Can we expect STN-Billund soon?

Also can it now be confirmed that FR have pulled HUY-DUB for the winter timetable?

Could not see Billund as a destination from STN, unless Esjberg dropped. they are only about 30 miles apart. Maybe Ryanair will play the two airports against each other and move all services to the one offering the best deal.

Billund is indeed right next to Legoland :E

I'm surprised that Ryanair don't make more of the fact that Forli (Bologna) is real near both Rimini and San Marino... :cool:

The as of yet unbuilt Don Quixote / Ciudad Real airport will undoubtedly be a Ryanair destination if the price is right, but it will not be promoted as a "Madrid South" sort of job, and will not cannibalise any of FR routes from the soon be announced new Madrid base.
It seems Ryanair are not going to adopt a Marseille-like base strategy here in Madrid. You know, launch a couple of routes first to see how they do, and make yourself known to the local population, before launching a base. I bet the Madrid base will be long announced before the first FR Dublin - Madrid flight ever takes off. FR simply know that Madrid is going to be a big winner for them :)

Aer Lingus route planners must have been very busy today studying the potential impact of FR's latest expansion :ouch:

I'm still not convinced that the Dublin winter timetable is fully finalised yet... Anyone do a full study of the FR aircraft usage for winter at the Dublin base?

If they don´t promote Don Quixote as "Madrid South", how are they going to promote flights to this airport? (It is, in fact, in the middle of nowhere -Ciudad Real is quite a small city with not much in terms of tourism or business). I think Ryanair is flying to MAD because they cannot find an aiport close to the city that fits into their business model.

When will be annunced new FR Madrid base?

FR have reserved slots at Madrid for a whole host of destinations for Winter 06/07, so if they are to launch the base within the next few months, I expect an announcement September 1st at the latest.

For that destinations have reserved slot at MAD?

I'm still curious about the logic behind moving into MAD. I can see the appeal of low-cost terminals at MRS, GVA, LYS etc, but MAD is one of Europe's largest airports - not just in terms of pax numbers, but also in terms of airfield size.

MOL has regularly pointed out how little he likes MAN compared to LPL - not just because of charges, but also because of the congestion around the aprons.

FR like small airports, but they also like high yields and good deals. Eventually, as they grow, they have to start more operations from busier airports - as much due to the impact of the traffic they generate themselves. Looking at the USA, Southwwest have a major presence at large airfields like LAS, PHX, etc.

Presumably, the opportunity to get into MAD, which is a huge market with relatively few loco flights, was just too good to miss?

According to an article appeared yesterday in the Spanish paper Expansión, Ryanair has applied for slots to fly domestic flights from MAD to Almería, Seville and Vitoria (all of them are already "Ryanair cities"). It also said that they are waiting to obtain from Aena (the State owned company that operates all Spanish airports) slots to flight from Madrid to London (Stansted?). The article (sorry, only Spanish):

http://www.expansion.com/edicion/exp...lo/678888.html

jabird

I completely agree with you. We have to take into account that taxes in Spanish aiports are quite competitive. In fact, a return ticket to Dublin from Madrid just comprises a total of 24 euros in taxes. For a return ticket to Hahn you would have to pay 34.58 euros, 39.85 euros if the ticket is to Ciampino or 44.38 euros if it is to Stansted.

The article only points out how Dublin will be linked to Almeria, Vitoria and Seville. There is no talk of Madrid routes to these Spanish cities.

From the heap of news articles I have been compiling on the new FR Madrid base, the list of routes for which slots have been applied for stands at:

Granada
Canary Islands
Rome
Milan
Brussels
Eindhoven

Anyone hear any rumours about other Ryanair destinations from Madrid?

My apologies. You are right, Charlie, nothing is said in the article about flights from Madrid to those Spanish cities. Thanks for you correction :ok: .
It has been rumoured that Ryanair might be interested in flying from Gerona to Madrid. Apparently the Catalonian regional government would be considering some sort of subsidies to open this route. Spanair is also said to be interested and apparently has already applied for slots.
In any case, during the presentation of the route between Dublin and Vitoria, the sales representative of Ryanair, Caitriona Beggan, announced that they are to start domestic flights in Spain in 2007.

Bremen base?
 

From another International forum - Bremen will be announced next week
as Ryanairs next German base?

Anybody out there to confirm or deny?

Not sure I if I have heard this rumour before but seems a reasonable fit
compared to their current network.

Pete

Erm, about 30 posts previous

Bremen
 

:ugh: Missed that one, back from hols that day and I must admit I don't
bother with the FR thread usually due to their rather awkward
relationship (to say the least) with my local airport.

It sounds like the announcement could be sooner rather than later
and as all the talk has been about Madrid I was wondering if this is
a credible rumour.

Pete

Ryanair protests over increased security
 

How delightful to see the FR business model being screwed up by new security measures - particularly their tacit encouragement of pax to carry as much hand luggage as possible - and it's clearly hitting MOL right in the pocket, from all the whingeing.

I for one will be hoping the proposed legal challenges goes down in flames...:ok:

Ryanair issues luggage ultimatum
 

Just found this whilst trolling the news sites.

Ryanair has issued the government with a seven-day ultimatum to restore airport security measures to normal or risk being sued for compensation.
The budget airline says a larger cabin baggage allowance and fewer passenger body searches would avoid handing "extremists an enormous PR victory".

The "no frills" airline prefers to put less luggage into plane holds to maintain its low prices.

The government said it would not pay compensation or "compromise security".

A spokesman at the Department for Transport said the government does not believe it has to pay compensation under the law.

The DfT said on Friday: "The security regime in place at UK airports is necessary because of the level of security threat and is kept under constant review.

"We have no intention of compromising security levels nor do we anticipate changing our requirements in the next seven days."

Full details..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5261908.stm

:hmm:

It is not so ironically amusing that; were Ryanair successfully to sue the government; the taxpayer would foot the amount of damages awarded the airline.:ugh:

Amazing that a foreign airline thinks it can dictate security issues at British airports to the British Government.

I say "Go RyanAir". Gotta love those discount carriers...:ok: