NCL Expanding...even more?

[transwede]

Following on from Flybe's announcement of new routes to EXT and SOU, NCL is set to gain even more low cost services and new charter routes for 2005.

HLX will apparantly go daily on the HAJ service, with the possibility of new routes to CGN and others.

Easy have yet to announce their next wave of expansion, but aircraft 6/7 are rumoured to arrive within the next 12 months. Possible new routes include GVA, FAO, MAD, OSL, HEL, ARN, AMS, VCE and ROM.

FlyBe will commence flying to european destinations, rumoured to be with Ireland and France as the 146 would be pushed to make it with a full load down to spain. Again some rumours floating around re routes are SNN, ORK, TLS, BOD, MJV? and a permanent service to JER.

On the charter side there is 4 flights a week to SFB (2xTCX, 1xFCA, 1xEUK) and a weekly service to POP. Capacity from the usual based charters (BY, TCX, MYT, XLA, HH) remains the same, although extra/new routes to Bulgaria, Greece and Eygpt are available.

With all this extra flying the airport is making provision for extra checkin counters andparking space on the apron, as there are times currently when the apron is full, particularly with nitestopping aircraft (1xKL,SN,AF,XLA,HH;2xBA,TCX,BY,MYT not to mention the 3 eastern aircraft, 2 mail flights and 5 orange 737's).
Checkin at busy times also is heaving.

Press reports say that 2004/2005 will be Newcastle's best year yet and that it will become a low cost hub, similar to luton and stansted with most new services being introduced by loco's flying there, currently easy, ryan, hlx and flybe.

[captainben]

The next batch of expansion will more than likely begin in the Winter, as it is quieter then than now. This summer is also Newcastle's busiest. HLX are also on about competing with easyJet for more flights to Berlin. Looks like NCL is doing very well for itself:ok:

Almost forgot! TCX are\'nt doing a twice weekly SFB, they will be doing one, where as FCA will operate a 767 every Sunday to SFB. FCA have also said watch this space for more new long-haul routes! Air Scandic are starting new peak time services to SFB which could go on to next year, and HLX are in competition with easyJet on whether they should also fly to Berlin. HLX will also upgrade their aircraft equipment at NCL to a 737-700 and not a 737-500! Well done NCL!!:ok: :) :D :O

[Kev 1]

Hi,

Just been on the Excel Airways website and it looks like(from what I can make of it) that excel will base 2a/c at Newcastle, anyone shed any light on this at all? On some weekdays there are up to four destinations being served, below is the example of a friday in July 2005:

a/c #1

Tenerife ETD07.00 ETA17.00
Heraklion ETD18.45 ETA04.25(Sat)

a/c#2

Skiathos ETD09.00 ETA18.35
Corfu ETD20.00 ETD05.45

Ta

Kev

[simonwa]

I don't think that parking problems are causing airlines to delay in basing new aircraft. Most of the charter schedules are designed so that the aircraft arrive early morning and promptly depart early morning too. There is still room available on the remote stands. However it does become a tight squeeze between 5 and 9am.

I think many airlines are waiting for NCL to finish its enhancement to the terminal building and surrounding areas, which are due for completion on the 12th July. The airport will then be in a much stronger position with regards its offerings to passengers.

[Jamesair]

Kev 1

I've just checked out the excel website. The flying programme does need two based aircraft.
There are two strange items in the programme. On Thursday one aircraft arrives 1730 and leaves at 1800....not possible
and there is only one aircraft in use on Sundays.

Airport expansion

This certainly is good news for the airport. I have never understood why Lufthansa has never introduced a route to Frankfurt for interlining passengers and I wait with interest to see the reaction from Eastern to Flybe's entry onto the Southampton route.

[captainben]

I have e-mailed Excel Airways, and when I know the answer to if they are basing two aircraft at NCL, I will let you know:}

[GrahamK]

Having just flown Air Scandic today, they mention in their inflight magazine that they will be recruiting for crew at their summer 2005 bases of LGW,MAN and NCL. So perhaps SCY are coming back to NCL?

[johnwalton]

Not necessarily, they were recruiting for NCL for this summer and they're only operating 1x weekly (peak) SFB. Plus if XLA are returning there wouldn't be a need for them. Heard a rumour that they would be wound up in November as the A300s are coming to the end of their lease/lifespan.

[GrahamK]

Well, G-TTMC was looking well enough today :ok:

[Mishandled]

Exactly why is a 30 min turnround "not possible"????????????

[GrahamK]

I have never understood why Lufthansa has never introduced a route to Frankfurt for interlining passengers

I believe that may be due to the lack of slots at Newc...errr Frankfurt :}

[Jamesair]

MISHANDLED

I don't think that an IT aircraft could be turned around in 30 minutes. With a probable 80%+ load factor, a lot of hold baggage/cleaning/catering plus refuelling I think a 1 hour turnround would be more realistic.

GRAHAM K

Frankfurt: that seems a reasonable explanation, it just seems the Star Alliance is not well represented at Newcastle with no BMI link to Heathrow either. Incidentally with BMI extending its HRW mainline domestic coverage with Aberdeen and Manchester both covered I wonder if Newcastle is in the frame for the future

[johnwalton]

Exactly why is a 30 min turnround "not possible"????????????

