Great news if this comes to fruition...

The routes and frequencies they want to operate, are quite a surprise. For example Dalaman 4x weekly and Enfida/Hammarmet 2x weekly. Especially as these are likely to be charter flights and airlines like Thomson would only operate these weekly, especially from a secondary base like Luton (when compared to the size of bases like LGW, BHX and MAN).

Also a surprise to see no routes to Spain, except for a token weekly service to Palma.

Even though the PDF says flights to be operated by Thomas Cook and has the MT prefix on their booking system, it appears the routes will be flown by an A320 and they only operate A321 type. So I suspect this will be a leased aircraft, I think this year Thomas Cook have been leasing an A320 from Avion Express of Lithuania, which is based out of Cardiff, so could be a similar arrangement next year.

The Scheduling looks like:
(According to the PDF)

Monday - Dalaman, Palma
Tuesday - Enfida, Antalya
Wednesday - Dalaman, Larnaca
Thursday - Corfu, Dalaman
Friday - Enfida, Antalya
Saturday - Dalaman, Izmir
Sunday - Bodrum

Reason for my caution is last year Thomas Cook announced they were meant to operate 4-5 routes from Luton, and as we got closer to the summer season these disappeared and only Corfu happened in the end. Also I cannot see the Antalya, Bodrum or Izmir flights on sale.

Agree about the destinations-

Dalaman, Larnaca would have been operated by Monarch as would Palma and they might be able to source capacity elsewhere for the latter.

Maybe the others are where they perceive they might be able to add capacity from a London area airport. As you say if these don't reach expectations, they may be able cancel the sub-chartered aircraft so needs to be treated with caution but welcome nonetheless.

Now it's laid out in an easier to read format what I said about Saturday in my last post looks to be true for Sunday.

If you try to book flights through Thomas Cook to either Bodrum or Antalya it shows EasyJet flight details, I wasn't able to find any schedule for the Izmir flight !

Izmir:

MT182 LTN 0630 ADB 1220
MT183 ADB 1335 LTN 1540

Saturday's.

But as you say yourself, they can only ever really operate two return trips per day because their average sector lengths are longer than that of say EZY or FR.

As such, there's no benefit in short turns for MT or TOM as on the whole it would never be sufficient enough to provide a third rotation. It's partially the same reason why low-cost long-haul has always been a challenge.

Good to see anyway MT are finally at LTN in some reasonable quantity. Just a shame it's only following such sad circumstances.

Interestingly many of the destinations are similar for LBA, except they have MAH and TFS. I am beginning if this is a slot sitter to protect their business until they can really assess the fall out of Monarch going, to destinations that are not themselves slot constrained.

Well I never! A new company, Shelfco, was set up, to hive off the prospective long-haul Monarch and its costly Boeing orders.

And

Records show Mr Swaffield became chief executive of another company, Shelfco 2017, that was set-up on September 25.

The other directors include Nils Christy, Monarch’s chief operating officer, and Christopher Bennett, its finance director.

It is registered at Monarch’s Luton Airport headquarters.

I was of the understanding the ShelfCo was the other way round, it was a mechanism to sell, rather than retention for LH.

Taxiway taking shape...
 

As I refuse to pay Wizz Air the extra to have a window seat on their flights, I've missed this the last few times as we've taxi'd out to runway 8...

The new taxiway is really taking shape, and looks like it might be ready for next summer!

Great work.

https://www.facebook.com/LDNLutonAir...6072388779878/

The completion date for the physical connection of the taxiway to 08 is the 16th December with a 2 week reserve period in January if finished late.

No idea how long is needed after that before it opens.

I don't use Facebook and I've never been a member of Facebook but with that link that you provided it shows people's comments saying what a disgraceful airport Luton is and how ashamed they are with the fact that the airport classes itself as a London Airport. So after all the redevelopment people are still commenting on how terrible it is but to be totally honest it doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

Travelled from here this morning (as SLF) but amazed at how unfriendly the entrance is ... the glass doors that face the bus stops/set down/car parks are for emergency exit only. As you approach them there's a white board fence with some adverts for the company doing the work, but it isn't helpful, and looks very amateur.

So you turn left 90° once you get to the metal hanger with the glass doors,to enter the building and less than 10 m (or so it seems) from the entrance, straight in front of you, suspended from the roof is a monitor of all the flights and their gates ... so everyone stops, and bunches up right back to the doors (and this was at a quiet time).

So, for those without baggage to check in, (which is relatively clearly marked) you have to find the departures security point ... on the far back wall almost hidden. There are snaking rows of cord to guide you to the scanners, but apart from the slightly wider lines used for prams, it seems to be random which line you should take.

