DURHAM TEES VALLEY AIRPORT - 5

[paarmo]

Actually Monarch might be good for both the airline and the airport. After all it has to be a two way street and there is no competition for Monarch to try and underprice.
I am not saying it is going to happen but if Monarch have spare capacity in the next 12 months it could do worse than cover it's costs by flying from MME.

[10 DME ARC]

Actually Monarch might be good for both the airline and the airport. After all it has to be a two way street and there is no competition for Monarch to try and underprice.
I am not saying it is going to happen but if Monarch have spare capacity in the next 12 months it could do worse than cover it's costs by flying from MME.


Paarmo - No Competition!! Do you live in dream land? What do you call Easy/Flybe/Ryanair/Thompson/Thomas Cook plus other at Newcastle, J2/Ryanair +charters at Leeds ????:ugh:

[paarmo]

Stop snapping like a rottwieler 10 and look at the name at the top of the thread. MME has no competition.Then read the post. It is a gentle aside not a rallying cry for action.

[andrewmcharlton]

MME has no competition

Paarmo you posted this and got a response and don't like it?

Calm down kids.

[BYALPHAINDIA]

True MON/ZB don't do much in your area, Think they just do Orlando with the 330 from NCL?

DTV could be a good starting point for MON/ZB?

But it would have to be as a kind of Loco Op serving ALC, AGP, TFS?

I really like DTV always have done, And I would be very sad if you ended up like HUY clutching at straw balls!!

Waiting for Jet 2 - But it will be a long wait!!

Where would HUY be without T3?

How long will T3 last?

A friend of mine a senior T3 J41 Driver has told me all 'What goes on at T3' and that it could all end tomorrow?

Sometimes there is only 1 crew on standby in the whole of the uk!!

And he has to run to change aircraft most of the time at ABZ, It's a crazy operating procedure.

I have't seen him since January so that says something!!

Back to MON, I think they could work well at DTV and just use a single 320 or 321 on certain flights ie TFS.

But can MON/ZB be trusted after the BLK 'Fiasco'?

I would gamble.

[pug]

I really like DTV always have done, And I would be very sad if you ended up like HUY clutching at straw balls!!

Waiting for Jet 2 - But it will be a long wait!!

Where would HUY be without T3?



DTV has slipped below HUY in pax numbers and i believe services too...

HUY also have KLM, the second busiest heliport supportin the offshore gas fields and some maintainence operations on the airfield. It is reportidly still returning a profit. Im not sure of DTV's accounts but Peel Airports division are hardly stable.

If anything i would suggest that, with BMIbaby highlighting, that airports like DTV and HUY struggle to work with that type of lo-co operation. Unfortunately DTV have found out the hard way.

I would also suggest that MME is in a worse position that HUY competition wise. NCL and LBA having attracted most of the airlines thinkable. DSA has hardly made a big impact in Yorkshire.

I also dont understand why you think Jet2 at HUY is unlikely. I have it from a number of reliable people that it is in for a chance, just not next year.

[BYALPHAINDIA]

With TOM decreasing services at nearby DSA, I wouldn't be surprised if LS made an offer there?

DSA, DTV & HUY all need to work together as funny as it seems in order to remain operational.

We know that it is Highly unlikely that LS will go into DTV, Due to NCL, Unless they vacate NCL for any reason.

So MON/ZB would be more suited with DTV.

And DSA or HUY would be suited to LS & EZY and maybe FR at DSA?

I cannot see FR returning to HUY anytime.

A strategy can be worked out where nobody upsets one another, By using certain smaller airports.

What we don't want is LS V FR at Airports and LS V TOM or TOM V EZY or whatever.

That will not achieve anything in the long term.

FR have got STN so leave them to STN.

LS have got LBIA so leave them to LBIA

I can see trouble ahead at LBIA when FR come into the theatre?

But we have DSA, LBIA & HUY all in a radius of about an hour, And there are only so many people travelling now with the Euro Zone taking a kicking.

These Airports need to sit down and work out a 10 year survival plan ASAP!!

[pug]

But all of that is assuming that the airports you mention all rely solely on airline pax revenue. I would suggest that diversity is the key to a strong future.

Ive posted elsewhere that DSA is a highly unlikely choice for LS. Its from the horses mouth too, so to speak... Easyjet would be great for DSA, it aint gonna happen though. TOM will continue to increase/decrease their movements and offerings in line with the fickle trends of pax. FR will not return to HUY but they will be running summer only routes from DSA and DTV excluding DUB.

Returning back to the thread topic though. I dont think there is much else for airports like HUY and DTV to do except clutch at straws. Just look at other airports this size, most that have had significant growth rely largely on one airline for that. All it takes is one successful airline.... May never happen but you never know when things look up.

[10 DME ARC]

Paarmo - Thank you but I did know I was on the MME thread:hmm:
I say again if you think Newcastle and Leeds are no competition to MME then you need to lift your head out of the sand!
"rottwieler" no, realist yes!:rolleyes:

[paarmo]

Dear 10, being a mackem I can understand how you get confiused about airports. Airshows are more your forte I understand. Your hidden apology is accepted and I hope that one day you will visit an international airport other than to fly from it. I am sure that you would enjoy your visit and if it is to Teesside then we may be able to arrange an aircraft or two for you to see. ( Little single engine one person no standing and no toilets type of course )
Best wishes P.
AndrewC, Thank you for your input and I think I can fight my corner against anyone.
As another aside I hear that some Germans were getting the VIP treatment last week.

[highwideandugly]

Yes Paarmo you are right,however our brilliant management cocked it up as they mentioned the war!!!

Think you will find 10dme has more than enough experience to pass comment!! -he probably deals with more aircraft in one day than our toy town airport has in a month! Never mind we have Derry airport in our sights now(passenger figures),something to aspire to?

something that has always puzzled me,are we all creatures of the night on this thread?? its amazing how many posts are made around midnight?? Or is that when the tagging is taken off to flex the ankles?

[10 DME ARC]

Paarmo - hello again, the fact I come from Sunderland seems to give you the idea I am not in the aviation sector?? I have been around avaition for most of my life and visiting international airports, other than to fly from them for 27 years. I also spent many years flying those little planes at MME for pleasure. My prune name comes from a MME approach procedure 10dme arc to ILS both for Rw23 and 05.


And yes thanks High moving airliners in DXB now average 30,000 movements and 3+ million pax's a month at mo........

[paarmo]

Typical Mackem always touchy. Obviously you had to move away if you wanted a career in aviation because you are perhaps the only city in the UK not to have an airport.
On a more serious note if you are involved in the marketting of DXB then why not give MME a ring and give them a few tips.
I did realise what the username meant. I am thick skinned not thick.
Sorry for not replying sooner but Guy Fawkes was more important.

[OMGitsDAVE]

Saw the Southampton Flight circling DTV today, flying over Hartlepool pretty low!

Arrived 3 and a half hours late!

Scheduled Expected Landed
10.55 14.25 14.25

What happened there then?
T34701Southampton10:5514:25Landed 14:25
T34701Southampton10:5514:25Landed 14:25

[paarmo]

Busy day tomorrow apparently.
3 scheduled departures for the full day. RAF don't like flying at weekends so no training flights. Seems like a good day for a car boot sale on the runway.

[jamier]

Sorry paarmo but us RAF lads dont like working weekends!

[papa oscar]

paarmo, if you've nothing positive to say, shut up!!!
All you do is whinge and whine.

[oldart]

Someone in the RAF had to work this weekend, VC10 in from Gander this morning.

[paarmo]

Dear papa oscar,
you obviously got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning. I have reviewed my recent posts and can find no whinging or whining anywhere. If you only had positive posts on this thread then it would be very thin indeed. I am a commentator on MME and what I see and hear are sometimes of interest but usually not.If you don't find them of interest any of the time then perhaps you should put me on your ignore list.
In the meantime I will continue to post with the occassional amusing aside.

[paarmo]

Will the possible closure of fast jet training in the North of England and it's movement to Wales be a blessing in disguise? All air movements will still have to be over open unrestricted water or ranges in the North and MME is the ideal set down should things go wrong or the weather close in. It may be that MME is to be an auxillary reserve airport in the future with a small dedicated RAF repairs team.
There again the RAF may actually have thought things through and may have other plans in place.

[DTVAirport]

A press release has appeared on the airport website confirming the return of Ryanair next Summer to Alicante & Barcelona Girona.

[highwideandugly]

although not a great revenue earner,its nice to see quite a few flights that used to operate through newcastle come through DTV.mainly footie charters(arsenal today) and exec jets. Maybe our marketing team have got off their backsides at last????

[Parsnip]

Is it correct that Cleveland Flying School is no longer operating?
If so its a very sad day for the airport:sad:

[hatchetman]

Local ITV news covered a story a couple of weeks ago regarding the region being temporarily without Air Ambulance cover. It stated that the helicopter "based near Darlington" had run out of it's lease. Why is Pam Royle (who to my knowledge used to live in MSG) not refering to the airport by name ?

[Parsnip]

Spicejetter , thanks, that thread makes interesting reading, it looks like the end of the line for CFS. A great shame indeed. Its been a very long while since the days of Mike Cairnes but a sad way to end. There is nothing good happening at Teesside these days

[Bartrams]

October just released

total pax 23440 -58.4% on last year.

The good news is we stay ahead of Scatsta(thats in Scotland) who could only muster 23339 !

[uklad007]

am guessing no one is surprised by these figures now this late on in the year.....they are bad we know this - but given that we have for our scheduled 3x70 seat rotations to AMS (some of which get canx on a weekend) 2x29 seats to SOU (5 days a week) 4x29 seats to ABZ (5 days a week) + 1x29 seats on a Sunday and is it one weekly charter now to Spain - we cant be surprised at 58% drops on a YOY basis.

Just read on DTV website the availability of 34000 seats on Ryanairs two routes during the summer (same as this year!).... i think we can safely still make the announcement of "mind the gap" between MME in 2010 and MME pre 2008

At the risk of being put in a cage and asked to say whos a pretty boy then due to repeating here what is already been said a million times I cannot imagine for the life of me why the airport isnt able to attract one...just one... loco (i know airlines are having it tough and we have other airports around us with airlines full of shiny and not so shiny planes) to operate to at the very least the Costas, Balearics, Canaries and at a push to capitalise on what is also popular at the moment - Turkey/Cyprus. I am sure the old catchment customer base of MME has not stopped going on holiday (credit crunch or otherwise) to the point that no flights at all are viable from MME. All i hear when someone from that area goes on vacation and has to go from another airport is - "i wish we could go from Teesside" my parents have flown from Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle since the locos pulled out - and am sure they wouldnt if a local option was there.
and finally.....if MME doesn't get a Jersey next year from flybe (or similar) the management might as well just work from home going forward and put MME forward for the most carbon neutral airport in the world - which we will win, everyone will want to visit the green airport and airlines will be stacking over Yarm to get in......although as soon as someone turns on the engine of one of those buses (assuming they are still there!!!) our crown will be lost!

