I agree. The issue with easyJet is that at Belfast, unlike some non core markets they have decided to hold tight and not be twarted by Ryanair's protracted war on price. Sadly, easyJet have in the past walked away from some big city bases due to the intensity of competitive pressures e.g. Madrid and Rome ... great that this hasn't happened here. The new head of easyJet clearly has been faced with the challenge of Ryanair and others, and strategically if they wanted to hold on to what they have, they need to hold firm in core markets. Ryanair seem to invest very heavily in low prices over a protracted period, until the competition walk away and they have the market to themselves, and most likely in the process racking up losses. This was the case I suggest on LGW, where commonly at any stage, you could bag a very low price in the days pre departure £12.99, which would hardly cover part of the costs.
INn BFS it is most likely that easyJet have taken a huge hit financially the face of Ryanair too.
Kudos to easyJet for holding firm.

Surprising that BHD has not tried to poach Ryanair. With these new 737s with short field performance etc, though the max issues will no doubt curtail Ryanair expansion in the very near term...

Once bitten twice shy for BHD? You could say the same in reverse when they left BHD.
I think EZY are so entrenched in the Northern Ireland market they'll not be shifted easily, also although they must indeed have took some of a hit they were never in FR territory pricing wise and they ramped up capacity. FR rarely go head to head with EZY, fighting cash strapped legacy airlines is more their bag.

BHD never really made enough out of Molly to be worth it. They left on good terms I believe
The whole runway thing was a disaster with the Aldergrove fan club getting involved with scare stories.

Yeah but in the end they knew the runway wasn't long enough when they went there, and that was only to be away from EZY, who managed to find their way up there also. I just don't think there's much room for them, except on summer sun and some random city routes. EZY and BE have most of the market cornered, EI have retrenched to what is profitable for them and BA just do LHR and will unlikely ever do anything else. Clearly there is a bucket and spade market and LS have nicely developed that. I just don't see where FR fit in amongst all that.

I just don't see where FR fit in amongst all that.[/QUOTE]

Build up a customer base and hope to drag them back down to Dublin when they pull out ?

In most markets there is.
LON has 4 carriers across 5 airports. Most of the other domestic routes have both BE and EZY competing. Nearly every major sunshine route has at least one if not multiple competitors.

eh? STN,LTN and LGW now only have Easyjet. And TUI/Thomas Cook and Jet2 are as expensive as can be.

Could all change with the BE/VS tie up

Mart901,
i'd be inclined to disagree, Ryanair have been quite rigorous over the years at going after easyJet, they followed then into Madrid, Lisbon etc and overlapped significantly, and of course at Belfast with LGW and then the others, not to mention the routes into and out of the Republic in 2006. And routes like STN to Scotland, though they retreated spectacularly. Easyjet might just reappear in Dublin, as they have in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, watch this space. . .

Separately, the prices to from City of Derry can be eye watering cheap, would make you wonder if Ryanair make an average return on those flights especially EDI ... for a, separate thread I guess.
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No Verona flights this year?
Also beginning of decline in passenger numbers from last month compared to last year with FR down significantly on London?
Finally, apparently Carisle commences today at BHD, is this the best we can expect this year from Belfast? I mean surely Belfast can pull a couple of new routes per year? Those route development offices at both airports would surely like a Christmas bonus.

New easyJet Marrakech, Morocco announced this morning for Winter. Second exotic route announcement in a week after last week's Carlisle.

I saw 'Verona holidays direct from Belfast by Topflight' advertised on the side of a Metro bus at the weekend, but no further details

All to do with the wonga££££££, as usual

I think they might struggle with RAK from a yield prospective unless they are getting some sort of marketing support. Have BFS had an links to Morocco before. I know Tunisia is/has operated before. Agadir would have been a better bet IMO.