Loganair

[lbaspotter]

Well apart from Eastern Airways (under Flybe Franchise) What other option is the to find an alternative LBA - GLA connection?

I can't for the life of me think of another UK based airline that flys a similar sized or smaller regional aircraft that would suite the route.

Wonder if possible schedule might work?
Am = LBA-GLA-LBA / LBA-IOM / IOM-GLA
PM = GLA-IOM / IOM-LBA / LBA-GLA-LBA

 

[Finger66]

Interestingly enough O wondered if IOM could come into the equation somewhere, especially as they have already picked up on some IOM routes from elsewhere. Has been tried before but subsequently withdrawn so who knows. There is certainly some scope for more than just GLA me thinks. Lets hope T3 think so too because as you say there probably isnt another airline around with the right equipment for the route

 

[White Heather]

It just shows the current lack of domestic airlines with smaller aircraft these days. Back in the 80s people scoffed at the Shorts 360s, but aircraft of that type enabled routes such as these to be operated at profit and with a low purchase price for the aircraft too. I wish there was something similar available today - and some airlines around to fly them.

 

[Britannia94]

We should all chip together buy a couple of small turboprop aircraft, ATR42 perhaps?, and set up our own airline.

 

[Finger66]

This is where I wish I wss much furher advanced with things!

 

[a300boy]

Just keep mentioning different aircraft types "white heather " you did so and today the first one I have seen for a long time is passing Lba northbound just now.
Shorts 360 D-CRAS

 

[armadillomaster]

Just keep mentioning different aircraft types "white heather " you did so and today the first one I have seen for a long time is passing Lba northbound just now.
Shorts 360 D-CRAS

Without going off topic. I love the old Shorts 360. Massive place in my heart.

I remember a family friend was a mechanic at what was Knight Air/etc. We taxied a Gill Air back over to the main terminal one day. I was in the right seat.

 

[cmj]

It just shows the current lack of domestic airlines with smaller aircraft these days. Back in the 80s people scoffed at the Shorts 360s, but aircraft of that type enabled routes such as these to be operated at profit and with a low purchase price for the aircraft too. I wish there was something similar available today - and some airlines around to fly them.

I wonder if part of the problem perception, and the general public don't like the small twin-prop aircraft? Ie. they're not seen as 'proper planes', like the 737 they jet off to the Spain in, or the Dreamliner to some long-haul destination.

Even a small regional jet is too big or expensive to run to be viable for some domestic routes.

 

[Seasider]

It just shows the current lack of domestic airlines with smaller aircraft these days. Back in the 80s people scoffed at the Shorts 360s, but aircraft of that type enabled routes such as these to be operated at profit and with a low purchase price for the aircraft too. I wish there was something similar available today - and some airlines around to fly them.

Isn't that what Finger 66 is working on?

 

[whoshotjimmi]

Considering the likes of Eastern are messing about so badly with the Southampton and Aberdeen rotations, BA is messing about with the Heathrow flights, KLM deciding their aircraft are better serving other routes, the loss of routes such as Cork, the loss of airlines such as Vueling and EasyJet, this is yet another damning indictment of the current state of affairs at LBA and further proof that it was time for the old management team to go. At a time when most airports in the UK are developing their route network, LBA continues to go backwards. The strong performance and growth of Jet2 and Ryanair is masking the overall decline and has been for some time.

With regards Loganair, unless they can compete on price and frequency with Flybe, they will disappear within a few years. This is clearly just the first step in protecting their revenue. As many airlines ditch their LBA routes first to protect their revenue, it suggests that not enough is being done to attract passengers onto routes from the airport. Having read White Heather's summary of the last Committee meeting, I am hopeful that the new management team understands the need for GOOD PR - unlike their predecessors - and this may well make a difference in the future which will mean routes like this aren't the first on the chopping block. Hopefully they have enough skill and enough time to arrest this alarming slide.

 

[Bigstu]

SAS didn't survive long either!!

