Iberia Express

[Jerry]

Not a great load factor with July even for a new route. Part of the problem might be the frequency - I think it's 2 x weekly which might be restrictive to some people looking to book a short break if the two days the flight operates don't fit in with their plans.

August was better. 2577 passengers average load 143 LF 79%. It is a new route so will take some time to bed in. A full season from April to November maybe 3 weekly Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I honestly can't see Iberia Express launching the route then dropping it practically straight away. The airport has a good relationship with IAG so there is always the possibility if the loads aren't good enough for an IB Express A320 then the route could be taken over by Air Nostrum with their E190s. Hopefully that won't happen and we'll continue to see IB express with their A320's and maybe even one day we might see some A321s!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

IAG does seem willing to give a route time to bed down. As I said in my previous post not all airlines are as patient.

2018 should begin to show whether their confidence is justified with Madrid. Unless something major occurs that adversely affects the entire industry I will be very surprised if the route does not continue to build next year.

 

[CraigW92]

As has been mentioned above, it'll be good to see the route given a bedding in a period, @Foxlimayankee hot the nail on the head when Vueling took a while to get settled and are now seemingly well set and well noticed in the eyes of the public, It's also worth noting that there is a Business class cabin on IB Express of 18 seats, Not the cheapest either so potentially if there was a few of these sold on each flight this could make the yield a more satisfactory figure, hopefully they can see it has progression and it continues, perhaps at an increased frequency to encourage more short break travellers.

 

[Jerry]

Increasing the frequency may also help it gain more long haul travellers as well which will give it a boost.
I also wonder if the size of the aircraft for IB might not be a problem for them as they might look at it that if they are getting loads to fill an A319 they might be content with that, especially if the handling charges at CWL are really cheap for them which i imagine they will be.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I noted a comment by you in another thread today, Jerry. It seems from it that there is now some doubt about Iberia Express returning next year on CWL-MAD. I'd noted similar comments on another aviation website to which I think you sometimes contribute.

It goes without saying that MAD would be a big loss and perhaps Flybe might be tempted to look at it, given that their aircraft size might be more suited and at a greater frequency. I suggested in an earlier post that something more than IB's 2x weekly might be more attractive to travellers.

 

[Jerry]

Yeah it is a slight concern though there is still roughly 6 months until April and May so there may well still be a chance of it coming back. It would be sad if they just ended up a one season wonder hope they have some patience with the route and build it up like Vueling have done with their routes and maybe in the future look at adding Gran Canaria as well. If it doesn't then maybe Flybe could look at the route, Iberia have proved there is demand so that could provide a solid base for Flybe to start with. Fingers crossed it won't come to that and we'll see Iberia back.

 

[Jerry]

I tweeted the airport asking about the Madrid route and their reply was that they are expecting a decision soon. So hopefully it won't be too long before Iberia make their minds up on whether they are going to return. I would hope that they would give the route a full season to let the route bed in.

 

[Jerry]

According to a poster on WAF Debra Barber is currently in Madrid. So if she is meeting with Iberia then hopefully this will bring good news and more flights for the summer.

 

[Jerry]

From a reply to a query on Twitter IB Express has said Madrid will restart in June and will be onsale next week.
https://twitter.com/ibexpress_help/status/938783817959079936

 

[Jerry]

With Iberia Express it will be interesting to see what days they will operate the service on. With BCN shifting to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays would they want the flights to clash with the Vueling's BCN service? If it stays 2 weekly then Monday and Friday might be a good option for a weekend break.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

With Iberia Express it will be interesting to see what days they will operate the service on. With BCN shifting to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays would they want the flights to clash with the Vueling's BCN service? If it stays 2 weekly then Monday and Friday might be a good option for a weekend break.

Different parts of Spain though so I can't imagine this would be a particularly telling factor. Will Iberia Express increase the number of weekly rotations?

 

[Jerry]

Different parts of Spain though so I can't imagine this would be a particularly telling factor. Will Iberia Express increase the number of weekly rotations?

True. It would be great if they went 3 weekly especially as it would give more access to long haul connections as well as more connections to other parts of Spain and the Canary islands but personally i'd expect 2 weekly again though i hope i'm wrong. Either way it is great that the route will be back and that another part of IAG has confidence in Cardiff. All we need now is the return of Aer Lingus and BA to launch some routes and CWL will have the complete set of IAG airlines.

 

[CWL94]

MAD back on sale 2x weekly, Thu and Sun. Starts 14th June

Thu

MAD 16:55 / 17:55 - 18:05 / 19:05 CWL

CWL 18:40 / 19:40 - 21:50 / 22:50 MAD


Sun

MAD 08:45 - 09:55 CWL

CWL 10:30 - 13:40 MAD

 

[Jerry]

Ends 16th September as well. It maybe a shorter season but at least it came back. Good news!

