Just a funny little observation - I receive the PIK "consumer" newsletter, and it's always entitled "Dear Alison...".

Have never signed up as Alison! Anyone else get this?

Interesting to read that MOL was saying that if APD was reduced / abolished that Stansted and Belfast would be reintroduced to PIK. Hmmm

Any link for that?

New Glasgow-Berlin route as Ryanair plots growth - The Scotsman

Still the same management team then???

Cannot see PIK to Belfast on the cards since LDY has shifted to GLA
If anything it would Belfast to GLA

Pretty simple strategy on Ryanair's part.

• Scottish Government owns PIK.
• Scottish Government is desperate for PIK to perform better.
• Scottish Government has or will soon have power to cut APD.
• Ryanair explicitly links APD removal to extra PIK flights, thus maximising chances that Scottish Government will cut APD.
• Ryanair average yield lower than anyone else, so a cut to APD has a proportionately greater impact on Ryanair all-in prices than on any other airline's prices.
• If APD is cut, Ryanair reaps the benefits across a wide range of destinations from GLA and EDI as well as PIK.

A couple of daily rotations from PIK to Belfast or Stansted seems like a modest price for Ryanair to pay to get that result.

For SOE
 

From the Scotsman for what it's worth:

New Glasgow-Berlin route as Ryanair plots growth - The Scotsman

The people at Ryanair are far clevery than the clowns that run the Scottish Government and richer too!

Ryanair will also factor in that a removal of APD and FR forced growth in Scotland will pile pressure on the rest of the UK to follow Scotland on APD, but ultimately the outcome for PIK will not change

What about a route from PIK-SNN? There is a market there since the withdrawal of SNN-EDI.

on a 180 seater ?

Considering that they had 2x or 3x weekly from PIK-NOC and a Daily service from EDI-SNN on an atr72, I'd say with the demise of both services a 5x or 6x service would be perfect.

PIK-SNN was operated happily for years on the B732, the larger B738 was too big.

Markets grow:P

That one's mature, also given Aer Arann couldn't make GLA-SNN work either suggests it's not a goldmine of riches.

What evidence do you have that GLA-SNN or PIK-SNN doesnt work by itself? It wont work with Edinbrugh, as was tried by EI, due to its extreamly high fares when compared to Ryanair. Two 72 seater flights a day gives 144 seats at roughly 3 to 4 times the fare at what Ryanair could do.

Ill give SNN-MAN as an example.
The cheapest return fare I ever found with EI regional was €80, and that was very rare. With Ryanair, it often can be €20 return if you travel TUES/WED/THURS. The manchester loads reflected this, with a doubling in passenger numbers from DEC 2013 to DEC 2014.

Im sure that a 5x/6x weekly service would work year round, I'm even starting to convince myself that a daily service would work.

The evidence that PIK-SNN wasn't profitable enough so Ryanair canned it? The evidence that GLA-SNN failed with EIR, as did EDI-SNN. The fact that Ryanair walked away almost entirely from SNN as they were forced to pay money to use the airport, and only now are growing again.

It's not about what you think "might work", it's about "is this short less than daily Scotland -Ireland sector the best use of my asset or will it be more profitable being utilised to the sun"? That's why the mix of routes at PIK was changed. What "evidence" do you have it will now "work"?

Btw does €20 return even include APD and how recent is that figure?

Right, so this will take alot of explaining.

1. The canning of PIK-SNN had very little to do with bad loads and alot to do with the airport fees at Shannon and Ryanairs dispute. They reintroudced the route at Knock this year. It has been canned, but Knock has a smaller and less populated catchment area, and was within Shannons catchment area while SNN-EDI was operating.

2. GLA-SNN failed because of the reasons I previously stated, you cannot have 144 atr seats at that price and be sustainable.

3.EDI-SNN was preforming great for EI, but was removed with the withdrawal of the SNN base which was brought on by RYR competing on the MAN route.

Ryanair walked away from Shannon because they have a choice of 4 airports on Irelands west coast, and Shannon was more expensive than others. Its not the problem of filling the flights, its the problem of 4 airports strangling each others margins with the help of Ryanair.

Im sure it will work, and I have never said anything less than "I'm sure" or "I'd say". A route to Scotland will probably be introduced in September when ryanair put in a third aircraft to Shannon. Its more of a case of what airport.

My evidence is the doubling of the SNN-MAN loads would alone warrant the use of an 189 seat aircraft from the 72 seat. (Based on 72x2=144) The added addition of the loss of a scottish route from Knock (NOC-PIK 3x weekly=567 seats).
Yes €20 includes APD and that fare was available about 3-4 weeks ago. Atm you can get SNN-MAN for €30 return.


As I said earlier, Ryanair will probably introduce a Scottish route soon, and if they do not, its only a matter of time before some other airline jumps in.

Aer Ryan - given that the following routes have all failed I'm not sure I share your optimism that FR operating PIK-SNN again is the answer...

EDI-SNN - Ryanair
EDI-SNN - Aer Lingus
GLA-SNN - Flybe
GLA-SNN - Aer Lingus
PIK-SNN - Ryanair

IF it was that popular a route surely one of the above would be operating it this summer. I remember being on PIK-SNN a few times back around 2006/2007 and there were often only 60 or 70 people on board with flight prices at about £10 return. That didn't work back then and it won't work now either. Many, including myself, that were on the edge of Shannon's catchment area back then wouldn't bother with the place now with the M6 offering much easier access to Dublin from the west coast - so if anything the demand is even less now and operational costs would be higher.

Ryanair might maybe just about manage to successfully operate EDI-SNN again three times as week if Shannon management let them use their airport for free or maybe even pay them a few quid to land there. That's about as much as can be sustained on Shannon to Scotland routes at this stage.

In terms of the topic of the thread, Ryanair don't fly from PIK to Ireland any more.

The two Ryanair routes were lost as a result of a dispute with routes at Shannon. The two GLA routes were in direct competition with the stronger daily EDI-SNN route. The EDI-SNN route was lost as a result of the base closure in SNN which was brought on by Ryanair.

EI wont operate because they dont have Aircraft at Shannon or Edinbrugh and they have all their aircraft being used. Flybe dont have spare aircraft and Ryanair will probably introuduce a Scottish route when they get aircraft to do this. Most of shannons customers dont live in the Galway/Mayo region, and the M6 is still quite a journey. Operational costs would be higher? I dont understand how besides regular inflation.

Really? I disagree. Ryanair will land at Shannon for free if they introuduce a scottish route, but even if they had to pay there is a market there.

I realise that, but PIK is a good airport not far from Glasgow and I cant see a reason for not using it.

Ryanair are using PIK now only for sun routes. Everything else moved to GLA.