EDI Slots

[Captain Rodders]

Question

It appears that the number of slots available at EDI during peak periods has increased for Summer 2004 by 8 per hour, 4 arrival and 4 departure.

Is the long planned full length taxiway finally being built??

The airport no longer appears to be constrained as a result of the increased slots, but some of the peak time ones have been grabbed already, any offers as to who the prospective airlines might be.

CR

[Speedmaster]

Yes they do appear to be building the full-length taxi-ways that were supposed to be built in March

[wangi]

any offers as to who the prospective airlines might be
Here's a nonsense "possibility"... From William Ritchie in alt.airports.uk.edinburgh today:
I have just been told by a reliable source within BA, that from JAN04. BA are going to be operating EDI-GLA-JFK rtn daily on a 767.

[Speedmaster]

Rumours of SAS coming next year, along with more CSA flights. Also Thomas Cook will be flying to Canada in addition to Air Transat next summer season.
Flyglobespan are getting quite a few new airplanes and are recruiting openly for this.

Plus Continental will be starting their Newark service next year

[Man Flex]

Hoorah!!!!!

Finally after all these years Edinburgh Airport will get the status it deserves.

But who was the designer who decided to have only intersection access to the runway? I believe that the original plans had a full length taxiway incorporated into them so what happened? Did they run out of cash?

Easyjet appear to be the only airline that has seen the full potential of what Edinburgh can offer. How I suspect they are now reaping the rewards of their innovation.

[Meeb]

Easyjet appear to be the only airline that has seen the full potential of what Edinburgh can offer. How I suspect they are now reaping the rewards of their innovation.

You what?

They are so impressed they throw their toys of the cot and move their so called 'expansion' to toon town!

But forget the sleazys, big things next year from another 737 operator at Edinburgh International.... ;)

[Scottie]

Who Globespan? I'll eat my hat if they survive :p

[Man Flex]

Meeb.

Would you like to explain your comments in the Queen's english?

'Toon Town' might infer Newcastle.

'Throw their toys out of the cot?'

I do not work for easyJet so have no reason to paint them in a false light. I have however used them on a number of occasions and what I was referring to was what I have witnessed first hand. They have flights from Edinburgh to Amsterdam, Bristol, East Midlands, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Belfast. They have taken advantage of a potential market which was previously ignored by other operators. (Oh yes I know that a number of these routes were previously operated by Go but they didn't have Edi as a base!). I imagine that the number of passengers carried by easyJet from Edi is affecting other more established carriers' loads quite substantially.

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Actually EDI was a Go base - just starting up as the buyout occurred.

I don't think anyone can accuse easyJet of not helping EDI airport. They put thousands of seats in and out of their every day of the week. Go were putting 6 rotations a day into EDI out of STN in 2001 alone. What it must be now given the way the network has grown I can't imagine. There are regularly 6 orange 737's on the ground there...

Full length taxiway will be a real boon. Apron still needs expanding though.

Cheers

WWW

[Meeb]

Man Flex, why ask for "Queens English" when you clearly understood! :p

The broadside at sleazy was because they had the chance to develop a few new routes from Edinburgh (and Glasgow), but chose to get all political about it. But no worries, other operators are quite happy to expand their route network from Edinburgh.

Scottie, I was not refering to Globespan, I think you will find they are planning to operate from Glasgow. But, I wonder why you say they will not survive/ Their loads are very good, and there is a strong demand for IT flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

[nef]

Meeb,

Who were you referring to then? - FR????:ooh:

I would tend to agree with you on easyJet. Whether or not their spat with BAA at EDI and GLA is justified, it's annoying for potential scottish pax to see them flying from every corner of England to Europe whilst Scotland is pretty much limited to domestic routes.:rolleyes:

[Callum Johnstone]

Absolutely right, nef.

Latest example was easyJet's recent announcement of their new base at Berlin. Scots were subjected to the usual stuff in the north-of-the-border press from easyJet's Scottish PR person about how they would have loved to have added flights from Edinburgh and Glagsow to the list, but that BAA's charging regime remains the obstacle.

Reducing the GLA-AMS frequency to once daily also had an air of petulance about it. I doubt it had anything to do with loads.

We've heard it all before from easyJet. Yes, they continue to offer Scots an excellent domestic product. But in the mean time, Flyglobespan, Air Scotland and others will continue to operate from EDI and GLA to the sort of Euro destinations easyJet should have established flights to years ago!

[Man Flex]

their spat with BAA at EDI and GLA

Could somehow explain this situation to the more ignorant amongst us? Does this imply that the mini-boom at EDI is going to be short lived?

Other 737 operators at EDI; BMI baby?

[Scottie]

I've been told BAA want £34 handling fee per passenger on european routes. At places such as Newcastleand PIK it is less than a third of that.

Profit is important so guess where the planes go. When EDI and GLA have to compete against each other things could change. The BAA cartel helps no one apart from BA.

[Man Flex]

BAA want £34 handling fee per passenger on european routes

What???

How can any airline (especially low cost) expect to make a profit if this is the case? No wonder then that operators choose other less expensive airports for their expansion plans. The market is there at Edinburgh . Meanwhile these poor people will have to travel to GLA or NCL to travel somewhere other than London.

Shame on you BAA.

[Callum Johnstone]

GLA isn't much of any alternative option either. BAA's charges are reportedly equally prohibitive there. The reason why it has been losing business to PIK over recent years.