CARDIFF - 5

[caaardiff]

To sum up Forum #4.
FlyBe - We will just have to wait and see what they will decide for CWL. The timetable is all over the shop, so i'm guessing they are just playing around at the moment. Hopefully the Mar 1st annoucement regarding Bacon will bring news for CWL too.
BmiBaby - Lets just live in hope. Who knows, maybe next year will be the year they sort out CWL once BHX is sorted.
Highland Airways - Below article commenting due to flight schedule that any business pax will have less than 4 hrs in Cardiff
Businessmen from North Wales who catch the new intra-Wales flight from Anglesea to Cardiff Airport could have less than 4 hours in the capital before having to start their journey back, it has been revealed.
The aircraft will be based in Cardiff and could offer business passengers travelling from south to north a useful day's work in Anglesey or Bangor. But as the plane has to leave Valley before 18:00 on its last return journey to Cardiff, this dictates a late-afternoon departure as the second fllight from Cardiff to Anglesey.
Allowing for the one-hour flight time each way, travel between Cardiff and the airport, and check-in for the return journey, passengers flying south to the capital and returning on the same day would therefore only have from about 11:00 to 14:30 in the city. And on Fridays they would have to start back even earlier - at 13:30 - because the RAF shuts Valley airfield at 17:00.

Ground Inceident - Can comfirm there was an incident where a Blueline MD83 was jacknifed on pushback. The exact cause i dont know. A/c checked by engineer and cleared to continue back to CDG for next rugby flight.
A/c parked on stand 6 when it came back, so didnt need to be pushed again! :D :ok:
New Departures/Baggage area - Seems to be coming along nicely, maybe the company building this bit will actually make it within the deadline, or at least a few weeks late rather than a few MONTHS late!
Zoom - I doubt they will leave CWL anytime soon. They seem comfortable with how things are performing. I cant see Zoom UK doing any routes anytime soon though. I read elsewhere Zoom CA are to get an extra 757 this year. And also speculation that Zoom UK will lease one of the Canadian 763's for a few months. Talk is the 757 doing charter work from Canada to Carribean. But Would CWL-YYZ be possible direct on a 757? (Ambitious i know!)

[PPRuNe Pop]

The very first post on a new thread and it contains advertising i.e. Cardiff Hotels!!! It's against the rules and you must abide. We didn't make them but them IS the rules.

The mods

[babymax]

Is it true xl airways are in talks with airport management about returning to CWL next summer as a base?

[caaardiff]

Is it true xl airways are in talks with airport management about returning to CWL next summer as a base?
It has been talked about, and i think there could be a good chance of it, but its only speculation.
I doubt management will let anything slip just yet :sad:

[airhumberside]

But Would CWL-YYZ be possible direct on a 757? (Ambitious i know!)
Yes. B757 certainly has the range

[mathers_wales_uk]

Spoke to an Airport Duty Manager last week and they said that at the moment the new baggage recalim area is on schedule, even possibly ahead of scheduel. At least they have learnt their lessons from the company that constructed the new pier.

It would be strange if XL were to have a base at CWL again this summer especially when it would only be 6 months since they pulled out. What would be the reason for them coming back if they did? Thought they were doing ok at BRS. Would they continue to use Servisair or would the contract be up for grabs again?

Lets wait and see whats going to happen with the announcment of FlyBe/Bacon which should be on the 1st. Hopefully they will add more routes from CWL, but it could be possible that they will pull out alltogether if their having trouble recruiting pilots for the A/C as rumoured. Surely they can't hold off announcing new routes (if any) for much longer.

[caaardiff]

Apologies, wasn't reading it properly. I was talking about summer next year. They have taken a a few new a/c within the last year, and i think 2 more are due by summer. The a/c would probably be available. With the only new bases being DUB and STN (1 a/c each). There's alot going on with XL on the continent at the moment, so who knows where these a/c would go.
This summer coming would be leaving it a bit late!

[babymax]

i heard summer 2008 they will be returning with a base theres quite a few 737-800s being delivered to them throughout year and apparantley Cwl is on the list.lets hope so.

[mathers_wales_uk]

Nice to see that the Airport has finally updated it's website.

It's announcment of the North - South route nearly a week later than it was actually announced.

Everything seems quiet at the moment now. Just waiting to see what flybe are going to do.

