Liverpool and Britannia
 

Read on Ceefax that Thomsons/Britannia are to provide serious expansion at Liverpool for summer 2002 - 11 new destinations compared to maximum of 2 at any other airports. Seems as though the 40 million pounds new facilities being built for next March are making operators take Liverpool seriously as the preferred airport for the Merseyside market.

terminal is coming along nicely and the development once complete should look great.

Lets just hope the bit of airspace above is controlled in a more efficient manner than it is now, making the arriving commercial aircraft to LPL very much second class citizens, especially with what seems to be a new policy of taking all arrivals (even from the south east) on a right hand pattern to 27.

others follow where monarch lead.
monarch have based a/c in LPL during the summer for the past 2 years, and flown to all the package hol destinations agp, alc, tfs, lpa, ace, and more. flights are on behalf of Direct holidays and pax loads have allways been very high. i also beleive, air2k have big plans for LPL.


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IT'S BETTER TO BE ON THE GROUND, WISHING YOU WERE IN THE AIR - THAN IT IS TO BE IN THE AIR, WISHING YOU WERE ON THE GROUND !

BB1 - this year is actually the 5th year of ZB charter ops from LPL

Air 2 will be there too next summer

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You fly em we'll fill em!

baconjuice. sorry, you are quite correct, just i havn't been involved with LPL flights before 2000.

Will be great to see that arrogant Manchester Airport Authority get a bloddy nose!!!

What a load of hoohah for what is really much ado about very little.
I think LPL must have a spin doctor from the Labour Party.
In reality, the news ammounts to ONE B757 at LPL for 6 days a week this summer.
Out of the the 11 flights it will be doing, 4 will be going via another UK airfield.
As for the airspace changes, well that's what's known as progress.
Southern Softy, you'll be aghast to know that it will be SOP for ALL arrivals to go downwind right hand from this summer. By the autumn there will be 2 new holding facilities, one at EATON on A25 for arrivals from the South and SE, and one called BANKS, 6 miles West of WAL (That'll please EZY coming from AMS...NOT). MIRSI will become a hold for MAN traffic only.
As for Ex NAV trying to stir up the old LPL/MAN debate, you really need to a grip on reality mate before coming out with such inane and laughable comments.

Also heard rumours on this side of the pond that Canada3K and AirTransat are looking at using LPL in the summer of 2002. Though to what extent I don't know.

flew into Speke last year, usual meet n' greeter's - servisair, baggage handlers, fire service, customs - and the local mobile library... what's all that about?!
(This is a local airport for local people)..

And the rumours from this side of the pond are that Canada3k and AirTransat will start service to LPL in the summer 2002.

Regarding the basing of charter a/c at regional airports, does anyone know who between the tour operator and the airline has the greatest influence?

If, for example, Thomsons identify that a greater number of their holidays could be sold in the NW, providing more services from LPL were laid on, do BY simply comply and open up a base. Or is it a case of BY identifying that a deal can be struck with Peel for lower landing and passenger handling charges at LPL (say in comparison to MAN) and then Thomsons working out if they can sell enough to fill the a/c? No doubt this grossly over-simplifies matters, but I'm intriguied as to how these matters work in practice.

In the context of LBA, we hear positive noises from the management regarding the state of the relationship with Thomsons, yet BY have closed their winter base from 2001/02 and in 02 will further reduce the summer flying programme??

682

It may seem small beer to some but a based unit transferring flights across the northwest is a little newsworthy to us sad northeners as there is little or no growth elsewhere in the UK for the 2002 charter programme. It isn't small beer to Thomsons and Britannia who managed to get a lot of regional publicity with their progamme - where did you get the idea that 4 of the flights go via other UK airfields 160 ? I understand its all dedicated BY flights - It wouldn't seem economical to do such a thing and double drops in Europe are a thing of the past.

monarch are basing an a320 at LPL, britannia a 757, Air2k a 757 (next year) several ezy 737's, multiple fr flights daily. its not bad for a regional airport. well done LPL.

<<where did you get the idea that 4 of the flights go via other UK airfields 160 ? I understand its all dedicated BY flights - It wouldn't seem economical to do such a thing and double drops in Europe are a thing of the past. >>

It was a comment passed onto me from someone in BY, although he quantified it yesterday by saying he thought it was only in May/June, 2 via LGW and 2 via CWL.

It may be complete bobbins, but what would PPRUNE be without rumours ?? :)

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682.

The answer is a bit of both really.
As the Tour op we can request maximum capacity on an aircraft from anywhere. The Airline decide if they will W in from another airport, base an aircraft there or position in for a few days of the week. However, If we only wanted a certain percentage of capacity they could "suggest" an alternative Airport if it was cheaper for them or they could'nt find sharers. Thats assuming that they have a spare aircraft, suitable slots, crew for it, relevant ground support etc.

But in these vertically intergrated days, the decesion should be made by whatever makes the most money for the group.



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You fly em we'll fill em!