Everything dometic will be stated as very secure until Willie Walsh gets the regulatory appproval that he wants. Perhaps BA will keep the London LHR Belfast route post bmi takeover, hoping so here. But I wouldn't be taking too much comfort from anything that WW will be saying pre approval of the takeover. Simples.

If BA do opt to continue the BMI link to Belfast, I just cant see why they would stay at BHD. Aer Lingus last August carried almost as many pax on BFS LHR as Bmi did on BHD LHR with lower frequencies. BFS can deliver the passenger numbers just as well as BHD, there are no limiting factors, such as size of aircraft, no restrictive hours to work around (which in the event of delays cost £££'s, ie late arrival charges, or diversion costs etc.).

My view has always been that BA are absolutely not interested in point to point traffic ex Belfast, or indeed from many regional markets, its too hard fought, their interest in almost exclusively feeding the hub at LHR with connecting passengers. Aer Lingus can do this for them and the slots can be used elsewhere for Long haul or new emerging routes that BA will want to fly.

The current capacity that EI have on LHR would only have to be increased slightly to ensure that the overall passenger numbers on Belfast LHR would be maintained.

EI-BUD

AMS today:
25 in
43 out

That's it......the thread will now be closed:E woof woof

Is passenger data like this not commercially sensitve ibformation??

No. The CAA releases data on a regular basis anyway regarding passenger numbers on routes to and from the UK.

However, some may argue that giving details prior to a flight could be a security issue.

If you were on the flight you could count them, how could it be sensitive?

Though it is getting better as on a recent flight from AMS you could count them all on both hands.

EW, don't know if reporting pax numbers gets the thread closed down, but don't be reporting any operational facts or the PR will have shut down. This is a rumours network and facts and truth have no place here, unless it's about another airport, and negative.

Kinda my point but put much better. thanks

The builders are in!:ok:

I believe BHD and DUB will be staying post BA integration.

Bmibaby tweak AMS rotations
 

I see from the baby website that Tuesday & Wednesday AMS is dropped from the end of March, although Tue June the 12 is available, some good loads of late at weekends.

Will this facilitate the extra capacity recently announced on some sun routes, or was this AMS reduction planned and that's why Mahon was added later than the original sun destinations??

I don't think its anything to do with med routes, there wouldn't really be enough time, it will however give a bit more flexibility for the inevitable problems across the next work. The best you could squeeze in would be somewhere like JSY or NQY but the days are wrong and its probably to late to market them.

My bet is that when baby are sold Flybe will come off EMA BHD, I would like to see BHD LGW next if we could get LGW slots.

Summer route are i'm told selling well, BHD may have been a gamble but it seems to be paying off with lots of positive passanger feed back.

Would you mean this in addition to or instead of STN?

From an operational point of view I don't see any improvements a service to LGW could make for the target audience baby were originally after? The time (using the express services) to London is almost exactly the same and the fares and frequency are very similar (depending on the actual day). Plus Stansted still has lower fees compared to LGW (ok this can vary depending on airline) and has less slot restrictions.

I hear the BHD-STN-BHD route is now performing much better thanks to tweaks with the schedule. Atleast they are letting it grow rather than chopping it and changing it like the old days. Hopefully as people become more aware of the route at both ends the frequency will be increased once again.

Cazza

In addition to STN, I think in the longer term if babyV2 is to grow it will need to go outside the Midlands, although there are plenty of growth opportunities in the Midlands especially BHX I think that they have to either go South or overseas,but to do that they need kit that has longer legs and a move to NG's would be less than ideal from BHD.

...Except if they were to get both the -700 and the -800 as the NG types. Both these types could fit well into the fleet and -700 operate very comfortably from BHD. Although a single type fleet can be beneficial in some respects it's not in others. A mixed fleet of this type or similar for baby would work very well in both it's current form and for future expansion. I guess we will just have to wait and see!:ok:

I see that bmi baby are advertising the AMS quite extensively in Holland, at a time when they have pulled a number of the midweek services. Would it not have been better to advertise the route, try to heighten the public awareness of the service in the NL, and if loads do not improve and remain low, then cut the frequency. To do both simultaneously is just stupid.

bmibaby Amsterdam
 

In all fairness this is a route bmibaby have advertised since the launch. They have always had some presence of advertising in Amsterdam, either in the airport or on billboards / transport etc. What I do feel though is that more specific destination advertisments should be used in Belfast and the rest of NI. As many have previously mentioned, the current ones are generalised ''summer flight'' or bmibaby holidays style advertisments.

If bmi baby are offloaded prior to iag sale of bmi is the new owneres going to keep bhd asa base?

depends on how well seats are actually selling, its hard to tell by this forum as some claim they are poor while some claim they are amazingly good.. i'd imagine that the summer schedule will run its course as cancelling any flights especially in summer costs money and is bad publicity.

as for advertising, ive noticed its a constant battle of bmibaby and easyJet on coolFM, seems they are taking it in turns

The sun routes are doing well. AMS is 80 - 90 at weekends. GVA fine. Domestics doing well.New arrivals hall started. So a nice place to launch a new airline.:8