Why doesn't GLA have any nonstop CDG or BRU service?

[mcdonnellluke]

Hello
Why doesn't Glasgow airport have any nonstop link to Paris or BRU? This seems strange for an airport of that size. Do most people in the Glasgow area prefer to use RYRs Prestwick services or drive across to EDI? Also, has anyone added a BR service (e.g. BD) since SN pulled of the route?

[Landing_24R]

BA serve Brussels from Edinburgh, if that's what you were asking, although as far as I know GLA has no direct link. In answer to your question, it's probably just that it's not a particularly profitable route- maybe not many people in that area need to go to CDG/BRU! Airlines are unlikely to link two cities just because they're 'big', there needs to be a viable commercial incentive for doing so, ie. demand from the market. It is more likely however that with FR down the road in Prestwick any service would face fierce competition from Ryanair anyway, which would probably make it very hard to make any money at all on the route :))

Your question about Ryanair is even more difficult to answer, as each has a specific market it appeals to, ie. FR will appeal to the backpacking tourist and the cost-concious/sensible businessman, whereas BA might appeal more to those who crave convenience and expect the service to be superiour in quality and more reliable. Different people will go to different airlines, though I admit there is a drift towards the budget carriers.

Hope that helps (though I doubt it!)
Cheers
Landing_24R

[Ringwayman]

L24_R, it's the EDI-CDG service that you're thinking from BA; bmi and flyBE do EDI-BRU.

I'm pretty sure that BRU-GLA was operated by Sabena prior to their financial problems; AF may well have operated a CDG service to GLA in the 1980s/1990s.

[Tom the Tenor]

There is a sizeable Italian community in Glasgow and yet there is no direct link to any point in Italy. I have always thought this curious.

[ajamieson]

There is a sizeable Italian community in a lot of British cities. Do they necessarily fly to their 'home country' more often than other communities? Glasgow's even larger Pakistani population springs to mind. And do these communities generate a demand for air travel sufficient to warrant a direct route? I think the answer to both is probably 'no'.

[GustyOrange]

AJ,

There has been much speculation recently about PIA operating to GLA in the near future.

Gusty

[ajamieson]

There has been much speculation recently about PIA operating to GLA in the near future.

Very true, but the poppadoms are on me if it actually happens. :)

[GustyOrange]

The beer as well ??

;) :D ;)

[Findo]

I think the "drift" towards low fares services has become a flood. Ryanair have killed off Glasgow services which served the same market at much higher fares - rather proving the sceptics wrong about pax wanting to use out of city airports. If the price is right the pax will fly.

Italian destination from Scotland ? My prediction is Ryanair to Rome.

[FlyingIrishman]

The flag carriers are in no position to launch into a price war with Ryanair. Business travellers WILL fly from Prestwick and they DO accept that they'll be landing in Charleroi and Beauvais, simply because the price is right.

[Deeko01]

I think the answer to the original question is, because it is not required.

Yes in older days there was Sabena to Brussels but that flight was seldom full and very very expensive compared to Ryanair at PIK, when Sabena stopped note that British European stepped in almost immediately from EDI only and not GLA because the loads were coming out of EDI and not GLA, as for CDG well we had AFR once upon a time with 732's and more recently E145 which again were seldom full and hence a codeshare with British European was set up via BHX in competition with BA, yet from EDI AFR's partner BCY still has a direct route because it still has the numbers, though I have no doubt if Ryanair operated in the east to BCI or BVA then there would be no BEE or BCY.

Remember if these routes were making money they would still be continuing, but as a previous caller said you can't really compete with the low cost comapnies.

[Speedmaster]

Just to add that FLYBE have now ceased the edi-bru route as of last week. The CRJ's that were operating the routes are now being used to fly edi-bhx

[Jobs-a-Goodun]

Speedmaster,

You are correct that Flybe. have suspended the direct EDI-BRU flights they were operating, these sectors were simply not seeing the required loads. Couple this to the fact that many travellers were using the indirect service via BHX meant it was not worth operating.

Current transfer traffic from GLA and EDI to BRU via BHX is good, and the current schedules mean connections on at least 3 daily flights in each direction. Equally so from BHD