easyJet

[Finger66]

Easyjet to start flying from Southampton to Geneva this autumn three times a week. No comment!

 

[rmac]

Southampton doesn't have Jet2

 

[lbaspotter]

Its already been confirmed since the Easyjet withdrawal that Jet2 are going to be taking up the slack by using larger Boeing 737-800 & Boeing 757-200 aircraft on the Leeds/Bradford to Geneva route this coming winter 2017/18 season as well as putting extra flights on.

 

[LeedsPilot]

It's still a downgrade having only one operator on the route. I was also shocked to see the new SOU route - plus they're going against flybe at an airport half the size of LBA.

 

[jason1-11]

It's still a downgrade having only one operator on the route. I was also shocked to see the new SOU route - plus they're going against flybe at an airport half the size of LBA.

I was astonished also when I heard the news. The other thing to bare in mind is the legacy Easyjet operation to GVA from BOH as well.

It's such a pity that an airline of Easyjet's stature see no benefit operating from one of the largest, under served catchment areas in the country.

 

[Finger66]

Its already been confirmed since the Easyjet withdrawal that Jet2 are going to be taking up the slack by using larger Boeing 737-800 & Boeing 757-200 aircraft on the Leeds/Bradford to Geneva route this coming winter 2017/18 season as well as putting extra flights on.

Easyjet compete with lots of airlines on lots of routes so whilst it is great to see Jet2 pick up on any slack their new SOU to GVA route shows that Easyjet don't actually have any interest in LBA. At the end of the day it will be their loss because LBA has, as has benn posted, a bigger catchment area. What this also shows to me is just how well Jet2 are taking on the big boys, and winning.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

For some unfathomable reason easyJet has consistently ignored BHX too, with only ski routes from Geneva and Grenoble and a year-round Belfast International route served, all from bases at these other airports. And this was in the years before the likes of Monarch, Jet2 and Norwegian went to BHX. After 30-40 years trying to get to grips with airline/airport economics (as an outsider) I'm still as puzzled as ever at times.

 

[Seasider]

For some unfathomable reason easyJet has consistently ignored BHX too, with only ski routes from Geneva and Grenoble and a year-round Belfast International route served, all from bases at these other airports. And this was in the years before the likes of Monarch, Jet2 and Norwegian went to BHX. After 30-40 years trying to get to grips with airline/airport economics (as an outsider) I'm still as puzzled as ever at times.

Me too! (and I have been trying to get to grips for nearly 50 years).

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Easyjet compete with lots of airlines on lots of routes so whilst it is great to see Jet2 pick up on any slack their new SOU to GVA route shows that Easyjet don't actually have any interest in LBA. At the end of the day it will be their loss because LBA has, as has benn posted, a bigger catchment area. What this also shows to me is just how well Jet2 are taking on the big boys, and winning.

Jet2 is now a big boy; it's a force to be reckoned with.

 

[a300boy]

As I said when it was announced we hoped Geneva was the first of several Easyjet destinations some of which Jet 2 did not seem interested in serving.
So even if Jet 2 pick up all the slack on Geneva operations it is still a disappointment Easyjet have ceased operations from Lba.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

I am with you on this a300boy. One airline could provide all the needed capacity but have the monopoly. This is bad for the market and bad for the customers.

easyJet were, imo, more than a welcome addition to LBA even if it was the winter flight only. Personally i don't see why easyJet snub there noses up at the biggest underserved catchment area in the UK. One can hope they start to see sense soon and realise a couple of aircraft at LBA is good for the market.

 

[Jerry]

Personally i don't see why easyJet snub there noses up at the biggest underserved catchment area in the UK.

When it comes to EZY i think they don't like not being the top airlines at the airports they operate out of. If you look at most of their bases they are either the top airline or in the top 2. At LBA they would be at least 3rd behind Jet2 and Ryanair whereas if you look at say MAN they are in the top 2.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

When it comes to EZY i think they don't like not being the top airlines at the airports they operate out of. If you look at most of their bases they are either the top airline or in the top 2. At LBA they would be at least 3rd behind Jet2 and Ryanair whereas if you look at say MAN they are in the top 2.

Not necessarily. At GLA and STN they are behind Ryanair and Jet2 in the number of routes served and at EDI roughly equal with Jet2 some way behind Ryanair and at NCL roughly equal with Ryanair behind Jet2.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

When it comes to EZY i think they don't like not being the top airlines at the airports they operate out of. If you look at most of their bases they are either the top airline or in the top 2. At LBA they would be at least 3rd behind Jet2 and Ryanair whereas if you look at say MAN they are in the top 2.

I'm going to disagree. At MAN they are probably 3rd/4th behind LS, TOM and FR regarding seat capacity in peak summer. Anyway we agree to disagree and this is a forum open for debate

Overall over the year they are probably within the top 3 but they are, imo, behind LS TOM and FR when it comes to July/August/September (shoulder months) peaks.