Note: On purpose i didnt open up the debate about a route to London for fear of hearing take the train (well NXP couldnt even get that right, they took it back to No10, which is a little more central thank Kings Cross!!!)...with BMI gone, its the car now, until BA launches a 4x daily from LHR on one of its last remaining B757's :\

[paarmo]

Weird isn't it UKLAD?
Excellent road infrastructure to and from the major UK Trunk Road network.Excellent parking and pick up drop off system with the lowest prices in the UK...£30 ish for a fortnight.Decent terminal building. Long runway with good ILS. Excellent weather closure record.Unlimited slots with night operations possible.Large catchment area. No flights.
I know everyone( me included at times ) slags off the management but I don't really see what more we can offer.
Suggestions on a postcard to the Marketing Dept Durham Tees Valley (still referred to by 90% of the world as Teesside) Airport.
As an aside Easyjet have a policy of not even looking at destinations with a train journey of 4 hours or less so I think that the LHR or any other London routes are ruled out as the journey time from Darlington to Kings Cross is 2hrs 25 mins and I would suggest that other airlines have a similar policy unless there are special circumstances.
PS If they organised a park and ride system into Middlesbrough from MME I would use it because it is cheaper to park there rather than Middlesbrough Town Centre. Just a thought.

[BALLSOUT]

Call me mad but my money is still on Ryanair opening a base at MME. The FR map has a big gap in the North East and MME would fill it well. Just about the whole of the UK seems covered with FR bases now, all within reasonable distance except the North East. That allong with the fact that MME Management would probably be willing to do the kind of deal M'ol likes, I don't think it will be long.

[tubtruck]

Great shame to here of the slow demise of BMI, remember the airline thats loco subsidiary dumped our local airport and then the main company followed suit not so long ago. Perhaps their present customers are as loyal as they were to our airport.:{:{:{

Just cashed my bag of points in for a few m and s vouchers as they no longer have any flight worth using for me.:ok:

[pug]

Call me mad but my money is still on Ryanair opening a base at MME. The FR map has a big gap in the North East and MME would fill it well. Just about the whole of the UK seems covered with FR bases now, all within reasonable distance except the North East. That allong with the fact that MME Management would probably be willing to do the kind of deal M'ol likes, I don't think it will be long.


What about the new LBA base and the likely expansion from there? Im sure that would put a stop to it to be honest. Also i dont suspect they would open a base if they cant operate their current flights year round.

[BALLSOUT]

LBA isn't in the North east, it's main task for ryanair is to take trafic from MAN, as is LPL. MME would serve a different catchment area. There are many routes that are only run on a seasonable bases to and from many of the bases. there are also many possible year round destinations that they could run from MME.

[pug]

Just because Leeds isnt classed as 'North East' doesnt mean that the flights from LBA wouldnt serve the Tees Valley region too. I cannot see them ever operating a base next to LBA, particularly to one which has a relatively small catchment area itself like MME.

I think its time to look towards the charter carriers when things pick up. BMIbaby proved there is no scope for significant lo-co expansion already.

It would also be able to carry ALC and GRO year round at least to warrant a base.

[BALLSOUT]

Just because BMI Baby can't make a base work doesn't mean Ryanair can't.
Baby are in a mess cos they don't seem to make it work at all. A Ryanair base at MME would serve the "North east", not the tees valley. let's wait and see.
I agree, ALC and GRO would work all year round. These are presently oporated with aircraft from those respective bases. Over the winter, I think you will find that ryanair put the aircraft on routes that pay more.

[rpmac]

Sadly Ryanair could not sustain a daily Dublin all year round, nor ALC and GRO . Flyglobespan could not make it work. BmiBaby could not make it work. Is there any reason to think someone else could? Where are the people of Teesside?

[Skyflier]

Isn't LBA Darlington (south west) in FR terms? Too close IMHO.

[Ops Guy]

How can you honestly think Ryanair would want to set up a base at DTV. Have you been reading this thread over the last 6 months?

As rpmac as previously said, Globespan and BMI baby couldn't make it work so how could Ryanair? B738's are hard to fill, day in, day out, at a small airport like DTV. Even the Dublin route wasn't sustainable.

Look at the current conditions facing the industry and your airport. Introduction of APD and pax numbrers -58%

Time to take your head out the clouds :(.

[pug]

I agree with what ops guy has said. I believe that MME's management should have stuck by the charter companies which operated before BMIBaby came in. If i remember correctly MME had quite a good charter programme? BMIbaby came in and messed it up, leaving all the eggs in one basket and then for Baby to pull out down the line. Its obvious the routes offered reached saturation point, problem is Peel have overestimated the demand, much like they have at DSA, hence why they are trying to distance themselves from those to concentrate on LPL now. :ugh:

As a result of the retreat of the charter routes, the airport has lost out to NCL in that respect now. Great shame realy.

[N707ZS]

Haven't we been through this before.

[mmeman]

Maybe Ryanair might not base at MME, but there maybe more flights from other bases. Load factor to ALC has never been below something like 85% during the summer (95% load factor in August), even with a 6.40am departure from ALC and all the competition from nearby airports! So when they open a new base in Malaga and Palma, MME might be chosen as a destination;)

[pug]

'mmeman' that seems far more plausable. In all, if those routes worked year round, and thats all of them listed above!, then it may encourage FR to consider a based aircraft and to add some more routes to increase utilisation. Until then i will stick by my origional opinion.

[tubtruck]

Its a canaries route the airport needs more than any other its also a route that may be well used all the year round.

[BALLSOUT]

Ops Guy, Not my airport mate. As far as the DUB is concerned, the NCL DUB has been seriously cut as well. Does that mean NCL is dead too? Get a grip.
Ryanair don't find it too dificult to fill 800's, they are doing a prety good job with the 202 they have allready and I'm sure they will manage to fill the 55 comming soon. As I have already said, just because baby & Globespan can't make MME work doesn't mean FR couldn't
I am pleased that I have livend up the Teesside thread anyway, I have made my bet, now let's just wait and see.

[pug]

BALLSOUT, do you work for FR per chance?

Do you not find it funny that, despite MoL's excuse about DUB charges for pulling (weak performing) routes, that many other airports retained their routes to DUB with FR. I ask you, if it wasnt the marginal performance of said routes which resulted in them getting the chop, what exactly was it?

[BALLSOUT]

Pug, Yes, and smoke & mirrors.

[paarmo]

Passenger figures suggest that 300,000 may not be reached this year.But Eastern with the Southampton route and Onur with a flight to Bodrum suggest that we may have reached the bottom of the cycle and figures are set to recover, albeit slightly, next year.
See Papa Oscar..no whingeing or whining just a view from the outside world.If as I imagine you are part of the management team look out for me on the ALC 01/12/09. With MME track record I would imagine you will even get the gender wrong.

[mattfalcus]

Apparently 'new flights for next summer' to be announced in the next couple of weeks, according to Emma Omerod from MME. Was in local paper's business section yesterday.

Is this just announcing what we already know - FR to GRO and ALC, TOM to PMI, Turkey flights etc? Or Can we expect something new?

Also, Holidays 4 U announced an extra Bodrum flight next summer, operating on Monday mornings with Onur Air.

[BombardierCR7]

Flybe to operate a Jersey flight, Saturday only service in Summer 2010.

[mattfalcus]

Nice one. Details are:

JER-MME BE1185 0940/1115
MME-JER BE1186 1140/1315

With Dash 8 Q400

29 May - 18 September

[MME4eva]

wow what's going on?looks like the MME management has finally sorted themselves out!!

Don't know if this is the 'more route news' as promised or if more is around the corner but definitely the minimum expansion to prove that MME has a future and to at least keep in line with the likes of HUY.

As for any further expansion, I wouldn't be surprised by TOM doing a few W pattern routes to the usual suspects of AGP, TFS and FAO to supplement the W pattern to PMI and the FR routes to ALC and GRO.

Just hope the sad news about Corus doesn't have too much of a detrimental effect on DTVA, especially the AMS route.

[DTVAirport]

MME4eva - management sorted themselves out? I wouldn't go that far!! But I certainly agree with your second paragraph.

I know it's off topic and call me ignorant, but what is Corus and what's happened to them? Presume it's a company gone bust?

[Jamesair]

Corus is the owner of the steelworks at Redcar which is being mothballed with 1,700 redundancies, which will have a knock-on effect on the whole area.

Very sad situation for all concerned

[MAN_Dispatcher]

Since Coventry Airport looks like it is closing, maybe DTV management should start talking to Atlantic Airlines/Air Atlantique immediately. I guess not much is going on in the hangars at DTV and they'd certainly be worth looking at as a new home for Atlantic with the fleet they have.

[N707ZS]

Two reasonable hangars full of junk, hangar one needs a bit of TLC and hangar five would need a bit of work to connect it back to the airfield.
Loads of room Southside for a brand new one if an investor could ever be found.

Lets hope DTV managment is reeding Pprune today! Would be good to replace some steel jobs.

[highwideandugly]

All this excitement,more chance that Peel will take the opportunity,jump on the bandwaggon and close DTV!!

Its a sad day for the aviation industry,lets just hope the ball is not rolling.
What is the case for keeping DTV open?? The figures are appalling,the route structure is appalling and the management set up is appalling-hasnt got much going for it .

watch this space me thinks ?????

[LBIA]

Hi

So dose anyone know what the pax figures are like so far for Eastern Airways MME-LBA-SOU service?

I have heard reports that some of the early morning flights are arriving into LBA from MME with just 2 or 3 pax onboard. With the rest of the seats still been filled by LBA-SOU passengers.

[SWBKCB]

It's all going swimmingly - look, it says so on the DTVA website...

The business travel sector is giving big thumbs up for the new ‘north-south’ link from Durham Tees Valley Airport to Southampton.

That was the message when representatives of business travel specialists met at Rockliffe Hall near Darlington at an event organised by Durham Tees Valley Airport and Eastern Airways, who introduced the twice-a-day weekday service just three weeks ago.

Says Durham Tees Valley Airport Marketing and Communications Manager Emma Ormerod “We already know from the response we have received from business travellers in the North East that they see the new service as a very welcome way of being able to do a full day’s business in the South of England and get back home the same day.

“It’s a similar story at the other end—reflected when around 100 businesses from the Southampton area gathered at a recent event organised by the local Chamber of Commerce.

[MME4eva]

Was going to ask the same question!

Realistically, I imagine that single figure pax is a realistic target both MME and T3 have set, given the fact the route is not direct and the ABZ route is averaging around 10 pax at the mo.

I just hope they give it time to grow unlike BRS and, to a lesser extent, BRU.

Any news on any more announcements with regards to Summer 2010?

[thebobster]

MME looks to be staying open for the time being, KLM have announced there future on MME and are very positive towards it. Also Emma Omereod has said that more routes could be to come and I did hear TOM are looking to expand from Winter 2010 at MME.

Rob

PS: T3 MME-LBA-SOU pax and load figures should be out around the 15th December, I'll post them on here and as always they will be on the DTVM site.

[planenutter]

hello thebobster! My Grandma and Grandad live in Brompton! I used to go to EGNV everytime I went to stay with them, but it seems to have gonne quiert now :( Same with RAF Leeming. I miss Durham Tees Valley and Leeming its pretty sad :(

[mmeteesside]

Just a quick heads up and a well done to Eastern.
They are operating an additional Aberdeen-DTV flight tomorrow morning presumably with stranded passengers from tonights fun and games (fog) - now you wouldn't get that with Ryanair...:}

[Lancelot37]

I feel that KLM should really hammer home the message that you can fly anywhere in the world from AMS by departing from Teesside (Oops) The general public (that I have talked to) seem to be unaware of this.

