If the fare is cheap, folk soon forget - Ryanair philosophy.

Has Doncaster changed it's opening times, watched a Challenger inbound from Canada this morning circling the hold and eventually landing at Humberside.

What's the crosswind limit for a Challenger on a very wet runway? It's a screaming southeasterly up here and raining heavily, just about 90 degs to runway direction.

Wizz have pushed back some of the restarts after Xmas even further
Riga - restarts July 2022
Suceava - mid August 2022
Gran Canaria - October 2022

I suspect that if you take a look at Wizz services to other UK airports the same could be said.

They clearly don't have any confidence that the situation will improve any time soon - and bookings must be poor.

DSA badly needs this base to succeed.

Off Timmy goes again.

Peel is a property investor. They don't run airports to make an operating profit (although it would be nice), but to drive development. From that side, they are doing just fine.

Wizz is an absolute shambles of an airline and a complete burden to the image of Doncaster Sheffield airport.

I opted to try Wizz for the first time ever to fly to Malaga at the end of March. Less than two days after booking, today, I find out that the return flight on 30/3 (and subsequent Wednesdays) has been cancelled. They didn't bother to notify me via call or email, and I only found out when I went to manage my booking online.

I now have a plethora of other (some non refundable) bookings such as accommodation, car rental, car parking, etc. all hanging rebooking (at a higher cost) with other airlines at other airports.

I'll likely have to cancel all legs from Doncaster as I certainly won't be able to park there for my outbound and teleport my car to another airport that I'd have to fly back into.

Considering Wizz 'launched' the DSA-AGP route in 2020 and has managed to fly one single sector since its inception, I thought perhaps by Easter 2022 that they'd manage to fly their twice a week proposition and stick to a schedule less than two months out.

I certainly won't be risking it again in future.

Looking at flights from Malaga to a combination of Leeds, East Midlands and Manchester, I can see 8 flights on 30-March. Given 2 months of advance warning, it should be possible to organise some alternate flight home

Ticket revenue between Doncaster and Malaga on 30 March is probably low, and Wizz don't really care. To them it's business, and occasionally businesses just have to get rid of their unprofitable customers

If your flight really is cancelled, you'll get an email some time later this month... and certainly at least 14 days before your date of travel

I've cancelled the itinerary as a whole and booked out of Leeds instead.

It's a shame as I love Doncaster airport and will continue to use it with TUI's flight-only options but I simply won't ever risk booking with Wizz again.

They arrived with much fanfare and promotion across South Yorks but if they can't seem to maintain any semblance of a schedule I'm not sure why they even bothered to open a base at DSA.

DSA's proven to be a somewhat difficult market to succeed so burning their customers hands with (likely) their first experience with Wizz isn't going to assist them.

It is fast becoming a joke, and the reputation is so tarnished now, that no one in their right mind will book a Wizz flight. There is no way this base will succeed unfortunately.

Just further to this, alot of the based routes have now been pushed back further to July. Nearly two years since they were announced.

Just checked to see if Cardiff have had any similar push backs - but nothing yet. It really is disapointing as Wizz were really the only airline that you could see basing at DSA other than TUI.

Gosh, it's almost like we are shakily emerging from a pandemic... Who would have thoughts routes would be volatile?

Of course the situation is volatile but airlines have to manage expectations in order to foster customer confidence. Sure their present `Hokey Cokey` approach to routes makes business sense from their perspective, at this moment in time. However it doesnt augur well for them if, in the process, they alienate the people they need to attract. I am one such who nearly booked a holiday due to their timings and particular route. I delayed 2 weeks by which time the entire route was cancelled.
Booking now with the much more reliable Jet2 from another airport...Shame as I really fancied using Doncaster

Wizz have always been renowned for their route cancellation at short notice approach, even prior to the pandemic. I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole although that’s just my own choice!

Social media posts from people are indicating their flights from Doncaster right into August and September are being cancelled by Wizz, yet are still for sale on their website.
One person has suggested the aircraft planned for Doncaster are going to be utilised at Gatwick.

Wouldn't be surprised to be honest.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....fb6c77c0d.jpeg
Oh dear Timmy, looks like Wizzair are having a recruitment day next week at Doncaster.

They can recruit all they want. Their reputation is tarnished so much locally, there will be no customers for them to service.

If you doubt what i'm saying, head over to their social media pages and read the hundreds of comments.

Farcical. DSA would be better cutting all ties with them.

Social media...blah blah blah....

Fact is the great British public are interested in one thing and one thing only, if the price is right they'll get the business. I'm sure if you went to Ryanair's social media pages they would be pretty negative as well, but it hasn't stopped them becoming Europe's biggest airline!!

