Same with Bristol where the favourite contraband is cigarettes.

Cardiff Airport to Doha flights cut due to new plane delays - BBC News

QR reduced frequency due to Aircraft delivery delays

I must say I do find it rather convenient that the aircraft shortages will come to an end just as the ME3 low season ends, right at the end of Ramadan and as the ramp up to the school holidays begins... Before the flight is cut to x5 weekly again for the Winter.

Just had a quick search and I can't find any evidence of frequencies to other destinations being cut due to "aircraft shortages" and considering the current diplomatic situation, I find it difficult to believe that QR are all that stretched. But I'm sure that freeing up 2 frequencies per week is going to make all the difference.

Apologies for the cynicism but when Cardiff-Australia was being sold for as low as £270... I struggle to see how that is at all sustainable

Indeed. You're absolutely correct. I'm not buying it either.

You think that QR need to make a profit to stay in business?

Has there been much advertising in Cardiff for the new Qatar route?

Further afield has there been any advertising in Bristol and the South West?

Yes and there is more to come especially for Bristol and the South West.

Jerry Qatar is the only Scheduled long haul route as traditionally defined in the industry - fully flexible ticketing regulated and frequent timed flights .

Offering passenger and cargo capacity into the markets

Range of interline and code shares .

Those TUI flights are charter services and so what you can buy a very limited number of flight only tickets.

Such back filling on charters has existed almost as long as the industry- way before the internet through what were often referred to a bucket shops with telephone numbers usually found in the Sunday supplements and classified adds.

As for Qatar I have said I have doubts on longevity to be honest.

However for the Quetion of Ramadan many Muslim families remain close to home visit family whilst a few may do an Umrah pilgrimage. The majority however don’t tend to travel great distances in numbers.

Air travel drops off significantly.

Emirates sees traffic drop from Manchester and they plan to drop one flight down to a 77w during the same period.

Also expect some drop in traffic at the end of August for Hajj - might be high summer holiday period however it’s certainly not the time to head south east and Doha certainly isn’t Dubai for a holiday break whilst Australia is in there winter !

Has there? I live in Bristol and the only physical advertisement I've seen is one at Temple Meads railway station. I presume it's still there. Are there any similar ones that I've missed?

I'm told there is also some advertising on a commercial radio station that serves the Bristol area. I wonder how wide an audience that reaches. I suspect that people of my vintage, a likely source of VFR traffic for Qatar, may not be the core audience for such a channel.

I've seen no advertising campaign on Bristol buses, something that Cardiff Airport did many years ago in Bristol and which easyJet and even bmi regional do from time to time in the city. Neither have I seen advertising hoardings in Bristol publicising the CWL Qatar service in the way that Ryanair sometimes splashes its BRS routes.

A few weeks ago the West Country edition of Metro had full-page adverts for the Jet2 flights out of BHX.

Given that the Bristol region is likely to be an essential component of the route's success I was expecting a blitz of advertising in the West Country by now. Some people who have been looking to book VFR flights to Australasia for instance would not be aware. In fact, I know from personal conversations that some weren't (it was surprising how many travellers in the Bristol area were still unaware of the Continental BRS-EWR route at the end of its five and a half year life).

I'm surprised that the Welsh Government hasn't been more vocal and proactive in pushing this route in the West Country. The leadership has said more than once that it believes that CWL can be the long-haul airport for South Wales and the West Country. Here is the chance to put some life into an aspiration yet there is seemingly no urgency to get the West Country on board.

Check my location, I'm on a poxy little island in a tin pot country on the other side of the globe ... And here's a pic of a London bus from a couple of years back!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B-Qw1tjCYAAP6Hm.jpg

Merchant Venturer

I believe the advertising campaign for the South West will start in earnest soon but i don't know what the airport has planned. I'm concerned now that they may be limited by their budget and that the Welsh government hasn't set aside extra money for advertising this particular route as though there has been plenty of newspaper and radio adverts even Classic FM there hasn't been any TV stuff yet.
Apart from an event in Doha the Welsh government doesn't seem to be doing much to promote the route and may be leaving the other side of the bridge to the Welsh Office.

Cardiff Airport has opened the new part of the departure lounge. From the photos it looks a lot more spacious. Apparently there is still some furniture to be added.

Level
 

Level sees CWL as a potential U.K. hub should APD be reformed along with several other U.K. airports. Let’s hope it gets reformed :-)

https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/277210/levels-expansion-plans-hurt-by-apd/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=the-hub&utm_campaign=the-hub-EU&utm_content=the-hub-20180216

eee, the last time I saw the a/c reg G-WLAD it was on the old Cymru BAC 1-11 back in the 80's. The one that had to have an engineer standing by to belt the crap out of one of the starter motors to get it to disengage, as once it started it would not shut off and the engine noise just kept getting higher and higher, many a time I beat a hasty retreat when in close proximity to it

bycrewlgw

Now that would be a good result if this actually happened, APD needs to be devolved to the Welsh Government as it is in Scotland and Northern Ireland.....no reason that Wales should not have it either.

If it’s good for the other countries within the UK then it should apply to Wales

Leaving aside that NI doesn't have a govt to devolve anything to, has APD been devolved to NI or was their just a reduction for long-haul?

The APD devolved towards united staying on the EWR route. It did not get devolved to any other route/airline.

Qatar
I'll get some more popcorn. Cardiff is my fav PPRuNe soap. I think they will fall out with CWL and leg it after having it off for a bit. CWL punching above it's weight again. Duff Duff Duff!

Typical negativity when something good happens to Cardiff! Have you the number the bookings? no. so how do you know?

airvanman, you don't "think" they will fall out with Cardiff, you "hope" they'll fall out with Cardiff. Just what exactly is your problem and beef?