The alternative to flying from Heathrow, when we had the connection, seems to have not been exploited by KLM. Get advertising KLM, more, and you'll increase your load factor and maybe require even larger A/C to cope with the demand.

[BALLSOUT]

mmeteesside. You would be surprised just how many rescue flights Ryanair actually do. In the years I have been with FR, I have been called in many times to fly an empty aircraft somewhere to rescue stranded passengers.
I would even go as far as saying that out of all the companies I have flown for over the years, Ryanair seem to make at least the same, if not even more effort than others, to get their passengers to where they want to go.

[MME4eva]

A few new routes to add to the growing list that I know some of us will have known about for a while and are listed on dtvm but have not been very heavily advertised...

TOM B757 ski charter to Grenoble (shared with MAN) in Jan and Feb
TOM B767 fly cruise to Barbados (shared with NWI)

VIK B737 Newmarket holidays to Madeira in October.

I do think it is the way ahead for MME to try to attract either w patterns or, as with the charters above and the MME-LBA-SOU, share with another similarly sized airport.

Could flyBE do a BHD-MME-CDG for example? Or a EDI/GLA-MME-LGW?

[ryanair1]

Yes, thank you.

Ryanair do actually do a good job of helping pax when the time arises.

I cant for the life of me figure out why people on this forum are so anti Ryanair when we are one of the only airlines profitably bringing pax volumes and new routes to regional airports (granted we pulled a few this year, but it was the worst recession since the 30's) that wouldnt have been touched by the greedy blood sucking legacy carriers.

OH AND LAST MESSAGE REGARDING NEW ROUTES FROM MME AND 'SHARING' WITH OTHER AIRPORTS. ASK YOUR AVERAGE JOE IF THEY WANNA TAKE HALF A DAY FLYING VIA THE UK REGIONS TO GET TO THEIR DESTINATION, I KNOW THE ANSWER IS NO.

[paarmo]

Arrived on ALC flight last Tuesday. Doors opened on plane. Exited plane ,walked to terminal,through Immigration,picked up two hold suitcases and exited terminal into car park and was sat in car 13minutes after doors opened.
Would have been a minute or so quicker if they hadn't sent the luggage to the wrong belt. I was about 40th out of terminal. Why don't airlines want to use this airport?

[andrewmcharlton]

for exactly that reason paarmo? No people there?

[N707ZS]

Your average person in the North East thinks Teesside is for Cessna's and Newcastle is for passenger aircraft they think there is no alternative.

If a massive advertisment project was set up say in September and the flights were there at a competative rate the airport would be full. I just presume there isn't the will and the cash to make it happen.

[10 DME ARC]

"massive advertising campaign" this has been done as each airline tried MME. If you remember Baby and MME were every where for the first year of setting up and then operating from MME.
During the Airtours move to MME I heard of people in the Sunderland area who were booked from MME without knowing! When they complained were told only flight available from NE!! A travel agent tried the same with me during this time, when I pointed out the available flights from NCL I was told no seats available, I went to another agent who surprise surprise found seats on those flights!
So I think we can say most things have been tried!!

[N707ZS]

Not as much as Jet 2. Baby and Globespan tried but not good enough.

[MME4eva]

I have noticed a pick up on advertising on the DTV website but apart from enthusiasts who reads that regularly?

I am really surprised the Evening Gazette/Darlington & Stockton Times etc have not been sought by DTVA as a major vehicule for advertising. I think this would be far more effective/cheaper for DTVA and Peel than TV/Radio.

As for development, are we to presume the announcement of new routes has ended with JER?

There's talk on the DSA thread of an easyjet A319 base at MME in the same vein as they are getting, using LPL crew and equipment. Sadly, I think this is a non-starter given the close proximity to NCL and the EZY base there.

I still, however, think there could be opportunity for TOM to add a few W patterns out of MME for Summer 2010. Although they pulled out with the onset of WW/GSM, a little like T3, TOM seem never to fully give up on MME with their ALC, PMI and Ski/Lapland/Cruise charters. Surely, they could fill a 1 x weekly B737 or even B757 to AGP, FAO, REU, TFS to complement their summer PMI service.

[paarmo]

There's not a great deal to advertise at MME at present so it would not be cost effective to use the Press. As for Easyjet, there are two chances of them using MME, fat and no.
The way forward is through the standard charter companies.The problem with them is the lack of choice of destinations and hotels when you get there and the swingeing extra cost to fly from MME. £60 per person on most flights last year. If you are taking your family on holiday it adds up to a huge extra cost which is not justified by the airlines costs. I don't know what the yields are on the TOM ,ALC, flights are at the moment but all the seats were full on the last one I went on.Every bucket and spade flight I have travelled on in the last 10 years out of Teessside has been full but I see that the averages are only between 85% and 90% full according to official figures.Perhaps I have been travelling at the wrong/right times.
The ogre barperson lacking in social skills still works in the bar so nobody has picked up on who it is yet. Security was OK at last but there wasn't any pressure on the when I travelled last week.

[DTVAirport]

November pax figures are out, I won't go through all of them, but there were 309 people flew in/out on the new Southampton route, and there were 84 flights in November, meaning an average of 3.5 pax per flight which is a load factor of 26%.

Whether or not that's good I'll leave up to you to decide. Overall, pax figures were down 56.9% to 13,721.

[10 DME ARC]

DTV - How do you get a L/F of 26% from 3.5 pax on a 29 seater a/c?? I make it 12%??

[globetrotter79]

EZY at MME

Whilst I'd agree that there is next to zero chance of finding a based A319 turning up at MME any time soon, is there not a reasonable chance that EZY could be coaxed into at least operating some winter MME-GVA schedules (as they've done for a number of years from BHX and BOH)?

Might be small fry in the great scheme of things, but even solely a sat-sun MME-GVA operation would be a good step forward compared with where the airport is at right now.

After all, lets face it, anyone within Peel assuming they're going to conjure up a new based B737/A319 or similar operation within the next few years is kidding themselves. But per the BE MME-JER etc, by concentrating on the small and achieveable steps forward and by getting the passenger experience right I believe they can rebuild a half decent business. Getting side-tracked by ridiculous notions of being able to replicate LPL in the north-east is, as the last couple of years has shown, a hiding to nothing.

[mmeteesside]

Originally posted by 10 DME ARC
DTV - How do you get a L/F of 26% from 3.5 pax on a 29 seater a/c?? I make it 12%??

I think its based on the fact of 14 seats, given its shared with LBA. We will never be able to get a true load factor given there won't be a fixed amount of seats on sale from MME/LBA.

[MME4eva]

Well whilst not surprising, these figures are not fantastic but quite respectful given the route has started in the midst of a recession, from an area heavily hit by the downturn and offered by a premium business orientated carrier.

Totally agree with the EZY point. I was merely sharing what was being said on the DSA thread. With no EZY base close, this was always the more realistic choice.

As for expansion, I 100% agree that small achievable steps are the way forward as there is hardly a carrier left who would give MME a go with based aircraft. LS/EZY-too close to NCL and LBA, WW/GSM-been there, done it, FR-can't see it with LBA and no DUB service on offer. That just leaves BE offering the med routes similar to EXT/SOU or cities like MAN/BHX. Unsure this will happen.

JER was definitely achievable, SOU was a surprise but welcome and low risk given it is shared with LBA. As for other 'achievable' routes, what about still:

-Aer Arann to DUB (possibly via BLK or IOM?).
-still could see TOM with a few W patterns.
-what about FR from REU base?

[paarmo]

What is this fascination with Locos and scheduled flights?They add very little value to the airport in terms of purchasing. Teesside was at it's best when it was heavily involved in holiday charters and that is the only way for a small regional airport to go. Passengers tend to use the carpark for 7/14 days and tend to spend a lot more whilst at the airport.
I do think you have joined the so called management who appear to want to recruit flibbertygibbet airlines rather than concentrate on their core business.

[MME4eva]

But Paarmo are the UK charters concentrating on the UK regional airports? No, they are focussing in on LGW, BHX and MAN with skeleton bases at the 'larger' regional airports like EMA and NCL.

What MME, HUY and NWI could provide is a core niche for smaller regional airlines such as T3 and, to a much lesser extent, BE.

On another note, it almost seems fate that MME should be in this situation as interesting to see both WW and GSM are looking more and more unstable.

What was the official line for Wizz leaving MME? Always thought the WAW had healthy loads and interesting to see them still serving DSA.

[DTVAirport]

The reason Wizz left is because the funding for the route provided by one of the RDAs dried up, having said that, you'd think if the route was making money it would have continued regardless. Wizz had a fairly big presence in the UK, was MME the only airport in the Country they've abandoned in the last few years?

Also, Flyglobespan have gone into administration, I dunno about you, but I think it's better they left when they did than if they were still here & left because of bankruptcy.

[SWBKCB]

Wizz had a fairly big presence in the UK, was MME the only airport in the Country they've abandoned in the last few years?

Coventry?!?

[tommyc2005]

Wizz also came and went here at Stansted, and they had a brief stint at Gatwick so you are far from being alone.

[Le Tirer]

..... and they've been and gone at Bournemouth too.

[paarmo]

MM4,
I never said that getting the charter companies back would be easy but courting them rather than here today gone tomorrow companies surely has to be the way forward.

[MME4eva]

Let's hope the marketing department seize on the cameo appearance of DTV on tonight's Top Gear!!

Not to be pedantic, but it was clearly a fictious arrival by James May and Richard Hammond of course, unless they arrived from ABZ or AMS but nevertheless an exciting 10 second clip of the arrivals, ATC tower and frontage!

I'm sure that alone could secure a new operator:)

[INKJET]

James May is a PPL holder so may have flown in with the Hamster,

The video showed a empty arrivals lounge and an empty car park, so yes i guess that'll have the airlines dashing to MME er not

[skyman771]

PaarmoI never said that getting the charter companies back would be easy but courting them rather than here today gone tomorrow companies surely has to be the way forward.
Such as GSM ? :E

[paarmo]

Teesside were riding on the crest of an apparently unstoppable wave of expansion when they got Globespan. They had an appalling reliability record yet still filled their aircraft. They fell between all of the classifications of charter/loco/scheduled(flag) carriers and I think that lack of definition contributed to their demise.Schmoose the charter carriers that everyone knows and "trusts" and leave the speculation to someone else.
As for the terminal and carpark appearing empty on Top Gear, I take it you do not know about how TV programmes etc are edited together.What you don't want when you are doing an apparently unscripted and ad lib conversation whilst walking and being filmed are members of the public interupting and walking uncontrolled into shot. Much better to wait for a clear space and run it for however many takes it takes to can it. Even if they had arrived with dozens of other people it would have taken an hour to set up the shot and the others would have been well gone. It's not real life , it's all scripted and rehearsed or retakes and I don't think airlines would take any notice at all.
I like the programme but this wasn't one of their best.

