LHR-NQY will work I think because a lot of people in Cornwall want LHR for connections - NQY's social media channels have been very positive about this news since the announcement yesterday

Word from inside BEE elsewhere is that EXT is in their plans, but they wont be starting anything yet.

Would imagine SOU will be a base of some type from March next year with the added routes

Loganair use the ATR into LHR from IOM.

SOU looks to have a based aircraft from 2 March, though whether it becomes a crew base is anyone's guess. With the aircraft serving MAN, EDI and GLA (none of which are bases) then it would presumably be quite difficult to run that schedule without SOU becoming a base. They managed LBA-LHR on that basis though and look to be intending to run NQY-LHR-NQY-MAN-BHD from the BHD base - although it's not easy to see how a rested crew will be in NQY to fly the morning departure.

Talk of EXT becoming a base? I'd put that alongside the talk that they'd have 20 aircraft by the end of this year and 32 in all. Believe it when you see it!

Have another look at Ryanair's Cork network. It's significantly larger than you've mentioned nowadays and explains why Emerald (and presumably Flybe) are going anywhere near it.

Some interesting rumours out of Flybe HQ today. No-one mentioning the unmentionable....

just to expand on Mr Hall's comments - RYR have flights from Cork to MAN, STN, EDI, LPL, LGW, BHX and LTN tomorrow, as well as FAO, GRO, AGP, REU, AHO (!) and PMI

FlyBe should really start working on codeshares then.

Dare I ask about the unmentionable and what it is? This is a rumour network after all.....

Apparently they are (this will be also be important at MAN, and you would think in AMS also), so watch this space I guess?

You obviously have not looked at the recent announcement and time tables.... SOU will be abase from March with 1x based aircraft flying EDI/GLA/MAN flights

Those numbers came directly from Flybe press releases late last year:

I remember when the Newquay surf and second home stay-cation scene really got going about 15 years or so ago. BA started on the route with 737's from LGW and I think one or two other operators piled in too - Ryan, Easy and GO? They gradually lost interest and eventually the route was taken on and slowly grown by Flybe using Dashes and 195's. The loads were quite good and would probably be even better with LHR and its potential connections. Also, the ramping up of the BE operation ties in nicely with the reduction of domestic APD which will help offset the fact that this is not a PSO route.

Days after Flybe Mk 1 collapsed, BA and others leapt in promising to save the day but with nothing like the number of rotations and certainly not 7 dpw. Covid put an end to that and BA are only now showing a token interest and on some days are even trying to flog NQY to London via Logan and Emerald connections taking 6-9 hours. So they really aren't interested. BA's early enthusiasm was probably more to do with slot protection at LHR than the interests of the SW.

Unlike the ATR's, the Dashes can perform like jets below 10k so will be able to fit in at LHR once back to capacity so this all makes a lot of sense and with the possibility of codeshares, it is probably a very sound move.

Going back to the problems of the past. Taking on Loganair in their own back yard was not the smartest idea but it partly failed because BE tried to operate a single Embraer on a TEN sector day. Anyone with experience of the Highlands and Islands weather, remoteness and lack of engineering cover would realise that this was doomed to fail.

Might want to check Flightradar24 which shows LM675 and LM676 operating daily between IOM and LHR.

https://www.businesstraveller.com/bu...london-routes/

And always more or less full !
Increases from 3pw to 5pw this Winter

Finger on the pulse as never. Teesside was axed alongside one of the based aircraft but IOM was restored with help from the IOM Govt. It had previously been a BA route flown by a......Loganair ATR. There is no bar nor has there ever been a bar on the ATR into LHR.

It's had a mixture of RE ATR double daily + WW 737 several days per week and in more recent times EIR up to 3x daily pre covid. Going back it's had maersk/brymon doing BAC 1-11 flights too, definitely high demand.

Before Flybe got involved Gatwick effectively subsidised the whole of Air Southwests network, allowing it to provide links on thin routes across the U.K. Flybe uwanted it, and used ticket price to get it, taking ASW down and losing the Southwest most of its local connectivity. I could never understand how they took a route making several million a year and turn it into a PSO.

The Sumburgh ten sector special was amusing, but they also lost hands down on Kirkwall and Stornaway which were operated by other airframes.

It was deja vu but up against an operator that would rather go to the wall than roll over and let Flybe have what it wanted.

I am a tad surprised we've not yet seen Flybe take up LHR EDI on the BMI remedy slots.