don't discount a BHX or MAN. The connecting traffic to the US both is huge..Neo could do LHR and the 320 one of those...

Thats true, but there isn't any extra capacity being put into SNN at this stage - the 321 is, bar 4 extra Business Class, a 1-for-1 replacement for the 757. Unless yield and loads are dire and Dublin bursting at the seams I don't see a reason to fly half-empty A320s on flights between SNN and UK/Europe. SNN is based on O&D - any connections are gravy, but without decent yield O&D it will be very tough. Each and every decision is now answerable to Madrid, underperforming routes starve the entire airline of investment, not just SNN. IAG have many other options to place new A320/737s coming on-board. If they can make more money in Vienna with LEVEL on the side, than at Shannon with Aer Lingus thats where they will go. TD's be dammed.

A remote possibility is - maybe - that for the two busiest feeder routes for TATL flights that operate close to capacity or are clogged up with transfer passengers from/to DUB additional demand could be routed via SNN.

brian_dromey,
I'm well aware of the need for any 'potential' new schedule to be commercially viable. Firstly, such a route as BHX currently on many days by ATR can be close to full. Therefore, a need for slightly more capacity. The balance could be connecting.

The volume of passengers crossing the Atlantic is incredible, originating mostly in the US. Therefore if the seats are made available the pax will fly, it doesn't matter if the transit point is SNN DUB or even London. So just as in the case of Dublin as a transit point SNN could support many different routes for connections into EU or GB. Obviously EI are focused on DUB as a hub, but with a spare A320 in the mornings (assuming 321 goes to London) a daily rotation to BHX or even MAN would make sense.

Separately, there is a case for a Paris route on a seasonal basis, but again like any commercial opportunity, there will be other opportunities more attractive.

EI-BUD

do UA b757s not seat 170?

A FlyBe or Stobart feeder service from Belfast to Shannon to connect to the US flights could work.

I'm think most people from Belfast would rather drive to Dublin and go direct. It's only about 2 hours and there are multiply daily flights to JFK and Boston whereas Shannon is only 1x daily (or 6 weekly?) to Boston/JFK. And of course Dublin has a much wider range of destinations.

There certainly would be sufficient demand for this, and Shannon withpre clearance would be a compelling prosposition if marketed correctly. However, the issue is that the only airline positioned to do this is Aer Lingus. They have significant feed on BHD LHR and they probably would have far more attractive short haul with better point to point pick up than BHD, so highly unlikely.

The operation at SNN stands on its own two feet, I think that should be celebrated. Trying to get a dozen low-yield passengers from Belfast or Paris onto SNN-JFK is a folly. With the 321LR, there might be room to squeeze MCO, YYZ or ORD into the schedule and to extend the JFK/BOS to year-round. To me, the idea of a "mini-hub" seems counter-productive. I am presuming that the SNN operation is almost entirely O&D and achieves very good loads. Connecting traffic would offer a low-yield and potentially displace SNN O&D passengers, which would be bad for the region. While a hub sounds attractive, aircraft are easily moved - especially if filling subsidised/low-yield/connecting traffic.In Europe a dual-hub has never worked, even in London - easily the most premium and high-volume market on the continent. BA spent hundreds of millions over decades trying to make a dual Gatwick/Heathrow hub work.

When EI ran the MD11 from BFS via SNN the majority of the passengers I remember only went to SNN for short breaks. But it always left with fwd hold stuffed with PMC's full of cargo bound for the states.

I don't think anyone is advocating a dual hub, but merely some limited feed to TATL from SNN using spare capacity that would otherwise sit idle on the ground instead of earning money (as for your remark on the non-existence of dual hubs, Lufthansa is successfully operating a dual hub. You could also argue that SK has a dual hub at CPH/ARN). It would be particularly useful for capacity management as I suppose that O&D at SNN is much weaker in the winter than in the summer.

Btw, last year when I was looking for flights to the US, I was offered a Star Alliance conncetion via SNN with a Lufthansa flight from FRA and an onward connection on UA. Back then, I was wondering if anyone has ever done that.

Norwegian discontinues SNN, ORK, DUB https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/Nor...f8391fdf8d9-ds

Expecting some positive route developments this week at Shannon ...

It's even in the media....

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/...lona-1.4073539

Lufthansa Cutting Frankfurt to 1pw
 

Lufthansa is going from 2pw on SNN Frankfurt to 1pw for next summer. Dropping the Thursday service, which was with an Embraer190 and only operating on Saturdays with the Airbus A319. Tried to book Thurs flight and its no longer on the website.