Route Development & Rumours

[Sherburnflyer92]

The Labour government announced very recently they weren’t against airport expansion and one of the first things they did in power was to overrule Newham council with regard to LCY’s passenger cap

https://bmmagazine.co.uk/news/londo...s-rayner-overrules-labour-led-newham-council/

Actions speak louder than words. They've said a lot and well not exactly told the truth.

Plus representing the Leeds we've got the most useless Labour Mp's going. Alex Sobel is a spineless twerp who said he supported the airport to get elected then turned out he was a keen member of GALBA (unproved). He is also the moron that believes we go on holiday via the mode of rail.

The others are useless, I'm yet to see Katie White's belief, but I know the chancellor and ex paperclip ordering manager is also against LBA.

So it's okay to say they are pro airports but when the city's own Mp's are anti aviation it's a little hard to believe.

As @White Heather states they'll happily have DSA opened and LBA shut providing they've removed the problem and moved it elsewhere. Typical thinking from the net zero morons.

 

[Statto]

They have already overruled Newham council’s position on LCY (a Labour council btw), so does that not count as ‘action’

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

They have already overruled Newham council’s position on LCY (a Labour council btw), so does that not count as ‘action’

Not until we see the results. And we've also had a change of Transport Secretary which could change said action/belief/policy.

 

[pug]

Shall we all just chill and read this:

AI search, space travel and Christmas in Cyprus: nine unmissable Jet2 conference takeaways

Jet2holidays returned to Cyprus for its 10th VIP agent conference this week, bringing with them a grumpy time machine to take delegates on a journey through all things Jet2 past, present and future

www.ttgmedia.com

In the article here it is:
"Taking questions from delegates, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays chief executive Steve Heapy was asked whether – with efforts to reopen Doncaster Sheffield( DSA) airport progressing – Jet2 might put any capacity into DSA.


"We will go and have a look at Doncaster," he said. "We've not met them yet, they've only just appointed the airport operator. We get approached by airports all around the UK. So we'll meet them and see what the opportunities are."

Heapy said he hoped to see DSA reopen. "I really do hope for the region that Doncaster works. There have been various attempts to create a viable business there, and it's not really worked. I know they've got a new injection of money that will hopefully make it viable. We will be meeting them in the near future."

Reflecting on Jet2's latest base launch, Luton, Heapy revealed Jet2 had been meeting with the Bedfordshire airport for about eight years before making the leap – with those talks pre-dating its expansion to Liverpool. "Sometimes these things take a bit of time, but we'll certainly have a look at it [DSA]."



An airline does not set up a base based attracting flight crew or retaining some flight crew. In fact that's one of the very last considerations if considered at all - as per the above article it's been said Heapy has been meeting with LTN for 8 years. That dates back to 2016 which is way before the Airbus was a thought let alone solid 146 order.



You can bet your last dollar with this was parking Jess Glynn on easy's lawn before they parked a see of Orange on her lawn. 100%.



I'd say they'd have to have Jet2 in the bag before making DSA operational. That or TUI. Or both. Mind you .. curve ball with easyJet holidays expanding could they be a good bet?

Just a point you should consider here. Jet2 are in talks with most (if not all) airports in the U.K. as the article states, talks can mean very little and there are strategic decisions behind opening bases which can at times include the recruitment of staff. Indeed one of the reasons wizzair werent 100% committed to DSA as a base after the initial excitement was through the struggle to attract and retain staff there. That’s not to say it’s a decisive factor in whether an airline opens a base or not, but the availability of crew is vitally important because having no (or too few) crew, you won’t get a base! There are strategic reasons for LTN that aren’t just serving the ‘attractive Northern Home Counties’, and there are reasons it will be an Airbus base from the get go, the reasons haven’t yet been announced but I believe heavily linked to other facilities on the airport site which, given they’ve just invested in a base there, may mean that they’ve got a deal as a sweetener!