Why would anyone doubt you with your posting history on here? I mean let’s look at one example, today you tell us the DSA aircraft is going to Gatwick.

Yesterday Wizz and the airport announced significant recruitment for DSA.

Social media, anybody who pays attention can visit pretty much any facetube page for any company, any industry and find the same ‘data’. According to the Internet aviation experts, the likes of easyJet, Ryanair, British Airways were doomed after various operational difficulties they’ve had. Funny old thing they’re still there, despite the frothnami’s the socials provide.

That’s only one example of the tissue of nonsense you continually and consistently post about the airport. Nothing changes, except the wibble posted here that is continually proved false. That’s why people doubt you.

Oh remind me when are Wizz removing their DSA services to Leeds? And while you’re at it what happened to TUi closing their DSA base. That’s what you told us was happening wasn’t it?

It seems the second based aircraft from Wizz planed for DSA won't be going ahead.

Some significant reduction on some schedules looking at the Wizz booking engine, with a few routes cancelled completely (Crete, Bourgas), Lanzarote gone for summer 2022 also.

Poor bookings perhaps?

Who knows Timmy. By past record clearly not you!

Timmy's voice of doom and gloom again, but I'd say given every aspect of the aviation industry is creaking with staff shortages, I'd hazard that's a good reason ...

FWIW I heard recently that Wizz are planning to more than double the number of based aircraft at DSA in the not too distant…

Pug - don't tell Timmy... best not to give people too great a shock in case it causes something like a heart attack

If they double now, they'll be back at the 2 based aircraft they originally had planned.

It's a shame that this repeated ' DSA' bashing, from certain individuals gets to keep on happening , as it does on another superb forum about the airport .
It's always been a well known thing with Wizzair, that has seen routes, many that were popular, still come and go .
Budapest , springs to mind , and there have been others .

What has not been noted by this ' bashing', is despite the changes and cancellations , growth has been steadily increasing, and between covid and international events , it's no small achievement, when DSA is the second biggest base for Wizzair in the UK , and currently has a greater offering than Gatwick .

Granted DSA has suffered route losses , perhaps more than most, but it's cargo growth is a fine example of some hard dedicated work.
In addition, I only days ago had an Instagram notification.
Covering the installation of new ' gate bridges '.
So perhaos a little credit to the airport , where it's due , because , it's not simply about routes, but jobs created by it locally , in an area that suffered badly .
And perhaps in time more will come

The Wizz UK Commercial Manager was on the local radio explanaing the operational issues they're having.

Apparently they're finding it extremely difficult to recruit staff for the DSA base, coupled with bookings have been very slow. He mentioned some flights in May didn't have a single passenger booked, so they've had to reduce the schedule for May, then withdrawing one of the based aircraft for the rest of the summer.

He mentioned while they remain hopeful of growing a large base at DSA, they have to be realistic and bookings must improve for the base to remain viable.

It's a shame to see more chopping and changing to the Wizz schedule, but at this stage it is what it is.

After recently trying their route down to Malaga for the first time I can confidently say that the aircraft and service was superior to FR's general offering out of other airports. Originally I'd expected it to be inferior.

It's good to see continued expansion of the facilities at DSA and I do hope that the existing schedule stabilizes and that Wizz has some good luck with the local market.

The fact is Covid is still a thing. We are going on holiday soon and I kind of regret booking it. Avoiding catching Covid during the week before we go is key. While it is all movable that's no doubt going to cost me...

Lots of people will just give it longer.

Thats a fair assessment, but I also think ATOL is a big selling point currently, something that Wizz passengers won’t benefit from.

On a macro economic level, wallets are getting squeezed. I do wonder how many people will be taking that second weekend break abroad, or that other holiday they might otherwise have booked.

Last I heard, Wizz were planning on putting five aircraft in at DSA eventually. They clearly want to stick around, any schedule re-shuffles should make sure that they don’t have to pull out their based aircraft, they can then just wait until things (hopefully) settle down somewhat.

I'd agree with that. It would be far easier for them to pull out and cut their losses. So fingers crossed with that respect.

They do need to address their somewhat tarnished reputation locally however.

Just to follow on from this, i've read elsewhere this morning that Wizz do intend to increase to 5 based aircraft, possibly as early as next summer.

We shall wait and see.

One that may have escaped a few is the announcement that the Managing Director, Chris Harcombe, is to leave DSA.

He has been the spine of DSA for 16-years from route development roles to eventually the MD.

Interesting to see who gets internally promoted into that seat from the team.

