BWIA to BFS

[Deeko01]

Hi,

Understand above mentioned operator is intending to fly fortnightly from Belfast to Barbados with a continuing service to Port of Spain.

If it goes ahead it will start on the 18th June 2004.

Good for Belfast, which ever airport you prefer over there!

Regards
Del

[LGWAlan]

Apparently this will route MAN-PIK-BGI once weekly and MAN-BFS-BGI once weekly - not sure on a/c type.

[controller friendly]

Yee ha....!

Thats great news....much better than £675 to Brussels.....!:ugh:

Now what about some leave......:O

[B.L.G Bob]

I had look at the BWIA website and found the following:

"BWIA WEST INDIES AIRWAYS, has signed an agreement for the lease of a second A340-300. The aircraft will be added to BWIA's fleet in mid-February 2004 and will be deployed on the carrier's routes from Heathrow and Manchester to the Caribbean. The new aircraft is two-class, with a capacity of 40 in business/first and 215 in economy.

The Manchester route is currently serviced through sub-leases, and the acquisition of the new aircraft will enable BWIA to return to a full in-house operation on its transatlantic services.

A review is being carried out of possible new destinations for the deployment of the extra capacity."

There was no mention of BFS, even when booking flight after the proposed start date menitioned above. A bit of Carribbean colour around Aldergorve would be a pleasant change from the orange tails and the nappy wearers with wings that are resident at the moment.

[Shamrogue]

ONly half listening the other day..........

But, BFS is on the cards for this summer. Wanted to Dublin but SNN stop caused a problem. So they feel they can attract the Dublin traffic from over the hills.

A340 will be operating.

Chow

Shamrogue

[glynn-kayes]

Airline Partners,the res agents for BWIA have recieved this week a staff memo with details of the Bfs flights and they seem to be weekly on Saturdays using an A340.

[Richard Everest]

I can't believe the gall of these Carribean chappies! Haven't they heard of Belfast City Airport? ;)
Do they not know that the only airport that can reasonably attract the NI populus to an airfield is off the internationally renowned Sydenham by-pass? :D Obviously the Muckies have done a deal that cut BHD off at the knees with this one! Scoundrels, every man jack of them!;)
And what about Brtish Regional? Apparently they applied for some of the subsidy money to operate this precise route in an ATP twice weekly (Shed on Saturdays, though) but were turned down flat!;) The big boys at the big airport throwing their weight around again! Personally I blame easyJet! :D :D

But fear not, NI punters, flybe will, as befits "Northern Ireland's original low-cost ailine", ride in to save the day and run these interlopers from over yonder mountains back where they belong!!!:) :) :)
(This post is not directed at anyone in particular at ALL...)

[no, no, no]

Richard Everest - what on Earth are you talking about????

When ever have British Regional considered doing a flight between Belfast and Barbados with an ATP?????

And if bmi have trouble with their A321 in to BHD, can you really see BW there with an A340???????????

Come back down to this planet please - we miss you!;)

[Uncle Monty]

He's pulling your leg!

[ALLMCC]

He's trying to wind me up but this time I won't take the bait! - I'm quite happy to sit back and see how BFS (mis) handles all these new international routes - Caribbean, Prague, Brussels (laugh) and Paris on the horizon - how on earth will they cope? - can't see anything in these which will benefit NI - all outgoing spending with the possible exception of Paris - in any event the question must be asked why didn't BFS try to attract these routes years ago?

Answer: because they spent more time starting domestic routes (courtesy of you know who!) which in most cases were already successfully (and adequately) served from Belfast's proper airport and it wasn't just to bring low fares to NI passengers as their management would have us believe!

And then they lost the LHR's (both of them - ouch!) but that's another story!

Note to Richard: do keep up with the times - British Regional ceased to exist years ago - now actually called British Airways Citi Express and the sheds to which you affectionately refer (presumably Short 360) are long gone!

[aviaraptor]

No there is a new plan.

The BHD MD is moving to the Belfast Harbour Commisioners and so will have one or two plans to help his former employer.

The first one is drain the Lough so that extra land can be made available for the runway extension and if they can't do that well...

Of course, there is still that Brazilian Aircraft Carrier which was for sale on ebay. They could buy that bring to Belfast and scuttle in the harbour next to BHD (it is the Harbour after all). The flight deck would add about 700 feet to the BHD runway. This would allow "worldwide" operations (well GB domestic operations with an A321 - but as far as we're concerned in Norn I'land, GB is the world!). With a slight modification to the undercart to accept the steam catapults to allow 04 departures, we might even reach Le Touquet or Ostend.

[glynn-kayes]

Allmcc.its about time you changed the record.After all,every route operating at Bhd operated from Bfs in the first place,and all Bhd ever did was split the traffic.Thats what kept airlines away from Belfast for years.Can you not just be happy man that things are improving or are you just pi££ed about the fact that every route operated from Bfs in competition is the market leader.

[kpiko3]

There seems to be alot of info on the BFS flights here,

Does anybody know anything about the PIK flights be operating,what aircraft and when they will be starting etc.

Cheers
kpik

[NWSRG]

It will be nice to see an A340 coming into Aldergrove. Has an A340 ever come to the airport before? Something rings a bell about Virgin aircraft doing some proving trials there years ago.

[Tower Ranger]

Direct to Port of Spain and Prague are great routes out of NI ( Brussels....Yeah )
Ok so maybe none of these will have a fantastic effect on inward investment for NI PLC but they offer great destinations for NI PubLiC and surely that is equally important. Mind you I flew Bwia`s A340 to POS two years ago and it`s pretty basic , left two hours late , the seat was broken and the sound system was knackered but at least it got there and back..

[Bagso]

surely BFS and PIK THEN Manchester direct not the other way around.....

[no, no, no]

from what I have been informed, the flights will operate as follows:

(Fri) POS-BGI-(Sat)-MAN-PIK-BGI-POS

(Sat) POS-BGI-(Sun)-MAN-BFS-POS

How much cost are they hoping to put on to these services..... plus if the stories about bmi going on to MANBGI are true, that will all but ruin their chances - who would go via BFS or PIK if you can go direct????

Also, the only 7 day trip pax can do is Sat-Sat - if pax flew on the Fri service back or Sun services out then they would only have a 6 or 8 day holiday - and as the majority of pax I assume like to go for 7, 14, 21 etc days hol, isn't this going to ruin it a bit!!!!

Sounds like this is the last throw of the dice......

[Flyin' High]

who would go via BFS or PIK if you can go direct????

Well for a start there are those people in Scotland and NI who want a direct service and dont want to have to go via MAN!!

[no, no, no]

exactly - no one is completely satisfied with this - MAN people have to go via BFS/PIK on the way, and BFS/PIK pax have to go via MAN on the way back - just the thing you want after a 8 or 9 hour flight!!!!

I wonder if BW are reckoning that they will give up MAN if bmi start (maybe codeshare????) and focus on directs to BFS & GLA???? could this summer be almost a trial for those destinations to see how they would survive - and to see if there is enough demand????

I think the PIK one will do very well especially considering the population up there and lack of services like this....