 

[Finger66]

Very well said Sherburnflyer. One thing we all agree on is that is disappointing we don't still have EZY at LBA but it is evident they don't have any interest in LBA. And whilst I also agree with an earlier post that competition on a route is better for that route, e.g. GVA at least we do have airlines in LS, ZB and FR that do at this moment seem committed to LBA. And they have certainly played their part in opening new routes and growing pax numbers, not just operating one route for a token 5 days a week for 4 to 5 months of the year. This is Easyjet's loss and not LBA's in my opinion because the incumbent carriers will just continue to grow and make it harder for new or returning operators

 

[whoshotjimmi]

I think all of this goes right back to the early days of EasyJet and LCCs in general. Because they didn't have the clout they do now, EasyJet took on Luton, Liverpool and Bristol and established themselves in those bases to rival airports such as Manchester and Heathrow/Gatwick.

Once the LCCs organised themselves into 3 or 4 top performers, showed the passenger carrying potential they had (almost bringing BA short haul to its knees) and stopped ridiculously competing with each other to their own detriment at LTN and STN (they now barely compete on any routes from these airports), they suddenly had the power to do as they pleased.

EasyJet turned their attention to LGW and MAN at the expense of LPL (which is still the case to this day) and LTN (which EasyJet are only really putting focus back into now they have run out of room at LGW). BRS survived relatively unscathed as the local competition is further away though I would say that EasyJet expanded quickly there early on and has not been far from reaching saturation point since.

The same is true of Ryanair who have continued to use STN as their largest base but scaled down operations at LPL when they got into MAN and at PIK when they got into GLA. Furthermore, the LBA base would not have existed at all had they not been playing games with MAN.

The power these airlines now have dictate what they are up to. In general, the biggest airlines (Ryanair/EasyJet/Jet2) tend not to compete with each other on routes other than the typical bucket and spades. They all realise that there is little point taking passengers away from each other at their own expense. So yes, whilst competition is better for the consumer, it is definitely not better for the airlines. Indeed, there are only a few airports (MAN, LPL, BRS, EDI, LTN, STN) where Ryanair and EasyJet both have a sizable presence and only two of those (MAN, EDI) have Jet2 for company too. Again, only two (LTN, LPL) have Wizz Air and only two of those (MAN, LTN) also have a large Monarch presence.

EasyJet knows full well that it would be mad to expand to the likes of LBA because, as a business risk, it is not worth it. Does the demand exist? If GVA is anything to go by, no - though there may well be demand to other routes. But why spend the money on basing a couple of aircraft at LBA when those passengers are more than happy going to MAN? The more traction these airlines get in the large airports in London and Manchester, the less inclined they will be to open and maintain bases such as LBA, LPL, NCL, EMA etc etc etc. Just look at Jet2 at MAN. Now a much larger and more committed base than LBA and, if there are marginal routes to be had, that's where they will go.

Imho, the best LBA can hope for now is for some non based LCC action - whatever form that may take. EasyJet, Ryanair, Flybe, Eurowings, Transavia, Wizz, Blue - they all have European bases - some of which may interest LBA, particularly if Jet2 loses the 733s.

 

[User001]

I'm going to disagree. At MAN they are probably 3rd/4th behind LS, TOM and FR regarding seat capacity in peak summer

Easyjet are actually second at MAN by seat counts in both summer and winter.

The top 5 by seats at MAN are:

Summer 17:

Ryanair (3.2m seats)
Easyjet (2.5m seats)
Thomas Cook (2.13m seats)
Thomson (2.12m seats)
Jet2 (2.11m seats)

Winter 17/18

Ryanair (2.6m seats)
Easyjet (1.6m seats)
Flybe (1.1m seats)
Thomson (813k seats)
Monarch (783k seats)
For W17/18, at 550k seats, Jet2 barely makes the top 10.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

Another issue for Easyjet is rising losses on their internal european operation, which over the last year has lost millions, its U.K. operation to europe carrying the whole group.
Management issues resulted today in Carolyn McCall jumping ship to ITV before she paid the price for her recent management of the company with Stelios very unhappy with her decisions.
Only time will tell if her decision to allow the european division to be under control of the Austria airline authority is the right move.

 

[White Heather]

If Easyjet were interested in LBA, and operated the routes they could, and which we need, they could easily push Monarch down to 3rd place here. I fear it is once again the presence of their operations at MAN and LPL that results in them not being interested in competing here at LBA. The surprise for me was that after operating for around 5 years to Geneva, they dropped the route on the first occasion it struggled.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

Decreasing ski passengers numbers over the last few years caused by the huge lack of snow, this must have a bearing on airlines thoughts. Talking to a friends of our who owns a restaurant outside Zermatt, summer numbers now catching up with winter and causing significant shifts in his opening/staffing patterns.
Certainly booking for later this month up as Mrs May starts her alpine walks again. maybe decide not to call another election after this walking holiday.