of course, but not a lot of good mountains to go down and very little daylight hours anyway !

For the record, I concur with nclbase... The 400 is on it's way out but has served a very good purpose thus far at NCL.

The -400 has seem to of suffered more than its fair share. It seems a bit of an odd a/c to base at NCL, considering it has suffered from many restrictions when operating flights out of NCL to Greece etc.

So, the finnair 757 is returning next summer? Just the one or will one be operating for FJE again?

Transwede,

It does seem an off aircraft BUT it does have good reliability - it is incredible that this aircraft is actually carrying out rescue flights for some of the -800's!

Finnair will be back with 1 A/C (2 if FJE do not return), in addition to an XLA owned aircraft.

They Just announced 2 new routes from HUY.. Sharm El Shake and Corfu.. also its the first medium haul route for HUY!

Lew:ok:

They certainly do - just returned from a pretty good r/t to Rhodes ex LGW on one - new, comfortable and pretty good in-flight service. Only delays were due to ATC and absolutely shambolic Rhodes airport. A couple of weeks ago tho they had a 757 on the run, which was frequently delayed......

How we are ever going to do Sharm out of HUY is beyond me, almost 20 tonnes of fuel a payload of 16.8 and a nice short runway! great

windshear,
From huy,Takin the more northerly route thru ams, turkey, rds (western nicosia after izmir etc and entering T'egypt further east you will get the dct sharm vor routing ,optimistically filed by xl on man /ssh anyway (usually used by outbound traffic, but why ruin a good flight plan with a minor detail like that) ) rather than the current (re-cleared)man route over dba and w727 with the big kink.The tegypt portion of that route is a 600kg saving in fuel alone. Over all it should end up being less or equal to man/ssh track distance.therfore with winglets, blt, 2/4 crew, flap 25 (f limit) bleeds off, manual loadsheeet m/f etc (200kg saving on average), and an era , no problems.Make it a V flight and the aps can be culled to the tune of 118 kg as well. Piece of piss. Add a dayoff payment or two and the sharp pencil brigade will be quein up to fly it.
If you can do a full 4 hr smi man in an non winglet 32 deg f limit 25 flap t/o then 10 degree f limit 25 flap 5.5 (winter jetstream, plus the above) huy shm is no probs in the new kit.
Pissed and off to bed.:ok:

That sounds like a good day to me, not often/if at all it'll happen that way.

Well if you can do BRS-SSH, HUY-SSH with it's longer runway should'nt prove a problem at all.

Regards

Mike

Anybody know when they'll release more details about the XLA ireland? Fleet etc? Also, when they'll be recruiting?

I'm assuming TF is Iceland, but I see TF planes so often that I almost find that hard to believe ? Is Iceland the Panama-flag of convenience for aircraft ???

Changes at Excel
 

COO/CFO resign from Excel Airways
11 Jul 2006Excel Airways’ COO Steven Tomlinson and CFO Paul Roberts have resigned with immediate effect.

Parent company Avion has appointed Halldor Sigurdarson as CFO.
The Icelandic transport group explained that it was ‘taking steps which will strengthen the management of Excel Airways Group, adding that ‘these changes represent the first stage in that process, as announced in the interim results statement on 30Jun06'

Hope it's good news for those most affected:rolleyes:

Kalium Chloride

Why wht happened with the Alpha Airports situation then ? :confused:

Flyjet will probably not drop the work at Newcastle.
3YR summer/winter contract.
Sorry XLA, but who knows

The NCL flying is for XLA

OA

FJE will go wherever Excel tell them to - Newcastle, Timbuktu... A 3-year contract means nothing in terms of the location of the aircraft.

Anyway, haven't they been bought by Excel?

No they havent.:rolleyes:

Aah, rumour was that XLA had stepped in with a "helping hand" when FJE was struggling last December. If it wasn't XLA then who was it?

Tell more Mr Hall :)

He doesnt know because it didnt happen.
:ugh:

XLA have not helped FJE at all!Anyone got any news about if FJE will be coming back in the winter at all????? We know it is planned but they did plan to be here all summer....

They will return in september when the second of the AY units returns to HEL. That is the plan isn't it? Or wasn't that FJEs plan all along, certainly thats the rumour.

The aircraft positions back up late 3rd Sep to operate the FJE 601 on the 4th Sep to continue the contract.

on a positive note
 

just returned from Orlando on XLA on one of the TCD 743's,
a couple of things of note were
1. Outbound was ON TIME ..... return flight was 1 hr 25 mins late with a full explanation that the flight before had a medical diversion hence the delay ( that was fine ) felt sorry for the Manchester flight return delay 24 hrs...

2. Cabin Crew on our sector was excellent on the return journey compared with the outbound, who was somewhat it seems, suffering after effects from the night before and was mostly missing throughout flight.

3. In Flight entertainment via TV screen on the outward flight could not be seen due to seating config rows 34 & 35 (TF-AMJ). Return journey (TF-AMK) could see the screen but no sound due to night flight the main cabin sound was turned off & the headsets was not working for anyone during the flight.

4. Cabin on AMJ compared to AMK looked a bit dirty, but seating was comfortable enough. AMK was ok too apart from the seat back being broken and kept reclining ( was quite a feeling on take off, the guy behind was not to happy though and managed to get a spare seat elsewhere fortunetly ).

Overall we all had a faster more comfortable flight that prevoius similar flights,
that includes FCA 767 Star Class Premier.

Thanks to the Flight Crew for the informative and smooth flight and landings
Thanks to the Cabin Crew esp on return journey for being helpful, cheery and down to earth.

Excel Airways today announced their new services to Antigua, St Kitts, Grenada, Tobago and Barbados. Flight are looking very reasonable!

There was a spare seat????!!! Wonders never cease ;) .

nice feedback.:ok:

Excel airways maintenance
 

Who services the XL fleet 747's in particular.
And what other airlines do they service.

Thanks

Mike

I think you'll find that 'their' 747's are TF registered and would be looked after by Air Atlanta.

who also own xl

Can anyone tell me what Excel's plans are for HUY next summer?

XLA had intended to base an aircraft at HUY all week and put the full schedule on sale a few months ago. Now only Paphos and Heraklion are bookable

XLA have done very well at HUY this summer and if the plan to have a based aircraft next summer has been scrapped it seems a very shock move, especially as flights had already been put on sale for this summer

airhumberside

excel are pulling out of huy along with ema and cwl reason's seem to be poor performance at huy as no cat3 and load factor was very poor at cwl. two new bases are opening at stn and dub for 2007. good luck to all crew's at huy/ema/cwl hope things work out for you all:ok:

Well I am very disappointed in this, particularly as it isn't a problem with loads. I kinow there have been some DSA dversions this year. This is a huge blow to HUY - as big as losing FR

How come they are pulling out of NEMA

Looking at the schedules for next year Air Malta are taking over the Excel flying from NEMA. Given the reliability problems with the MD80 at NEMA over the last couple of years, this should be an improvement.

A post on my forums states yields are the reason for XLA pulling out HUY.

However if yields are a problem, why put next summers flights on sale. They would have known about yields last Easter when flights went on sale

Any idea's on what the DUB base will be like? ie, aircraft routes? I look frward to seeing XLA in Dublin. We had a weekly Saturday rotation to Verona last year with a 738 which was nice!:)

Guess no one knows what routes the unit will op ex DUB, is it planned there all week? there was talk of SFB would be fab to see the 767 there as well !:ok:

Any chance of Air Malta taking on the HUY flights?

Oh ok sorry i was under the impression that XL had arranged an agreement with air malta to base aircraft.

Very dissapointing for both airports all the same.