Presumably you mean 5% reduction for the winter season year-on-year, LTN man? Not surprised if so, and I expect something of the same (or more) from easyJet, given the routes we know are going. Maybe a quieter winter than any since early 2000s.

15% as reported by Ryanair's Michael O'Leary says increasing passenger duty is 'insanely stupid' - Telegraph and The Times

Every year, Ryanair operates fewer flights in the winter than in the summer. One of the obvious reasons, is that it's not much fun being on a not-very-warm-and-possibly-rainy European beach in January compared to July.

Furthermore, every year MOL blames the reduction in flights on some sort of terrible tax or airport charge.

I seem to recall that about 12 months ago, a similiar announcement was made about the reductions at Dublin airport. Shortly afterwards Dublin airport put out a press release essentially saying that MOL was just talking a load of baloney as he does every year

Relax people - it's just the Ryanair PR machine. Those flights from Luton to tbe beaches are seasonal - they stop in October, and will be back again in April

Ryanair
 

FR

Not hollow words at BHX, winter 2010/11 is down over 15% with another
couple of routes expected to get released but still down.

If I get time I will check the Luton winter schedule.

Pete

Apparantly Luton (or council ??) has just increased baggage trolly charges to £2. Just a eads up in case anyone gets caught out. :ok:

I have heard that the shuttle bus price to the station has gone up 50% to £1.50 each way

LTNman - it consistently surprises me that so many people turn up at Luton Parkway train station with relatively manageable amounts of luggage that can be carried on one's back (e.g. rucksack) during the daytime when it's not raining, and who consider it unthinkable to walk for 20 mins to the airport. Those road signs work just as well for pedestrians....

David, I can walk about one mile in 20 mins, though not with luggage. That would be a £1.30 fare on our local buses, so perhaps the point you're trying to make is that £1.50 isn't bad; and you do have a choice. However free buses roam round Manchester Airport, Sheffield City Centre etc. so I'm not sure what impression it leaves on the passenger...another bl**dy charge? Not sure where I stand on this.

johnny - my point is that plenty of people have relatively small amounts of luggage and are more than capable of walking between airport and train station, but for some reason don't even consider the possibility of saving the money and using their legs a bit. Next time you land at Luton with a relatively small amount of luggage and need to go to the railway station, why not just walk down the hill ? It's really not that strenuous... (and no, I'm not some kind of gym addict)

I don't know... don't you feel a bit knackered after flying, though this is illogical after you've been sat still in a seat for so many hours? Perhaps it's because the adrenaline of a holiday or a weekend break knocks off during your time on the plane and it's back to reality, or a message to remind you of your overindulgence?

Anyway, what distance are we talking about from gate to station (never flown from Luton, nothing personal, just never needed to?)

From gate to station, we're talking about 1.5 miles, either on the level or going downhill. Various route finders on the web state slightly more, but this assumes you are driving a car and can't go the wrong way down one-way streets. From terminal exit to station it's about 1.3 miles - which equates to 20 mins at a brisk walk, or 25 mins at a leisurely walk

David - just by the fact you use 'Blighty' as your location - that suggests you and me are of a certain age that are used to walking a lot. £1.50 for 1.3 miles sounds a bargain, especially in the other direction whereby de facto you must walk uphill!

JC

Not done LTN recently
 

When I lived in Wigmore and worked in Ltn airport, it was a 20 min walk home to and from the terminal. Not a major problem, come rain or shine. As well as being a safe route to walk.

The I moved to High Town, and only once walked from the airport, (New Terminal). The reason was snow clo the roads to the airport...(hill top)...no bus or taxi...and with a case to drag.

Now when I go to Luton, I dread to think that a walk from airport to parkway, or town centre should be considered safe or practical.

£1.50, does not even buy a coffee in the airport, so whats all the bitching about.

When compared to the train fare into the smoke.......

DJ6: If one has walked the walk in daylight, and are then happy to do the same walk at night fine, but when totally lost, up a side ally, then £1.50 is a reasonable expense.

glf

Don't think there is a pavement for passengers to walk along once they pass the Holiday Inn.

Just had a look at the routes for the winter and it seems the majority of the routes continue to operate, with the exception of Trapani, Murcia and Reus. Previous years we have seen a number of routes cut, for example the Irish routes, and to France.

But the routes that are operating do seem to be operating at reduced frequencies...

Just looked at routes in November and December and are as follows:

Beziers - 2x Weekly
Bratislava - Daily
Breast - 3x Weekly
Dublin - 2x Daily (T W T S S) and 3x Daily (M F)
Barcelona/Girona - 3x Weekly
Kerry - Daily
Knock - Daily
Lanzarote - 2x Weekly
Malta - 3x Weekly
Marrakesh - 3x Weekly
Nimes - 4x Weekly
Rzeszów - 2x Weekly
Tenerife - 2x Weekly
Gran Canaria - 2x Weekly
Kaunas - 3x Weekly

I work that out to be 61 flights a week...

How many departures is FR currently operating out of LTN on a weekly basis?

The Beziers and Nimes routes should be popular if easyJet are not operating to Nice this winter! Im sure these routes have not operated previous winters.

Did the Canary Island routes operate to higher frequency last winter?

Whose is the MD80 / 90?
 

For the last couple of Wednesdays at around 17.30 I've heard and seen a very noisy MD80/90 leave. Can anyone tell me who it belongs to and where it's going? Thanks!

Wasnt Marrakech 5x wk last year, and Malta 6x? Im sure RAK used to be Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday (with occ Thursday?)

So why was the flying club knocked down? The site is just a wasteland now.:{

FR Winter schedule
 

Hi gilesdavies,

Thanks for posting that information.

I make that 66 departures per week for winter 10/11, which would be roughly a 16% reduction compared to winter 09/10, when they operated about 79 departures per week. However, the schedule could change many times before we get to the end of October.

As it currently stands, the changes compared to last winter are:
- Bratislava is new (since March, +7 per week), Derry (was 4 per week, now gone), Dublin (-5 per week), Girona and Kaunas (both -1 per week), Malta (-2) and Marrakech (-1), Murcia (was 4 per week last winter), Trapani (was 2 per week last winter).

Beziers and Nimes were both flown last winter with the same frequencies, as were the 3 Canary Islands.

This summer they are flying 88 departures per week in August (by my calculations).

P.S. The town in France is usually written 'Brest'. I have no idea what you were thinking about when you wrote it differently above ;-)