Owen, u must have be a ex dublin traveller all the time, anyone knows ex dub business class is nothing like the LHR and LGW business class

And how much does your 320 miles in the car cost plus your hotels?

Depends what airline you're talking about. EI's J is far superior to BA's for example, and DUB has more flights to the states than LGW.

But the lounges in DUB are indeed dire compared to LHR.

American Airlines offers a new Business Class seat on the 787-8 and Aer Lingus has flat beds among others.

£20 in Bus and £70 for hotel.

If I was a businessman and going business class, why would I get a bus or drive for 2 hours, stay in a hotel? Far more attractive IMO is get a taxi to my local airport 15 mins away and have a drink then be nurtured by the airline straight through connections to my destination?

Ei flat bed and ek flat bed are a world away owen

“Nurtured” by an airline? You have to pay extra for that?

I always get the Aircoach bus from Belfast to Dublin airport.
It`s an hourly 24 hour bus service direct to Dublin airport and gets me there in under 2 hours so I never need a hotel:)

Completely agree, it only comes into play if the airport a couple of hours drive away has a direct flight OR you're paying your own money and price / product comes into play.

Btw Refuellerman, J class on the EK 777s is appalling.

So sorry i ment a380

That is indeed sublime.

Anyway any hints of any of the major alliances heading to BFS? Am I right in saying Star with Brussels and OW with BA are the only representatives in NI down the road in city? Surely LH are there to be chased? It's a shame the airport had such a nasty falling out with EI, with IAG going for Norwegian's gullet in BCN, DUB and LGW, might have been a sneaky chance of getting an extra 321LR from the group based.

Brussels Airlines scrapped BRU-BHD earlier this year. KLM (Skyteam) and BA (Oneworld) are the only alliance links.

Both BHD and BFS have been trying to get Lufthansa/Eurowings for years - however the inability of SN to sustain their Belfast operations doesn't bode well for another Lufthansa Group airline coming to Belfast anytime soon.

I also can't see IAG entering the long haul market from Belfast for a number of reasons. The runway at BHD is too short for transatlantic operations, and they wouldn't split operations between BHD and BFS. IAG will enhance their offering from DUB, LGW, BCN in order to compete against Norwegian, but they won't start operations from regional airports.

I dont think a non budget airline will be over to bfs for a while, delta were almost in before continental/united but as for the big european 3 af/klm iag or Lufthansa who knows?

Found a United bag tag from last summer on an old suitcase :(

What did it say Owen? EWR-DUB??

You use an 'old suitcase', that's not becoming of someone of your stature surely!

Well I guess it doesn't go amiss in a Travelodge or on a bus :-)

Bus
Travelodge
Overnight travel

Yet....flies business class?

More like bull:mad: class!

And all this before your 21st birthday!

I seen online that Premier Inn are going to build a new 81 bed hotel near the Belfast International Airport. Not sure where it is going.

Moorfield Contracts who are building the new serivce station are meant to be the ones building the hotel.

That's brilliant news BFS BHD, type of work Moorfields do.

Although I totally agree with your comments especially the bull:mad: class which I found quite humorous to say the least but....

I was fortunate from 20 years of age to have traveled business class with British Airways, South African Airlines and Trans World Airlines as well as staying in the Holiday Inn, Metropole, Novotel, Sheraton branded hotels so it's not always the age thing although I was very fortunate enough at 20yo to have had such a great job that allowed me to have such a lifestyle albeit being paid for by my employer and not by myself at such a young age.

But I totally agree I take everything he says with a large pinch of salt.

Theres the old kilead air lodge rooms across the runway, might be something to do with it?

http://imageshack.com/a/img922/248/5e9qm3.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img924/4813/sQq3RY.jpg

Nah it will be off to the North of the terminal.

On a separate note. Can we leave OwenC alone and talk more about the airport. I would like to know if anyone has heard about Norwegian doing anything with their daystoppers

They have enough to worry about when they are putting out 40 people on a b737 to new york

For September they are carrying 40 passengers on their service to New York. That ain't good!
It also ain't good that they have cancelled the Boston flight today.

So basically I will not be booking any flights with FR after their recent nonsense, even although I have booked LGW for October just a day before all these cancellations were announced!

And now Norwegian have arrived on my airlines to avoid at all cost list.

Low cost, say no more

40 people? What? I'm confused, you are assuming we all know what you are talking about.

I think it is being suggested that 40 passengers as the load for a 737 operating across the Atlantic from Belfast isn't very good. I tend to agree.

Its slowed a little of late but that is not unusual at this time of year, todays figures are double what you quote, what is amazing is Dublin is running at 165 each way most days.

I find this fascinating. I know last year when I used the United app most flights where around 90-100 passengers, so why only 40 on a cheap service?

You're comparing apples and oranges - United are a major carrier so will have a frequent flyer programme, connections to many other US destinations and fly to a major New York airport. Norwegian don't offer any of these - no loyalty programme, no connections and a destination airport a fair distance from New York city. Price isn't the only consideration.

Anything Refullerman says I would take with a pinch of salt. GDS systems seem to state otherwise.

What do the "GDS" systems say?

Sling your hook wiseguy, maybe more today as the pvd is canx, id love to know were your info comes from

Probably because I work in travel and have access to real time booked loads. That's were I get my information from. Facts. Amadeus, Worldspan, Sabre etc.

Still 80 us poor if it was Jan or Feb then it might be acceptable. I wonder if forward bookings are behind the reason for reducing the freq in 2018 or at least until July-August.

Bookings from what I can see have taken a dip after the school holidays but increase toward October. November a bit quiet but moving into December becoming busier with the holiday period well utilised. Jan and Feb quiet and starting to spike from March, however far more than 40 pax per sector each month.

Cork figures also falling, but not as much.

40-80 is FAR more concerning than its being made out to be. Airlines like United (higher fares) can run at break even or minimal loss at around 45-55% loads, this figures is much higher, between 65%-80% depending on yield for LCC's.

A Stewart rotation has already been lost to Shannon for next summer, just pray marketing will maintain this route.