If we're talking about S2005 its probably just that the times haven't been finalised yet. If you look in the Airtours brochure for instance, the NCL times are all over the shop.

[Jamesair]

John Walton

I'm sure that's the reason.....times were taken from the Excel website.

Norwegian

What happened to the Norwegian routes to Oslo and Bergen which were supposed to be more or less agreed....have the talks been shelved or just postponed?

Eastern

Any rumours of expansion from Eastern at Ncl?

[witchdoctor]

Perfectly possible to do a 30 min turnaround on a charter, just unlikely to ever happen because nobody is going to pay for the crewing that would be rquired.

So unlikely, not impossible.;)

[captainben]

Norwegian are not starting services until next May, as for Eastern Airways, I haven't a clue.

[Jamesair]

EASYJET have just announced a new route BUDAPEST - NEWCASTLE daily to commence 31st October

[johnwalton]

The Easy announcement is great news. I wonder what the times are going to be and whether this means there is another aircraft on its way to NCL?

Personally, I don't think Norwegian will ever make up their minds about routes into NCL. I don't think there's much left for Eastern to do from Newcastle, not on the domestic front anyway. Perhaps they might try Oslo seen as BA had some limited success there before the route was shelved due to their restructuring.

[Jamesair]

The Easyjet announcement was made in such a way that it looks like a Budapest based a/c, but who knows, there is said to be a sixth a/c based at Newcastle this winter.

I agree that Eastern haven't got much scope for domestic routes unless there is any mileage in a Norwich - Newcastle or Manchester - Newcastle link. As well as Oslo there is a good route to Cork still available.

Norwegian, we'll have to wait and see, Bergen and Oslo were mooted this year but came to nothing, rumours are appearing again re Autumn and next year.

There is much opportunity left for Flybe to fill some of these gaps next spring.

[johnwalton]

Yep, it seems that way.

I think Flybe will probably open up a couple of routes to France next summer as the 146's probably don't have the legs to get to the Spanish Costas, and Easy have most destinations there tied up.

[simonwa]

And what about long-haul??
No official confirmation, but looks like (according to Thomas Cook/Cosmos websites) NCL-Mauritius is due for Summer 05.
Lets hope to see more longhaul from NCL..... Cancun, Barbados, Jamaica etc.....
Good to see the flight to Dominican Republic has finally made it to the departure boards from NCL. (although I remember Thomson/Britannia trying it a few years ago on a 767, think it was fortnightly).

[emiratesdxb]

Not totally sure, but almost certain the flight to Mauritius is with Air France via Paris:{

[GrahamK]

Rumours are the EZY flight to CPH to finish...as well as the BRS-CPH

[johnwalton]

I doubt that Copenhagen Airports would want that, after trying so hard to secure the link to Newcastle.

[MerchantVenturer]

If CAA figures are to be believed NCL-CPH averages over 6,000 pax per month on the route, or over 70,000 pax per year. BRS-CPH has a similar set of pax figures.

Broadly speaking this gives an average load of just under 70%.
Whilst this is below easyJet's average passenger load it does show there is a market on both routes.

There is a separate thread about the rumoured easyJet pull out from CPH and it is suggested that the yields are not very good. I pay all my own fares and travelled BRS-CPH-BRS in March. I paid £46 all in for the return trip. I consider this an incredible bargain (some on the flights to whom I spoke claimed to have paid even less). I would have considered £70 or £80 a very good deal and willingly paid it for the avoidance of the hasle of flogging to a more distant airport.

I am certain easyJet knows its business far better than I but I wonder sometimes whether they and other low cost airlines go too far unnecessarily in reducing fares on occasions.

Obviously it is great for pax in the short term but if it means paying a bit more to keep a route open most people would pay it, wouldn't they? Or would they?

[johnwalton]

Went shopping to the Metrocentre today, and noticed a big billboard advert outside for Easyjet which said

"Tell your boss to stick it...
where the sun doesn't shine...
Fly with EasyJet to Alicante - Barcelona - BILBAO - FARO - Malaga - Nice - Palma"

Is this an error or are we to expect an announcement from Easy as to new routes NCL-BIO and NCL-FAO?

[simonwa]

Did it say from Newcastle on the advert? That is an interesting development - they could be the extra destinations, linked with Budapest, which the 6th aircraft will serve from NCL. Hope so - been waiting for easy to do FAO from NCL.

[johnwalton]

As far as I can remember.

[Powerjet1]

We've got the same advert on billboards around LTN. Think its a fairly universal add, highlighting their summer destinations.

[Mooncrest]

I've noticed easyjet advertising hoardings on the main road to LBA which is definitely Jet2's patch. Let battle commence :E

[witchdoctor]

Noticed the Metrocentre ad myself yesterday, but no indication of NCL amongst the details. As Powerjet indicates, I suspect it is a universal ad, but it would be nice to think it could happen.

[LBA]

Good few Easyjet adverts in and around Bradford, the same 'tell your boss to stick it where the sun dont shine'.

They are really trying to get Jet2 it seems!

[Jamesair]

The new Easyjet routes for Ncl are great news. That gives the airport a total so far of four new destinations plus a second carrier on one:

Rome daily Easyjet
Budapest daily Easyjet
Geneva daily Easyjet
Exeter daily Flybe
Southampton daily Flybe (second carrier with Eastern)

Are there any more to come?