The attraction and selling point of HS2 is that, compared to other London airports, Birmingham Airport will be equally and in some cases better connected timewise by rail to central London for inbound visitors.

Average rail journey times - plus any terminal to station transit:

Gatwick Airport to London (Victoria) - 32 min
Luton Airport (Parkway) to London (St Pancras) - 35 mins
Birmingham (Interchange) to London (Euston) - 38 mins (From 2026)
Stansted Airport to London (Liverpool St) - 47 mins

The airport are using these figures to attract airlines, boasting Birmingham as the UK's first high speed connected airport in 2026

So how long does it take to build a 321. Is 8 weeks long enough to completely build, test and fit a brand new one, along with crew training? I wouldn't be surprised to see sub chartered aircraft for the first few weeks of the operation at both BHX and STN.

The plan is 2 trains an hour from Bham Interchange to Euston on HS2 from 2026/7 .When the next phase is built up north the plan is to run up to 9 an hour.However that's from the 2030s.
So a half hourly service is what we should have from 2026/7

4 months to build an Airbus A321 roughly

I think it's pretty safe to say that Primera won't be starting ops as planned then, such a shame.

If this is the case is it not illegal for them to be selling seats on these routes on dates not loaded ? low fares are available to BOS on their website for June and Newark is able to be booked daily as per launch day, this is the case from BHX and STN.

Primera
 

Really not looking good for BHX. As I stated in a previous post, this was a risky venture from the outset and even more risky to hang your long haul and airport growth ambitions on.....if Primera doesn't happen (for whatever reason but especially if its poor sales), kiss goodbye to any new long haul operations from BHX for the foreseeable as well as any meaningful growth in pax figures in 2018.

I really do hope all works out for all concerned but am increasingly worried that this is an airline with no real plan for growth, they just liked the sound of the idea of doing long haul flights across the pond.

The other more worrying thing is that it looks like STN is selling far better than BHX hence the current push back of launch dates and routes ex - BHX.

Apologies if I'm reading between the lines and have got the wrong end of the stick, but I don't think this (STN selling faster than BHX) should be surprising?

Of the three Primera launch bases, CDG is larger than STN (therefore you would expect CDG to sell quicker than STN) and STN is larger than BHX (therefore you would expect STN to sell quicker than BHX).

On this basis, and in the event Primera suffers delays for whatever reason that require service cuts, you'd expect BHX to feel the brunt first because it's cheaper for Primera to resolve.

Friendly

You make it sound like BHX had a choice.The thing is they have been unable to hold onto United AA or Air Transat.

Also seems Thomas Cook long haul and Virgin had been approached and not interested.

So BHX had little choice and rightfully snapped the hand off Primera who were the only airline interested.

I would agree it was a high risk stratergy but there was no one else interested in replacing new york or Toronto.

Hopefully things will turn out ok in the end once all the planes required are delivered.

I think the issue here is, which way round did things happen?

Did UA and TS (and later FI) inform BHX they were pulling out regardless, and thus BHX scrambled for any replacement service they could get

Or

Did BHX approach Primera to initially boost TATL, and then the other carriers got wind and pulled out on the back of it? It cannot be a coincidence that UA pulled out not long before the PY EWR announcement, and then TS around the same time YYZ was announced (and there was a decent time gap between the 2)? Let’s face it, airline negotiations do often take months, if not years, so there is just as much chance of either scenario being true.

If it is the latter, and PY do have issues, then BHX have potentially done something quite silly in hindsight (letting go of the birds in your hand to get more out of the bush).

But, If it was the former, then it was a risk that BHX had no choice to take and thus they cannot be lambasted for grabbing whoever offered a flight to them. Beggars cannot be choosers and all that.

Well the fact that Primera announced BHX STN and CDG at the same time may suggest Primera started planning well before United announced a pull out.

Icelandair could well be to do Primera likely to eat into their share of the market although there's was not direct.

As for Air Tansat not really a surprise, BHX became their only UK airport with just 1 Canandian destination.All the others having at least 3 destinations with UK crew bases.

