T2 lounges
 

I realise with only Flybe left there was every reason to close the Business lounge and I noticed last week that they will not accept Priority Pass (understandably).
Any inside knowledge of a change of policy or will us PP SLF FF have to wait till a on " non budget" Airline moving to 2 before the lounge reopens and carry on using the bargain Boots £3.49 for a sandwich,snack and drink!

ps. (great news that EK will have their dedicated lounge in 1-well overdue!)

A few questions with regards to the lounges; according to the BHX homepage, it states that AF and KLM passengers now have their own lounge in T1 now theyve moved over. Does anyone know where it is located, as T1 has only ever had an Aviance and Servisair lounge for as long as I can remember?

Which lounge do Swissport premium passengers use? Do they have an agreement with either Servisair or Aviance?

Also, does anyone know where in the international pier the EK lounge will be situated, and will this be availible to any other passengers, or purely opened for two flights?

Cheers

Ryanair winter 2009/10
 

It seems the existing bhx routes are now loaded with exception of Pisa
which at the present time is a Pisa based aircraft.

The rumour is 5 - 6 based this winter but the reality at the moment
is four some days but only work for three on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

I have only checked one week in November and things have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

At the moment compared to last winter: -

Dublin - one flight less a day
Biarritz - the same at 2 a week
Perpignan - suspended - loss of 2 flights a week
Bologna - 2 a week same as last year
Pisa - Not known
Malaga - four a week from daily
Alicante - four a week which is the same (daily at present)
Murcia - three a week which is the same
FUE - none compared to three a week until 31/1/09
Palma - suspended compared to three a week (nil some weeks in 08)
Reus - three a week down one from four
Girona - four a week up one
Bratislava - three a week, the same as last year (none in Feb/Mar09)
Krakow - three a week down from four (nil some weeks in 2008)
Katowice - three a week down from 3/4
Gdansk - two a week down from three
BZG & RZE stay at two which are the same
Szczcin - nil down from two
Kaunas - the same at two a week
Stockholm NYO - three a week down from four
Oslo TRF - three a week same
Billund - three a week the same
Weeze - four a week down from six (four already)
Hahn - four a week the same
Shannon - daily the same

Weeze, Hahn, Girona, Shannon and two Dublin's are operated
by non-based aircraft and possibly Pisa.

Possible schedule: -

Monday
1) DUB ??? BZG
2) ALC PRG AGP
3) KTW LDY OPO
4) KRK BIQ BLG

Tuesday
1) DUB BTS TRF
2) GDN BLL ???
3) REU LDY MJV
No flights for a fourth

Wednesday
1) DUB LDY RZE
2) ALC PRG AGP
3) KRK KUN
4) ??? NYO ???

Thursday
1)DUB BTS TRF
2)REU BLL ???
3)KTW LDY MJV

No flights for a fourth

Friday
1) DUB NYO BZG
2) ALC PRG AGP
3) ??? LDY OPO
4) KRK BIQ BLG

Saturday
1)DUB BTS TRF
2)REU BLL ???
3)GDN LDY MJV

no 4th aircraft

Sunday
1) DUB LDY RZE
2) ALC PRG AGP
3) ??? KUN
4) ??? NYO ???

Usual winter suspensions - PIS, MRS, TRS, TPS but Palma & Perpignan
have been added this year assuming they come back.

Just one increase and that is Girona!

Pete

RYR
 

No wonder they have made one of the Dublin flights BHX based, it is to give them something to do.

Without the addition of some other routes the programme is very thin, you could almost fit that into 3 aircraft with some rescehduling.

Winter BHX pax figures awaited with baited breath.


Centre cities

Ops1978
 

I cant see a 4th H/A coming in just to handle 1 airline that more than likely will collapse within month. Just doesnt make sense.

Aegean MAN-ATH
 

StoneyBridge Radar wrote If you check the Aegean website the flight is operated in codeshare with SN Brussels not Flybe. The flights have SN and A3 codes.