[Frankfurt_Cowboy]

Ahh, right. Last time I was up there they must have been filming too....

[SWBKCB]

From Flight International:

MIDWEST REBRANDED

UK business aviation services provider Midwest Executive Aviation is to be rebranded as Weston Aviation along with its sister companies Weston Air International and Focus Air Charter. The company is preparing to open a fixed-base operation at Durham Tees Valley airport that will house a VIP and crew lounge, conference and meeting rooms and administrative offices.

[DTVAirport]

I heard a while ago that Midwest were taking over the former Northern Aviation building next to Gate 7, but is that building big enough to house all the facilities mentioned in that article?

[papa oscar]

Yep, plenty of room.

[MME4eva]

I feel very sorry for the KLM passengers due out at 6a.m this morning but did not get going until 13.10!! Equally, those who have been diverted to HUY can't be too happy-isn't NCL open? I can't imagine spending Christmas eve in Grimsby can be much fun!

Poor bad news for this month's pax figures as well as it won't be counted;)!!

[Keyvon]

It seems Ryanair has removed MME-GRO from its summer schedule...

[MME4eva]

If this is true, this will be a major blow to MME's future prospects. I have looked at the Ryanair website and it is still available in the drop down menu but when you choose any date in summer '10 no tickets are available.

A technical glitch or yet another nail in DTV's coffin? Surely the route could not be better supported and I cannot see ALC staying on its own.

Interestingly, I see BOH have had 4 new routes announced by FR to add to ALC, GRO and AGP. All this without a DUB service so annoying how MME could not have attracted a similar arrangement...

[N707ZS]

Local news rag says no more GRO.

[Keyvon]

FR is to cease at least 3 routes out of GRO next summer : GRZ, MME and DSA...with the SNN addition, would make 4.
It appears DSA e MME will share the same fate as for FR flights : only destination left should be ALC. Both of them will get just a summer-only service to Costa Blanca.

It might be good to see a package holidays operator (TOM, TCX) to come back with a single based a/c in MME during the summer season heading to popular sunny spots such as PMI, MAH, REU, ALC, TFS, ACE, HER, DLM, AYT, PFO and so on..
It's a real shame MME has done nothing lately to attract again a based holiday operator...all pax are going up the road to NCL and what is left for MME ? Nothing but crumbs.

If we have a glance to the summer schedule we only have :

ABERDEEN (Eastern Airways, sched.)
SOUTHAMPTON (Eastern Airways, sched.)
AMSTERDAM (KLM, sched.)
ALICANTE (Ryanair, sched.)

JERSEY (CIT/Airways Holidays/Discover Jersey, IT)
PALMA (Thomson Holidays/First Choice, IT)
DALAMAN (Holidays4u/Goldtrail, IT)
BODRUM (Holidays4u/Goldtrail, IT)
BOURGAS (Balkan Holidays, IT)

Plus a bunch of one-offs charter flights to :

VERONA (1 trip)
MALTA (1 trip)
FUNCHAL (1 trip)
NAPLES (1 trip)

all of them run by Newmarket Air Hols.

I would say pretty thin and steadily in decline as a network for a UK regional airport...Will S10 look better or worser than this..?

[Lancelot37]

How long will SOUTHAMPTON (Eastern Airways) survive if I read the load factors at 3.4 pax per flight correctly?

[uklad007]

I don't know if it's a glitch and prob is but ryanair website is showing in the booking tool girona and Barcelona (el prat) from mme. Assume it's not moving from girona to bcn and it's just an error.

[apaul]

I think the notion that a charter airline would be interested in MME is wishful thinking. Charters and package holidays are not a booming sector and the only British charter airlines interested in flying from the North East are already well-established at Newcastle. Why would they want to increase their costs and effectively compete with themselves by basing an aircraft at MME? A lot of the Spanish airlines that used to fly into MME are no longer in business. I could imagine an extra summer flight or two to an expanding destination like Turkey, but nothing more.

[skyman771]

Merry Christmas to all who post on this forum and one would wish a prosperous New Year... :\.
Reality is unfortunately in all likelihood to be somewhat different & unless the proverbial "Rabbit" is pulled out of a hat sometime soon, then what does 2010 offer DTV ?
Surely if it needed to be spelt out, then any reduction in commitment to S10 bucket & spade destinations by RYR must in reality question the short to medium term viability of DTV. With the pace of airline failures if anything accelerating then airport closures can not be far off.
It amazes me that package holiday operators with their long term marketing are even discussed as a short / medium term solution in the time that remains for DTV to prove itself to its owners Peel airports. It has to be noted that it would apear that Peel have done little of note to address the management teams failings, the annual accounts, soon to be published will make interesting reading.:ugh:

[SWBKCB]

According to the Northern Echo, Peel's appeal against the ruling on compensation following bmibaby pulling out should be heard in January.

[Bartrams]

Have they all gone home or not bothering to open up this year?? I make it in the first two days of this year only 1 departure? and 1 arrival ? so far Thats progress?? !!

[highwideandugly]

Interesting last post re movements.Using a well known web site,I went back 11 days.I know its Xmas but......only 30 departures(give or take a couple) in the last 11 days!!! That according to my maths is around 3 per day..I also included a Cherokee in that!!

Will the last person out blow out the candles.

Optimistic replies required.

[DIRECTTANGODELTA]

Optimistic!! Its a total utter disgrace. They cannot be bothered to clear the runways, that is the reason we only had a few movements. KLM must be asking themselves the question, why do we bother?

We dont even get LBA or NCL diverts now, an AF CRJ went all the way to Edinburgh yesterday when NCL was SNOWCLO. Thats a 3 hour bus ride instead of 1 hour from MME?

JET2 now have DSA as their number 1 alternate from LBA. To be serious it cannot go on much longer, Peel must be losing a fortune. There is a rumour that Approach control will be done at Liverpool so thats the end for some long serving and very good controllers, Peel did this at DSA.

All it takes is a shiny new plough and some de-icer!! OH and some staff :mad::mad::mad:

[highwideandugly]

Cant be bothered or cant afford it?? Im sure KLM ,one of only two main operators can not be happy.Most of there flights either cancelled or through Necwcastle over recent days.

looks like 2010 starting the way 2009 ended,total apathy from a second(OK third) rate airstrip.

Staff must be pulling their hair out working for such a shambolic company like Peel.Wonder if any PR person cares to stand up and be counted??

Roll on 2011

[MME4eva]

I notice flyBE are doing a summer service HUY-AGP. Why oh why cannot MME attract such a service? Yes a very small drop in the ocean but surely MME could support such a service?

[skyman771]

Highwideandugly Roll on 2011
Expanation ? Head in the sand optimism, or are you actually looking for some cheap land for development in the Middleton area ?;)

[andrewmcharlton]

Not sure if this is accurate or not but on another thread they were commenting on the cost of the specialist grit / de-ice compund at around £30,000 a day to clear a fully snowbound runway with the grit osting upwards of £5,000 a ton.

Even if the figures aren't accurate it's stilla few quid either way (excluding kit and labour) so no doubt they took one look at the arrivals board and thought, bugger it let them go elsewhere.....

Dire state of affairs.

[highwideandugly]

Not like you Skyman....2009=bad 2010= worse 2011= Armageddon !!

Still closed as of now ? AC is right-stuff the airlines,lets give the directors a bonus.

[DIRECTTANGODELTA]

I heard a KLM Pilot who was holding at MME at FL140 why he couldnt see anything going on regarding snow clearance.

The Controller assured him things were happening!! I think a YTS was out there on a moped with a hairdryer!!

No movements again today, poor passengers!! whats left of them.

MME is a laughing stock:\:\:\:\

[Earlyriser]

Looks like the 1534 operated from NCL again today!

Am i right in thinking so far this year only one flight has made it out of MME to AMS?? You would think MME would pull a finger out and get the place operating for there biggest customer!

It will be interesting to see if KLM is still as committed to MME as they were last year!

Must be so bad for the passengers to leave MME and drive up the road to NCL where the snow was pretty much as bad as MME and find NCL operating pretty much as normal!

[highwideandugly]

So far this year ...never mind KLM with only one flight...there has been ONLY one departure to anywhere with anyone!!

Maybe Peel may depart this week.

[Ops Guy]

I'm involved in the snow clearing operation up the road. It takes a massive amount of man power and equipment to clear an airfield of snow, in order for aircraft operations to recommence after significant snowfall. That's before you start applying deicer to the runway, taxiways and stands which is when the real cost kicks in :(.

[Bartrams]

Oh well
still closed.. maybe they have all gone home,switched the lights out and decided to give 2010 a miss as they couldnt possibly be as successful as they were in 2009?

[highwideandugly]

Looks like KLM have taken a leaf out of Ryanair's book.Selling tickets to Teesside but flying all passengers into Newcastle?? Good Ploy methinks.

Oh Dear what a shambles

ps B&Q selling two for one de-icers at the moment(wednesdays extra 10% off if over 65)

[skyman771]

Andrewcharlton
Not sure if this is accurate or not but on another thread they were commenting on the cost of the specialist grit / de-ice compund at around £30,000 a day to clear a fully snowbound runway with the grit osting upwards of £5,000 a ton.
Andrew, sometimes dangerous to quote as can be very misleading, grit costs me c. £37 per Tonne (ex vat) !!. Incidentally a Tonne doesn't actually go that far when one takes into account carparks etc. Ironically grit is in short supply at the moment, hope DTV have sufficient in stock :hmm:

[andrewmcharlton]

I did say I wasn't sure if it was accurate. I suspect that is probably the total cost to buy, store, apply etc etc. Either way its a **** load of money. A quick google search showed me standard pavement grit was £150 + VAT a ton and I recall reading that the airport recommended was many multiples more expensive due to chemical addatives.

Anyway, my point was just wondering if they looked at arrivals and departures and thought "nah, too pricey".

[mr grumpy]

You don't put grit or salt down on airside areas of airports because it has a magical capacity to damage aircraft. Instead you use specialist de-icer which costs around £1/litre, if the suppliers haven't run out.

[mccdatabase]

The cynical amongst us might think that this shambolic state of affairs is a deliberate ploy to wind down the traffic at MME to the point where Peel can say that the airport is no longer sustainable and then close it and sell off the land.

I have happy memories of MME and there are a lot of good people who rely on MME for a living, sadly these hard working folk do not mean anything to the current bunch in charge of the place who are more interested in "holding court" at Yarm in the Black Bull on a Friday night than running an airport,

You know who you are !! :mad:

Lions led by Donkeys is too charitable for the lot of them,

Good luck to the MME staff you really do deserve better.

[LBIA]

You'll never belive this!

But MME has just reopened its runway. I guess they found some spare grit stored somewhere..

[MME4eva]

What's the point of opening its runway for no planes???!!! I see all arrivals and departures have been cancelled for today! What a joke. This cannot have been good for MME's relationship with KLM and Eastern. How can NCL operate without problem just a few miles up the road?

The DTV management should be doing anything to keep their customers sweet not push them away. I'm beginning to think this is indeed a way of driving all custom away and beginning the long and painful winding down of the airport as a going operation.

Oh well, atleast the few pax left are getting plenty of practice going up the A1 to NCL as they'll soon get used to it on a more regular basis:{

[TOPPROP]

You'll never belive this!

