AGS are a mickey mouse organisation.

Both. Put it this way, the city is finished. If I had the money, I would move away. We can't even get our bypass open. Aberdeen's future is full of... empty shops, houses & hotels. The recent proposal for a cable car from the south end of the beach to the Castlegate says it all.... 'and on your left as your cable car sways uncontrollably in the wind is the red light district...' :ugh:

and that folks sums up Aberdeen, and made me laugh because its so true.

Just you let you know , I spoke again to customer services this morning who have now conceded that the route ends 8/2/19 , lack of internal communication or porkies ?
I can change my booking once I get the official notification, then I suppose it'll be a free for all !
Plan B it is then, but not from the Dyce international aerodrome

LGW-ABZ is my most frequent route. EZY have had one-two flights per day and the aircraft are usually full or almost full. That's maybe 2000 people per week who'll be making alternate arrangements or not bothering. Are there that many empty seats on other flights from the London area?

I find it hard to believe that ABZ can't Sustain a Gatwick Route. Theres no doubt the increase in flights from INV to LHR by BA will have an effect on ABZ numbers but I doubt INV passenger numbers will pass ABZ numbers

Maybe not overall but it seems quite certain to happen on LON routes if ABZ can't reach 500k. On 2019 peaks, INV will have 3 daily to LHR, 3 daily to LGW, 2 daily to LTN. If you multiply the 2017 INV-LHR figures by 2.3 (the relative 2017-19 capacity increase), you get around 180k. Add 270k and 140k for LGW and LTN, you will get around 590K pax on INV-LON. This could very well surpass ABZ-LON.

Bring back Dan-Air... or B-Cal! :}

Fact is Aberdeen with its one-horse industry is out of favour with airlines, who now struggle to break even on the scheduled business routes. Hence the loss of freqs on some & complete loss of the route on others.

Maybe the answer is a new local start-up using suitable-sized equipment (talking air taxi sized!)... any local entrepreneur out there with a few tens of millions to lose a million? If you can't even fill a J41 then things are grim.

4m pax by 2030 seems a long way away - and I don't think was ever realistic given the volatility of our only main industry.

Think it only three times a day to INV on Saturdays and Sundays

I’m not sure how much of this can be laid at the door of AIA, but they were quick to take the oil dollar back in the boom time and didn’t really invest much in the drome until it started falling apart a few years back.

For me if I’ve got to go out East, I would rather jump on a train to EDI and go out via Turkish or the long haulers and unless LH come back I’ve got no intention of going via LHR and all the pullaver that involves. I know many of my colleagues prefer this route too.

Nothing much is really in AIAs favour at the moment, APD, ageing population, a drastic decline in the average wage and those whose lives haven’t been affected by the downturn seem to be choosing to holiday in Dubai or the US as it’s often cheaper for a family of 4 than the offering from TUI etc direct from ABZ. The amount of NE travellers on EK flights out of GLA is apparently staggeringly high.

With Eastern on a seemingly downward spiral as far a schedules are concerned, and this latest news it’s no wonder AIA were announcing next summers (same as this years) RYR schedules as if it were something to celebrate.

Sorry I mean't peak days, hence me using a rate of 2.3, rather than 3.

Bit hard blaming AIA for the fact the region's prosperity is based on one, volatile, industry.

Logically ABZ has been provided with good air links because of the oil industry - once you slow/stop that it's back to a medium size city without a major business attraction.

It has a limited hinterland, reasonable road and rail links and not well known as a tourist destination.

This is not a recipe for vast investment or lots of flights

Why would easyjet drop LGW but keep LTN? I would have expected it the other way round. Or is there a reason why LTN, despite much less onward connection opportunities, is the bigger fish to fry for easyjet?

Quite simply, better opportunities for EZY elsewhere out of LGW.

BA reductions to Summer 19 have filtered through, the middle of the day rotations have been binned.

At least its not the peak time rotations as previously speculated that have gone.

Will be

7x daily Mon & Fri (BA1311)
6x daily Tue-Thu (BA1311, BA1309)
5x daily Sun (BA1311, BA 1313)
4x daily Sat (Unchanged)

Similar scale cuts to NCL & MAN reported.

The plan has been changed to add the 1311 back in. Good (or less bad) news for ABZ. I wonder if easyJet's LGW withdrawal has played any part in that decision?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Asturias56 (Post 10325258)

Bit hard blaming AIA for the fact the region's prosperity is based on one, volatile, industry.

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I disagree. With the pressure on Scotland's other main tourist destinations increasing year on year, Aberdeen is positioning itself pretty well to take advantage of increasing Scottish tourism. We have easy access to plenty of golf courses, castles and distilleries, as well as world renowned Royal Deeside and the Cairgorms. The latter, as well as other surrounding countryside, provide a multitude of extreme sports opportunities, for local residents as well as tourists. The AWPR is pretty much open now. New exhibition & conference centre (TECA, The Event Centre Aberdeen) is on target for July 2019 opening, as is new cruise liner harbour at Nigg Bay. New football stadium construction has started at Westhill, Music Hall refurb is complete and open, Art Gallery work in progress. Marischal Square gradually leasing space. Dualling of rail line Aberdeen to Inverurie is 50% complete (Aberdeen to Dyce, Dyce to Inverurie to be done next year). Planning consent granted for expansion of Union Square, which will in effect become the centre of town retail and entertainment. Counteswells new town development in progress, as is Chapleton of Elsick. So, I wouldn't write us off just yet. Only one fly in the ointment as far as I can see, and that's the state of the Eastern end of Union Street. Easy solution to that, and as plain as the nose on their faces, is for Council to pedestrainise it, Bridge Street to Market Street or even Castle Street. Having travelled the AWPR a couple of times this week I am confident of a viable future for the City long after its main sustaining industry is in decline.

Fair point there , with the Westminster Govt.
Bringing forward the ban on Internal combustion engines by 2030 , trains by a decade later, other than heating I can't help but wonder if those oil companies will stick around .
I imagine a fair chunk of their core business is fuel for British road traffic .
What becomes of the city then with an upgraded airport , Uber expensive new road .
You'd think they would be needing more aircraft not less to do the London route .
So what has caused this drop , are BA still serving the route to LHR? ( sorry I've not read the whole topic thread ).

The trouble with the replacement jobs is that they are all traditionally low paid.