Cork-TeesSide in a Dornier 228 or Let410? You must be joking. Fine for short sectors, but you'd be up there for nearly two hours on a sector that long. There's no way the average fares would ever stack up versus the operating costs on an aircraft and route like that.

ORK-BFS times indicate there is a stop in Galway

Maybe ORK or BFS MME:confused: in a metroliner:ok:

Many moons ago did someone not operate a metroliner from INV-DUB?

Cardiff - Valley it is.

Welsh Assembly Government | New operator for North-South air link announced

Cardiff - Anglesey
 

Looks like manx2 have another route then, i wonder who else went for the route? Good luck to them, hopefully they wont go down the same route as highland airways!

Welsh Assembly Government | New operator for North-South air link announced

So, I guess technically the operator is FLM?

Hopefully Manx2 will get the 4 year contract and get the aircraft moving throughout the day and on the weekends unlike what Highland did.

Manx2 don't own any aircraft but the dorniers at least are Manx2 branded with operated by FLM aviation on them.

According to Jethros
FLM Aviation (Dorniers) = "Kielair"
Vanair (Let410s) = "EuroVan"
EuroContinental (Metroliner) = "EuroContinental"

The release from WAG mentions FLM as a partner. They have Dornier 228s so presumably we'll see those aircraft on the route.

First Dornier at Valley since the war?

How many aircraft will Manx2 need on a daily basis with Galway-Cork and Cardiff-Valley being added? Jethro's lists 3 Dorniers, 3 Lets and a Jetstream as the company's fleet at this point.

Wondering if Manx2 will fly in /fly out from IOM to CWL in the mornings/evenings instead of basing an aircraft at CWL (not sure if the contract requires a based aircraft - probably it does). They could also do a CWL-IOM rotation during downtime of the aircraft at CWL.

Didn't Manx2 say that they were going to move into other markets other than Isle of Man?

Obviously until the announcement of them being the preferred bidder for the route it wasn't a dead cert. Could this mean that indeed they are looking at operating at least one more Welsh route?

I think if Manx 2 tried direct BFS- GWY and BFS- ORK they mights struggle.

However i think the planned BFS-GWY-ORK route will do well. Using the 18-19 seater aircraft they will easily be able to fill or almost fill the aircraft, with additional revenue being made on the GWY-ORK sector.

In a earlier post someone asked why BFS and not BHD. I think they are operating to BFS as it offers more international connections on airlines such as LS and EZY. Also if they could agree a interline agreement with CO they could connect to the daily BFS-EWR flight or a agreement with EI on the LHR flights.

When it comes to the CWL-VLY route, NM is a good choice of successor, It will be interesting to see if a CWL-IOM route is added aswell.

Going forward I am really suprised one or more new routes hasn't been announced from GLO. I used the GLO-IOM route last week, GLO is a good airport and would appeal to business pax who normally fly to/from BHX and BRS.

NM could easily fill two daily (if not more) flights to ORK,DUB, EDI, GLA, NCL, BOH LGW or LCY from GLO. I personally think GLO should be NM next airport to expand flights from.

Another option could be to expand at BLK. BLK to ABZ and EDI would be good additons and would attract pax who work in the oil industry.

Also recently BE's flight operated by LC to INV from EDI was pulled. Maybe NM could start a daily GLO-EDI-INV route.

According to jethro's UK and Ireland Airline Fleet Listings

NM have a fleet consisting of 3 x Let410's operated by Van Air, 3 x Do228's operated by FLM and 1 x J31 operated by Jetstream aviation. Does anyone know if NM will add additional aircraft??.

Having flown on the Let and Dornier a/c I personally think they should add more Do228's.

Celtic Ring
 

It was interesting to see the degree to which Manx2 played up the "Celtic connection" - and there could well be something in this. Are we looking at a Celtic Ring of services linking the Glasgow, Isle of Man, Anglesey, Dublin, Glasgow, Cardiff and Cornwall?,

I've heard rumours of IOM-CAX-SEN

I guess it makes up for the Aer Aran celtic ring logo, now that some of there a/c have gone all shades of green! The Manx2 celtic sales pitch will go down very well in Ireland.... if its at the right price that is!

North-South Wales Airlink is affordable for all
 

Hard to see why Twin Aisle berates the North / South Wales airlink being resumed by Manx2.com next week.

He appears to sneer that it's not for ordinary mortals. Has he compared the Manx2 fares with the train fares ? Evidently not . The train fare - one way - is £69.80 (and it takes over 5 hours) . The Manx2 air fare is just £39 and the flight takes less than an hour. What's not to like?

If anything it's the (heavily subsidised) train which is for the rich. Manx2 is for those ordinary travellers with much lighter wallets - who actually DO pay UK tax.

Galway Belfast International
 

The news of a Manx2 BFS GWY link is a very welcome one, and I think that it could do well based on the size of the aircraft and the frequency. Flybe got reasonable numbers on BHD GWY on their daily Q400 but sadly not enough to sustain a 78 seater.

However, the key challenge for Manx2 is to market the new service effectively. How they will do this will be of great interest.

Will they use tourist boards north and south of the border to advertise it?
Will they use the key newspapers at both ends, particularly in local papers ie in Galway and in the Belfast telegraph. I would hope they would do something a little outside of the box, ie give away 10 or 20 seats in some sort of draw, perhaps the Irish tourist board would help on the idea of a short break?

EI-BUD

Sorry Korrol, you missed my point.

Just why should the train be sharply more expensive? If we are to subsidise means of transport, let's subsidise those that benefit the most people.

My 'sneering' is absolutely not because I fear the route is for 'ordinary mortals' - rather that the same 'ordinary mortals' are having to massively subsidise a service for the few, who in rather a lot of cases are AMs on the move. I am sure said 'ordinary mortals' would rather see the well heeled paying a little more for their trip, and their taxes being used to pay for schools, doctors and other rather more widely used services.

To call the NS Airlink a success based on the number of passengers is disingenuous - I rather like the analogy of someone opening a TV shop, and selling flat screens for twenty quid. You'll sell loads, but that doesn't make it a successful business.

Set the fares starting at a premium over the train - let the passengers pay for the speed. Move it towards a commercial footing so that the day the subsidy stops, the route carries on. Right now, no subsidy means no route, and that cannot be good for the future of the service.

TA

Well said Twin Aisle. The old Highland service was jokingly called Ieuan Air after one of its most frequent users, the deputy leader of the Welsh Assembly Ieuan Wyn Jones who is also President of Plaid Cymru. The service is also frequently used by Welsh Assembly members who no doubt claim the cost of their tickets as part of their expenses, so the tax payer pays twice- a subsidy to the airline then a refund of the cost of the ticket!!!:ugh: