Bristol Airport - Route News

[Marko1]

Any developments on the new airline? It's getting on for summer season now

 

[NOSIGWX]

I think there may be some expansion with Ryanair, maybe not this summer, but possibly next winter. I don't think we'll see Norwegian this year at least, but I think the new airline maybe a UK based airline.

 

[Jerry]

Just a theory but considering Loganair will be a non franchise airline at the end of the summer could they be candidate? With a twice or three a daily Glasgow but using their connections to provide onward flights to the Highlands and Islands? Maybe even EDI as well? Also maybe Eastern Airways as well for LBA? Because the only UK based airlines I can think of would be Jet2, Monarch and BA and I'd be surprised if they turned up at BRS next year.

 

[NOSIGWX]

Just a theory but considering Loganair will be a non franchise airline at the end of the summer could they be candidate? With a twice or three a daily Glasgow but using their connections to provide onward flights to the Highlands and Islands? Maybe even EDI as well? Also maybe Eastern Airways as well for LBA? Because the only UK based airlines I can think of would be Jet2, Monarch and BA and I'd be surprised if they turned up at BRS next year.

I would love Loganair to start flights from BRS, but I think they would struggle to compete against Easyjet on the Scottish routes. As for the new airline I guess we'll find out shortly.

 

[Jerry]

compete against Easyjet

But would they really be competing? They would probably be more relying on their hub operation to the islands and highlands.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I don't think there would be much call for connections to the Highlands and Islands airports from BRS apart from Inverness and easyJet has that covered with a daily flight. I agree with NOSIGWX about Logan struggling to compete with easyJet on point to point to EDI/GLA. I do remember the time though when BRS had eight daily rotations to both EDI and GLA on weekdays - three by easyJet and five by BACx/BACon with the latter using ER4s some of which I think are now used by bmi regional.

Loganair is owned by Airline Investments Ltd (AIL) that also owns bmi regional. The CEO of AIL gave an interview last summer - see below link - saying that he doesn't rule out bmir operating from GLA and EDI in the future. He also mentioned the need for larger aircraft on some routes such as Bristol to Germany.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transp...hief-of-airline-investments-limited-1-4146128

Going back to the new airline, Conns757 said last month that he hoped to provide further clarity around mid January. Maybe an announcement will be made soon.

 

[Marko1]

i quite fancy Flybe maybe coming back perhaps operating to edi, gla, man and Belfast plus some French regional routes. The beauty of say a morning and evening service domestically is that it can be operated from other bases thereby taking pressure of brs at peak times.

 

[NOSIGWX]

i quite fancy Flybe maybe coming back perhaps operating to edi, gla, man and Belfast plus some French regional routes. The beauty of say a morning and evening service domestically is that it can be operated from other bases thereby taking pressure of brs at peak times.

I did hear rumours of flybe making a return to Bristol a year or two ago, but that was before the Cardiff base opened. I think any major expansion of routes would be to European destinations, both business & leisure & maybe Wizz would be tempted to try a couple of new Eastern European routes. As for highland connections with Loganair, i would certainly make use of such service, but as Local mentions, I think the demand would be limited.

 

[Jerry]

i quite fancy Flybe maybe coming back perhaps operating to edi, gla, man and Belfast

Considering the growing operation that Flybe have at CWL, would they risk setting up at BRS and potentially harming that operation plus Flybe and BRS management don't get on I believe?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

i quite fancy Flybe maybe coming back perhaps operating to edi, gla, man and Belfast plus some French regional routes. The beauty of say a morning and evening service domestically is that it can be operated from other bases thereby taking pressure of brs at peak times.

I wondered about Flybe but they've never had the best relationship with BRS and I really can't see them taking on easyJet, not on the likes of GLA and EDI anyway.

Belfast City maybe - they flew that route in previous incarnations but they weren't up against easyJet to BFS then.

MAN would need to be on the basis of connecting with Flybe's routes from there (point to point would likely struggle against the train as Air Southwest discovered) which seem to be the following according to the Flybe timetable (with some being seasonal): Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Belfast City, Bergerac, Chambery, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Hannover, Innsbruck, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Knock, Nantes, La Rochelle, Luxembourg, Lyon, Milan Malpensa, Nantes, Newquay, Norwich, Paris Cdg, Rennes, Southampton and Toulouse.

Most of these are already flown from BRS by other airlines or would not be likely to be viable (SOU, EXT, NQY for example).

On balance I see very limited opportunities for Flybe although it's possible they might try a route or two using aircraft from other bases. I certainly couldn't see a BRS base in the foreseeable future. There would be no imperative for the BRS management to offer juicy discounts and, as Jerry points out, they have a growing operation at CWL, as well as the EXT base which Flybe might hope captures some passengers from the southern part of the BRS core catchment area.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Summer 2017

I know that in December we were told to be patient by a poster well versed in BRS matters but I'm beginning to wonder if any more new routes, or increases in frequency particularly by easyJet, will now appear for the coming summer.

The new routes that have been announced are (if I've missed any please put me right):

easyJet Pula and Kefalonia, both of which will compete with charter airlines

Ryanair Zadar and Bucharest, both new routes for the airport albeit Bucharest commenced in the current winter

Thomson Orlando Sanford, Cancun, Girona and Chania, with the last two competing with Ryanair

Thomas Cook Malta, will compete with Ryanair and Air Malta

bmi regional Cagliari and Figari, both for tour companies

 

[andrewgreen]

Are those enough to make it up to 8 million for 2017 as suggested by Mr Sinclair ?

 

[Jerry]

If airlines still have new routes to announce then they could be leaving it little bit late. Extra frequencies though can be added especially if there is the demand. Maybe there will be some announcements next week?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Are those enough to make it up to 8 million for 2017 as suggested by Mr Sinclair ?

There are increases on other easyJet routes as there will be an additional based aircraft (no 14) for summer 2017.

January, February and March should also be a good start to the year with Ryanair's programme up 25% on the previous winter and easyJet also having a bigger programme. Against that February 2016 was a leap year with an extra day's flying programmes and Easter 2017 is in mid April whereas in 2016 it was at the end of March.

I've still not given up hope completely about further announcements for 2017 as the poster I mentioned seems confident about this and he is someone who would know if anyone does.

 

[Marko1]

I can't imagine easyJet leaving the peak summer schedule like it is to be honest. It makes absolutely no sense. Plus logic would say that the airport wouldn't be investing in extra parking stands etc if there wasn't more to come

 

[Jerry]

I can't imagine easyJet leaving the peak summer schedule like it is to be honest. It makes absolutely no sense. Plus logic would say that the airport wouldn't be investing in extra parking stands etc if there wasn't more to come

Could EZY be waiting for those stands to be completed before announcing new aircraft and routes? Or it could be that the new stands aren't for Easyjet at all but to attract new airlines.

 

[kraktoa]

The new stands wont be ready for summer i think. The eastern walkway is due 2019. Long term plans....but does not solve the EZY reduced summer flights mystery.

I think EZY are being cautious. Profit warnings, court cases, staff unrest, sharp management practices etc etc...... the airline is taking things a bit easy now.

 

[superking]

With the easy gaps in the summer,i wonder if they will be doing more w patterns to other airports.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

An Airline won't wait until stands are ready. That's up to the Airport to get sorted ASAP. The Airlines will want to announce routes and get them on sale sooner rather than later. Expect news on new routes/Airlines to come

 

[conns757]

And the airline is .............!