Route Development & Rumours

[Foxlimayankee]

I think BRS has hit a point where it needs to decide whether it should be an ambitious Airport with many carriers offering different levels of products to a wide variety of destinations. In reality, it's realising that it's core business is low-cost from EZY and FR, UK Charter and a niche scheduled carrier market through KL and BMI.
LH have been and gone, and only exist through BM, AF don't seem to be returning any time soon, LX, TP, AZ don't seem interested, SK tried a summer route and it didn't work. WOW couldn't be sustained, W6 have dropped routes throughout the UK, yet on the flip side, MT, TUI, EZY and FR are booming.
BRS has an impressive list of destinations throughout Europe, which may well have affected the full service carriers and connections points through FRA, AMS, CDG etc as people become more aware of direct, cheaper routes. EZY and FR continue to dominate the city market, but don't really offer suitable options for business travellers.
BM on the other hand remain consistent but don't seem to be doing anything significant at BRS. A larger more economical aircraft (E175-E2 or equivalent) may do wonders for BM and BRS and plug those frequency gaps and create more affordable BM flights.
Some might be cautious about relying so much on some carriers (mainly EZY), but given their dominance throughout Europe, I can't see them ever pulling out of BRS in any form, and where the likes of STN and LTN as low-cost airports attract people from all over the country to fly from, as BRS continues to grow, BRS could become one of those options.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I think in a way what in BRS's greatest strength becomes when trying to attract new European airlines is thier biggest weakness and that is having such strong presence from both Easyjet and Ryanair. That is bound to make some airlines pause especially if a lot of people from the BRS catchment are still willing to travel to Heathrow especially on routes where there is only on daily flight. I'm an example of that, if Easyjet had a mid afternoon return at the latest from Madrid on Fridays instead of 23.00 i would be looking to fly with them, instead i'm going to fly with BA to LHR because the extra frequencies mean i get better flight times. I'd be surprised if a new airline turned up at BRS in the next couple of years.

There is a current discussion on another forum about the need for increased frequencies on many BRS short-haul routes (especially those used for business travel) which some people believe is more important, both for the airport as a commercial enterprise and for passengers' convenience, than getting too tied up in trying to attract the odd long-haul scheduled route.

Frequency and choice are important, even with long-haul. As with you with Madrid, LHR's much greater selection offered me flexibility when booking my next Oz trip, as I mentioned elsewhere on F4A recently, and the overall package was better than I could find from a non-London airport.

Increasing frequency on many short-haul routes at BRS is one thing. Getting greater choice to go with that in the shape of new airlines is another and will be far more difficult, even if the airport is keen to go for it which might not be the case.

I think BRS has hit a point where it needs to decide whether it should be an ambitious Airport with many carriers offering different levels of products to a wide variety of destinations. In reality, it's realising that it's core business is low-cost from EZY and FR, UK Charter and a niche scheduled carrier market through KL and BMI.
LH have been and gone, and only exist through BM, AF don't seem to be returning any time soon, LX, TP, AZ don't seem interested, SK tried a summer route and it didn't work. WOW couldn't be sustained, W6 have dropped routes throughout the UK, yet on the flip side, MT, TUI, EZY and FR are booming..

If being an ambitious airport as you put it led to greater returns for the airport company shareholders then it follows that the BRS management would do all it could to achieve that diversity of carriers.

The current model seems to be working extremely well for the airport, and the previous CEO stated publicly last year that they have no intention of adding capacity for the sake of it, especially if it leads to an environment where the business model of current airport carriers becomes unsustainable. Therefore, their preference is to grow mainly through existing airlines.

easyJet in particular does carry a large number of business travellers. A year or two ago the airline's UK head said that half the number of their passengers at BRS are flying on business - that's over 2 million passengers or, to be pedantic, over 2 million journeys. I do have a concern about the over-reliance on easyJet (as I would with any company in any sphere that relies heavily on one customer) but there can be no doubt that the range of routes that easyJet operates is phenomenal for an airport of BRS's size.

If other airlines had pitched up at the airport can we be sure that easyJet would not have jettisoned some of its less profitable routes as the other airlines competed on the more profitable ones thus reducing easyJet's overall BRS profitability? The airport and its passengers would finish up with more airlines and greater frequency on some routes but no airline at all on some routes that easyJet operates at the moment. That's the balancing the airport has to juggle.

