Smartwings. LTN or STN

[Powerjet1]

Rumour has it that Smartwings are looking to start Prague-London from Mar05. Both LTN & STN in the frame for the new service. Seeing both easy and CSA already fly STN-PRG & LTN has no flights to that destination, could LTN be lucky. Probably not.

[Buster the Bear]

Smartwings adds destinations:

Smartwings, the Czech low cost, will add service from Prague to Dublin and Rome from October 1st and to Vienna from October 22nd, all with its fleet of Boeing 737s. The airline plans to add more aircraft to its fleet in the next few months and begin regular flights to London before the end of the year.

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[Buster the Bear]

PRAGUE (AFP) - Low-cost airline Smart Wings will launch a regular route linking Prague and London's Gatwick airport on November 1, flying six times weekly.



"Smart is reacting to strong demand. Ticket prices will start from 990 koruna (31.5 euros, 38.6 dollars) without taxes," company spokeswoman Vladka Dufkovashe said Tuesday.


Smartwings will take on two British low-cost airlines -- easyJet and bmibaby -- on the route, which will operate daily except for Saturday.


The Czech company currently flies to Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Zurich from Prague.


Next month it will also launch services to Rome, Dublin and Vienna followed by Dubai at the end of the year.


Next year Smart Wings plans to open around 10 new European routes, including the Mediterranean.


Smart Wings is a subsidiary of Czech chartered flight company Travel Servis, which in turn is controlled by the country's largest travel agency Cedok.

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[Powerjet1]

LGW-PRG 4, BA, easy, Baby, Smart. LTN-PRG 0.

[TS Hauler]

Not not that smart then?

LCC LGW mmmm

TSH

[OLNEY 1 BRAVO]

Anyone know why they chose Gatwick with three other incumbents already on the route?

As others have mentioned, Luton would have seemed an obvious choice. I would have thought TBI would have been anxious for the business ... unless they were not impressed by either of the handling companies!

[GVAirlines]

Has anyone looked at the SmartWings website- EUjet! Interesting!

[LTNman]

Associated Press

On July 12, the carrier will start three flights a week to Manston in southeastern England in cooperation with a British budget airline EU Jet, the statement said.

Smart Wings, which started operations in May 2004, flies regularly to several Mediterranean and European destinations, including London, Paris, Rome and Madrid.

The airline claims to have carried 280,000 passengers during the first year of business and hopes to increase the number to 500,000 by the end of 2005.

[Powerjet1]

So LGW ops finish on 10 July. Easy competition too much?. Pity LTN can't get a Prague on it's books. Sure it would do well

[airhumberside]

Are Smartwings taking over the EU Jet flights or are they operating the route alongside EU Jet

[Buster the Bear]

Another Lo-Co code share according to thier timetable.

SmartWings were not smart, they could have operated into a London airport without any competition, the threshold of thier easterly runway is on a QDM of 080 at a range of 8 miles from my bear palace!

According to the 'jungle drums' Luton was on thier target airport list once?

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[Oshkosh George]

According to Commercial Aviation Today, Smartwings are selling tickets on EuJet flights PRG-Manston as a codeshare,and are not flying the route themselves,nor to any London airport.