It’s no secret that Jet2 are having to recruit large numbers of Airbus qualified trainers from other airlines. Which airline is the largest Airbus operator in the U.K. currently? In fact where are those trainers most likely to be based currently? It wouldn’t be LTN by any chance would it? It’s certainly not often a high priority but in the case of LTN I think it’s probably factored highly into their decision making and the opportunity in terms of slots has presented itself at just the right time, It’ll be multi faceted but their decision to take the plunge has apparently been a rushed one - this is why they have open dialogue with a number of airports which I’ve no doubt will include LGW, SEN, CWL, SOU, EXT, MME, ABZ and soon to be DSA (if it opens).

DSA will, if it opens, be in competition with all other uk airports that don’t currently have a base. Reading the article in full it would appear a non comital response from Steve Heapy - nothing to see here… Yet! In fact he’s basically saying it wasn’t viable before and with an injection of money… Who knows? They’ll certainly be watching closely with what actually happens there over the next 6 months. Launch airline? Possibly, but more likely they will want to see what happens for a while before making any investment. One thing in DSAs favour is the full 24 hour capability, and as Jet2 are becoming a 24 hour airline it might be more palatable to put some capacity into DSA to mitigate the curfew at LBA.

 

[White Heather]

They have already overruled Newham council’s position on LCY (a Labour council btw), so does that not count as ‘action’

Maybe, but those of us in my generation have become well used to other airports getting various approvals but somehow such approvals don't get given at LBA. Having 5 Labour MPs who oppose LBA isn't going to help at all. They'll be bending the ear of whoever is the Transport Secretary or whatever else Secretary if LBA submits a planning application in future that's in any way controversial. So that'll be good news for DSA as they'll just love it if DSA starts to pick LBAs pockets. Fortunately, the issue of night quotas at LBA is a legal matter, not one that MPs with agendas can influence and they missed a trick when LBA got approval in 2019 for the terminal extension that's now being built. They were all too busy with Brexit.

One thing's for certain, a reopened DSA will be fully supported by the Leeds Labour MPs and the Councillors who are under their thumb. Their opposition to aviation growth on environmental/climate grounds apparently only extends as far as the A1.

 

[GolfFox]

Just a point you should consider here. Jet2 are in talks with most (if not all) airports in the U.K. as the article states, talks can mean very little and there are strategic decisions behind opening bases which can at times include the recruitment of staff. Indeed one of the reasons wizzair werent 100% committed to DSA as a base after the initial excitement was through the struggle to attract and retain staff there. That’s not to say it’s a decisive factor in whether an airline opens a base or not, but the availability of crew is vitally important because having no (or too few) crew, you won’t get a base! There are strategic reasons for LTN that aren’t just serving the ‘attractive Northern Home Counties’, and there are reasons it will be an Airbus base from the get go, the reasons haven’t yet been announced but I believe heavily linked to other facilities on the airport site which, given they’ve just invested in a base there, may mean that they’ve got a deal as a sweetener!

It’s no secret that Jet2 are having to recruit large numbers of Airbus qualified trainers from other airlines. Which airline is the largest Airbus operator in the U.K. currently? In fact where are those trainers most likely to be based currently? It wouldn’t be LTN by any chance would it? It’s certainly not often a high priority but in the case of LTN I think it’s probably factored highly into their decision making and the opportunity in terms of slots has presented itself at just the right time, It’ll be multi faceted but their decision to take the plunge has apparently been a rushed one - this is why they have open dialogue with a number of airports which I’ve no doubt will include LGW, SEN, CWL, SOU, EXT, MME, ABZ and soon to be DSA (if it opens).

DSA will, if it opens, be in competition with all other uk airports that don’t currently have a base. Reading the article in full it would appear a non comital response from Steve Heapy - nothing to see here… Yet! In fact he’s basically saying it wasn’t viable before and with an injection of money… Who knows? They’ll certainly be watching closely with what actually happens there over the next 6 months. Launch airline? Possibly, but more likely they will want to see what happens for a while before making any investment. One thing in DSAs favour is the full 24 hour capability, and as Jet2 are becoming a 24 hour airline it might be more palatable to put some capacity into DSA to mitigate the curfew at LBA.