Security was rapid and pleasant this morning ... so it was up the escalators to the same commercial disaster as Manchester or Stansted but with a matt floor rather than a glittery one. Thank goodness for some natural light at the furthest point in the departures lounge by Boots. But make sure you're fit because my gate was only shown at 10.05, my boarding pass said that the gate closed at 10H10 for a flight departure at 10H40 ... and Gate 3 is a 'sacré trot' from the departure lounge even for fit folk!

The more streamlining and user-friendly facilities for both passengers and professionals the better!

A look at Stansted reviews at https://www.facebook.com/pg/STNAirpo...=page_internal reveals they don't appear to be any better. The only difference is that at least moaning people get an airport spokesman to at least reply. At Luton they get nothing.

As for Southend people are moaning about freezing to death outside a locked terminal on this website. At least passengers at both LTN and STN can get inside.

https://www.sleepinginairports.net/c...rt-reviews.htm

Well I saw a large number waiting outside in the relative cool this morning around 09H45 after a Wizz and an EZY flight arrived at adjacent gates

That entrance is temporary. When I say temporary I mean 2 years temporary.
:eek:

I live in hope that one of the finished entrances will open for Christmas seeing that the shell of that part of the building was erected at the end of 2016 but with not a hint of a canopy being installed and the front of the terminal just a pile of rubble I think I am going to be disappointed. I am thinking work will be carrying into next summer on the terminal for all those parts of the project that can't be started yet.

I think the airport also scores really badly when it comes to signage. It doesn't take much to create but it is really poor at the moment.

Also heard from a senior figure that the £100 million upgrade that became £110 million is looking more like £150 million due to severe over runs of the project.

Would they not have been fixed price contracts or has more work just been committed to earlier, partly because of the rise in passenger numbers and the rail link coming on stream earlier?

I wonder if that overrun is due to all the work needed in supporting the Undercroft road section because that looked from the outside to have added at least 6-9 months work.
Is the second MSCP included in the new figure I wonder?

Wouldn't it be nice to just have the space that STN has!

Have heard all sorts of stories about larger biz jets wanting to use LTN and just being told it's full, sorry , off to STN with you.

Falcon666...Yes absolutely....STN has been accepting a fair bit of extra Biz traffic because of constraints @ LTN (I have viewed some unofficial figures) space is part of the problem for LTN but I understand there are also R/W usage & "noise" thresholds considerations in play too.

That £110 million or £150 million, if the guy was telling the truth, is the cost of the 3 phases of the development. Phase 3 hasn't even started yet which is Taxiway Foxtrot, the extension to Taxiway Alpha, to get it closer to the end of runway 26 and the conversion and expansion of the Signature stands by the former flying club.

If you think that Luton suffers from a lack of bizjet stands just wait until 2019 when those stands go back to the airport.

The new multistory is not part of the existing development so will be funded separately or as part of the DART link.

Saw all the biz jets and wondered who planned the spaces on the apron! More like aviation tetris!

Nooks and crannies comes to mind or squeezing a quart into a pint pot. It must be a full time job for the tug drivers to move aircraft that are buried 2 or 3 deep to get them to the front of the apron for departure

This photo taken a few years ago highlights Luton's problem

https://i.imgur.com/jHo6XVB.jpg

I was always amazed how they fitted them all in! Bit of a B****r if the one at the back suddenly decided to depart a few days earlier than planned!

New timeline for the completion of works announced by the airport:
March 2018 - Pier B
Spring 2018 - Terminal Infill
Summer 2018 - Immigration Area and Security Phase 2
Autumn 2018 - Baggage Hall

Bottom line, another 13 months of work in the terminal which is what I expected. That is assuming there are no more delays.

Plus the added works for the new MSCP and drop off which aren't included. It's all going to lead to another horrible summer for passengers and staff.

They were going to put in a temporary drop off area for next summer but that plan must have been dropped otherwise there would be no short term car park for next year with work starting on MSCP2.

So for next summer the congestion looks like more of the same. In 2019 work should then start on the new station which will be a year late in starting once the drop off area has moved into the new multistory.

Then there is the cut and cover tunnel through the CTA. I guess there is nothing stopping that work starting next year as planned.

Looking back on old photos the arrivals waiting area closed on 2nd June 2015 so as far as I am concerned the existing terminal project already goes back 28 months.
https://i.imgur.com/HSOgmpL.jpg

After nearly 50 years of making LTN its home, the final Monarch bird left for the last time today... :sad:

What now for the former HQ? The building is T shaped so is bigger than it first looks with what looks like a flight simulator building attached at the bottom of the T.

Easyjet converted one of H89 aircraft bays for more office accommodation a few years back so I doubt that Monarch’s HQ is big enough for them.

Seeing that Flight Safety Boeing’s former European HQ was turned into a hotel this would be a much easier project if this building met the same feat.

