Monarch Scheduled @ BHX

[Transat Hostie]

Just been announced on the BBC that Monarch Scheduled is to open a new base at BHX in July 2005.

Great news for BHX, but maybe a few too many loco's around by the middle of next year!

[GrahamK]

Daily Tenerife and Malaga from BHX.

Also more flights from MAN:
4 x weekly Almeria
Daily Madrid
3rd Daily Malaga

[Avman]

Usual boring :zzz: :zzz: destinations that all other LCCs fly to. Jeez, I'm so excited! Now when is someone going to start a BHX-MST-BHX service? ;)

[Powerjet1]

Had thought Monarch were planning to expand at their home base at LTN. OK they added Arrecife & Las Palmas but these were just substitutes of their charter programe, so no real increase. TJ obviously has other ideas. Monarch at LTN seem to be stagnating.

Would have thought at least Luton - Almeria would have worked.

[airhumberside]

Birmingham is getting busy for Low Costs:

bmi baby
Flybe
My Travel Lite
Monarch

I agree, Luton - Almeria would work

Could we see ALC and Faro from BHX in the future?

[Buster the Bear]

Why worry about extra Monarch, bring on extra real low cost travel..... in January from Ryanair!

Mr Jeans knows enough about Birmingham and Manchester with his time at My Travel Lite, so expanding there seems natural.

A daily Almeria and Malta as an example, would be ideal for Monarch from Luton.

http://whipsnade.co.uk/picturelibrary/jpeg150/br/brown_bear_120_wide.jpg

[Dan319]

Man to Malta would be very popular, if he gets into Malta before his old employer. The Times of Malta reported yesterday that Ryanair are in advanced stages of negotiations, hoping to make an announcement next month.
About time GB and KM had some serious competition.

Dan :cool:

[jmc757]

Interesting to see that this round of expansion will see ZB's accounting for 50% of Monarchs activities for the first time ever! I assume this will make Birmingham a 2 aircraft base. One charter and one schedueld? A321s i also assume?

[runway14141414]

Press release says a 'brand new' 321 and also more routes from BHX to follow most probably Alicante, Faro etc...

[we_never_change]

Initially, these new services will be operated by a based A320 with an A321 operating various ITs.

WNC

[330-Purser]

Fabulous news for Brum. I'm sure the daily services will go down a treat, especially TFS.

Is there going to be any life left in charter airlines soon? Seems everyone is turning lo-co!

[im going in]

WNC

It will be 2 321's that are based at BHX. The 320's will be operating on the other new exciting destinations yet to be announced.

[LGS6753]

Monarch have a clever strategy in developing new 'ZB' routes. They put the ZB flight on a MON charter run, on similar day, similar times. This helps build the route until it can have frequencies added. That was the way they started, and have recently continued with Luton to Las Palmas and Arrecife.

I guess the BHX flights will supplement some of their charters, and allow them to add capacity in a measured way.

IMHO the next Luton destinations should be Fuerteventura and perhaps somewhere Greek (Heraklion or Corfu - summer only).
In addition, they could add frequencies (especially to Faro). But at LTN they are head to head with EZY on AGP, FAO and ALC.

[hapzim]

A LTN -Tel Aviv and/or Pafos would also go down well if slots can be found. :ok:

[Hudson Bay]

Don't Flybe operate to Faro? I thought they announced it a few days ago along side there fleet expansion.

[dada]

mark my words they will be a force to recon with on the loco front from next year. mr j is one switchd on cookie and one of the nicest blokes you could ever wish to work for.

[runway14141414]

There is an interview in the local press tonight with Mr Jeans and he says that these two services are "just the start and we intend to build a much larger operation" also that they "aim to carry 1 million pax per year from BHX in the near future". looks like they're really gonna go for it.

[colegate]

Flybe and bmibaby beware. Monarch is a VERY good scheduled operator. It will rapidly become the preferred operator on AGP and it will build on the real strength that it has established at LGW and MAN. Good luck to them.

IMHO neither Flybe nor bmibaby has a cat in hell's chance of competing successfully against Monarch.