WOW always seemed an odd choice to me. It would never compete satisfactorily with easyJet on p2p to Keflavik (it will be interesting to see how TUI fares this coming winter up against easyJet on Keflavik) and its long-haul was never as cheap as it seemed when additions were taken into account, and anyway was it going to take many BRS passengers away from the DUB and AMS hubs to North America?

Wizz dropped Kosice which was its worst performing BRS route. It was a strange route to begin in my opinion. In the next two months it is dropping Kosice routes to Doncaster, Cologne and Tel Aviv (it only began this one last year to replace the axed BRS route), leaving Luton as its sole route from that airport. It began Warsaw Chopin against Ryanair's Warsaw Modlin at BRS. Both routes attracted very high low factors and Chopin seemed to have no adverse effect on Modlin in terms of loads. Sofia too enjoyed high load factors. Perhaps the airport did not offer Wizz the same terms as they did Ryanair with a resultant poorer Wizz yield. The remaining Wizz route to Katowice still awaits confirmation for next winter but so too do all of KTW's Wizz routes at present.

The SAS routes from Stockholm were 2 x weekly very short-term (8-week) peak summer tourist routes and marketed accordingly. The B 737-600s actually saw average load factors in the high 80s/low 90s% when they were operating.

AF has come and gone in various guises on a number of occasions over the past 25 years, from Brit Air to AF Regional to Airlinair and even Hop! at the end. It was rarely if ever the sole CDG carrier when it operated and to a degree was in competion with its sister KLM on hub transfers after the two airlines amalgamated.

I think the one major European business link that is missing is Zurich. Swiss would be an excellent option not only for p2p for for hub traffic as well.

BM on the other hand remain consistent but don't seem to be doing anything significant at BRS. A larger more economical aircraft (E175-E2 or equivalent) may do wonders for BM and BRS and plug those frequency gaps and create more affordable BM flights.

Currently BM offers FRA up to 3 x daily and MUC up to 2 x daily with CDG (against easyJet's daily rotation) increasing from 2 x daily to up to 3 x daily. If BM had larger aircraft would they maintain this sort of frequency? Furthermore, would larger aircraft struggle to be sustainable at all on the likes of DUS, HAM, GOT and MXP, even if the current high BM fare prices were reduced in order to attract more travellers?

 

[Ray Finkle]

The airport and its passengers would finish up with more airlines and greater frequency on some routes but no airline at all on some routes that easyJet operates at the moment. That's the balancing the airport has to juggle.

That's kind of the situation that we had at Birmingham last year.

There was a steady stream of new airlines showing up but all on the same routes, whilst at the same time there were still so many that were (and still are) missing. I think we ended up with seven airlines to the likes of Malaga, Palma and Tenerife along with four airlines to Madrid. Great for variety but it was totally unsustainable and we have inevitably seen casualties.

It's easy to glance at other airports and think that the grass looks greener but this year Bristol will have flights to Athens, Basel, Bilbao, Gibraltar, Lisbon, Seville, Genoa, Olbia, Valencia, Zadar, Bergamo and Bologna. All routes that are missing from the BHX portfolio with most looking unlikely to be served anytime soon. Bristol also has much higher frequencies on routes such as Rome, Venice and Keflavik.

Given the constraints that it has Bristol is doing remarkably well and I am more than a little jealous of your highly successful easyjet base

 

[tpm]

Speaking of GOT, I think it's been dropped in the summer schedule, hasn't it?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It's easy to glance at other airports and think that the grass looks greener but this year Bristol will have flights to Athens, Basel, Bilbao, Gibraltar, Lisbon, Seville, Genoa, Olbia, Valencia, Zadar, Bergamo and Bologna. All routes that are missing from the BHX portfolio with most looking unlikely to be served anytime soon. Bristol also has much higher frequencies on routes such as Rome, Venice and Keflavik.

Zadar isn't operating. It was a one-season not-so-wonder with Ryanair last summer.

Speaking of GOT, I think it's been dropped in the summer schedule, hasn't it?

Not surprised. It was really just a revenue-earning positioning flight to GOT to enable another route (I forget which) from there, wasn't it?

 

[Marko1]

Sample booking for November shows Gothenburg on sale twice a week.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Sample booking for November shows Gothenburg on sale twice a week.

Is this because the other route from GOT that seems to be linked with the BRS one is winter-only?

