Summer/Winter Schedules - dates

[newswatcher]

What drives the Summer/Winter schedule dates? Is there a legal or regulatory requirement?

Reason I ask is that, with Mrs NW only able to take time off during school holidays, we are currently planning for the last week in October.

This is already looking "full", and so I was encouraged by two announcements this week for "extra" flights, from bmi to Tenerife and MyTravelLite to Murcia. However, the first start from 8/11 and the second from 1/11.

Wouldn't it have been possible for these airlines to launch to coincide with the Autumn half term(for our schools)?

[Globaliser]

The changeover dates between summer and winter schedules are usually the Sat night/Sun morning that the clocks change, in most of the world (where they change at all). Coincidentally, the northern autumn change date usually coincides with UK half term, so if some service is going to get introduced or stopped, as often as not it'll happen then. But I just don't think there's any rule that airlines have to do it then.

[rsoman]

I guess it is somethign to do with the twice yearly Slot Co-ordination Conferences. I am sure more qualified experts here can throw some light on the subject.

Cheers

[newswatcher]

Thanks guys. According to my trusty diary, BST ends o/n 25/26 October.

With airlines allegedly "feeling the pinch", I would have thought that maximising loads during the half-term break should have been too good to miss!

[glider insider]

From having worked in the sales department for a "newly oranged" low cost airline the carriers dont ever seem to have much trouble filling the half term seats whenever they are released, its the remaing 45 weeks of the year which arent school holidays that are the problem...

the slot conference seems to have a lot to do with it, and where i used to work, the sheer organisation of what was 2 people trying to come up with a workable schedule seemed to delay any seats being put on sale...

[Cyrano]

Globaliser's quite right. The changeover dates match the (European) daylight savings time changes. I think the slot conference dates follow from this rather than the other way round. According to IATA, ICAO, etc, there are two scheduling seasons per year, "Northern Summer" and "Northern Winter", and everything is built around this.

Airlines can of course change their schedules whenever they like, but at slot controlled airports, slots are allocated for some or all of a season. (Thus, for example, I can apply for a 10.00 GMT departure from BHX for every day in the period Oct 26 2003- Mar 27 2004. If I get this slot, and if I use it 80% of the time (*), I get to keep it for next winter (Oct 04-Mar 05). However I have to apply separately for my slot for next summer.)

(*) just to complicate things, this "use it or lose it" rule was waived for the current summer season... Confused? You will be. :)

If I decide today I want to start a new service on Oct 26, I can apply for slots - I'll be behind the curve since most airlines filed their applications a couple of months ago, but handback of unused slots for winter is due at the end of August and I have a reasonable chance of getting something. However if I want to start a few days earlier, I'd need to squeeze into the already fully allocated summer season, which could be trickier.

As to why some carriers are starting their winter programmes in early November - not sure. Could be that they're taking an aircraft out for a few days' maintenance between seasons?

OK, back to finalising our winter schedule... :D

[newswatcher]

Thanks cyrano and GI. Now back to finding that elusive flight!