Thomson's BHX-SFB flight is only summer seasonal.

Armavia
 

wanna_be_there

Still problems with getting the Amritsar leg sorted I am told. It is now on sale for the 14th April - well the EVN-BHX sector is at least. Another case of don't hold your br......!

Pete

Ian Brooks
I am sorry to say but I cannot ever see BHX gaining much traffic from LHR
1. rail link to London actually is working in reverse as people are travelling down as there are better connections and quite aften fares are cheaper
2. Transfer passengers at Heathrow is a very big part of the business onward to the world
3. Many of the big spenders are Central London or south of the Thames
and now also west of London (Oxford, Swindon etc) so do not want
to tavel up to BHX where there are very few F or J class seats available
Manchester is a bit different in that it has a very large business community in banking, Chemicals and now TV/film production and they are demanding more business and first class accomodation as per EK/SQ

Ian I think you are spot on.
Unfortunately its probably all down to economics. The West Mids has suffered the hardest in this recession so far compared to rest of the uk.

I have another theory. BHX is a great REGIONAL airport handling LESS than 10m pax per annum. Break through the 10m+ mark and BHX wiould look more attractive and will pop up on many airlines radar so to speak. The likes of MAN, STN, EDI etc handle more than 10m pax which makes them more attractive to airlines.
If you owned a shop, and the rent was the same, where would you prefer to have it? In a suburban high street or in a major shopping center like The Bull Ring or Trafford center? I know where I would choose. The most footfall wins every time.
BHX will turn the corner and business in the area is showing signs of improvement. hence Lufthansa.
I guess its patience. BHX needs to focus on more european connections first to give them a boost in pax then long haul carriers will come looking.:ok:

Crewmeal:

TOM operate to SFB, as another poster has mentioned, weekly, summer only. They use high density 763s which are to all intents and purposes single class.

AA would want to operate minimum daily, summer only, in a three class low density aircraft, which also because of the runway restrictions at BHX would be payload restricted, and thus limit the opportunities for making extra money from belly hold cargo.

Also, SFB is not MIA. SFB serves Disneyworld and the other central Florida attractions. MIA serves a rather seedy (in parts) metropolis, far less attractive to the bucket and spade market from UK.

There's probably adequate services NYC/Caribbean/NYC should any such passengers wish to route via USA.

EDI does not routinely handle more than 10M

EDI has never handled 10m pax ! LTN briefly passed the 10m mark but has now slipped back

I don't think it will be too long (next couple of years?) before LTN is back at 10 million and EDI gets there too. As for BHX well we got close once (2007 was it?) but I fear it will be a long time till BHX gets even close again and will have to sit pretty further down the UK airport rankings.

Tunisair and Biman have new routes into MAN according to that thread. Something to talk about in lieu of any exciting new routes or indeed news at BHX ;)

You do seriously have to wonder what the routes team at BHX is up to these days, as its been a fair old while since a wholesale new route/airline was announced.

MAN seems to have a new routes/frequencies each week so far this year (was easyjet to bilbao last week, Tunisair this week), and Andrew Harrison has stated in a memo that the routes team is out in asia canvasing airlines now, and that follow up/confirmation meetings have been aranged in London.

Maybe BHX is saving their efforts to attract as many Olympic charters for next year as possible?

Do you mean that there are efforts. Honnest.

Centre cities

Hmm, I suppose if the route is 'safe', thats why the route is going down to 5 weekly from November 2011?

Whilst the UK in general has cuts (MAN/EDI down to 1 daily), is it time to be worried for BHX?

Not necessarily. Just because a frequency of a route is reduced doesn't mean its getting the chop or not ''safe''. If that's the case then all airports should be worried in the winter... If you compare this cut in frequency to the above airports you mentioned im sure you will agree that BHX has been less effected than those in terms of total number of flights cut!
Ok whenever an airline does reduce frequency on a route it's not the best news but they know what they are doing, and if it helps them make better money from yields or more money by sending the aircraft elsewhere then thats what they will do.

Continental
 

wanna_be_there

Can you state the days it has been chopped? I have found Wednesday from
the end of September but having checked a couple of booking engines I can't find the other day except the usual Thanksgiving period.

Glasgow down to six weekly from early October and Manchester daily from
the second week in September by the look of it.

If BHX is five weekly it is not too bad as it wasn't much better this winter
with cancellations. Wednesday in winter has not operated for two years,
usually re-starting the first week in March.

Pete

Yeah fair point Cazza.

Olton, I just saw a GDS ref on a.net that showed 2 different decreases, so presumed that a second day is being cut somewhere along the line.

See below:

CO EWR-BHX OCT 1.0>0.9 (presume this is 6 weekly), then NOV 1.0>0.8 (presumably this is down to 5 weekly)

CO
 

wanna_be_there

Cheers, probably hasn't filtered through to the systems I am looking at.