It's amusing to see how the original report of the question to Steve Heapy and his answer at this conference has been transposed by various selectively edited reports (Doncaster Free Press etc) to mean something different - a meeting to explore options is now Jet2 seeking meetings to start operations which has further moved along whereby in another post a person purporting to be a Councillor from Kesteven Council (Lincs.) says that Jet2 are considering closing their LBA base and moving to DSA!

 

[pug]

It's amusing to see how the original report of the question to Steve Heapy and his answer at this conference has been transposed by various selectively edited reports (Doncaster Free Press etc) to mean something different - a meeting to explore options is now Jet2 seeking meetings to start operations which has further moved along whereby in another post a person purporting to be a Councillor from Kesteven Council (Lincs.) says that Jet2 are considering closing their LBA base and moving to DSA!

Just standard stuff really, they need to use this spin to maintain momentum so nobody starts asking questions. I think it’s too late now.

 

[White Heather]

It's amusing to see how the original report of the question to Steve Heapy and his answer at this conference has been transposed by various selectively edited reports (Doncaster Free Press etc) to mean something different - a meeting to explore options is now Jet2 seeking meetings to start operations which has further moved along whereby in another post a person purporting to be a Councillor from Kesteven Council (Lincs.) says that Jet2 are considering closing their LBA base and moving to DSA!

Such posts could actually be damaging to Jet2 and should be stamped on. They could actually result in people intending to book at LBA for S26 holding off so they can book their non existent flights from DSA.

It all smacks of desperation. Why a Kesteven Councillor should make such a claim about LBA, Jet2s home base is beyond me. He could just as easily have claimed they were closing their EMA base in favour of DSA given that's the nearest airport to him, but it seems that the pro DSA lunatic fringe are well and truly aiming their idiotic comments at LBA. Perhaps the fact that DSA couldn't even accommodate the LBA based fleet has escaped them. 15 based aircraft at DSA? Laughable.

 

[CM.]

It's amusing to see how the original report of the question to Steve Heapy and his answer at this conference has been transposed by various selectively edited reports (Doncaster Free Press etc) to mean something different - a meeting to explore options is now Jet2 seeking meetings to start operations which has further moved along whereby in another post a person purporting to be a Councillor from Kesteven Council (Lincs.) says that Jet2 are considering closing their LBA base and moving to DSA!

That’s news to us. Why would they operate from a closed airport?

It’s also worth bearing in mind that just because they are talking to the airport doesn’t necessarily mean they will launch operations. Talks can go on for many years. With Luton they were talking to them for around 8 years before they launched a base.

So I can only assume this councillor is talking nonsense.

 

[White Heather]

That’s news to us. Why would they operate from a closed airport?

It’s also worth bearing in mind that just because they are talking to the airport doesn’t necessarily mean they will launch operations. Talks can go on for many years. With Luton they were talking to them for around 8 years before they launched a base.

So I can only assume this councillor is talking nonsense.

Unfortunately A LOT of people are talking nonsense, creating a sort of pro DSA anti LBA hysteria. They're all putting spin on it to create what they want to hear. When that includes politicians, it's quite pathetic frankly. You would think it was LBA that put DSA out of business. A bit ironic given that it was the aim of DSA mk 1 to do what it could to put LBA out of business or at least make it very much secondary to DSA.

One thing I've learned over the years is that there's nothing like airports to generate a load of toxic nonsense from folk who know nothing about the aviation industry.

 

[Snackbar]

It's amusing to see how the original report of the question to Steve Heapy and his answer at this conference has been transposed by various selectively edited reports (Doncaster Free Press etc) to mean something different - a meeting to explore options is now Jet2 seeking meetings to start operations which has further moved along whereby in another post a person purporting to be a Councillor from Kesteven Council (Lincs.) says that Jet2 are considering closing their LBA base and moving to DSA!

My understanding is that jet2 have been aware of the comments made by an elected public official. People in these positions really need to be careful what they say given the impact it potentially has on staff employed by jet2 - they could quite easily find them selves in hot water making unsubstantiated claims…..

 

[GolfFox]

Just standard stuff really, they need to use this spin to maintain momentum so nobody starts asking questions. I think it’s too late now.

Yes of course. Unfounded nonsense!!