[mmeteesside]

Don't forget alongside the DUB + STN bases there is also the base out in LCA/PFO in Cyprus, 2 aircraft worth I believe, taking over from the old Helios/Ajet operation.

[bamcb38c]

maybe my eyes decieved me but was there a white tailed 757 outside this morning? sure i saw one whilst we where running up our 744. any ideas on why it was there?(if it was there of course).

[Antdenatale]

Hi Guys,

Sorry if this is in the wrong section, please feel free to move if it is.

I have been looking for flights for a colleague to fly over from Belfast to Cardiff in June. Tried booking a ticket on-line through Flybe but run into problems, it is showing 2 flights from Belfast but only 1 flight back. Does anyone know if this is an error?

My colleague would prefer to fly from Belfast City rather than International, so do you think a second flight from Cardiff to Belfast well be coming soon?

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

just reading a recent news article on the aiports website about bmibaby new business initiative with interest, it seems good and a useful service to those that will be using cardiff airport.

But something did catch my interest within in the article,

"bmibaby will continue to invest in its network and service from Cardiff International airport. We announced last month that we were retiming our first flight of the day to Belfast International to a more business friendly departure time of 7am and have further plans in the pipeline"

Ummm?????? i wonder what he means by that, they surely arent going to anounce another route or keep Prague on are they?

[cwl4eva]

Heard rumours of bmibaby starting Rome a while back to help 'kick start' the airports no hope of a wishlist. I doubt they would start anything other than Knock knowing how ambitious they are.

[TwinAisle]

Well, it looks like any pretence that baby is a proper low cost airline has been swept away....

Frequent flyer miles? Flexible tickets? No limits on hand luggage?

The airline with tiny fares indeed.... my guess is that the vast majority of their punters would rather see smaller fares than frequent flyer miles. There is a reason that Ryanair (love them or hate them) grow year on year in passenger numbers and profit - it is because they focus on low fares and resist the temptation to add frills.

Baby will learn that they are entering dangerous waters here - as soon as an airline ceases to strive to be the best or the cheapest, life gets tougher...

TA

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

I'm doubtfull of anything major hapening, maybe just another increase or decrease in schedules.

Oh and you can still book prague through the travel agents way past July, hummm either they have a super slow response to changes in airlines schedules or another carrier/or WW are keeping the route, surely theres a reason for that, you carn't go booking people on flights that dont exist.:ok:

[cwl4eva]

4 engines 4 longhaul where did you find this press release? I've looked on the bmibaby website its there but doesn't mention CWL just the Midlands, is it on another site?

[TwinAisle]

a recent news article on the aiports website

Clue.... :hmm:

[cwl4eva]

Yes I saw that bit earlier on, and that is exactly what I did - look on the airport's website and it doesn't hold that exact quote in any of the recent press releases which is why I asked 4 engines 4 longhaul....

[mathers_wales_uk]

At CWL this scheme doesn't offer much more than the airline allready does. BmiBaby allready has online check-in, Lounge access for £15.

Unlimited weight is a joke for 1. It still has to fit inside the dimensions. 2. Majority of business pax would not require much more if any of the 10kg allowance to normal passengers. 3. If it doesn't fit inside the dimensions then it will have to be checked in and which will mean a charge of £6 each way at the airport.

How will BmiBaby passengers be able to claim these business points? As BmiBaby has opted to use a rubbish check-in facility, i don't think it will recognise the swipe readers.

How many passengers would want to pay £15 fro approx half an hour to 3/4 of an hour.

And regarding the availability to switch to an earlier flight free of charge, and a later flight for a one off charge of £35. At CWL there is only two flights daily to EDI and BFS and Once daily to Glasgow. So really it doesn't really apply to CWL.

With Flyme having 2 or 3 Astraeus a/c available after it went bust it would be great if BmiBaby got hold of them and have one at CWL.

Too be honest i'll be very suprised if there will be anymore route announcments by BmiBaby from CWL this summer unless it's waiting to see what FlyBe are planning.

Could we be seeing a possible battle evolving soon?

Just some of my views feel free to debate this matter further.

cheers :ok:

[TwinAisle]

cwl4eva - the quote you are looking for is word for word from the article on the airport's website, exactly as 4 engines 4 longhaul noted.

I won't quote it again here, but have a look at the third from last paragraph.