Manchester 10 weekly not daily from mid September is that right?

5 weekly in winter at BHX would be not a surprise.

Pete

No probs, might not be 5 weekly, as may just be reading it wrong, but with 2 decreases shown for BHX, surely that means 7 -> 6 -> 5 weekly?

MAN seems to gradualy drop down to daily from Sep-Nov, same as DUB.

Maybe its dropping to 5 weekly but with a 763? :cool:

With the Olympics next year wasnt it confirmed that the USA and China teams are basing themselves in Brum? I heard they were 18 months ago but quiet since then. What extra traffic is expected or planned if any for the event?
I know the Jamaican team have confirmed their base in Brum.
With LHR at almost full capacity, airlines laying on extra flights will be looking elsewhere to fly punters in. I guess the South East could absorb all these but at what charge? This could be a good advertising opportunity for BHX if they can get some of this adhoc traffic from London. :ok:
For once, BHXs close proximity to London could be an advantage and 120miles nearer to London than MAN.

No, they are both in Leeds now Im afraid.

"Not necessarily. Just because a frequency of a route is reduced doesn't mean its getting the chop or not ''safe''. If that's the case then all airports should be worried in the winter... If you compare this cut in frequency to the above airports you mentioned im sure you will agree that BHX has been less effected than those in terms of total number of flights cut!
Ok whenever an airline does reduce frequency on a route it's not the best news but they know what they are doing, and if it helps them make better money from yields or more money by sending the aircraft elsewhere then thats what they will do."

Unfortunately there is a bit of a president reduced service leads to a pull out..BAs BHX-JFK went from daily then downwards then was pulled.:(

You would think that BHX would have enough to fill 5 weekly 757s but entirely depends if United are interested in a small regional like BHX...A 763 is way to many business class seats for the route.

You would expect UA to go to a 763 out of MAN when its reduced to just daily.

Do CO/UA even operate any 763s across the Atlantic ?

WBT - not sure where you've got Leeds from, the US athletics team are signed up to Brum, not sure on the non-athletics side of it though.

I also believe the Chinese team are expected to confirm Brum as their pre-tournament base.

US Track & Field
 

The US Track and Field team are definitely based in Brum prior to the tournament...signed a deal early 2010 and this hasn't changed! The Jamaican team also recently signed a deal :ok:

apologies, I just saw some press releases staing Leeds was hosting athletes from China, USA and Serbia:

News - Chinese athletes to train in Leeds ahead of 2012 Games : Tourism 2012 Games

Whats the story with todays Thomson Cancun arrival? Massive delay.

CO
 

Blimey that almost as much capacity to Ashkabad as New York.

Centre cities

CO
 

Still not filtered through to CO's website or Amadeus.

Still showing six weekly but I know these things can
take time although the Manchester, GLA and EDI changes
are shown.


Pete

easyjet Grenoble/Summer
 

Despite fairly low load factors compared to most easy routes, it has
been released for booking next winter at two weekly again using a
Gatwick based aircraft as it is now.

Geneva usually has to wait for the GVA schedule to be released
although this year Luton provided the majority of the aircraft
until this week where it has virtually all moved to easy Swiss.

Although movements have not seemed to have increased much a
host of seasonal flights have started over the last few days.

Ryanair's first FUE went today with Monarch re-starting Dalaman,
Mahon, Palma, Almeria and increasing Larnaca. As usual ZB back
to four 321's and Ryanair's four are fairly active as well. Baby
don't get going to around 8/9th April when Alicante, Murcia, Faro
and Palma restart.

Lufthansa have brought forward the Munich capacity increase to
late May when all three flights will be by the 116 seat E195.

Pete

EDI is always once daily in the winter.....
There's a lot of time for the daily frequency to be reinstated if things bounce back. However it the synergies of using those B757s elsewhere in the enlarged UA prove valuable then they might become seasonal outside LHR and MAN or departs the regions (excl MAN) altogether.

There's probably an internal debate (fight) going on right now as to where best to get the best return on available assets.

Are you seriously suggesting that UA/CO could go from 2xDaily in Summer to zero on EDI-EWR for example?

CO / UA
 

airhumberside:

Why not, it rather depends which of the former managements and philosophys are in the ascendancy. CO was always strong on the UK regions, more so than any other carrier, UA had no interest apart from, if I recall correctly a fleeting presence at MAN and GLA.

If the UA management wins through then you've got to fear for the airline's presence at BHX, EDI, GLA - infact as Skipness suggested, anywhere probably excluding MAN and LHR.

Not a mouthwatering prospect!