But MME has just reopened its runway. I guess they found some spare grit stored somewhere..

Don't know where you got that from? Their latest SNOWTAM suggests something different, MME is to remain closed until Tuesday 0600, I suspect that's probably being over optimistic!

SNOWTAM
FROM: 10/01/04 16:45 A) EGNV B) 01041645 C) 05 E) 25/28/26 F) 2/7/8 2/7/8 2/7/8 H) 9/9/9 L) TOTAL R) NO T) CLEARANCE CONTINUES SNOW CLOSED UNTIL 050600)

[BeaconInbound]

IF the airport does make it open by 0600 that will be over 80 hours closed...a record?

The whole problem started on New Year's Day when ops didn't put the anti-ice mix down on the runway after doing such a good job of getting it cleared. Subsequent problem - snow falls, freezes on the runway and becomes almost impossible to remove!

The whole place is quickly becoming a joke in the aviation world and worse still, I've heard that upper management are happy that every effort has been made to get the runway clear :ugh:

I just feel sorry for those ex-collegues still at MME as it must be embarrassing and frustrating working for an "airport" that can boast ZERO movements in over three days now and still counting....

More snow expected tonight - don't hold your breath if you're flying out of there tomorrow (or at the weekend!)

[andrewmcharlton]

Given that the 2nd was a Saturday and I think that's the day the one (and only) train operates does that mean that the Railway Station currently has more movements chalked up this year than the Airport?

[HeathrowDictator]

Bit harsh Andrew lol...not quite although I think they have matched us with that! :) (KLM in and out on NYD)

Yes, it is a bit frustrating but let's hope we will be open tomorrow and this can all be forgotten! (Let's just hope we don't get much snow tonight...warning in force for upto 5cm)

-HD-

[paarmo]

I think that this may force Peel to show their hand at last. If the press release on the continued closure blames the " wrong type of snow " then they are supporting the management and the airport is closing.
If on the other hand there is no press release and it is blamed internally on the " wrong type of management " then they are in it for the long term and heads must roll immediately.
It can't be ignored because it even made a mention on the local TV news tonight so someone has been making waves behind the scenes.

[Jamesair]

Presumably there are no Military flights scheduled at the moment?

[highwideandugly]

Not only military flights..what about all the Flight Refuelling work with the Falcons?? they cant be very happy? Or the ILS calibration unit?? other airports will be non too happy either if they loose there ILS because of us?

Oh by the way...we are still closed...contact the guiness Book of Records someone...KLM off the NCL again....Ryanair eat your heart out..

[skyman771]

Beaconinbound
The whole problem started on New Year's Day when ops didn't put the anti-ice mix down on the runway
Errr... is there to be a "stewards enquiry" as to why this didn't happen? Or is this simply evidence of lack of funds / deteriorating industrial relations at DTV ?
Taking this a step further, then how confident can one be with the above scenario that safety may in future be unnecessarily compromised ?:suspect:

[N707ZS]

Looking at the local aviation group web site and is that correct the first flight in is a diversion from NEWCASTLE!!:ok:Just like the old days keep it going.

[KNIEVEL77]

Yes I believe EGNT is snow closed for the time being!

[Earlyriser]

WOW! An NCL diversion shock horror! Still doesn't make up for the 200+ KLM passengers that have been let down by MME not getting them selves in gear and at least trying to get the runway clear! Wonder what KLM think of the situation!

[TOPPROP]

Three diversions into MME, a British Airways, and two Thomsons. Lets hope it does not snow, because lets face it...they may not get out, and could be stuck here for up to a week!

[ericlday]

EGNT now open again. Excitement over.

[sunshine79]

The TOM1225 was a diversion from MME, which is now being diverted back to MME. What a farse!

[uklad007]

more on the way in by the looks of it.

SN Brussels RJ85 and another BA A319 both from Newcastle...its all going on...:rolleyes:

[SWBKCB]

Airport bosses slammed for snow chaos
3:24pm Tuesday 5th January 2010

A NORTH-EAST airport has come under fire after its timetable was decimated by snow and ice.

Durham Tees Valley Airport (DTVA) reopened yesterday afternoon after several days of canceled and diverted flights.

Several airport enthusiasts have contacted The Northern Echo to complain about the situation.

One enthusiast, Peter Harris, said: "Both Newcastle and Leeds have had some problems but the vast majority of their flights have operated.

"At one time Teesside Airport used to handle many diverting aircraft especially from Leeds. "This is supposed to be an international airport - it seems to me in name only."

Further comments have been left on the Professional Pilots Rumour Network website.

They question why the Teesside airport has been so badly affected compared to Newcastle and Leeds Bradford airports.

In response, airport bosses said they were having to deal with some of the most challenging weather conditions faced in recent years with continuing snow showers falling on compacted ice.

A statement issued by the airport added: "Temperatures have remained below freezing over a long period and they have fallen as low as -9.5C. We are doing everything possible to deal with the situation but I am sure that people will understand that our first concern has to be safety."

Ironically back up and running today and accepting divs...

[OMGitsDAVE]

Peel really have made a fool out of themselves.
What MME needs is a boost, and Peel won't give us that because they concentrate more on Liverpool John Lennon, and advertise that more than anything.

By the way, how do you know all the diversions are coming in? Aha!

[sunshine79]

NCL shows flights diverted to MME, and MME arrivals shows NCL diversions.

[andrewmcharlton]

Want a "Military" flight and liven things up? Maybe a request for XH558 to do a bombing run on MME to recreate the run on Port Stanley?

[fl dutchman]

I think just one LHR flight to NCL actualy diverted to MME. It then continued up to NCL with passengers? when the runway at NCL was cleared.
The 2 Alicante TOM flights diverted inbound to MME this afternoon must have also positioned up to NCL where presumably the outbound passengers were waiting. Both flights departing or have now departed from NCL.
As someone has said earlier one of the Alicante flights was originally meant to depart / arrive MME. It seems that luck ie snow at NCL for a while diverted the inbound back to where it should have gone in the first place. The outbound pax presumably already bussed to NCL so the aircraft positioning there to take them outbound to Alicante (quicker than bussing them back to MME?).
If I am wrong someone will perhaps correct me.

The inbound Brussels to NCL did divert to MME, not sure if its still there?.

[paarmo]

Strange isn't it? With the first press enquiry it was " the wrong type of snow " excuse. When they started to get several press enquiries they found that they had enough equipment and chemicals to open the airport.Not only that but they started to accept diverts from other airports. Methinks the backsides may be twitching at last.
Fl Dutchman you are essentially correct with a few minor details missing.

[Wellington Bomber]

Just a bit of info for you guys that is not rumour

My godparents were on the ALC - LBA Thomson flight yesterday and they were diverting to NCL circled a few times when the airport closed, they then diverted to MME. Bit of a skiddy landing apparently. They then sat on the a/c for 2.5 hours before they announced they were going to fly to NCL. Passenger uproar and the police had to be brought on to the aircraft where they arrested one of the passengers.

The remaining passengers were then offloaded and bussed to Leeds.

There was another Thomson a/c in also from Liverpool, A BA aircraft from LHR

Not sure about the rest

[KNIEVEL77]

Chaps,

Just a snow related question.......does an airfield have to be closed for a particular duration of time before the METAR shows it SNOCLO?

EGNT and DTV are closed yet no sign of SNOCLO on the current METAR report!

Thanks.

[HeathrowDictator]

There was another Thomson a/c in also from Liverpool, A BA aircraft from LHR
Not sure if you mean at DTVA, the second TOM in yesterday was the ALC-MME flight which initially diverted to NCL then came back into us. We also picked up an SN RJ85 BRU-NCL which positioned back out empty.

Just a snow related question.......does an airfield have to be closed for a particular duration of time before the METAR shows it SNOCLO?

EGNT and DTV are closed yet no sign of SNOCLO on the current METAR report!
The METAR never shows SNOCLO, the airport would send a SNOWTAM - an example of which can be found here (http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-9829.html).

-HD-

[KNIEVEL77]

That's strange because the METARS for Inverness and Doncaster ended with the letters SNOCLO on the Met Website most of yesterday!

[papa oscar]

The METAR can included SNOCLO but the normal means of communication for an airport closure due to snow is via a SNOWTAM. Others use a NOTAM as checking SNOTAMS on the AIS website requires you to click a box to include SNOWTAM's.
Strictly speaking, RMK should precede the SNOCLO in a METAR report

Yesterdays METAR for EGPE;
METAR EGPE 051820Z 05021KT 9999 8000SW VCSH FEW010 SCT020CB BKN045 02/01 Q1011 SNOCLO

[KNIEVEL77]

Thanks PO, I knew i'd seen it on a METAR!

[HeathrowDictator]

Sorry folks I stand corrected it seems you can put SNOCLO on the METAR...never seen it myself and we apparently tried getting it on ours today but couldn't with the software we have. As Papa Oscar said though, I'd trust a SNOWTAM/NOTAM more than just the METAR alone :ok:

But hey, we're open and with 36m cleared width bring on the Heathrow diversions!!! lol

-HD-

[paarmo]

Is this a first HD? wrong and an apology. It must be the glare from the snow.
Seriously though I am glad that someone has been to Poundland and bought their stock of deicer to keep you open. Long may it continue and may you have many diversions to keep you from your sandwiches and left over christmas cake.

[HeathrowDictator]

Cheeky sod Paarmo lol!!

If I find out info I have provided is not accurate I am first to hold my hands up *rolls eyes* :) (and no Christmas cake left, it's L-O-N-G gone!!)

The lads are still out on the runway doing a grand job it has to be said...they haven't stopped since the 1st and those vehicles aren't the most comfortable; no heating/beaded seat covers/radios/iPod docks/etc!!

-HD-

[paarmo]

I agree that they are doing a good job HD and have seen the pictures in the local paper of them using agricultural tractors to clear the runway etc.However, it would appear that no one management wise seemed to have a great deal of interest in clearing the runways in the early days of the big freeze and the runway clearers are being paid to do the job. After all there is no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing. ( Ducks head awaiting incoming )
Kerry was effusive in her praise for the staff but perhaps it was in great part to thank them for saving her job yet again.If the local press had not become involved I think that you would have been still closed now. Perhaps tinternet has it's positive uses after all.

[skyman771]

Kerry was effusive in her praise for the staff
She may well have been, but having seen the interview then I'm not so sure that she was more concerned as to her own personal appearance:E

[danielmellor]

Could we ever see Aer Lingus doing Mme - Dub/Ork/Bhd/Shn Now Theyre Merging with Aer Arann?

Atr 72/42s would be ideal for these routes :)

[GrahamK]

Could we ever see Aer Lingus doing Mme - Dub/Ork/Bhd/Shn Now Theyre Merging with Aer Arann?

Atr 72/42s would be ideal for these routes
Today 12:57

Nope, but you could very well see NCL-DUB 3 x Daily on ATRs?

[MME4eva]

Press release states 'nearly 100 passengers' were on the flight to Barbados. Yes, it was shared with Norwich but hardly a sell out when it was a 767?!

[GrahamK]

200 odd from Norwich then?