TA

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

Could we be seeing a possible battle evolving soon

Well there might be that possibility, If FlyBe do decide to ex[and from Cardiff then this could upset BMI as they are the only LCC on domestic from Cardiff and the other regional’s there are no threat as they don’t operate any of WW's route's, add a well know competitor then this might p**s them off a bit. As we should know by now the BACon takeover has been put back until some point next week, and nothings for sure until the official announcement from that, you could look at it two ways:-

They pull out of Cardiff completely and keep the current BACon services from BRS without Zurich from BRS.

Or alternatively they give good old Cardiff ago :O , decide to open one or two new routes possibly compete with WW and really get that airport on its feet. Good competition can only mean the possibility of more routes' at lower prices and at higher capacity per day.

[TwinAisle]

A battle with flybe at Cardiff?

I really doubt it. Flybe seem to be terribly short of crews - have a look at their website - it looks like a lot of the BACON crews have looked into their tea-leaves, said "bugger that for a laugh" and have found employment elsewhere; flybe seem to be looking to take anyone past first solo at the moment....

Flybe are much more likely going to be taking over proven BACON routes with the resources they have, rather than start a major bunfight in somewhere like Cardiff. The fur may well fly at BHX, where a phoney turf war is being fought already in preparation for open hostilities between flybe and baby in the weeks and months ahead. Jim French will no doubt remember Operation Barbarossa, and leave Cardiff well alone....

TA

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

Thas true TA, well lets think briefly, its probably a >90% chance that they just keep BHD but that schedule is all to pot, so it may be dropped before year end, well we have to put it lightly not upset some spotters in this forum, but uhm they seemed to have left thread well alone:E

[mathers_wales_uk]

Forgive me if i'm wrong but i find the current schedule very suspicious. Theres something not right at all with the schedule of the CWL - BHD.


Origionally there was an announcment of Twice Daily flights to BHD. Now

The A/c comes in from BHD and arrives at 08:10

At 12:45 it goes from CWL - BHD and returns at 15:25

There is a gap of over 4 and a half hours between the inbound and the outbound in the morning. Then the A/C returns to CWL.

What is going to happen for that a/c for the over 4 hours in the morning? And how will the A/C get back to BHD to operate the flight to CWL the next morning?

Theres got to be a logic behind this otherwise it's completly daft. I'm not in the know about Flybe or BAConnect, but whats the chances of them pulling out of BRS and going to CWL considering the strong competition of EasyJet?

I'm just interested as i work in the airport and really want the airport to succeed and have more destinations.

Cheers :ok:

[TwinAisle]

Have to say that Mathers has a point here - this flybe timetable looks as though they are going to use CWL as cheap parking rather than anything else.
My take on it - the aircraft kicks off in BHD at 0705, gets in at 0810. It then goes somewhere else (your guesses are as good as mine, but I would look for somewhere about 80 minutes away, so about 300 miles-ish).

It then comes back at noon-ish, to operate the afternoon service back to BHD (1245-1345), and turns around to come back to CWL (1425-1535). It must then go somewhere else, otherwise we are going to have the entire flybe fleet here in CWL in a matter of weeks! :}

That looks like it over the summer.

However, at the start and the end of the season, there is this strange second sector, 2000-2105 finishing in BHD. Which suggests that an aircraft leaves BHD, goes somewhere else and then comes back through CWL on its way home to BHD.

There is something else coming folks.

TA

[a1234]

Well apparently a friend of mine who actually booked this flight for a day return has been told on contact with the call centre that there are still two returns a day at 12.45 and 20.05 so I think we are in the dark until they finalise this takeover of Ba connect. I really doubt they have any more routes in store for CWL - as someone said they are basically testing the water at the moment.

[TwinAisle]

There are certainly two returns a day, according to the timetable, but not over the summer!

Still reckon that the pattern suggested by the timetable means another destination....

TA

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

It's gotta be another route, unless they shimmy about the times at BRS and use our aircraft to do a route from there in the 'time-off' period, but that seems highly unlikely, but anythings possible!!!!!!

[flyerboy]

Perhaps you should try thinking outside the box. The original BHD timings were just a red herring. When the BE/BACON deal is finally sealed BE will inherit an airport they dislike with a vengeance. Through BACON that airport will supply them with slots into a "so called" blue riband airport. Their one major hub that does not have flights there will no doubt use slots 1,5 and maybe 3 leaving slots 2 and 4 to go elsewhere. Just in case you still cannot work it out slots 2 and 4 depart the UK at 0840 and 1600.