Superdry
 

In a further effort to become the UK's biggest shopping centre with a few aircraft parked outside, hot on the heels of M&S Simply Food, I see that the fashionable and very on-trend Superdry are to open a new store at BHX. Is this a valiant effort to try and attract the youth of the region to fly from BHX, come on you can now get a tax free hoodie on your way to Spain ;) Seeing as BHX loves to spend money on anything but trying to attract new routes and airlines, I suggest another re-branding: Birmingham Touchwood International, at this rate I won't need to go into Solihull for shopping. Maybe at quiet times (thats most of the time then) they could use the 80's stands for overflow shoppers parking, with a bonus opportunity to view a row of parked Ryanair aircraft, chuckling as you view that it would appear to be actually cheaper to park an aircraft long term at BHX than (perish the thought) actually fly somewhere useful. Cynical, moi? heh heh :O

Firstly whats so different about EDI and MAN? Both twice daily in Summer and once daily in Winter

Secondly are UA really going to rip up a successful and substantial CO strategy - B757's to more secondary/regional airports? It's been a fundamental part of CO's transatlantic expansion in recent years. And not only is it a useful CO asset, but ripping the strategy up isn't going to mean those passengers connect onto a UA flight at LHR/MAN etc. It would more than likely attract DL or AA to some nice opportunities with their B757's. Plus what would UA do with a large number of displaced B757's?

Not to say individual routes would not be at risk, seen that with BRS, but I can't imagine CO's transatlantic strategy of mixing the power of the New York market and the power of a connecting hub to make transatlantic service viable to 'smaller' European cities being ditched

What will be interesting to see IMO is what UA do with markets that are more than once daily - shift one of the daily flights to IAD or ORD to free up an EWR slot for something else?

Of course I am. UNITED currently has a consistent policy of no regional flying in the UK whereas Continental has a broad based policy of regional flying. One of these two conflicing policies will be the loser in the merger. If the combined entity has somewhere else on the network that looks a better bet for those B757s then you could see a complete retrenchment to LHR and probably MAN.

I have no visibility as to whether this will happen but there conversations will be going on. United's one and only stab outside LHR was GLA-IAD in 1993-4 and let's be clear that no final decision on strategy going forward has been made public yet. Remember the surviving colours are Continental from Houston but the surviving entity is going to be United Airlines based in Chicago.

Menzies
 

The 3rd Handling agent rumour might be true after all, On tuesday a low loader truck was spotted entering the Cargo Centre with a Menzies Baggage loader on the back. (Don't know where it was offloaded tho)

Looks like Menzies are starting to make a move :ok:

I think the point here is being missed about the co/ua merger. this will form a new airline that will be twice the size of the the old co/ua. The board members from what i have read will be both made up of co/ua members, with the new CEO being from continental airlines. Being based in chicago as opposed to texas does not mean anything. Its going to be a new company with new agenda. It depends what that the agenda is. One thing is certian, it has to be somthing that both airlines agree on. As for small regional routes there survival will depend on if they are profitable operations, not if it is Gla Bhx Man etc. No airline unless there is another reason will axe a profitable route. So, as far CO/UA and bhx is concerned i can only conclude that this route must be profitable since its being going for almost 14 years now and still going with a reduced service in the winter. This is not bad since these are the toughest economic times in aviation history. Also given Bhx closeness to Heathrow the service to newark as held up well. As for reduced services, this will be at all airports in the uk this winter Man Gla Edi. When all is said and done anything can happen and nothing is set in concrete.
Just another interesting point, if the new merger airline Co/UA were planning to gid rid of regional operations, why is it then that a new route by CO/UA is being launch to the German city of Stuggart to Newark this spring, which happens to be regional airport about the same size as BHX. This would defeat the purpose!!

The business will axe profitable routes if they are marginal and the asset can be deployed better elsewhere. Being twice the size also means new opportunnities will arise. The question is at the strategic level of whether they maintain a focus on regional ops, as two marginally profitable routes needing the same aircraft, the one better fitting the strategy wins. Personally I think the new UA will maintain all bar BFS (it's the most seasonal)in the UK but it's too early to say.

Again, whats the difference between MAN and EDI for CO? They have near enough the same amount of capacity

Or on the other hand it may be that since Swissport have started handling TCX ,they are short of basic handling aids and have bought an old conveyor from Menzies :ugh::rolleyes:

OH hang on....what date is it today :E;)

Actually the second daily service runs through the winter at MAN, occasionally at a reduced frequency but CO100 / 101 it does run year round. Also the size of the market they are competing in is not comparable as MAN has DL and US as well whereas DL failed at EDI (twice). Conclusion? Richer pickings in the market at MAN. Any rejig may actually mean additional MAN-ORD being more likely as EWR-elsewhere contracts. Aircraft are the most mobile of business assets, they follow the money and opportunity is changing post merger. Let's wait and see.

Two tier security
 

Another example of rip off Britain that makes me not want to use an airport.:mad:

Birmingham Airport to launch (paid for) security express lane : Birmingham Airport News Stories