Was AZ anything other than speculation? Did the airline ever actually mention an STN move.

When FR were interested in a purchase I could see it being a cheap and risk free entry into LH using AZ to feed the FR network. That gave STN credibility but now FR have dropped all interest what else made it more than hope and dreams?

Someone on here a few weeks ago actually put up the timings of the 'planned' schedule from STN to FCO three times daily and were supposedly be starting in March 2018 but since then it has gone quiet regarding AZ moving from LHR to STN.

If AZ are quitting LHR and looking to relocate to another London airport I should imagine that LGW would be a priority now that there are suitable slots recently becoming available due to the collapse of Monarch.

ch.aviation has an article where it states that any slots may not be of any monetary value due to the fact that Monarch no longer exist as an entity any more.

While there are a number of slots at Gatwick and they are returned to the 'pool' what puts AZ anywhere near the front of the queue?

I don't think anyone has suggested that AZ will be 'anywhere near the front of the queue' but surely they would be looking at any of the available slots made available at LGW and that's only IF they actually are looking at leaving LHR which hasn't actually been officially confirmed.

Yes point taken.
I haven't seen anything other than the post here that a move anywhere was on the cards

CargoLogicAir has added a second scheduled service from STN.
Once weekly B748F STN-FRA-Dubai-HKG on Day 6 with a non-stop return HKG-STN arriving Day 1.
Is also hoping to add a 3rd weekly service STN-ATL-MEX in early 2108.

The airport has reduced its capacity forecast after a consultation with local parties.

Yes...proclaimed as being a good neighbour.
Projection now to 43m PA in the next decade as opposed to 44.5m PA originally mentioned.

Primera...As anticipated 3 weekly Toronto/YYZ commences 19.5.18

Primera Air to launch London Stansted-USA flights in 2018

All things to all men, no focus (!) Decide what you're doing methinks.

Regrettably STN has a rather poor record of start ups and failures when it comes to transAtlantic services, starting with Highland Express in the 80's when I worked at the airport. I can remember their 747 being tech for days and armed police being called to the terminal to quell rioting pax. I hope it has more success this time.

Skipness One Echo...Can you explain/expand your post please.Ta

1. Brand new aircraft are expensive
2. Marketing into new markets likewise.
3. Unprecedented prices = discounting as a loss leader to gain market share
4. High quality product concept serving business market

Point 4 clashes with point 3, very hard to do both well.
Paying for point 1 while pitching via point 3 is challenging unless you have enormous economies of scale, which they don't. We'll see.

Perhaps SSB with your knowledge of STN you could list the airlines that have tried and failed to make a success of North American services out of Stansted.

Are we including the ones that were put out of businesss by others just moving there to put those already mentioned out of business, and those just offering services to crush competition before pulling out?

There is no reason why STN can't support USA routes. In the past start ups have been ihindeted by flag carriers moving in at a loss just to put them out if business.

That was in the era of BAA of course, now the airport is independant if the other London airports things might be different.

Absolutely right. When I worked there Freddie was about to start Skytrain, his checkin desks were in place in the terminal, and BAA were in charge. Of course before that it was the affinity charters with Saturn and Capitol stretched DC 8s with 200 pax non stop to LAX. It made for interesting take offs.

I hope things will be different this time regrettably STN does seem to have negative image when it comes to Atlantic services, but fingers crossed.

Negative image with who? Probably not the pax Primera are looking to attract.

Presumably with the airline industry otherwise why over the last 30 years have airlines started and then withdrawn.

Planespeaking...Comic that a press release from 2017 stirs the ole 1980`s memory.
Memories are useful but how it relates to today`s age is rather beyond me I`m afraid.
Listing airlines that have come & gone is rather pointless too in my view.But.........
I remember being woken as a boy by it transpired KLM DC-8-30`s using STN @ least once a week to the USA as a fuel stop not have full transatlantic capability in the early days.
Leaving school I worked for an airline @ STN that flew affinity group charters & ABC charters(quasi scheduled then) to amongst other destinations in North America...Oakland..LAX..JFK & Toronto.
Fortunately for us both perhaps there appear to be young dynamic challenger enterprises willing to take advantage of the new world (pun sorry) & equipment/technology to offer new generations different ideas.
Your views perhaps are rather jaundiced.

Ahh.....the lightweight white railings between the traffic lights at the 23 R/W end...
A Capitol DC8 re landscaped that on one memorable occasion & it was said not just with jet blast!!!..