[andrewmcharlton]

Folks from Norwich wouldn't need a cruise as they have webbed hands and feet don't they?

Seriously, hope that EI and RE merger / collaboration brings in a new rotation or two to DUB.

[SWBKCB]

Don't think the Aer Lingus/Aer Arann thing is actually a merger, but a code sharing agreement (or re-arranging the deck-chairs on the Titanic...). nyway, DTVA could fit into the model.

From the Irish Times:

AER LINGUS and Aer Arann are in advanced talks about a commercial alliance that would see them operate joint flights from provincial UK cities to Dublin and Cork. But this will not involve Aer Lingus taking an equity stake in its rival.

It is understood that Aer Arann would operate feeder services on behalf of Aer Lingus from certain UK cities to its main Irish bases at Dublin and Cork. This is a form of code sharing that is common in the airline industry.

Passengers flying into Ireland with Aer Arann would also be able to connect with Aer Lingus services to either the United States or continental Europe. The two airlines already operate a similar code sharing agreement on the Cork to Dublin route.

[MME4eva]

I've said for a long time that their fleet would suit DTV's needs as there is undoubtedly a demand for a DUB service, just not 189 pax a day need.

However, without wanting to sound a defeatist, surely the usual suspects of NCL and LBA would be ahead in the queue, even with a regular FR service which, of course, doesn't offer the connections very easily.

Also, DTV and Peel will not want to damage the KLM relationship by attracting another service with european and long haul connections.

[skyman771]

Also, DTV and Peel will not want to damage the KLM relationship by attracting another service with european and long haul connections.
Exclusivity to the extent that it is a monopoly is not a business model for expansion that I'm familiar with !:confused:

[MME4eva]

Yes but this is DTV we're talking about! Remember the agreement with bmi regarding ringfencing all jet services to London? Which then led to the ill fated short lived romance with bmibaby?

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see and Aer Arann service to DUB (is there really that much of a demand for ORK?) as, after all, BLK have one and got theirs the day after FR pulled their BLK-DUB service but I just know somehow DTV will miss out if the talked about interline services happen.

Also, read somewhere that Robin Hood were 'in advance talks' with an international carrier to provide a daily service to DUB with onward connections.

[highwideandugly]

Most of you(r) readers are fully aware there is a big staff meeting(s) forecast for the next couple of weeks.

Items To be discussed...who knows??
All I would like to say is god(sic) luck to you all..you all are professional and dedictated employees who deserve all the good fortune that comes your way.

Fingers crossed that Peel take a step back..and dont make decisions that they regret in the future.Times will change and you have a great infrastucture just waiting for the right decisions.

Sorry if a bit dramatic.!!

[DTVAirport]

There is apparantly a "business review results meeting" scheduled for Wednesday morning, assume this is what you're talking about? Either way, I'll add my good luck to all the employees as well.

[onion]

If that is what the meeting can be called!
ATC have been dealt another blow at the airport, details are vague at the moment, but the cuts that I have heard about are an insult to the hard working and may I say very loyal staff of the ATC unit at MME. They are carrying the can for the poor performance of Kerry, Hugh and the whole of the Peel operations at the airport.
Cutting staff will only lead to saftey issues, reduce opening hours and restrict oppurtunities for expansion if and when they come along.
I hope that the press, local govenment (who still own 25% of the airport) and MPs find out as quick as possible.
PEEL, Kerry, Hugh and the managment you are DISPICABLE and obviously can't run the place please get out NOW, its bad enough you have ruined peoples lives before now your doing it again.

[andrewmcharlton]

Onion, getting a bit personal there n'est pas?

Just so I am clear everything is the fault of the Ops Team and they have ruined peoples lives?

Tad strong? I'm sure they are accountable for many things but a global economic meltdown is probably a bit much. For that one I am happy to blame our illustrious leader and fellow merchant bankers.

[SWBKCB]

From the BBC website

Durham Tees Valley Airport is cutting staff and operating hours because of the economic downturn. Peel Group Holdings, which owns the airport near Darlington, said the moves were needed to "create financial stability" in tough economic times. The company said up to 32 posts would go with the remaining 143 staff being trained to do additional jobs. A review of airport operations will also see the development of a "premium terminal" for business passengers. Director Kerry Quinn said the airport continued to have a viable future, but had to become "better and smarter."

'Difficult period'

She said: "Every aspect of air travel has been hit by the economic crisis and we have to look at how best we can respond to the greatly changed world in which we are now operating. Regrettably, creating financial stability in the current economic situation does mean reducing our overall staff numbers, together with the introduction of greater flexibility through multi-skilling. We do appreciate this will be a difficult period for our staff and we are fully committed to full consultation with them and their representative trade unions in order to ensure that the measures we feel we have to take are dealt with as fairly and sensitively as possible."

Talks with unions at the airport are ongoing.

Over the past three years a number of operators have axed or reduced flights out of the airport. Ryanair are among those who have cut routes from Durham Tees and BMI Baby withdrew entirely. But Ms Quinn said the airport had recently been bolstered by news of new services to Southampton, Jersey and Turkey.

[SWBKCB]

More detail (and a different spin...) from the Northern Echo - my underlining.

AMBITIOUS proposals which will see Durham Tees Valley Airport move to a unique ‘twin terminal’ operation have been revealed today. The plans — which will see the terminal building divided in a ‘premium’ area targeted at scheduled services and business travellers and another area which will handle holiday charter and ‘low cost’ services — are part of a wholesale business review designed to ensure that the airport is able to respond to the current economic situation and be in a position to secure its long-term future.

Airport Director Kerry Quinn stressed that the new-look airport had been developed following detailed discussions with airlines and was already delivering results—highlighted by Eastern Airways’ recently-introduced service to Southampton.

"The good news is expected to continue in the near future, with talks ongoing with other airlines about new business opportunities at the airport," a spokesman said.

Airport chiefs believe that the changes will help deliver a significant increase in passenger numbers in the coming year.

As well as the new scheduled services it has already been announced that next summer will see new flights to Jersey and additional flights to Turkey.

Ms Quinn said: “All the feedback we have received on the plans from our airline partners and customers has been resoundingly positive. There is a clear need for a local, convenient and passenger-friendly airport serving the Tees Valley, Durham and North Yorkshire. That has always been the philosophy at Durham Tees Valley — and it will be strengthened by the changes we are making as a result of this major business review. We will be able to offer a year-round service in our ‘premium’ area, providing the quality of service which scheduled service passengers—especially business travellers—now expect, such as dedicated lounge facilities, speedy security lanes and wi-fi internet access. The other ‘leisure’ area will be brought into operation to meet the peak holiday periods, again with the right range of services for that market, aimed at making people’s experience as stress-free and relaxed as possible. We have also decided that it makes economic and operational sense to reduce our normal operating hours from 4am to 10pm, whilst retaining the flexibility to handle aircraft outside those hours if required.”

The proposals by the Peel Airports Group announced today also involves changes in workforce levels, working arrangements and terms and conditions and the airport has begun consultations with staff and trade unions.

Ms Quinn said: “Every aspect of air travel has been hit by the economic crisis and we have to look at how best we can respond to the greatly changed world in which we are now operating, at the same time as ensuring that we are in a position to exploit all possible opportunities for the future. We cannot escape the fact that, in order to make this concept viable, we need to do things better and smarter — and inevitably that has to mean changes for our workforce. Regrettably, creating financial stability in the current economic situation does mean reducing our overall staff numbers and modernising all aspects of the operation, including looking at those services we can best deliver ‘in house’ and those which are best outsourced, together with the introduction of greater flexibility through multi-skilling. We do appreciate that this will be a difficult period for our staff and we are fully committed to full consultation with them and their representative trade unions in order to ensure that the measures we feel we have to take are dealt with as fairly and sensitively as possible. Implementing change is never easy, but we firmly believe the proposals we have announced today provide the best way forward to ensure that the airport has a sound future and can continue to make a valuable contribution to our local economy.”

The proposals involve potentially up to 32 job losses — meaning future staffing at the airport would total 143 — and the introduction of ‘multi skilling’ in a number of areas.

In addition cleaning services and services for passengers with reduced mobility — currently provided by outside contractors — potentially will be undertaken by the airport’s staff, while fire and engineering operations could be potentially outsourced.

Managers from the airport have met with full time trade union officials from the GMB, who have agreed to work in partnership with the business to secure a sustainable future for the airport.

[onion]

andrewmcharlton my post wasn't talking about the economic climate, it was referring to the managments dirty tactics in removing people from their jobs at the airport! The post was directed towards te managment and they know what they have done! The facts are that they have ruined lives and have put people in very difficult positions!

[Losingthewill]

I rarely post, normally just a viewer, but felt compelled following Onion's post. Painful as it may be to see jobs go, mine may well be one of them, this has been on the cards for some time. Irrespective of who you feel is responsible, the business is in freefall and the only option is to cut costs and inevitably, jobs. What is the alternative? The end of Durham Tees Valley Airport. Put yourself in Peel's position. Get over your bitterness for what has gone before and be realistic. Times are hard, passengers are few. Survive or die!! Hard but true!

[andrewmcharlton]

Onion, so my question is what could they have done, that they should have done, that would have delivered some significant difference?

I'm not standing up for them but you need to temper the "ruin peoples lives" line with reality and not any personal ideas or prejudices?

[onion]

Losingthewill I agree times are hard, but if you compare MME to places like HUY or even Peels other airports MME has really struggled. Your looking at almost 700,000 (70%) reduction in pax numbers in just a few years. No airport has seen this kind of cuts, now in most businesses the managment at the company wouldn't survive! I know what they have done in the past and will not support them! I support the airport and the hard working staff but the managment no. They have brought nothing to the place and have actually upset alot of staff!
If you want to cut cost get rid of the poor managment, or if they insist on staying cut their salaries, but I doubt they'll do that.
Also looking to where the jobs are likely to go one area is ATC. Well how can an airport attract airlines and business if they have too few ATC staff? We all know that the ATC unit has problems covering sickness and holidays! So what happens is the place closes for a few hours, very proffessional! Really advertises the airport as somewhere to do business! This is purely managments fault no one elses!
Peel hasn't delivered on promises, the managment team is poor and has been allowed to stay for far to long, yes the economic climate is tough but Peel and the managment team are using that as an excuse for their laziness and poor managment skills, its far to convienient!

[paarmo]

Standard Operating Procedure by failing management. Get rid of jobs ( always the low paid and not theirs ) Blame someone else.
New two tier operating procedures............Why? There is enough room in the airport for everyone to have their own check in and security search in a private room with two witnesses and their own valet. Has Kerry actually been inside the terminal recently? It is like a ghost town.
Get real and resign. Go before the meltdown and let someone else who actually cares have a go.

[pug]

Is it a ploy to close half of the terminal for the quieter season and therefore cut overheads. I heard a rumour about similar considerations for DSA but since Easyjet are starting it looks unlikely now.

I have always been skeptical of Peels intentions, i just hope that they are committed to MME in the long-haul and this is just a blip as i have always liked MME.

[highwideandugly]

Going to be lots of dialague on this thread (as always) about the merits of Peel and DTV management.So will leave those threads alone for now.

But to take the 50/50 terminal first.

