EasyJet to close a German base

[heli_port]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/314339b2-38b0-11dd-8aed-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid=d3532e34-27ed-11dd-8f1e-000077b07658.html

EasyJet (http://markets.ft.com/tearsheets/performance.asp?s=uk:EZJ) is expected to close its operating base at Dortmund in Germany later this year, the first time either the UK low-cost carrier or Ryanair (http://markets.ft.com/tearsheets/performance.asp?s=ie:RY4B), its Irish rival, has closed part of their extensive network of European bases.

[Telstar]

Ryanair were very quick to gloat about this on their website, but internal company rumours suggest this has come close to happening at one base before. People in glass houses.....

[Right Way Up]

Ryanair management are quick to gloat about most things. Obviously when you walk into a Ryanair managers office you leave all class & morals behind. Little gems like welcoming recession, brashly naming competitors to go bust are all little soundbites that prove that MOL & his minnions are particularly unsavoury. Hopefully what goes around...........
I just feel sorry for the workers who have to deal with these muppets.

[kingair9]

EasyJet said its problems in reaching an acceptable level of profitability in Dortmund had been exacerbated by the early 10pm night-time curfew on operations, which had eroded its competitiveness.

Just to stay with the facts and as info for those who do not know DTM so well: The 10pm curfew was always there, already when EZY chose DTM as a base and it was never implied or even seemd likely that this curfew would be changed to 11pm or even later.

The 10pm curfew is normal on most German airports but usually these other airports have exceptions such as "Home Base carriers may land scheduled until 11pm and delayed until midnight" or similar.

[outofsynch]

There will still be operations from DTM, but not with locally based pilots. It is just the 'crew' base which is proposed to close.

[Wigster]

Just for the record, EZY is rationalising all its smaller bases with a view to making them more profitable and as the previous post stated, it is only the crew base which is closing. All the flights will be as normal but crewed from other bases.

[Husky One]

All flights will not be as normal. There will be a significant reduction in rotations ex DTM

[Wingswinger]

Just so we can be clear - the closure of DTM as a crew and aircraft base is not yet certain. The company is in a 90-day consultation period the outcome of which may be the closure of DTM -or not, if someone has some bright ideas.

[gusset fresh]

The 10pm curfew is normal on most German airports but usually these other airports have exceptions such as "Home Base carriers may land scheduled until 11pm and delayed until midnight" or similar.

Almost all German airfields have strict closure times, but none (unfortunately) have the above allowance. Having said that they do give extensions - although they require so much info its sometimes easier to get a mortgage ;)

A 20z closure is mighty early though - no wonder EZY are struggling to make it work :{

[Kraut]

The 90 day consultation period is just there, to be there.
There will be no bright ideas to solve the problem. Otherwise EZY management would have missed them for a long time!
Management explained all the reasons to close, why should that change?
Additionally AH propagates for quite a long time "go with bigger bases, but less smaller bases". So it is also a strategically change, starting now.

The biggest mistake was, establishing DTM as a base. It was obviously only steered by airport fees and other "financial advantages".
I was very astonished, when EZY announced that base to be opened. But I am only one of the "operational undereducated, missing the big picture pilots".:)

[st nicholas]

Dont hold your breath for the EMA base, what with MAN opening up.

[Speevy]

But I am only one of the "operational undereducated, missing the big picture pilots".:)

That's VERY far from the truth..

Speevy

[Kerosene Kraut]

Dortmund is right within Germany's most populated area. Certainly not a bad market.

[fendant]

Sorry KK, DTM is not WITHIN it is in fact at the East End of the Ruhrgebiet, DUS is more convenient for most of the population.

[Kerosene Kraut]

DUS ain't bad - true. But DUS is heavily slot restricted, more expensive to use and both AB's and LH's home terrain. You still get a double digit million people around the greater DTM area , think about it as the "poor man's DUS". Not bad either.

[Keyvon]

will be very interesting to see if FR will challenge U2 even in Berlin, now that are expanding their operations in the capital town.

It will be also good to see FR coming to DTM with a couple or more of popular routes e.g. STN, GRO, ALC from their present bases.. considering that EZY's presence will shrink dramatically by the end of the summer and nobody could replace them quickly.

W6 has already announced they will take over BUD..which seems that is going to be axed by EZY, along with many others.

[cesare.caldi]

All the flights will be as normal but crewed from other bases.

It's not possible to operate all flights: route from DTM to ALC, BCN, BUD, KRK, AGP, PMI, PRG, CIA and SKG are now impossible to operate crewed from other bases because these airport are not Easyjet base.

[Airbourne-Adamski]

These routes can operate as a W pattern.

Example LTN-DTM-ALC-DTM-LTN
Long sector days I know, butit is certainly a viable way of continuing routes fron DTM

[cesare.caldi]

There is a rumors about a possible clousure of Easyjet base also at EMA and NCL. Any news?

[Airbourne-Adamski]

No News...............

It is purely Galley FM as always, and the usual bull gossip doing it's rounds.
People forget that there are crew at these bases and spreading rumours such as this affects those people involved. People need to be more carefull what they say.

[cesare.caldi]

In the next days will be put on sale the winter flight and will know if this rumors are true or false...

[Doug the Head]

These routes can operate as a W pattern.

Example LTN-DTM-ALC-DTM-LTNOr what about a lovely LTN-DTM-ALC-DTM, followed by a few days nightstopping in DTM in order to crew those early or late flights?

With EZY's 'new' policy of having fewer, but bigger bases, this looks like the future, so get used to sleeping in hotels.

[Ashling]

Cesare

I can say with a degree of certainty that Ncl is not currently in danger. It is not viewed as a small base by the company with 6 aircraft this summer and 5 next winter then back up to 6 (airbus) next summer.

DTM had some unique factors, namely the early curfew, and the company have been looking at it for some time. I would be very surprised to see a closure of either Glasgow or Edinburgh as both are profitable even if the crewing of easyJets fixed pattern is awkward.

Good luck to the guys currently at DTM our thoughts are with you.
That said with additional fuel costs of circa 400 mil with oil at 135$ a barrel