SSB
You are so right. I was sitting in my car waiting at the lights to cross the runway end when the Capitol DC 8 took off and it's maingear smashed through the plastic fencing. I think it's only the fact that the ground dropped away to the A120 that it became airborne at all. Loads of splintered fencing and clouds of exhaust fumes!! Happy days!

Planespeaking...Respect...I only witnessed some of the after effects..ie NO fence!!.

BOS/JFK/YYZ are some of the competitive routes from London and are already more than well served by a wide range of established fairly well known carriers offering products to suit all budgets... I think Primera will find it near impossible to compete without making huge losses.

Personally I think that Primera would be more successful if it concentrated on operating to destinations not yet served by a low cost airline and where airlines such as AA/DL/BA have little or no competition. Destinations such like BDL, BWI, CLT, DTW and PHL

From working in the terminal in retail/customer service, I see countless American/Canadian travellers everyday. Most having flown in to LHR/LGW and flying to Europe or coming from European hubs and flying out of STN on the vast network of routes it offers to Europe and beyond.
I don’t have figure to support this but having seen this with my own eyes it clear to me that flights to the US are needed and should work.
In the summer holidays I remember speaking to a Canadian family who had come to London for a holiday. Having travelled to Buffalo from Canada got JetBlue to MCO and TCX from their to STN as it was cheaper, than any other option at the time.
Pick holes in this post if you want but I don’t think it’s fair to pick holes in Primera until they have started operating and can prove to be doing well or not doing well.

I'm certain STN can support flights to North America and that there is sufficient demand. Primera will be up against it though, they can easily fill the flight regardless of being unknown so long as they are appearing at the top of searches. But to be at the top of the searches you need to be the cheapest, which then brings into question whether they can make enough money or sustain such fares for long enough to become established.

And if they do become successful,how long before AA make an appearance???

Going back to when AA made it's second attempt at STN we all know why they did but then EOS and Maxjet were in different markets to what Primera is offering so I don't see AA making a reappearance at STN anytime soon and why would they!

Agree with the above post, AA won't come back as Primera is a LCC and majority economy, where as EOS etc were going to tap into AA's biggest money spinner. AA also seem to be reducing their JFK ops significantly.

Norwegian is probably the airline that will watch Primera most. I imagine IAG will also be watching closely in a different way with their A321LR on order.

Primera will go down well at STN I think, their schedule and aircraft size seems just right. Hopefully will open some more doors for long haul at STN.


Also, Thomson/TUI long haul has come to a end as of yesterday.

Hopefully MAG would be wise enough not to shout themselves in the foot by letting them

As above. AA were only defending the Premium pointy end. Otherwise you’d see them chasing after Norwegian at LGW. They’re not interested in fending off economy competition.

Totally agree. However my point stands, now the business are separated they can refuse airlines if they can see they will damage future business.

Their partner BA is doing the defending at Gatwick.

I don't think any airport would refuse an airline especially a big name such as AA it's business at the end of the day and either way it could succeed or fail that's business to. But let's give Primera the benefit of doubt and hope they can make a success of their transatlantic operations from STN before we start considering the likes of AA entering the market again.

Couple of BAW fog diversions this AM.
B772 From Oakland enroute LGW.
A320 From Hamburg enroute LHR.

Inaugural Air Mediterranean MAR510 from ATH arrived at STN a short while ago.

MAG will this month celebrate the 100 millionth passenger thru the terminal since acquiring ownership in 2013.

If I arrive on a UK domestic flight at LHR I can proceed through Flight Connections without additional screening as I am cleared to DfT standards. When I arrive o a domestic flight at Stansted, is the netting all along the ceiling to prevent said DfT standard cleared arriving passengers from lobbing something undesirable over the wall to departing passengers? MAG again?

At STN unlike LHR you will have to be processed through security again as you can not connect directly from one flight to another one.
I would imagine the netting is to stop things being thrown over yes. It is also present when going down the stairs to Satellite 3 as the stair-case goes under the wall for UK border control.

This double screening happens at Gatwick as well. Was on a BA through ticket and had to come out and then go back through security again. Even though I was BA to BA in same ticket.

Unless it's changed very recently though it has been possible to directly connect, or pass something over to someone, at domestic Sat 2. In my case Glasgow-Ibiza or Porto.

If you arrived into Sat 2 with a printed boarding card for somewhere else, would they turn you away if you tried to get into the main departures area saying "sorry, I accidentally walked to the wrong gate"?