I had thought that Doncaster had already lost a manager , ' Steve Gill' to Bournemouth Airport , perhaps during the lockdown, a Google search showed he was responsible for running DSA.
But felt to have been a big loss, under him , we gained the Flybe base .
Let us hope that the next manager , is more pro active, in terms of attracting new passenger routes , and further development of the terminal , as it seems that the airport has been stuck in a rut.

For some time , prior to the obvious issues caused by the pandemic and the failure of Flybe, .
While I do understand, that the whole industry is going through changes , an example of what can be done at and did seem vastly unlikely is the impressive turnaround of ' Teeside Airport', which does not have the vast industrial estate, or the ' iport'* ,Motorway links , and potential for a future , Mainline rail link , and potential station , plus the sheer amount of space for expansion.

Doncaster has proved that new business is out there by the hugely impressive work by the Cargo team, and provides for enthusiasts, some Interesting movements to see.

But perhaps the next management team, need to have the drive , that has seen Ryanair at Teeside as I have mentioned.
I use that as an example, because, like DSA Teeside is close to a larger airport with multiple low cost carriers . So to gain such routes is no small achievement .

Therefore one would hope we can see such efforts at DSA, I understand that the terminal is undergoing expansion works , and as a question, raised on another forum , about expanding Apron space , for the future , Wizzair routes etc.
All of which would be the work of the next managment team.

Finally with the refusal to allow Leeds Bradford it's new terminal , then. Perhaps there is real scope for Doncaster to grow, because it would only take one or two carriers to dip a ' toe' into DSA to finally see some much needed progress .
Not just for the airport but the jobs that would be created locally by the support industries used by the airport for any route or service .

Is this Teeside place anywhere Teesside? One thing Teesside has that DSA doesn't is substantial backing from taxpayers money.

And even a single a/c Wizz UK base will provide substantially more seats than RYR are providing at Teesside??

I totally agree with your point, ( typo on the name Teesside noted ) but with respect , where Ryanair is concerned, one airline article suggested they have a stake in at least one European airport . And the Point being, is Ryanair could have easily bought , Teesside , rather like Stobart air , and for them it would be loose change.

So money or not it was a good result for that airport , plus Loganair. And they also have I gather got back TUI.
To negotiate such routes , means a team that wants to make things work . DSA has shown similar where the Cargo side, has truly been an incredible turn around .as I said in my last past .

That is no small achievement, from how it was .
The passanger side would benefit from a Management team can show some drive and energy seen at Teesside to drive DSA forward. ,

As an airport it has a large catchment area even as far as York to the North for example, which is easily well under an hour from Doncaster on the east coast route. And even by the much improved A1. And of course a sizeable population, not to mention prior to the lockdown there was comment I recall on how even East Midlands bemoaning the loss of passengers to DSA.

The point being is the demand is clearly there, Wizzair Indicate an intention or so had been said on another forum for potentially 5 based aircraft, next year, IF that's accurate , then that ought to be enough of an indication to potential new comers to how well received a new route or base would be .

And with airlines for example like Breeze , planning to serve only ' never served secondary airports in the UK and Europe , anything is possible .
( I use them as an example ) .

But my post was simply that I hope that whomever comes in doesn't just, pin too much hope , and rest on the laurels on the admittedly expanding product from Wizzair, especially with the military situation, so close to many destinations they serve.

DSA has a unique selling point, being so well situated, and Even just the addition of two based E175's from Flybe showed , just what that could do for yearly figures for the airport .
Indeed it encoured TUI to improve upon their offering .
Of course there are challenges and this is not intended a rose tinted view , but the building works at the airport would not be happening, if the current team did not see a busier future for the airport .

Teesside does have the potential for all of these, to drift off thread.

EGPO, with respect Ryanair aren't the be-all and end-all. The airport turned them down at the end of last summer with good reason.

The partnership with Wizz will bear many fruits in the coming years, much more than chasing the odd Ryanair route.

Good things are coming the expansion is needed to facilitate the growth, the negativity of others will continue as it always has under their many guises on here and social media.

You make a good point , but what was the reason behind turning them down, and what routes were on offer?.
Or was this as per previous attempts, just a token presence , and thus not beneficial.
The only way on such an event it could help, might be to show faith in the airport from a large carrier ( like Ryanair) , could encourage, other new carriers to base or service.
The airport , as seems to have happend at my example of Teeside , where each route, appeared to trigger another announcement.
Hence my using Ryanair and that airport as an example.
As there is no sign as yet of any new potential carriers heading to DSA.

I'd be interested to see what the loads are like on Wizz flights currently. The lack of staff and lack of bookings will surely have an adverse effect on future expansion, despite their best intentions.