So I fly schedule to Amsterdam for £89..I get premium check in,al carte restaurant,WI FI HI Broadband,sauna and full body relaxing massage as part of my service?

I fly my family to The costas for two weeks and pay nearly £3500 and have to sit in a barn with no heating,roof or beer?

Think I will fly from Newcastle-where all are equal and the product is far superior in every way.

Good start to the new image...Cheers Peel/Kerry

[skyman771]

The company said up to 32 posts would go with the remaining 143 staff being trained to do additional jobs.
The first bit of training required is to arrange Kerry Quinn to be trained in her role as "Airport Director" as there is little to suggest that she currently is competent in the role !
Director Kerry Quinn said the airport continued to have a viable future, but had to become "better and smarter."
Hmmmm...Are we in reality talking about the "airport" or herself ?
N.b. by smarter I am not commenting on her ability to dress up for the TV interviews!:E
Onion
Excellent post:D:D, I totally support your observations, though as the saying goes unfortunately "you will never get turkey's voting for Christmas!".

[uklad007]

So my view, for what its worth, is firstly very bad news re those who will loose their jobs at this time, we should all remember that hard working and dedicated people will soon be looking for work.

We have to be realistic that we are where we are whoevers fault it is, and yes they should be taking some of the fallout from this too but we know management rarely likes to discipline itself. Hugh is unlikely to punish the management team when he himself probably was part of the team that appointed them....anyway regardless of that, the new proposals are worth a try at least - we cannot get much lower than a 60-70% drop off in passengers. It will be interesting to see how the split terminal will work, and i know that highwide has already said he wouldnt like it.

The thing is many airports around the world now have low cost/charter only terminals, some airports just have one really good one and one rubbish one - like Munich for example - BA flies in and out of a bad terminal there in terms of look and amenities, go to the Lufthy terminal and its a much different story. As MME cant fill one terminal we cant offer two separate ones so a split one might be the answer.

I would think their proposals on WIFI, Dedicated Lounge and Speedy Security lanes and check in are the norm now in most airports with business/scheduled routes so by having this where the number of passengers is potentially fewer than a charter flight makes sense.

Eastern for example at Aberdeen & Southampton i think already has dedicated facilities and obviously large airports have airlines lounges and the like, so I think MME offering all Scheduled flights this option is actually quite clever because its something a bit different to a lot of other airports.

Am sure they arent going to make it uncomfortable for charter/low cost passengers who use MME, but more people means more space required and some of the amenities offered to a scheduled/business passenger might not take priority over seating and facilities a bigger population can use.

Will just have to wait and see.....although in this day and age WIFI should be available to all!!

Interesting i think the Northern Echo article mentions specifically that the airport is lining up a new route with an airline - other articles reference on going conversations with many airlines on routes but the Echo is a bit more specific - I wonder who..
Extract taken from online article:
"It comes as airport director Kerry Quinn, in a letter to stakeholders, said that DTV expected to announce scheduled flights by a new operator in the next few days"

[skyman771]

I can't see that promoting one side of terminal as a glorified business lounge is actually going to achieve much at all. A nice PR stunt though, but in reality in creating a "two class" terminal, then one is more likely to hack off those that are denied access, this would be particularly prevalent at checkin / security where such preference was "in the face" of those denied access. The key failing of this is that you are denying choice to all your customers, by segregating the facility to "flight no.".
To relax the restriction & open up to all flights & you have effectively reverted back to the standard premium business pax. / business lounge concept in existence at all airports.
I really wonder who (though I can guess! :8) dreamed this up? From another direction then more service increases costs ! & who is to pay ?
The reality is that the "convenience " factors i.e. choice of destination, frequency & flight timings are all that matter. Growth / volume pax are what are needed and inadvertently marketing a "second class" service will only aggravate the situation further.:ugh:

[MME4eva]

Call me stupid but not you need flights to fill two terminals? Talk about a waste of money from an airport already seriously struggling!

This is effectively the beginning of the end for MME. Rather than excite pax and attract more, it will further confuse and disengage the local population who will be driven to NCL and LBA.

What Peel have announced is simply a mothballing of part of the terminal and a recognition that the aiport cannot sustain year round charter and low cost services.

It is a downsizing exercise that sadly will never be reversed once the 'separation' begins.

P.S These so called 'premium' pax to SOU, ABZ and AMS I am sure will have been well and truely put off by the recent snow debacle and no doubt will be booking from LBA and NCL in the near future.

I may need to change my screen name:eek:

[N707ZS]

Has anyone on here seen the plans for the modified terminal?? There supposedly is some.

[Lancelot37]

If the current management were paid by results they would owe the company thousands!

[mmeman]

Is this right? 884 passengers to Southampton in December, even without it operating over Christmas and New Year? About 12 passengers on every flight?

[mmeteesside]

I make 884 to be 17 passengers per flight (52 flights completed in December) - surely that can't be right? Amazing if so.

[Lancelot37]

The figure that I saw was 3.4 pax per flight.

I can't reall think why many people would want to fly Teesside to Southampton.

[hatchetman]

do these pax figures include those that join at LBA ?

[ConstantFlyer]

I can't reall think why many people would want to fly Teesside to Southampton.
To avoid having to travel through London, perhaps?

[globetrotter79]

Rumour going around again today that daily DUB-MME is shortly to appear by Aer Lingus operated by Aer Arran ATR72

[andyafc]

What airline or airlines could be on there way if any after recent talks according to kerry quinn? Aer arran rumour very strong and a london link is also much needed, any rumours?

[DTVAirport]

Hmm, Dublin is the most likely in my opinion, but if it is DUB, you kno what will happen - Mr O'Leary will return, force RE off the route, then drop it themselves.

[HH6702]

I hope they are correct but I would of throught EI would have tried ncl 1st using the RE ATR aircraft?
Good news for dtv if it happens but the way kerry is talking with hugh growth there must be something much bigger that this!

[andyafc]

Could it be a certain irish man with some new boeing's to put somewhere?

[DTVAirport]

If that was the case I don't think it would be necessary for Peel to get rid of 32 staff

[DB5]

Before I get all excited about being able to travel direct from MME to Ireland again (ORK or SNN preferable but DUB would do !) you might be interested in the attached EDITED extract from today’s Middlesbrough Evening Gazette. Make your own minds up as to the likelihood of any future development........

"PASSENGER numbers at Durham Tees Valley Airport have collapsed to 300,000 - less than half of those passing through the gates just two years ago.

The Manchester-based company blamed the dramatic fall on the loss of key routes - principally the BMI London Heathrow service, which carried around 80,000 passengers a year. The loss of flyglobespan accounted for another 100,000 passengers a year, and cancellation of Ryanair’s popular Dublin service, took 60,000 passengers with it.

Peel, which bought a controlling stake in DTVA in 2003, has now given up on its target of achieving 3m passengers a year for the airport by 2020. Spokesman Robin Tudor admitted that was now wholly unrealistic and was under review. But he insisted that Peel, which indicated last year that it was willing to dilute its shareholding in DTVA, had no intention of pulling out. “Peel hasn’t sold an airport yet,” said Mr Tudor.

The financial implications, however, are clear. Although the company is cash rich, it is heavily committed to major developments elsewhere, including a billion pound investment in the Liverpool docks regeneration."

[highwideandugly]

Now i'm not the brightest star in the sky,but can anyone explain to me why Peel announce a clear out of essential ATC staff then a couple of days later notam the airport closed tonight due lack of ATC staff??

What happens in the summer when these staff depart..how many closures can we expect then??

Peel take a bow!!

[hatchetman]

what time is there no ATC from ? This is getting ridiculous it's like a flying club

[onion]

highwideandugly thats exactly the point I made back on the 13th! Brilliant isn't it. Kerry an ex HR manager as well lol!

[NorthSouth]

what time is there no ATC from?No current NOTAMed closures. They'll have difficulty doing any ATC closures because ATC hours are currently 0600-2200 and they have a departure at 0600 and last arrival at 2115. Closures in the middle of the day, between schedules, won't be very popular with Cobham never mind GA operators.
NS

[highwideandugly]

It was Saturday twice.Sunday they managed three closures in the afternoon,so dont know if closing just at weekends??
Neverthe less its amazing Peel should be winding down ATC services staff and already closing the airfield before they go??

[N707ZS]

Sorry duff info, or wishfull thinking by someone.

[SWBKCB]

Thomson to Sharm and Tenerife next Winter?

[DTVAirport]

N707ZS - Who actually makes up the management team just out of curiousity? Obviously Kerry is top of the list, then isn't Richard Whitehouse second in command? I think Emma Ormerod is considered a manager & so was Nicola Baines before she left? Who are the two who have alledgedly left?


SWBKCB - do you know something we don't?

[SWBKCB]

Press release out in the morning - Alicante retained, return of Tenerife on a Saturday and new Sharm el-Sheikh on a Sunday.

[DTVAirport]

Excellent news! But TOM are a low-cost charter operation, and not the 'new scheduled operator' Kerry promised, therefore can we expect more still before the end of the week?

Having said that, Kerry is someone who told the press her favourite route was Newquay - weeks if not months after the route had ended, therefore this TOM announcement is probably what she meant!

[sunshine79]

TFS is normally a Friday, you sure it's a Saturday?

[MME4eva]

Whenever TFS is, this is very welcome news if true. TOM have a long established relationship with MME pre-WW and GSM and were probably pushed out by the aforementioned low-cos without a sorry or goodbye from DTV, who were only ever interested in the low cost sector until they deserted MME.

Are we too late for some W patterns from TOM this summer? I am still hopeful for a DUB rotation with RE but we shall await and see what Kerry meant!

[DTVAirport]

Just to well & truly transfer this from 'rumour' to 'confirmed', here is the press release: :ok:

Airport announces new flights (From The Northern Echo) (http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/4857844.Airport_announces_new_flights/)

[paarmo]

Now that's what you call good news. Perhaps the downgrading of charter passengers which has just been announced will now be rescinded.I would imagine the management team or what is left of it will be cock a hoop tonight.

[learjet50]

Re DTV

Have been watching all the threads and my comments are


Twin terminal /// What a total and utter waste of space and Money
with due respect DTV is not a major Airport with Millions of pax transiting/Departing.

Who ever invented the TWIN Terminal at DTV should be frof marched off the premises.

The TOM Programme Well done but its not exactly Millions of Pax per year and like all programmes TOM will probably put a great Big Airport supplement for travelling from DTV and wont sell the Holidays.

The Holidays will be withdrawn and pax diverted to Newcatle/Leeds and Doncaster with the proviso if u dont like it Hard Luck hears your Money back and read the small print..

There are 2 many Airports all trying to boost business in the present climate it wont work


I am sorry to say Mr Peel Holding is not an Idiot I See the next Major company at DTV to be Redrow Homes or someone else operating 3 Bedroom Detached Homes


Anyhow best of luck

[uklad007]

Learjet 50

Am sure all the staff at the airport who know any service, millions of pax or hundreds of pax, is much needed at the airport will love the support you have shown in your post. Your not mystic meg and whilst things have happend in the past which may or may not repeat itself in the future am sure all who rely on airlines trying their luck out at DTV probably dont share your sentiment at this time. :ugh: As you say the current climate is pants so why Thomson would want to send a plane into DTV three times a week to operate the three routes in order to push people to Newcastle, Leeds and Doncaster is beyond me. 2009 was probably the worst in the airports history lets be thankful of some positive news, even if it just gets the airport through a difficult 2010 winter season.

