Isle of Wight Airport [Archive]

captainyonder

22nd Jul 2006, 12:02

How can a fully laden PA-31 operate out of either Sandown or Bembridge, it isn't possible. Also, how is it even possible that this airline will make money charging £75 a ticket? Let's say they have discounted landings at LCY, they'd probably be paying somewhere around the £300 a landing mark, plus fuel of lets say £90 for the 30 minute sector plus nav charges or somewhere around the £80 mark plus handling probably around the £140 mark (halve that for the one sector so lets say £70). The initial cost for one sector is somewhere around £610, split between 6 passengers that's £100 each......how can it possibly work!?!

DVR6K

22nd Jul 2006, 12:39

I also can't quite understand how any of these projects can work at all. The maths didn't work for Alpha One (nor did the website for that matter...) and it would take a brave man to start yet another domestic airline promising cheap fares from somewhere to London in a Cheiftan. I recall a service from Exeter into London a few years back that must have flown for all of a week or so before it disappeared - in a Cheiftan.

Good luck to all involved, but it seems like they're covering ground that many have tried to a thousand times before. If it was possible to make a small domestic service like this work it would have been done before, God knows I thought about it when I was doing my PPL in a PA28 years ago!

Feel guilty about giving them stick already mind...

chevvron

22nd Jul 2006, 13:24

I'm tempted to say 'oh no not another one'.

Small aircraft can do well on these routes; Westward Airways used to run Exeter - Gatwick (then on to Rotterdam) using Titans and they apparently did very well.

Pilotdom

22nd Jul 2006, 13:37

Its £75.00 plus airport tax it all depends how much tax they charge,tickets could be up to £120 easily!

captainyonder

22nd Jul 2006, 13:58

One article I've just read has quote £91 plus tax. At say £100 each way I can't see them getting too many passengers.

slj

22nd Jul 2006, 19:16

For an airline starting operations in August (presume it is 2006)it is impossible to get any information of Air Wight. No webs site, nothing on the Sandown Airport site about what would be a major news item, and no response to an e mail to Sandown Airport asking for information.

Perhaps its a virtual airline.

airhumberside

22nd Jul 2006, 21:30

This sounds a lot like British North West Airlines to me

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=234179&page=2

niknak

22nd Jul 2006, 23:47

Minimum landing fee at London City is £500, plus mandatory handling fees, plus VAT. As far as I know there are no discounts for new operators "under a certain size of aircraft"
Running costs of the aircraft must be close to £700 per hour including crew.

It can't possibly be viable.

bycrewlgw

23rd Jul 2006, 06:00

Interesting one! May work. Depending on the fares for the ferry across then either the train or petrol down to london plus time taken compared to the flight cost - could be viable?? As long as Air Wight keep the fares realistic the route could work.

Lucifer

23rd Jul 2006, 11:19

Just ask - how many bankers want or need to get to Sandown?

Answers on a postcard.

captainyonder

23rd Jul 2006, 11:42

Lets work on a very generous average load of 5 during the first three months using my previous figure of £610 operating costs per sector. Lets assume that the average fare is £110 one way, so with five PAX the airline takes £550 and the flight costs £610 to operate, that's a loss of £60. Now multiply that by four for each sector per day and we're taking a daily loss of £240. Now they operate five days a week so that is a weekly loss of £1200, now over the three month trial period that means that they stand to loose £14,400! That is based on a load factor of 84%. IT CANNOT POSSIBLY WORK! Why don't people do the maths before they play aeroplanes?

Newforest

23rd Jul 2006, 14:28

IT CANNOT POSSIBLY WORK! Why don't people do the maths before they play aeroplanes?

A lot of guesswork and supposition by people who may or may not know what they are talking about on this subject. What if a consortium of high tech companies and there are many, on the I.O.W. wanted to subsidize their own service for their benefit and priority?

Buster the Bear

23rd Jul 2006, 16:05

A great idea to subsidise the travel, but when the weather takes a turn for the worse as happens in the winter, hotel bills will be rather astronomical! Unless of course the plan is to put an ILS into Sandown or Bembridge?

chevvron

23rd Jul 2006, 16:06

Newforest:That might work in the USA, but in England? You gotta be joking!

slj

25th Jul 2006, 05:48

With just 6 days to go before first flight of Wight Air still no reference about it on the Sandown Airport web site.