 

[Marko1]

It has a short break from mid/late July resuming mid august

 

[Marko1]

I wonder what meetings the airport will be having at the routes conference in Bilbao ? Personally I think they should be targeting Istanbul and Zurich to improve business connections. It would be good to see Turkish and Swiss on the departure boards

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I wonder what meetings the airport will be having at the routes conference in Bilbao ? Personally I think they should be targeting Istanbul and Zurich to improve business connections. It would be good to see Turkish and Swiss on the departure boards

ZRH with Swiss is potentially a realistic option, with Zurich itself a good business route as well as a hub. The Bombardier CS100 might be the sort of aircraft size to suit a BRS route.

Turkish has long been rumoured for BRS - even Simon Calder, not the biggest BRS fan, thought it would be the next UK Turkish route 2-3 years ago - but the idea seems to have gone cold since then. Transit options are less than with the ME3 airlines though.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The press report re the Bilbao Routes Conference contained this snippet:

The Airport is already well progressed with plans for further growth in 2019 and beyond.

We already know that TUI and TCX will see some growth in 2019, to add to their growth this year. Whether the 'well progressed' means that other things are already in the pipeline we shall have to wait to see. I would not bet against a 16th based easyJet aircraft in summer 19 and there might be other expansion. There will be one new parking stand this year and another 2-3 are planned at the eastern end but whether they will be ready by summer 19 I don't know.

 

[Marko1]

Perhaps easyJet could be persuaded to base a few more a/c in due course plus there's the perennial what's Ryanair doing question as well. When I read that quote I interpreted that maybe there's more to come as well .

 

[thunderchild]

Do Air France, Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa codeshare with BMI Regional? I’m always surprised that KLM is the only Euro legacy that serves BRS.

I also seem to remember reading that BRS was TKs next planned UK route - perhaps now things have settled at TK/IST it might be something they are looking at?

 

[Jerry]

Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa codeshare with BMI Regional?

Those 2 do but not Air France.

 

[alphagolf]

Do Air France, Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa codeshare with BMI Regional? I’m always surprised that KLM is the only Euro legacy that serves BRS.

I also seem to remember reading that BRS was TKs next planned UK route - perhaps now things have settled at TK/IST it might be something they are looking at?

Bristol Airport have tweeted that they are serving West Country Cocktails at their stand at Routes Europe. I tweeted back it would be nice to see them talking about more connectivity from not just resident airlines but with the likes of FlyDubai, Swiss, Turkish

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Perhaps easyJet could be persuaded to base a few more a/c in due course plus there's the perennial what's Ryanair doing question as well. When I read that quote I interpreted that maybe there's more to come as well .

You'd think there is more to come in 2019 and beyond that in the sense that the airport has issued a fairly bullish press release for next year and the years after that. The projected 12 mppa by 2025 mentioned in its master plan consultation document also suggests it believes that this is more than a figure plucked from the air. Its annual passenger number projections for the past decade made in 2005/2006 have been impressively accurate.

Airport and airline growth projections can never be an exact science. As Harold Macmillan reputedly said when asked what he feared most as prime minister, "Events, dear boy, events", something can come along to wreck the best laid plans of airports and airlines.

Do Air France, Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa codeshare with BMI Regional? I’m always surprised that KLM is the only Euro legacy that serves BRS. I also seem to remember reading that BRS was TKs next planned UK route - perhaps now things have settled at TK/IST it might be something they are looking at?

Air France to CDG has served BRS at various times (Brit Air, AF Regional, Airlinair, CityJet, Hop!) over the past 25-30 years but last did so six years ago. As Jerry says, LH code shares with BM but only to FRA and MUC, not to DUS or HAM, BM's other German routes.

Bristol Airport have tweeted that they are serving West Country Cocktails at their stand at Routes Europe. I tweeted back it would be nice to see them talking about more connectivity from not just resident airlines but with the likes of FlyDubai, Swiss, Turkish

What's that? Cider and olives? Good tweet from you.

 

[Kernow Bravo]

.......perhaps now things have settled at TK/IST it might be something they are looking at?

Quite so - the new IST seems to have the potential to increase the number of routes, and will probably need more feeder traffic to fill long haul flights, including perhaps from BRS.

ZRH would be a great (re)addition to the BRS schedule. However, any airline considering that route would need to understand why Helvetia could not make it work. LX now operate 773s and so potentially need more transfer pax, but O&D traffic also needs to be considered.