[MerchantVenturer]

Its is certainly something that would fit the currently published BHD-CWL timetable, except that at present there is no evening CWL-BHD shown for much of the coming summer, although of course this could be rectified.

So if CWL gets the current BACon CDG 0840 and 1600 departures from BRS (and return flights of course), where are you suggesting the other three daily
BACon BRS-CDG rotations will go - SOU?

BTW, I thought that BE was more put out with easyJet at BRS than with the airport.

I don't know why they should be. Business is business.

[Smile!!!]

Well, it is all done now. Prauge to end 22nd May 2007. On the bmibaby schedules, and on wikipedia. So its definative, unless someone else steps in, there will be no route too Prauge this summer.

Onto BE, we will just have too wait until the BA/BE merger is done too see what is goping too happen, on the BRS thread from the 12th, there are only to be 2 ERJ145s at BRS. So we can safley assume for the moment, that they havent got big plans for BRS. The schedules, would think that there was another route, but it may just be cheap parking. We will all have too see.

Baby rumours of going for the ex- Flyme 733s, so there may be an extra aircraft for CWL there. But IMHO Jet2 will get these aircraft, unless ofcourse Astraeus want them.

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

unless someone else steps in
Well we could safely say probably not, TOM sched is packed for summer and they dont have the capacity for that distance flight with how the current schedule looks, unless the BRS aircraft moves over which i doubt will be for at least a year if it happens at all. And no other airline is likely to pick up PRG currently. Uless WW do there own Ebay with aircraft and make a good bid for one or two of FlyMe's 73's lol.

FlyBE Could swing either way, free parking vs a new route, well as TA said a short route no more than 80 mins maybe Paris but with Easy going double daily at BRS maybe FlyBE may hold back, after all most of the people in S/W will know theres no Paris route by now.

[Smile!!!]

Yes, but on CDG, BA/BE will no longer operate the route from BRS. That is why EZY are expanding to 2XDaily. As there are only 2 aircraft going too be at BRS after the merger, my guees would be the German routes will stay, as BE are scared of EZY. The aircarft, also has a bit longer than 80 minutes doesnt it? 100 minutes I thought.

TOMs schedules are packed with even more routes this year so they are probably out, until at least after the summer. But they could do a bug suprise on us and somthing extremley dramatic.

The unless someone else steps is remark, is really a bit of a fantasy, as we can see TOM cant, BE wont, WW extremley unlikley, unless they get some of the ME aircraft (Thy wont IMHO). And that leaves, ... um ... Nobody.

[TwinAisle]

I think 80 minutes is a better guess than 100....

Gets in a 0810.
Turnround - 40 minutes (based on the timetable) - out at 0850.
80 minutes later - arrives X - 1010.
Turnaround - leaves 1050.
Back into CWL - 12.10
Out at 1245....

100 is pushing it, I reckon....

TA

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

Another fly in the oitment, Paris is primerally a business route or will be used for connecting to a different destination, we already have KLM and AMS offering worldwide connections, the timings are totally un-business friendly and therefore im thinking more of a touristy route or one which the timmings wouldnt matter so much.

Slightly mixed up paragraph feel free to correct me:ok:

[mathers_wales_uk]

yeah thats true unless they shuffle the schedule about.

Cardiff got 4 diversions from BRS again today, 3 EazyJets and 1 KLM (Operated by Transavia)

With regards to BmiBaby bidding on the FlyMe a/c. I would love it if this were to happen, but to be honest they have been very cautious in everything they do and not spring up suprises (except for dropping the prague). It would be out of character for them to bid and do a suprise by expanding from CWL. I'm sure there would be other airlines that would put in a much better offer for them. Or could we see BmiBaby changing their ways?

:ok:

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

As far a field destinations go TOM is CWL's best and virtually only hope, lets face facts WW are probably not going to get the FlyMe 73's they just dont have the funding or resources to facilitate such a purchase. TOM may be watching PRG with interest if they see WW dont pick it up again during winter then they might pick up the route, with extra aircraft coming from bases that are closing and some 738 yet to be delivered they may yet srping a few more routes upon us, and hopefully one of them might be PRG.

Although i do have one question longhaul seems to have rather dull at Cardiff recently is there any progress on any longhaul routes or indeed a new carrier to the airport?

[mathers_wales_uk]

to be honest i very much doubt that we'll see anything more from CWL for the summer. (Except for possible flybe route). I know that MON will not be operating out of here in S07.

