Whats wrong with Cardiff??!?

[Taff Lad]

Why doesnt Cardiff seem to be attracting new carriers? BRS are in talks with 2 US carriers but nothing is ever heard of from the CWL camp!! Anyone got any news?

[MerchantVenturer]

The rumour seems to be that it will be a 'fight' between BRS and CWL as to who gets the the Newark service, that is if either does.

There have been articles in the Welsh media over recent weeks and months that CWL is in active negotiations for the US service.

CWL supporters believe that CWL's longer runway and better weather might sway things their way.

BRS aficionados believe their catchment area has a better mix and has a higher proportion of the top socio economic groups when it comes to potential pax (ie, the one's with the money).

The difference betwen the two airports' managements in this seems to be that BRS do their negotiations in a fanfare of publicity, mainly in the hope of encouraging local businesses to back them, whilst CWL uses a more hands-close-to-the-chest approach.

Perhaps the BRS management philosophy is best summed up in Barbara Cassani's book, 'Go, an airline adventure'. Talking of Go's immediate success at BRS she wrote, "This perfectly formed airport was a joy to deal with and deserved its success because John and his management grasped the potential for this prosperous segment of Britain."

John is John Parkin the then MD, who has since moved to Newcastle Airport, but many of the senior members of his team, including the current MD, are still in place and continue to pursue a similar policy.

They are fortunate because not only is Bristol a prosperous place with a thriving and varied business community (Bristol and its immediate hinterland provides 25% of the GDP of the whole south west of England) but there are also many well-off people with the will and ability to spend money on travel who live within easy reach of the airport.

There is more about the South West Britain to New York ' battle' in this PPRuNe thread.

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=120362

Cardiff's strengths ought to be that it is the Welsh capital, a developing city in its own right that is and should be attracting more inward tourism. It has had some disappointments of late such as the pulling of such routes as Brussels, Liverpool and Belfast City by Air Wales, who nevertheless have gone on to find other more suucessful routes.

bmibaby is the subject of comment in various threads on PPRuNe and CWL has been a bit unlucky in my view. The based aircraft have been reduced from three to two. I can't, as a member of the public with no access to inside information, decide whether this is because of the airline's internal politics (eg, the need to find more aircraft for their bases than they currently possess) or because of disappointing pax loads on some, though not all by any means, of CWL's routes.

I believe baby's sun routes from CWL are very well patronised and one would think there might be scope to increase them, either in number or increased frequency.

I cannot think that the CWL management is not doing all it can to promote and obtain extra airlines and routes.

[Terror_is_firmer]

BMI Babay have been a CWL for two years now and have just carried their 1 millionth passenger. Not really that good and to be honest this looks to be Baby's last summer at CWL.

A couple of new charters have started using CWL such as Onur Air and Freebird Airlines.

The main advantage CWL has over BRS with regards to a US route is runway length. If the demand is great enough, a larger aircraft can be used. From what I have heard, Continental were in talks with CWL's owners, TBI, about using a 777-200 on this route. If CWL management get their act together, they could win this fight.

[flower]

Terror-is-Firmer,

A Rather curious remark about BMI Baby there, would you care to elaborate why you believe that in under 2 years carrying over 1 Million passengers is not particularly good and why you assume this is their last year there ?

[Terror_is_firmer]

Flower.........You work at Cardiff so you should the score.

How many routes have been dropped or given to Air Wales (as a "code share")???

[flower]

Yes I know all about the " code sharing" That does not mean the Airline is pulling out at all it is making best use of resources.

Be interesting to see if people make such comments when the 3rd Baby aircraft returns.

[Terror_is_firmer]

Then I will have a lot of humble pie to eat..............

[TwinAisle]

For the record, the 6G/WW deal on CWL-ORK and CWL-PIK is not a codeshare. It is a marketing alliance that allows both carriers to make the best use of their resources, as Flower correctly says.

Yrs pedantically

TA

[dada]

what's wrong with cardiff?

obvious, it's in wales. yacky da.

[Buster the Bear]

"For the record, the 6G/WW deal on CWL-ORK and CWL-PIK is not a codeshare. It is a marketing alliance that allows both carriers to make the best use of their resources, as Flower correctly says."

So I read...Neither can make the routes viable?

So when the RUMOURED Welsh Development Agency regional subsidy runs out, what then for Baby, Air Wales and TBI?
http://whipsnade.co.uk/picturelibrary/jpeg150/br/brown_bear_120_wide.jpg

[alterego]

It's incredible how many people are trying to knock down Baby at either NEMA or CWL. Are they from Easy and just trying to talk down the competition?

Baby is doing well at CWL, the routes South are particularly good, not sure about the Yeilds but th Loads are amazing and were in the winter.

I can't see a time when there are many more aircraft (3rd may return). The company has expansion plans elsewhere, I believe.

[teifiboy]

dada

what exactly does 'yacky' da mean?

[TwinAisle]

Trying to suss your logic, Buster.... you seem to be saying that either it is a codeshare, or you can't make it work?

The deal is simple. WW have some routes across their network that need more than a single rotation per day, but not enough traffic to support a 737 on it. With a smaller aircraft, the route is supremely viable, and gives the travelling public a choice.

The deal is - one 737 a day each way, or a double daily ATR?

Baby needed their Cardiff aircraft to use on higher yield routes (please note. "higher", not "high"; WW were making enough when they did ORK and PIK, but if you can get more on a route to X, what would you do?)

Makes sense to me - and still not a codeshare. BA do it; if it didn't work with a 757, they farmed it out to CitiExpress and a 146/J41 etc etc etc

TA

I can also assure you that 6G do not and have never received funds from the WDA.

[dada]

taffiboy

yacky is english for horrible, da meaning place. get it?

[Yorky Towers]

Fed up with slaggin' off Coventry, so you thought you might have ago at Cardiff!! Get a life kid.

PS: Coventry's got a loada' 74's coming in this week......:8

PPS. Nice "piccy" :E

[teifiboy]

dada

or it could mean "good health" if it were written properly old boy.

Iechyd da actually

good health as opposed to bad humour. How long did it take to come up with your not so original witticism.

Not a taffyboy either.

Irritated of SW London

[Caslance]

Perhaps "dada" is Welsh for "onanist"? :}

[Terror_is_firmer]

Monarch has just confirmed that it will be operating a once weekly flight to SFB using an Airbus A330 next summer.