In the end we will probably never know the the sequence of events .

Air Transat have UK crew bases?

LGW seems to be main focus for TS these days. MAN and GLA only have two routes now with YVR being seasonal. When you look TS have cut a heck of a lot from the U.K. - LHR, BHX, CWL, EDI, NCL, EXT.

YUL is apparently on Primera’s radar but I can only assume from CDG as there would be little to zero demand from STN and BHX.

Primera and Summer 18
 

With regard to Primera if the New York and Toronto operate at 4 and 3 per week that would not be a disaster for BHX as it puts the two lost destinations on the network. There does need however to be a guarantee that these flights will operate as presently scheduled. The high booking season is approaching.

Looking at the Boston seat maps not many passengers will be displaced by the delay/cancellation to these flights. Will these flights operate from September, at the moment any ones guess but not a good time to start Boston.

The schedule really needs to reflect what is going to operate, The flights at ridiculous expensive amounts should be removed if not operating.

Now Christmas is over and the next pay packet is due to arrive people will be looking to the summer holidays and the schedule really needs to be sorted.

By June 6 aircraft would be needed to operate the full schedule. With the apparent BHX reductions that would be 5. Will they have 5 aircraft suitable for North America by June.

If they do not what else will be cut. I suppose it boils down to Boston from Stansted/Paris or BHX and I know which one my money would be on.

On a separate note was just mulling over some of the destinations that will be missing from the departure boards this year.

Reykjavik, Lisbon, Rotterdam, Luxembourg, Toulouse, Gibraltar, Athens and Valencia to name a few.

On the positive side. Antwerp and that is about it.

Primera
 

Obviously no such problems with the 738's - another flight added high season, a second Wednesday Palma for 6 weeks starting August in 12.30 out 16.55 if the flight numbers follow. The based is showing 14.55 - 20.35

Maybe a chance for a base swap with the based aircraft.

8 Palma flights showing high season Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from various airlines.

2017 passenger figues
 

Up 11.5%

https://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/...ar-in-history/

Just short of 13 million in the calendar year but it was passed earlier on a rolling year basis.

December took a hit at 788000 down 7% but it was a difficult month with December 16 hosting extra Monarch flights which were nowhere near replaced, then take out United, American, Norwegian, some Vueling, Flybe and it is pretty understandable.

Jet2, Thomas Cook and to a lesser extent TUI saved it from a double digit drop.

Primera
 

So I've just been scrolling through my Facebook news feed and Primera pop up with an advert promoting 50,000 seats on sale for Summer 18 from today from BHX to New York, Toronto.....and Boston!

Right hand doesn't seem to know what the left hand is doing. Apparently seats running out fast, so book now. Smacks of being a little desperate and wholly inaccurate in case of Boston.

I'm normally a staunch supporter of new routes and airlines starting at BHX but cannot get excited about this outfit. Whatever the reasons behind it and whether Primera partially caused the withdrawal of UA etc. or were lured in by BHX in response to UA etc. withdrawing, this could be bad news for BHX. They can't be blamed for snapping Primeras hand off for the offer of TATL flights but the fallout from these flights either not operating, delayed in starting and with constant frequency and schedule changes will seriously affect bookings, passenger confidence and the viability of all the planned routes

Shame, a brave move by BHX that could be a masterstroke in gaining a new slice of the TATL market but equally could end up as a PR disaster through no fault of their own. Time will tell.

Air India direct Amritsar
 

https://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/...n=SocialSignIn

Tuesday and Thursday 17.15-18.45 AI117/8.

Delhi appears to be reduced to 5 a week direct flight.

Load factors around 85% but when politics takes over what can you do other than hope eventually extra frequencies will be added.

I am not even going down the yield route as this is Air India and best left there.

I expect that 5 flights will route Delhi/Amritsar and 2 flights Amritsar/Delhi

I think BHX need to get that CEO in place ASAP.
Is there a power battle at board level ?
I'm at a loss as to why there is drift.