TCX
 

Hey guys Im new to this forum so would just like to say hi! :)
I can't believe the amount times a TCX a/c has gone wrong this summer, most I've ever seen at NCL.
And I do believe that the TCX NCL-DLM route is to operate everyday from next year! Turkey is really taken off in the last couple of years.

Does anyone know if Newcastle is in for anymore Jet2 routes next year? Heard we're finally going to 8 aircraft after a 1 year delay.

I would have thought with just 1 new route this year...PULA and the Alicante based flights changing to based a/c flights next year (assuming the frequency is held at 10 weekly), it looks a good possibility for at least 1 additional based a/c.

Maybe someone has more information.

Yeah that's what I'd thought too, we were supposed to go 4 733, 2 752 and 2 738 next year but instead a 733 went off somewhere and we got the Titan then the 2 738's went to LBA instead. Supposedly next year though, we're getting 2 of GLA's 752's because they're going all 737's. I don't know how reliable this information is so please do not quote me on it but it's what I've heard. I am dubious though as to whether it's true about the 738's being better suited to GLA than the 757's but who knows...

I really hope we have something though, just about every UK base has had quite a fair share of announcements. Jet2 has really lost momentum at NCL recently, seemingly favouring EMA and GLA with the normal/expected slight increases at LBA and MAN but NCL only gets Pula and 2 of the transatlantic triple :( oh well, at least it is still better than nothing, or a decrease though.

Best get to bed, I have a packed out Emirates 77W to catch in the morning. According to the seat map, prelim 293 Y pax and 42J pax (100%LF). I am unsure as to whether the seat map actually shows Y pax the proper J loads during online check in though. I'll ask the crew and post the proper loads on here sometime soon.

Thanks a lot,
Martin

Don't know if its a tech issue or because TCX has shifted planes around but again TCX to Reus delayed by 4 hours this morning. Maybe a bit longer if the last few weeks are anything to go by..

EDIT: Apparently a tech issue again with YL-LCL. Back in the air now but knock on effect all day now.

TCX delay
 

Yeah I noticed the TCX to Reus delay this morning must be a problem with the a320 -LCL they leased, its broken down quite a few times if that is the problem

Jet2
 

Jet2 will continue to expand at NCL in the coming years but don't expect it to be like in the past with an extra aircraft a year!!

There is still a few routes that jet2 will add an try.

Other bases will be growing faster than ncl are the likes of gla and ema but these are new bases and until they reach the size of ncl and Leeds and even Manchester things will look like ncl isn't getting anything but it is

The base needs to grow steady over the coming years and jet2 will be fine

If you look back over the last month or so there have been as more 757s going tech here than YL-LCL . G-FCLK/JMCG/TBCB/C have all caused massive delays if I remember correctly LK went tech in SSH causing something like a 30+ hour delay then a week later diverted to MAN 30 mins into a flight.

Any news about a carrier that could take on the LGW route?

With APD the way it is, I very much doubt anyone will take over Gatwick.

Nothing on Gatwick but I understand that Norwich Airport has listed NCL as one of the three new routes it is targeting in it's expansion programme.

LCL has went tech about 7 times, probably more, in the last 2 months. All of the aircraft you mentioned above (FCLK, FCLA etc.) have went tech on one occasion. That's not necessarily unusual.

Big delays include 14 hours from MAH & stranding passengers in Bourgas for almost 24 hours. Also, looking back on this thread there was a 23 hour delay outbound to PFO which eventually had to be covered by another aircraft...

That's not including DLM twice in May.

They're constantly having to get a 752 to in or ES-SAL into cover the rotations. JMCG flew in yesterday evening to do ZTH.

LCL
 

You have to remember though that TCX constantly rotate the 757s throughout the whole country so while certain reg's have maybe gone tech "once" in NCL, that doesn't mean they haven't gone tech somewhere else in the meantime.

YL-LCL on the other hand is based only at NCL so it may seem that it is tech more than any other aircraft in the TCX fleet as you are monitoring NCLs departures.

Plus the reason that the 757 is stepping in to do flights when it is tech is because TCX have a 757 with a very limited flying programme which is there to pick up the programme throughout the country when things go wrong.

I don't disagree with you on that point. I know TCX rotate there 752s as does LS and TOM.

Perhaps it's easier to compare it with other fleets based A320s. You have the EZY A320 and G-POWI, who is leased from Titan, who is constantly based at NCL for the Spanish routes for Jet2. These aircrafts rarely have issues in comparison with LCL.

My thinking is that if LCL is having significantly more problems than any other based aircraft at NCL, whether it be A320s or 752s, this much surely show that this aircraft is having more frequent difficulties than most of the other TCX fleet and other airlines fleets. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that around 1 tech difficulty per week, sometimes more, is poor customer service and frankly unacceptable.

This aircraft should not be in service if its gonna cause serious problems for pax and many financial implications for TCX - it cannot be cheap sending a relief aircraft every week to subsidise for the loss of LCL.

Perhaps I'm wrong and LS & TOM have more relief aircraft and therefore are able to provide relief quicker to avoid huge delays. But if that's correct I expect someone to point that out!

This is my opinion and, don't worry, I don't expect too many people to agree - most people probably think that post is a load of S**T.

I would imagine any extra costs would be covered by Smartlynx rather than TCX, but I stand to be corrected

I would imagine they will be glad to see the back of LCL

The only way I could possibly defend the smartlynx aircraft in that respect is to say that maybe TCX are utilising that aircraft more than JET2 and EZY utilise theirs. Looking at the programme for that particular aircraft its programme is jam packed from Friday through to Monday. So if anything goes wrong during that time its going to have a major knock on effect.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure Easyjet and Jet2 don't operate proper night flights, ie, departing at say 9/10/11/ in the evening, which gives them more ground time to get any issues corrected before its morning departure.

If thats the case then it should definitely be something that TCX need to look into further for the future. As not only will it be costing the company a fortune in bringing in extra aicraft, theres also the issue of this EU regulation regarding the delay compensation.

You are correct that it has 2 evening flights and 3 late arrivals into NCL in the early hours of the morning. It's a more tougher schedule in comparison with LS and EZY as you've stated.

I also agree that there may be more time to deal with unforeseen problems. However, I'm not necessarily questioning the length of delays, I'm questioning the amount of them for this aircraft in particular.

I just can't have the argument that the schedule is taken such a toll on the aircraft that it has a tech delay every week. I don't know TCX's maintenance programme and nor do I know any of other stated airlines maintenance programme never mind there maintenance schedule at NCL. I just simply cannot believe that because its got a busier schedule that its causing the aircraft so much trouble - it must be either poorly maintained or it needs to be taken out of service for a substantial inspection - something I imagine TCX & Smartlynx don't wanna do.

Again, someone may correct me if I'm wrong which I may well be. I just think TCX next summer need to consider, carefully, what A320 they base over at NCL. If I was them I wouldn't set foot near a lease agreement or contract for LCL. It must be costing them a small fortune. It would definitely be interesting to know who pays for these delays - Smart Lynx or TCX? As you've mentioned it's not just the movement of other aircraft to NCL, it's the EU thing.

Apologies for boring you, it just bugs me! And I'm sure it really annoys them passengers!

I don't know for certain but it would be a pretty poor sub-contract if the operating airline did not ultimately foot the cost of the delays. Otherwise there is no incentive for the sub-contractor to perform.

Well the many times I have been up to the airport this summer TCX maintenance have always appeared to be working on LCL from arriving until leaving, seems like there are a few problems with this aircraft