Been looking at the building sight from the Gate 1 entrance in departures. It's seems quite big when you look at it close up with lots of rooms. Does anyone know if they will be expanding the retail are or what they will be putting on the the first floor?

I noticed half of the Nuance shop is boarded up and split on to the opposite side, anyone know the reason of this?

Been looking at the scheduling for S07 and Futura think that they will be operating a flight from CWL to Shannon & Arecife. I've been told that they do this every year but don't operate it.

Blue Islands loads to Guernsey is picking up. Sat there was 5 inbound and 8 outbound, shame there isn't a larger carrier operating the route because i'm guessing it would be a popular route in the summer.

:ok:

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

Another question will the viewing area ever be open again at cwl?

With reference to Futura they skip about all the time in CWL with charters but there site seems very ummm cofusing to get around?

[masterblasterCWLBHX]

Nuance are just having a jolly good refurbish! At the moment (from what ive heared) the top floor of the extension will not be opened to any more retail/catering outlets however in the old tanning world there will be one small retail unit and a small catering unit once all the tenders are in. Rumour is that the catering will be going out to a new concessionee as somebody in the ivory tower thinks that competition is a good thing- Bad Idea.

[mathers_wales_uk]

what will the top floor in the new extension be open to then? Will it just be a seating area?

What they going to do where Mel's kitchen was?

Are they going to move central search downstairs and turn the whole of upstairs into departures? I heard this months ago but not had it confirmed. I think this would be brilliant because lots of passengers are late to the gate because Burger King, Food Village and the Bar is the first things they see once they go upstairs, and naturally thats where they stay untill the flights have been called.

Cues in Security were really bad this afternoon. 3 BmiBaby flights, 2 Thomson Flights & KLM. This caused delays to nearly all the WW's, and it's not even summer.

Cheers

:ok:

[teifiboy]

Oh dear Smile!!! When will you ever learn. Do you not take any notice of the postings by the mods??

[CWL_Chris]

CWL-CDG announcement also now on the Cardiff Airport website!

Nice to see the route back to be honest.

[a1234]

I'm sure I read somewhere that Flybe were also going to announce ABZ today, anyone have any more on this because it was somewhere! Surprised that they haven't taken on GLA now that baby have it down as 1 a day, more to come in the next months?

[MonkeyB]

a1234,

I hadn't heard that they were planning on announcing Aberdeen today but I had heard that they are planning on announcing several new routes from Cardiff before the year is out, including Aberdeen.

I think that there will be quite a bit to settle down over the coming weeks routes wise, plus of course crewing issues. But the routes announced today are not the final picture.

MB

[4 engines 4 longhaul]

Nuice to see a vital connection re-established at Cardiff, Will flyBe soon be basing an aircraft at the airport and have a crew base there as well, or am i looking to far in the future? I myself wouldnt think they would do too bad operating a Newcastle service, if eastern can fill there small aircraft with stupidly high fare then surely FlyBe could make a better business model out of this route.

I also take back post number 24 ooops lol

[mathers_wales_uk]

i like the sounds of this masterplan and the extensions (if it goes ahead). Ive read it but too be honest the plans for future developments are so small that it's not possible to see it. (when i use ZOOM it just blurs).

Good news that flybe are operating a Paris.

BRS Diversions again tonight. 4 EasyJets, more had to go elsewhere as theres not enough room at CWL. Wouldn't it be an idea to extend the tarmac by stands 4, 5 & 6 so they could get an extra a/c in there because theres plenty of grass. And the same with the grass in between Echo and Stands 15-17. (put floodlights on echo)

It's a shame that every time BRS goes tits up then we can only have a handful of a/c. We can't use echo in the night as it's not lit up. Surely JH would want all the diversions he could get, looks good on the pax figures and extra revenue.

:ok:

[PPRuNe Pop]

This forum is called Airlines, Airports and Routes. A few of you are denigrating it by posting absolute rubbish about restaurants and other such twaddle. And ads are re-appearing.

This is supposed to be a professional forum but some of you sound like children throwing your toys out of the pram. Two of you are taking a 'rest' from posting - that is a mild remedy - but it could turn into a ban.

It has also not gone unnoticed that some interesting people who usually post here have gone missing! It's not difficult to understand why!

This thread is now closed. Another can be started, but to those people who have hitherto been serving up inane posts. You will lose their PPRuNe privileges if it continues.

The mods