Cardiff Airport - General Thread

[Jerry]

I've gone just departures and then doubled the total at the end.

 

[Jerry]

Rough estimate but the airport will lose roughly and probably over 200,000 seats onsale.

 

[Jerry]

Cardiff Airport - Freedom of Information FOI – CWL

The official Cardiff Airport website for live flight information, news, airport parking, offers, booking flights & holidays.

www.cardiff-airport.com

 

[TheLocalYokel]

What's in this for the CWL airport company?

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Having St Athan and handling at VLY on the books bringing in income may make it more attractive to a potential investor

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Having St Athan and handling at VLY on the books bringing in income may make it more attractive to a potential investor

I know it's income but does the income outweigh the cost, ie are the ventures away from CWL profitable in themselves or do they add to the airport company losses?

 

[Jerry]

I know it's income but does the income outweigh the cost, ie are the ventures away from CWL profitable in themselves or do they add to the airport company losses?

At Anglesey the handling company also handle the coastguard helicopters. The Welsh government was before talking about investing in Anglesey so it can handle more passengers. I also wonder if they could develop more civilian traffic maybe through private jets in the long run?

 

[Jerry]

Interesting corporate video released by the airport today.

 

[geoff]

Quite an impressive video, let's hope a lot of people watch it. A good advert for the airport.

 

[Jerry]

It is a nice little advert.

 

[Jarvo]

"6.4 million people live in the airport's catchment"
So definitely a large chunk of S.W England is included in that

 

[Jerry]

"6.4 million people live in the airport's catchment"
So definitely a large chunk of S.W England is included in that

Yes they've always claimed that, whether it's a realistic claim is I'm sure up for debate.

 

[Jarvo]

Yes they've always claimed that, whether it's a realistic claim is I'm sure up for debate.

I think for the QR long haul route, it's totally acceptable.... For a LCC route to Europe, not a chance

 

[TheLocalYokel]

"6.4 million people live in the airport's catchment"
So definitely a large chunk of S.W England is included in that

Yes they've always claimed that, whether it's a realistic claim is I'm sure up for debate.

I think for the QR long haul route, it's totally acceptable.... For a LCC route to Europe, not a chance

The video itself is well presented, as one would expect. The beginning really consists of one or two aspirational sound bites. I presume the video is aimed at the general public, most of whom will have little if any interest in aviation other than as a means of taking them from A to B. So quite why the airport included the runway length or mentioned slot constraints is puzzling, as that will mean nothing to the average man or woman in the street who won't be aware how the CWL runway length or lack of slot constraints compares with other airports.

The Qatar CEO quoted a 6 million catchment size as one of his reasons for launching his airline's CWL route. To reach that figure he must have included the whole of Wales - which I always thought a bit odd given that some mid-Wales residents/visitors will use his BHX service and many North Wales residents/visitors his MAN service - as well as a huge swathe of South West England.

In the current master plan that was published over a decade ago the airport mentions a catchment and an outer catchment, and described the latter as the former county of Avon, Gloucestershire, Hereford & Worcestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset. It might be a notional catchment but at the moment it's certainly not an actual one because so few people from South West England use CWL. A cynic might ask the airport why, if it has such a big catchment, it's not handling a much higher number of passengers, and perhaps not only a cynic.

There is a slightly more valid argument for including the South West when it comes to Qatar Airways because there is no competition for it in the South West, although most people there tend to look no further than LHR for their long haul travel.

Full marks to CWL for positivity though because those men and women in the street may not be aware of how efficient airports and airlines are at spin.

 

[aviatorconcorde]

Looks good.

 

[Jerry]

Full marks to CWL for positivity though because those men and women in the street may not be aware of how efficient airports and airlines are at spin.

The video looks to me like it could've been put together for some sort of industry event or an exhibition? It very much seems to advertise what CWL is capable of ie the slots, the airlines that operate there, the facilities. Essentially showcasing CWL to trade and public.

 

[Jarvo]

The video looks to me like it could've been put together for some sort of industry event or an exhibition? It very much seems to advertise what CWL is capable of ie the slots, the airlines that operate there, the facilities. Essentially showcasing CWL to trade and public.

There was a travel agents event in Doha today, during which Cardiff airport presented on the airport and Wales as a whole. That video was likely used in that

 

[Jerry]

Cardiff airport has chosen Velindre Cancer Centre as it's chosen charity for 2020/21.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1197848692096679938

 

[aviatorconcorde]

Worthy cause. My uncle had help from velindre when he had cancer.

 

[Jarvo]

With the T5 running at a 200k+ loss, would there be any possibility of the Welsh gov coming to some sort of agreement with Megabus?
Stagecoach, who own Megabus, run the BRS flyer and that has been an unmitigated success.
London Victoria to Cardiff runs regularly, via Bristol, UWE frenchay, Cardiff university and Cardiff... a 15 mile extension to that route would link the airport with some of its most crucial markets as well as London itself.
The Welsh Gov owns the busses for the T5, which could be deployed elsewhere on Traws cymru's cross country routes.
The Megabus website is a force in of itself and at least two or three full time jobs in a coach seat booking stand in arrivals could also be created.

I only think of this because of my recent visit on a trip to Edinburgh using the T5 to Cardiff. Every time I've used the service there seems to be some sort of embarrassment or issue. I've seen drivers talking to tourists who can't speak English by just raising their voices and repeating themselves slowly in something fresh out of a dodgy 70's comedy. Nearly every time, my last visit included, the bus pulls up with a line of passengers waiting... And the driver just gets out, lights up a cigarette and leaves the queue standing blowing smoke across the waiting passengers.

There is zero logic behind a rail link due to the cost involved and the lack of demand, but a national brand like Megabus would bring the standard of service that doesn't embarrass the airport or country to arriving passengers as well as a far better standard of connectivity and the ability of passengers to pre-book etc.

How much would the Welsh gov likely have to invest in something like this and would there likely even be a critical mass of passengers to make it possible, hourly or otherwise?