Daza

There's a rumour that the BHX Runway Extension has been put on the back burner with the completion date now a distant 2016!
If true, CEO Paul Kehoe should take the time to explain just what is going on and, particularly, whether the reason is lack of finance or second thoughts on the requirement for the extension.
After all the hard work and energy expended on finally getting the Planning Permission approved in full, it would be a tragedy if the project was allowed to lapse by a policy of kicking it into the long grass. :uhoh:

Aegean/FR
 

So I would imagine if Aegean want to serve BHX this is HOW they will do it - question is just how many more codeshare flight numbers can the SN flights carry without the arrivals board exploding :bored:

As for FR no surprises there, despite all their positive PR spin and bluster they are being affected by the economic slowdown especially as a lot of their pax are discretionary travelers. With the strength of the Euro as well its no wonder there are route cutbacks. Aircraft number five at BHX by Dec, I very much doubt it and am not even sure about next summer either unless they have a major trick up their sleeves or there is a major improvement in the economic situation. Considering the route cutbacks at some other airports, best be thankful for what we have got.

I think trying to get £25 million from the local council would have had the rate payers up in arms at a time when very large cuts in UK public spending are coming our way, it will have no effect (no runway length increase) on the only area that BHX has seen growth = Ryanair

I would not be surprised if BHX revenue from airlines has fallen this past year with a number going bust or reducing based aircraft and Ryanairs start up sweetheart deal.

A big increase came from our Eastern European guests, but anyone knows they spend nothing on board the aircraft and even less in the terminal, the massive increase in medium and longhaul flight APD will deter many from flying long haul from the UK, its now far cheaper to fly from AMS/CDG and will be come more so as the APD is due to rise further and the pound should start to pull back against the Euro.

Hellinic Imperial birmingham post today:
Birmingham Post - New Jeddah airline link announced

Hellenic Website at the minute mentions Birmingham.....

Hellenic Imperial Airways

As far as I am aware any money would be raised open market - BHX, unlike MAN, is a commercial enterprise - i.e.not "nationalised" - whether at arms length or not.

As far as other remarks are concerned regarding frowth in the immediate future, then I can only concur - the West Midlands is not an inbound tourist destination - Visitengland, or whatever they're called these days has seen to that - they think that England is basically London, plus, at a push Stratford and York!! Therefore passenger traffic relies on business travel, which will be depressed in todays economy, and leisure, and with sterling languishing against the euro combined with the recession the latter is going to struggle.

All we need now is for our Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands to hand over their promised £25 million and we're off.
Could the Minister call in the application for a revue at this late stage?


The above was a quote from some weeks back

There were a lot of projects floated off the back off the back of Blairs Fantasy land "things will only get better" that will not now happen and i think a longer runway at BHX is one of them, like wise F1 at Donninton Park

US Air PHL
 

The first flighthas arrived and departed.

BHX article states over 70% full on the outbound.

2009 Press Releases

Good coverage in the local press.

It has a very short time to prove itself with 5 a week and
a seasonal end date of late September. If nothing else it
should pick up a lot of BHX Florida pax.

Pete

I suppose only time will tell who is right....However, I suspect that you will find you are way off beam....:hmm:

Extension
 

Does anybody out there know how long planning consent lasts.

Just my opinion but the reaction to the granting of the extension by BHX was not what I expected, seemed a little luke warm

Centre cities

Centre Cities

I read somewhere that work must begin within 4 years from the date a planning application is approved.
I agree with you about the reaction to the granting of the extension application being somewhat low-key but at the time I put it down to the on-going redundancy programme taking precedence - now it looks as if Paul Kehoe's priority may be the bottom line rather than growth. :(

Just because Hellenic have a fleet of B747s for their ACMI work, doesn´t automatically mean that they intend to operate the type on their planned schedules to Birmingham, Casablanca and Jeddah. I would imagine they will buy or lease suitable equipment for the job.

I have asked Mr Chowdury personally - the guy who is behind the hellinic - jeddah route. He said that the 747 will be used on this route.

And the 747 is on the slot requests with ACL