Still no e mail response from Sandown Airport to e mails asking for information of flights by Wight Air

Still no sign of a web site for the "new" airline.

fredtheanorak

25th Jul 2006, 06:59

Anyone told these guys about the Guernsey Transport Board or it's successor. Used to be known locally as the "Getthe****away Board" due to its record of making it difficult for any new airline to come into GCI in competition with their government owned airline. Is life still as fifficult down there for the donkeys?

bunnywabbit

25th Jul 2006, 07:41

:ok: Its not how many bankers need to get to Sandown.Its a question of how many MPs on the island need to get to London every day, plus the odd NHS Chief Exec. The plane will just smell of bull when it lands. Just think they will all be back here and able to clock in before overtime kicks in! Yes someone has done a lot of homework and I do not think it will be Jo Bloggs using this service.

slj

25th Jul 2006, 13:46

Fred

Aurigny has only been owned by the States of Guernsey for about three years. It is probably true to say that the privatlley owned Aurigny was protected in its monopoly of inter island flights. Actually, Rockhopper or whatever its called now, only succeeded in getting a foothold on the inter island services when Aurigny became state owned. I suggest this was more a reflection of the open skies policy of Jersey (Guernsey looks hard at what Jersey is doing) than the transport licencing people being open in their approach.

slj

26th Jul 2006, 09:59

Concerning the projected flights to London City next Monday I have just had a reply from the airport "Phone **** ****** (the aircraft owner) on 01983*****" Not much help or joy from an airport that would benefit if the service were to commence.

No reply yet from the editor of the Isle of Wight newspaper who ran the story as its lead last Friday.

SunDowner69r

31st Jul 2006, 13:57

Web site address
"Wight-air"

Editted to remove advertising link

slj

1st Aug 2006, 17:51

On BBC Channel Islands Spotlight this evening (Tuesday 1 August) there was film of a Wight Air aircraft arriving at Guernsey Airport with its owner suggesting that they will operate IOW Guernsey once a week hopefully for at least a year.

Guern

1st Aug 2006, 18:36

From Channel TV Website

"A new airline made its first landing at Guernsey today.

Wight Airlines is trialling a new service between the Island and the Isle of Wight using a 6 seater aircraft.

The owners say they'll see what interest there is in a service over the next 3 months.

The consortium behind Wight Airlines also has an interest in Sandown Airport and leisure facilities on the Isle of Wight.

They have plans to open additional routes to London City and Jersey. "

oyinbu

3rd Aug 2006, 06:38

One Partner of Wight airlines owns the airport, the other owns a flying school - plus several holiday camps in UK, both atpl's. There has to be some background to this project that we don't know about. They were aiming for a twin otter originally, prices started at £55 about 3 months ago, then £75 3 weeks ago, now £91 plus taxes each way - about £115. First flight happened yesterday. from your iow correspondant

slj

3rd Aug 2006, 07:45

I just wonder whether Bembridge airport with its concrete runway which seems a lot longer than the Sandown grass strip would be a better bet for scheduled services.

If there is a market from and to the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands then Rockhopper or whatever its called these days would be a better bet with its islander aircraft.

What do you think Guern?

Guern

3rd Aug 2006, 18:28

I wish them the best of luck, any extra routes from/to Guernsey are always welcome. :ok:
Personally I am not sure the demand is there for flights to the Isle of Wight from Guernsey, I hope I am proved wrong. Flights from one small catchment area to another small catchment area, I mean you would only do it if you lived on one Island and wanted to get to the other Island.
They were quoted in the Guernsey Press that they would be offering LCY via the Isle of Wight. But at £175 one way and a travel time of 3 hours I can't see many people using it. Plus I think it is only once a week so you have to find your own way back to Guernsey.
The whole attraction of LCY to business people is it's convieniece for the City, and to save time. To be honest I can be in the city by 8-45am having left here at 7, and I have a range of flights throughout the day to get back.
If they offered an GCI - LCY outwards first thing in the morning direct and a say 7pm flight back they might have some interest.
Any on a positive note good luck I hope it works out for you.:)

slj

4th Aug 2006, 07:30

Acccording to Isle of Wight Press today the Isle of Wight London City service started on Wednesday. There is a photo of the first paying passenger with his ticket which is LCY to Sandane which is in Norway?

Seemingly Aurigny are objecting to the competition on the IOW Guernsey route which is delaying matters. A bit rich actually as Aurigny were competing with everyone about 2 years ago losing about 2 milllion in the process.

Guern agreed with your analysis. It seems a little daft to advertise a through service to London (and attract Aurigny's displeasure) when the proposed service is to Guernsey is once a week with an aircraft positioned at Sandown.

Guern

4th Aug 2006, 19:20

Didn't realise Aurigny were objecting, not been anything in the media here about them objecting.

Six seater via IOW is hardly a threat to Aurigny I would have thought?

Wight Air did fly to GCI with various councillors etc for photo op for media. Don't know if they are due to start next week?