[smileysunflower]

The ATC services were not available, due to only one radar ATCO on duty. The times it was closed were 3.30 pm to 4.00 pm, 6pm to 6.30 pm and 8.30 to 9 pm.

[paarmo]

I think you will find that charter company loads have been excellent through this summer's crisis as they had scaled back almost to ticking over. They obviously see that things are improving and flying out of Teesside is preferable to parking the aircraft up for the winter. At least they will cover their costs and who knows might even make some real money. It is a restart for Teesside and I think it finally kicks into touch any rumours that Peel are redeveloping the airfield for houses. ( I can't believe I have just typed that )
The next stage is to revert to the Teesside name so that people who matter ie customers , know where they are flying from.
Come on Peel....you know it makes sense.

[davidjohnson6]

Come on paarmo - it's still very early days at the moment and you know it. One step at a time

[paarmo]

The longest journey always starts with the first step DJ6 and hopefully this is it. As an aside we also had our busiest day for about 6 months today accepting 7 diversions. Don't burst our bubble. Let us dream if only for a few months.

[planenutter]

Hi there,

Could you put a list of the 8 diverts up as I dont have as much info as any of you. Thomson winter flights promosing, maybe these will start to be brighter days for DTE. I used to go there 5 years ago with my grandad who lives in Northallerton and every time we went we used to see as many as 40 in a day as far as I can remember, lets keep our fingers crossed everyone :)

Best wishes planenutter

[paarmo]

Airport Movements (http://www.dtvmovements.co.uk/) Try this one.

[hatchetman]

nice one paarmo been looking for someting like this for years :ok:

[Keyvon]

Extremely good news for DTV airport.

People here should realize that if Thomson has decided to commit itself again with MME, it has to be seen only in a positive way because it caters for local holiday demand. So please, don't complain at any time, even in case of really good news.

Dalaman (Turkey) might also be a part of Thomson's Summer programme in 2011, from MME, as this holiday spot is selling fairly well from Teesside area with Goldtrail and Holiday4u.

[andrewmcharlton]

Here is an outside bet, although it goes against the grain of my thought process, this new "2 tier" terminal is in my opinion only being laid out because someone has said they want it as they wont pay full handling charges for a full service terminal. Nobody sensible would do it off their own bat, so who is asking for it?

[pug]

Here is an outside bet, although it goes against the grain of my thought process, this new "2 tier" terminal is in my opinion only being laid out because someone has said they want it as they wont pay full handling charges for a full service terminal. Nobody sensible would do it off their own bat, so who is asking for it?


They seem to have mothballed half of the terminal to cut overheads, its clearly only needed a few times a week this year!

Why would it cost an airline more to use the terminal anyway? Its hardly the biggest airport in the UK.

[andrewmcharlton]

Because FR will not pay full service charges so they demand shell only configs across Europe and pay accodingly. Hence many major full servcie airports have built / adapted shell scheme terminals or gates on the basis that if they will only pay peanuts they give them the airport equivalent of monkeys.

[pug]

Are they likely to expand at DTV while they open a base down the road?

Airports as small as DTV do not need seperate low cost terminals.... It is clearly just a ploy to save money as they can cut staff etc...

I am waiting to be proved wrong though.

[SWBKCB]

According to the Northern Echo the case between Peel and bmibaby in the Court of Appeal will be heard on January 26 and 27 - decision is not likely to be known for several weeks.

[HH6702]

Maybe an out of court settlement bmibaby to place one aircraft back at dtv from may 2010??

[GrahamK]

Or MME to give bmibaby cash for the pax they promised that didn't materialise? :E

Who knows.

[MME4eva]

Talk on another thread of a new LPL-LHR 3 x daily service provided by T3 using leased EMB 135s. Could MME be in the running? Surely Eastern have killed off the (few) pax that use SOU with all the recent cancellations?

[DTVAirport]

and where exactly do T3 intend on getting the slots from? Although having said that, the obvious favourite for where the E135s are coming from is BD regional, so perhaps BD have given them the slots?

Either way, don't think they'd be able to get enough slots for both LPL & us. I also dare say the route would work better from us than from LPL.

[NorthSouth]

London-Liverpool: 2hrs 8 mins city centre to city centre, every hour, by train. Who on earth would fly to Heathrow? Plus there's a long haul airport just down the road and several flights a day to Schiphol which is a million times better than Heathrow.
NS

[mybrico]

LPL - LHR Connections and catchment is the answer: the train doesnt go to heathrow unfortunately and 80,000 people travelled MAN - LHR in Dec 2009 so a market exists. However it would be good to see DTV link re-established to

[HH6702]

Great news well done DTV

26 January 2010: Aer Lingus and Aer Arann have today announced that agreement has been reached to establish a franchise arrangement between the two airlines.

Under this franchise agreement Aer Arann will operate 12 routes from Dublin and Cork. The routes will include current Aer Lingus and Aer Arann routes as well as 3 new routes.

These franchise services will be branded as "Aer Lingus Regional" and operated using Aer Arann ATR 72-500 aircraft and crew. All franchise flights will be sold and distributed through Aer Lingus- cheap flights, gift vouchers, hotels, car hire, & travel insurance (http://www.aerlingus.com). Aer Arann will assume full operational and commercial responsibility for the services covered by the franchise agreement with Aer Lingus receiving a franchise fee in recognition for providing its brand and product suite to Aer Arann.

The new agreement significantly increases Aer Lingus presence in the Ireland-UK market with new services to Ireland from Bristol, Blackpool, Cardiff, Doncaster/Sheffield, Durham, Glasgow and Edinburgh in addition to new seasonal services from Cork to Jersey in the Channel Islands and La Rochelle in France.

[mattfalcus]

Great news. The Ryanair route to Dublin was always pretty full the times I flew it.

This new one is 6x weekly apparently. Anyone know when it starts?

[N707ZS]

Lets hope they get the advertising right, just copy Jet 2 and we will get somewhere!

[apaul]

The first Dublin flight is 28 March. The route is daily except Saturday. Depts Dublin 14.45 and MME 16.20. The cheepest fares are £19.99 single from DTV, c. £35 from Dublin.

[uklad007]

MME-DUB - good news, slowly but surely :ok:

One thing though, its daily except Sat but for the first two months at least (i didnt check any further) you also cant book on a Tuesday either, it states its sold out (sold out symbol as opposed to non operating symbol used on a saturday) - am guessing a tech glitch??

[mmeteesside]

More good news for DTV! Must agree that slowly but surely things are looking up, and its perhaps better this way.

The Tuesday's could be due to their football specials, they will generally be on a Tuesday (and Saturday) but of course the season finishes in May therefore possibly free's up an aircraft on Tuesdays.

Starting with 5 a week is probably more sensible anyway, Wednesday flights are free (+ taxes) so they're obviously expecting midweek demand to be much lower therefore to only operate on Wednesday to start with makes sense.

[Jamesair]

Tuesday does appear from May onwards

[Wellington Bomber]

MMe4va

Whatever your name is, The flights were cancelled due to weather at both SOU and LBA, crews are been trained up to Cat11 standards as we speak. which is ok for LBA, but you still cant land in snow to big depths and if the airport is closed, and SOU as only 1 ILS to Cat1 and non precision at the other.

What do you propose they do????

[MME4eva]

Yes you got my name correct Wellington Bomber!!

What my point is, if I was using T3's service as opposed to the train, and the service kept getting cancelled, I would probably think perhaps the train is more reliable and less likely to be cut given the stop off at LBA as well.

I'm not sure a MME-LHR would work anyway due to the lack of interline connections through Heathrow.

The new DUB service, however, is fantastic news as due to the sensible size of aircraft, price structure lending itself to the business and leisure pax and the possibility to connect onto long haul.

I just hope this last point is emphasised in (hopefully) the forthcoming advertising. My only concern here though is will the flight times allow for connections onto long haul out of DUB?

What I like about the recent announcements is that DTV are not putting all their eggs in one basket (EI/RE, TOM, T3 and BE) and the routes should work.

Let's just hope the people of Teesside still know there is an airport and didn't skim read the recent press and think 'oh better fly from Leeds/Newcastle' just in case!!

P.S What do people think is the next step? Another route (apart from LHR) from T3? A small summer programme from TOM?

[en2r]

My only concern here though is will the flight times allow for connections onto long haul out of DUB?
I don't think they will. While you should be able to connect eastbound, you'll have to overnight in Dublin westbound since the DTV-DUB flight arives back in Dublin at 17.30 each day and the last transatlantic flight of the day from Dublin is the 16.30 to JFK.

[OMGitsDAVE]

Great news for Durham Tees Valley - perhaps that bus service should still be there, or atleast a train a day could stop :ugh: Early days, though!

[N707ZS]

I see the marketing department are still advertising Ryanair to GIRONA! on the DTV web site and not much sign of the Aer Arann :ugh:

[oldart]

I see the marketing department are still advertising Ryanair to GIRONA! on the DTV web site and not much sign of the Aer Arann :ugh:

They have started to inform the public now about the Aer Arann service, received an email from DTV this morning with full details. However I do believe they should advertise like Jet2 using the local buses.

[DTVAirport]

Advertising on the buses is no good if it's just the Darlington buses - Jet2 advertise both their LBA & NCL flights on buses in Darlington, but I'm willing to bet our adverts aren't seen on Leeds or Newcastle buses!

[SWBKCB]

Analysis of data at 300 European airports reveals winners and losers in 2009 by airport and country | anna.aero (http://www.anna.aero/2010/01/29/analysis-of-data-at-300-european-airports-reveals-winners-and-losers-in-2009-by-airport-and-country/)

[paarmo]

At last a Teesside team tops the table. Look on the bright side though a. It could actually have been worse. b. things can only get better c. the new sets of flights announced recently could be a springboard for the future. d. we don't have any flights going to Kosice. e. it was only Europe and we never wanted to be part of it anyway.

[compton3bravo]

I think you will find that Kosice is second from the top of the minus league because Sky Europe - now no longer with us unfortunately - flew practically all of the passengers which used the airport. As for last point what a ridiculous thing to say if the UK was not in Europe there would be hardly any low cost flights to new and different places - I live on continental Europe it is great, you can fly and drive between countries without hardly any hassle until you get back to dear old Blighty ugh! Of course you are entitled to your opinion but be careful in the UK - Big Brother is watching your every move.

[SWBKCB]

One thing we have going for us is our sense of humour...

[compton3bravo]

Yes, totally agree, I need as much as I can get every time I set foot in the old country!

[paarmo]

Think I touched a nerve there Compton. But don't start whingeing when Eurostar breaks down in the Chunnel again and Europe is cut off.

[SWBKCB]

Interesting quote in the Northern Echo:

Peel Airports Group aviation director Nick Smillie said: “I think the really important message is that we now know where we are going with the airport. We are not trying to get 737s. A lot of these aircraft are 40 or 70- seaters, giving passengers what they want, which is good regional connections.”