 

[Severn]

Good news it has returned albeit for a shorter season.
Shame the Thursday flight arrives so late in Madrid. It's even later than this summers flight times which are below:

Thursday in 2017
MAD-CWL 16.00-17.15
CWL-MAD 17.50-21.05

Sunday in 2017
MAD-CWL 09.00-10.15
CWL-MAD 11.00-14.15

 

[Jerry]

Good news it has returned albeit for a shorter season.
Shame the Thursday flight arrives so late in Madrid. It's even later than this summers flight times which are below:

Thursday in 2017
MAD-CWL 16.00-17.15
CWL-MAD 17.50-21.05

Sunday in 2017
MAD-CWL 09.00-10.15
CWL-MAD 11.00-14.15

Only by 55 mins and the arrival time in Cardiff is perfect for Spanish tourists coming to Cardiff for a short break which no doubt is what Iberia Express are targeting.

 

[Jerry]

News

13 DECEMBER
Iberia Express flights to Madrid return for summer 2018
The Iberia Group’s popular low cost airline will return with 2 weekly return flights to Madrid, operating on Thursdays and Sundays, with fares available from just £39 one way and from £142 in Business.

Madrid is an extremely popular destination for business travelers and tourists alike. Famous for its art, gastronomy and, of course, its football – not to mention home to Welsh football hero Gareth Bale - Madrid is also a shopper’s paradise, boasting both name-brand stores and independent boutiques.

The return of this popular Iberia Express route from Cardiff will also offer customers access to a wealth of destinations around the world, using Madrid as hub to connect onwards. These connections include access to 20 Spanish cities, such as Alicante, Asturias, Bilbao, Gran Canaria, Granada or Seville; Lisbon and Porto in Portugal; Johannesburg, Dakar and Malabo; Tel Aviv, as well as Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Santiago de Chile, Medellin, Havana, Mexico City, Miami and New York in the Americas.

Trevor Martin, Chief Commercial Officer of Iberia Express said: "We’re very pleased to continue operating the Madrid-Cardiff route in summer 2018, returning to a route which has been very popular with our customers. Our focus is to continue offering a variety of destinations at very competitive prices with high standards of quality and service”.

Deb Barber, CEO of Cardiff Airport said: "After the initial success of its first season, we're delighted to welcome Iberia Express back to Wales’ national airport for the upcoming summer season.

Madrid is a destination that's been highly sought by our customers for a long time and its immediate popularity is testament to this. With conveniently timed flights available at good prices, the service is ideal for short city breaks to discover all that the city has to offer. Likewise, we look forward to welcoming even more visitors from Spain to our country - the home nation of Real Madrid star player Gareth Bale and host city for the UEFA Champions League final in 2017. With UNESCO listed, stunning mountain ranges, miles of award-winning coastline and a bustling city-scape within easy reach, there are many reasons to visit Wales using our national Airport as the gateway."

Iberia Express, a subsidiary of the Iberia Group, flies to 40 destinations in 14 countries Apart from flying point-to-point routes, it feeds Iberia’s medium and long-haul network. It is a member of oneworld, an alliance of fifteen airlines that offers its passengers 14,000 daily flights to nearly 1,000 airports in 150 countries. In 2016, Iberia Express was the world’s most punctual low cost airline, for the third year in a row, according to FlightStats.

BACK TO NEWS

https://www.cardiff-airport.com/new...ess-flights-to-madrid-return-for-summer-2018/

 

[Jerry]

I've been looking at prices for Iberia Express to Madrid as i'm thinking of using the service in maybe August or September and prices look pretty cheap, it looks like they have a sale on and with Club Express prices are as low as 36 euros. Thursday prices seem the cheapest generally while in June the prices are around 25 euros with the Club Express.
Due to me having to be back for work on Saturdays i'll probably have to use Heathrow to return, i know this is the CWL thread but does anyone know which flight time Iberia uses the A340 on?
They do have a sale on for their 6th Anniversary up to 40% off.

 

[Brum X]

I've been looking at prices for Iberia Express to Madrid as i'm thinking of using the service in maybe August or September and prices look pretty cheap, it looks like they have a sale on and with Club Express prices are as low as 36 euros. Thursday prices seem the cheapest generally while in June the prices are around 25 euros with the Club Express.
Due to me having to be back for work on Saturdays i'll probably have to use Heathrow to return, i know this is the CWL thread but does anyone know which flight time Iberia uses the A340 on?
They do have a sale on for their 6th Anniversary up to 40% off.

IB3166 Jez

• Madrid - Adolfo Suarez Barajas (MAD)
• Terminal 4S

• London - Heathrow (LHR)
• Terminal 5

346 2h : 25m 15:55 17:20

 

[Jerry]

IB3166 Jez

• Madrid - Adolfo Suarez Barajas (MAD)
• Terminal 4S

• London - Heathrow (LHR)
• Terminal 5

346 2h : 25m 15:55 17:20

Thanks, unfortunately that will be to late for me. I've just been on Iberia's website and there are a couple of BA flights there and 1 is a 767 (took me a while to figure out there is a drop down that tells you the aircraft type!) and gets me back around midday so i might look at that as i believe the 767s are going at the end of the year and I've never flown with BA, will be interesting to see if they are as bad as people say they are!