Route Development & Rumours

[TheLocalYokel]

Thank you for the welcome.

No problem. We hope you are able to contribute regularly.

 

[Marko1]

Can’t wait - Turkish or Lufthansa ?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Can’t wait - Turkish or Lufthansa ?

Or something else? That's not a hint because I have no idea.

 

[Marko1]

Or a bit out there - etihad or United ?

 

[Jerry]

Or a bit out there - etihad or United ?

I'd be surprised at either of those, if it wasn't an Easyjet expansion i'd go for Lufthansa or Turkish.

 

[BRSregular]

I’d be happy with a big Wizz expansion, Finnair or TUI long haul to Costa Rica/Thailand etc

 

[Marko1]

UAE has been on tui website for a few weeks as almost daily so ?

 

[Jerry]

UAE has been on tui website for a few weeks as almost daily so ?

They will be operating cruises from Dubai during winter 2020/21, Cardiff is down for one departure.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

They will be operating cruises from Dubai during winter 2020/21, Cardiff is down for one departure.

Is that to Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC)?

 

[Jerry]

Is that to Dubai (DXB) or Al Maktoum (DWC)?

Al Maktoum DWC.

 

[forest1979]

I’d be happy with Lufthansa or Turkish.. don’t think it will be LH expansion. I would be more disappointed with low cost expansion of any carrier and as good as easyJet are, more growth there puts too many eggs in one basket...
I don’t get the Finnair thinking? Maybe someone could enlighten me?
TUI to Dubai would feel like Middle East on the cheap for me and doesn’t offer onward connections which is why so many of choose to fly with them..
I’m certainly keen to find out.. Bristol could do with something new big and exciting!

 

[Kernow Bravo]

I don’t get the Finnair thinking? Maybe someone could enlighten me?

HEL would offer another hub airport for BRS pax and because of its north easterly location, flight times to the far east in particular can be shorter than from (say) AMS. Obviously it depends on the flight fequency, timings and resulting layovers : some routes may be attractive, others less so. Whilst there will be fewer potential connections via HEL than (e.g.) via FRA, in the continuing absence of LH, AY would be a welcome option at BRS.

AY would also reinstate a OneWorld (OW) presence at BRS, which ended with the short-lived BACF services in summer 2018. This may encourage some OW loyalists not to make the journey to LHR.

Finally,. at this time of year, there is potentially a market for domestic connections at HEL, such as to Lapland and winter sports destinations.

 

[alphagolf]

Lufthansa
Twice daily except Saturdays to FRA using an E190 from March 30

reported by Travel Weekly this morning

http://travelweekly.co.uk/articles/347945/lufthansa-launches-new-route-from-bristol-airport

 

[forest1979]

Red flyer.. are you able to indicate if there may be anything more in the offing before the year is out?
my wish list for Bristol...
AF to Paris, Turkish to Istanbul, Swiss to Zurich, Lufthansa to Munich, eurowings to Düsseldorf, TUI Barbados and Jamaica, Iberia to Madrid (South America connections) Florence again (anyone)
as you can tell, I’m desperate for the offering at Bristol to be more than low cost..
If they aspire to be one of the best connected regional airports then the above (or some of it) needs to happen for me..

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Red flyer.. are you able to indicate if there may be anything more in the offing before the year is out?
my wish list for Bristol...
AF to Paris, Turkish to Istanbul, Swiss to Zurich, Lufthansa to Munich, eurowings to Düsseldorf, TUI Barbados and Jamaica, Iberia to Madrid (South America connections) Florence again (anyone)
as you can tell, I’m desperate for the offering at Bristol to be more than low cost..
If they aspire to be one of the best connected regional airports then the above (or some of it) needs to happen for me..

I like your sentiments. Even one or two of those would help the airport's diversification. You never know - another Lufthansa might be around the corner. That's not a hint because I have no more idea than anyone else, except those involved with the airport and airlines in such planning.

I think though that BRS will inevitably remain primarily an airport dominated by low-cost airlines; for the foreseeable future anyway, provided that type of airline continues to exist.

easyJet has worked wonders and, although there is always the worry that relying too much on one major airline customer is probably not a good idea, brought a huge network of destinations that would never be possible with legacy airlines flying direct.

The success of the re-started links to BRU and FRA operated by airlines in the Lufthansa Group, albeit one is flown by a third party carrier on behalf of the LH Group airline, is vital. If they prosper other airlines might take note.

BRS will probably always live in the shadow of Heathrow and not just for long-haul. Many short-haul routes already operating at BRS have greater frequency and thus flexibility, especially for business travellers, at LHR. There is also the question of fare prices. A current debate is taking place on another aviation website regarding the fares at BRS on the FRA route compared with those from LHR.

Future government climate change action that might impact aviation, especially if a new government emerges following the general election, might also enter the mix, and not just at BRS, as might the continuing uncertainty over BRS's request to have its 10 mppa planning consents limit raised.

 

[Kernow Bravo]

I'm with forest1979 on this topic, although I would add to the 'shopping list' AY via HEL, AT via VIE and maybe SK via CPH.

BRS will probably always live in the shadow of Heathrow and not just for long-haul. Many short-haul routes already operating at BRS have greater frequency and thus flexibility, especially for business travellers, at LHR. There is also the question of fare prices. A current debate is taking place on another aviation website regarding the fares at BRS on the FRA route compared with those from LHR.

Fully agree that frequency and flexibility are fundamental considerations. For me, a one-stop option two or three times daily is preferable to a one/two/three weekly non-stop service, although I accept that price can be a factor depending on booking leadtime and what 'frills' are included.

I have also seen the discussion about pricing vs LHR, and whilst I can understand economies of scale to a point, LHR charges must be vastly greater than those at BRS, plus less need to account for additional fuel to occupy holding patterns around London, so I don't understand the pricing model!

We all know that strikes, bad weather or aircraft going 'tech' are not that uncommon, and the low cost cariers inevitably run very lean operations, often with limited scope for service recovery. OK, so Easy Jet appear to be generally pretty reliable and they may have a spare aircraft at BRS, but it still needs a crew!

I agree that the flexibility requirement is not just for business travellers. If a leisure traveller has to return from their holiday to BRS to go to work the next day, but their weekly flight does not operate for whatever reason, they are quite likely to miss several days work - or end up paying last minute full fare to route via a european hub to get back to BRS if they can afford to do so. How many people take out insurance policies which would adequately indemnify them against such a scenario?

Either way, the one-stop option needs to be available, and the more hubs that BRS is connected to, the better the insurance to mitigate such issues. This also offers competition to the likes of the orange brigade, thereby addressing the 'all eggs in one basket' issue that is justifiably raised from time to time in this forum.

 

[Kernow Bravo]

I'm with forest1979 on this topic, although I would add to the 'shopping list' AY via HEL, AT via VIE and maybe SK via CPH.

...of course it should be OS (Austrian) via VIE!

 

[Jerry]

Well if Bristol was able to get all the Lufthansa group hubs (Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich and Vienna) that would be one hell of an achievement as outside of London only Manchester and Birmingham have achieved that. Though I did notice at Glasgow and Edinburgh Lufthansa operate Munich and Frankfurt so maybe they might add it at Bristol in the future?
As for other star alliance hubs I'd expect Turkish to be the best candidate for that.

 

[Red Flyer]

For some good news about Turkey maybe you should be looking on the beach!!

 

[Marko1]

Is that cryptic or should we looking at On the Beach ?