I heard an advert on the radio today for Lufthansa deals to Europe, but when I checked the LH site, the offer was only valid from UK airports with LH metal flights! Maybe they think that the (3 FRA + 2 MUC max) * 49 seats on an ER4 per day provides insufficient capacity to warrant extending the offer to BRS?

 

[alphagolf]

Article on Swindon-business.net

Bristol Airport looks to land new routes at major gathering of world’s top airlines
April 22, 2018
By Robert Buckland
Bristol Airport and the South West’s top tourist attractions are to be showcased this week at a gathering of the world’s leading airlines.

Airport bosses and representatives of Destination Bristol will meet more than 30 airlines and other travel organisations at the Routes Europe event in Bilbao, Spain, with the aim of growing the airport’s list of destinations.

The two-day World Route Development Conference, which started yesterday, will bring together more than 1,200 delegates from around 100 airlines and 50 tourism bodies.

The conference provides an annual opportunity for the world’s top airlines and airports to explore potential new route opportunities.

Key criteria when considering new services is the economic strength of the region an airport serves, as well as its potential to attract inbound tourists.

A presentation highlighting the South West’s iconic tourist attractions from across the region, and the benefits of using a regional airport will be shown at the meetings.

The airport, one of the UK’s fastest growing and serving well over 100 destinations, is already progressing its plans for further growth next year and beyond. A range of new services this year means passenger number are forecast to reach an all-time high of 8.6m.

Bristol Airport business development director Nigel Scott said: “This conference gives us the chance to showcase Bristol Airport and the region to airlines from across the world. It is an important opportunity to develop long-term relationships with potential airline partners.

“By bringing the South West to life in our presentation we hope to create a lasting impression which will encourage airlines to consider Bristol Airport in the future.

“We will also be meeting airlines which already operate at Bristol Airport to discuss additional frequencies on existing services, with a view to increasing flexibility for business passengers.”

While much of the rapid growth in Bristol’s route network over recent years has been through short-haul flights to European leisure and business destinations, airport bosses now believe it is time to revive the link with the US along with other long-haul destinations in the Caribbean, Middle East and possibly even parts of the Far East.

This follows the success of the chartered flights to Florida and Mexico last summer and the launch of a weekly service to the Dominican Republic earlier this month.

The flights are operated by holiday giant TUI using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner – which the airport says demonstrates the potential for even more destinations beyond Europe in future.

Bristol Airport’s runway is certified for Code E aircraft, a category which includes Airbus’s A330 as well as the Dreamliner. Airport bosses say that combined with its strong growth – it is the only major UK airport to have increased passengers every year since 2009 – long-haul routes are a realistic prospect.

More than £160m has been spent on new infrastructure and facilities at Bristol Airport since 2010 to take account of a rapid rise in passenger numbers.

The airport, owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, is now updating its masterplan to consider how best to meet growing demand for air travel to and from the South West over the next two decades, taking into account the views of customers, employees, neighbours and other stakeholders to shape its future.

http://swindon-business.net/index.p...es-at-major-gathering-of-worlds-top-airlines/

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It's really an article based on the recent airport press release about the Bilbao World Routes Conference together with a re-statement of the airport's long haul aspirations. The latter might have been patched into the article from previous airport comments rather than being a reflection of airport views immediately prior to the conference.

TUI is the only long haul airline currently at BRS and its summer 2019 programme has already been announced so there might not be any more long haul from that airline next year beyond that already in the public domain.

In terms of charter long haul routes Thomas Cook seems to be the only other airline that might test the water but that seems a long shot. So we're back to long haul scheduled and I can't see much daylight there for a bit. Turkish would not be long haul although it would be a valuable hub to feed into long haul, along with the others already in place from BRS.

 

[forest1979]

I’m almost a little tired of hearing the same old from the airport in terms of legacy carriers. They do need to diversify in a way that keeps everyone happy. Standsted is a good example of an airport that is looking to do just that to grow. It was basically Ryanair airport however recently they have started to grow with a different mix.
Turkish and or Swiss would be great I’m terms of a state offering and hub connections. I think BMI also need some competition to keep them on their toes. LH with their own metal or eurowings could plug a few gaps there or provide a better offering.. the runway chatter or lack of it is still a disappointment to me.. there lies a real lack of vision looking to the future..