Not quite, still one there today on or around stand 11

G-MARA left at 12:07 UK time today

LTN CEO on Radio 4 early this morning stating Monarch`s pax thruput at LTN was 900,000 PA.

It was 4.5% in 2016 which would make around 675,000 passengers. Whatever the figure it is still a big hit when added to the lost Copenhagen figure of 767,000. One route and one airline comes to around 1.6 million passengers lost. I think Luton will see a hit next year but my views on that are quite clear as Luton will still be over capacity for much of next year.

CEO stated 6% & 900K...

Top 20 Routes (Jan-Sep 2017)
 

1. Amsterdam - 571,934
2. Budapest - 442,298
3. Bucharest - 429,357
4. Barcelona - 389,882
5. Warsaw - 333,953
6. Tel Aviv - 313,471
7. Malaga - 278,453
8. Faro - 272,368
9. Dublin - 270,000
10. Palma de Mallorca - 253,451
11. Belfast - 251,183
12. Cluj-Napoca - 249,984
13. Katowice - 238,136
14. Copenhagen - 235,335
15. Geneva - 230,030
16. Edinburgh - 228,902
17. Gdansk - 224,177
18. Alicante - 219,120
19. Sofia - 216,967
20. Paris - 214,334

Source: LLA

I just had another read, the 4.5% was the percentage of movements not passengers so I need to correct my figure to 1,667,000 passengers lost if Copenhagen is included although there is still a token service on the route which the above table does not reflect.

Going back to Monarch, I doubt it would have happened but it would have been nice for the last Monarch to leave Luton to have done a flypast across the apron to allow those that remain in whats left of Monarch to savor the moment and to shed a tear.:{

Still can't believe they have gone.

I understand the sentiment but unfortunately business & reality are harsh masters..
Flight deck crew almost certainly sub contracted by the lessor & have no wish to jeopardise their own position.
I think a CLX crew were dismissed or certainly disciplined for wing waving a B748F departing BFI on a delivery flight.
We will be left to pay our respects to the type that started it all namely the Britannia parked/exhibited at Duxford in full livery perhaps.
Blimey I remember it being delivered into there during an air show!.

Won't deny I shed a tear watching that - so many memories watching Monarch planes at LTN - 1'11's, 720's, 737's, 757's, A300's, A320's and A321's.

I still can't quite believe that Monarch no longer exist - a Luton Airport without Monarch just doesn't feel right :(

Saying passenger numbers will be down in part due to easyJet/Ryanair stopping their crazy war of 4x daily services to Copenhagen, is rubbish!

If this was the case why was the airport still reporting record growth this summer, after both airlines had removed the crazy over capacity on the CPH route. The 4x daily service was operating last summer too and after its cancellation passenger numbers have continued to grow.

easyJet has already replaced this capacity by opening up new routes and increasing capacity on existing routes.

With the exception of the morning rotation to Copenhagen by Ryanair which was operated by a Kaunas based aircraft (KUN-LTN-CPH-LTN-KUN), all others were operated by Luton based Ryanair aircraft. It would appear Ryanair have found other routes to replace Copenhagen for these based aircraft, as I'm not seeing any parked up for a few hours each day.

Luton is probably going to be hit least hardest in terms of passenger numbers, with regards to Monarch, compared to the likes of BHX and MAN.
I think numbers will plateau next year, but any dip in numbers will be a blip and soon recover.
Provided the Thomas Cook routes go ahead and base an aircraft here next summer we've already absorbed the loss on one Monarch aircraft.

As a general rule Monarch birds flew roughly two return sectors a day or eight flights for the four based aircraft. The airport only needs to find another six return sectors a day to be back at a similar number.

With Wizz constantly upgrading routes to LTN from the A320 to the A321, the additional numbers here will plug some of the gap. Plus I'd expect some moderate growth from them and easyJet who seem to grow ops years on year.

If Blue Air or Vueling add any new routes too, I think numbers will be very similar.

I've noticed Vueling were operating three flights a day to Amsterdam on the odd day or two a week.

The biggest threat to Luton and passenger numbers is the delicate situation Spain is in right now. If Catalonia declare independence were probably looking at Yugoslavia type civil war and other regions breaking away from Spain too. If that happens flights to Spain will drop off a cliff edge!

True, Despite these being on A321's, seating 214, their Loadfactors were around 85%(ish), meaning 100% on Easyjet/RYanair's 180-189 seaters. not an impossible task, and i'm sure SOMEONE will be snapping those slots up soon. Almost business as usual after this, but like everyone else, LTN doesn't feel the same without the 'yellow/purple variety'

No Ryanai parked up of course- but there is still almost the equivalent of a fifth unit considering that on some days we have visitors from Kaunus, Malta and Faro.