 

[lbaspotter]

Wow! Somebody really has woken up with that #Fridayfeeling
Oh well seen as your at it, you might as well add Inverness, Galway, Bristol, Plymouth, Exeter, Knock, Hamburg-Lubeck, Dinard, Valencia, Madrid, Milan and Toulouse to that list of lost routes...
I was also going to add La Rochelle but that's coming back next summer...

 

[whoshotjimmi]

I think we should discount Plymouth as they no longer have an active airport.

 

[Jerry]

Considering the likes of Eastern are messing about so badly with the Southampton and Aberdeen rotations, BA is messing about with the Heathrow flights, KLM deciding their aircraft are better serving other routes, the loss of routes such as Cork, the loss of airlines such as Vueling and EasyJet, this is yet another damning indictment of the current state of affairs at LBA and further proof that it was time for the old management team to go. At a time when most airports in the UK are developing their route network, LBA continues to go backwards. The strong performance and growth of Jet2 and Ryanair is masking the overall decline and has been for some time.

With regards Loganair, unless they can compete on price and frequency with Flybe, they will disappear within a few years. This is clearly just the first step in protecting their revenue. As many airlines ditch their LBA routes first to protect their revenue, it suggests that not enough is being done to attract passengers onto routes from the airport. Having read White Heather's summary of the last Committee meeting, I am hopeful that the new management team understands the need for GOOD PR - unlike their predecessors - and this may well make a difference in the future which will mean routes like this aren't the first on the chopping block. Hopefully they have enough skill and enough time to arrest this alarming slide.

BA are always going to be a fickle airline because of the slot situation at LHR. KLM have a massively overstretched fleet and any Scottish service will be up against the train. It's are hardly the fault of LBAs management if the airlines are messing about for their own reasons. Plenty of airports would like a Jet2 Monarch and Ryanair base!

 

[whoshotjimmi]

Appreciate everything you say there Jerry, particularly the part about the Ryanair, Jet2 and Monarch bases. But why don't the others mess Manchester about? Why don't they mess Newcastle about? Why don't they consistently remove the least profitable services from them? Why is LBA always the first to get it in the neck when there is an issue at Heathrow? Heck, even Humberside has a more reliable T3 service. Even Norwich has 4 KLM flights per day. And have you ever tried getting a train from Leeds or Bradford to Glasgow? It is a nightmare! It is stupidly expensive and takes forever. This is in marked contrast to Manchester, with 8 flights a day and competing airlines where the train is at least 2 hourly, fast and - if booked in advance - cheap.

Whilst airlines will continue to do their own thing, a stronger stance from LBA management, admittedly with some incentives, will put a stop to the worst of it.

 

[Jerry]

I believe that MAN regularly gets it's LHR service cancelled and messed about with by BA. I was surprised to see Norwich having 4 flights a day but will that continue when the Fokkers go who knows? The management of an airport can only do so much. If the airlines won't put the services on or keep cancelling them what can they do? Ban the airlines? With the GLA route it may well be that in time it gets taken over by Eastern under Flybe but they are in a mess at the moment and trying to sort themselves out and unfortunately it seems LBA has suffered the most from it but it's no worse than BMIs cancellations down at BRS.

 

[ca4]

The route has apparently been marginal at best and the aircraft can be utilised on other (more profitable) routes.

 

[lbaspotter]

The route has apparently been marginal at best and the aircraft can be utilised on other (more profitable) routes.

I've read that Loganair are redeploying the Saab 340 used for the LBA-GLA route to take on Flybe between BHX and Scotland. Yeah makes a load of sense that!

I do wonder if a new independent Loganair is up for the battle against a resurgent Flybe?

 

[Finger66]

I think they may get a wake up call thats for sure and suspect they will realise LBA was worth it after all, but its their loss. But just remember all, we have gained some routes too, albeit not as many as we have lost. So it aint all bad. Someone find me some money please and I will redress the balance sooner rather than later!

 

[Seasider]

I can remember in December 1997 that Cityflyer Express (BA), cancelled the Sat am LBA flight to Gatwick because they could make more using it from Gatwick to a Ski destination.
What's this got to do with Loganair? Some of the "elder statesmen" will be able to tell you.