Helvetic Airways

[TheLocalYokel]

It would be fascinating to know what sort of figures the airline expected in the first few months of the route.

Common sense suggests rather higher than what they've had so far but they might tough it out for the summer to see if they can establish the route for the future.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I emailed 2L about their winter intentions. They are still to fly CWL-ZRH but the schedule is not finalised an dwill be released at the end of July :good: This is good news as all ski flights from CWL have been merged with BRS ones...so no ski flights from CWL this winter.

That's very good news concerning Helvetic - presumably forward bookings must be picking up.

Good to see you back here posting too, planenut.

 

[Aviador]

Helvetic Airways have obviously seen a market for skiing that many people including myself have mist. Skiing is hugely popular and under served by Cardiff airport so if the airport can throw some weight behind advertising the route paying particular attention to skiing, hopefully it will pay off. Helvetic could still be reluctant to continue the flight into another summer without substantial backing from the airport or the Welsh government.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

June 2011

June passenger numbers have crept up a bit but not by much.

747 passengers flew the route on 36 rotations giving a monthly average load of 20.75 - 20.75% on the 100-seater F 100.

Monthly load factors for full calendar months since the route opened are:

April 15.6% May 17.55% June 20.75%

Despite this it seems that Helvetic is to stick with route which is obviously very good news for CWL and those passengers who do use it or wish to in the future.

One bright spot on the horizon is the Wales v Switzerland European football qualifier in a few weeks time when I understand that an extra flight will be laid on and that two are already sold out.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

July 2011

An improved performance though still not good for July.

1131 passengers used the route with 34 rotations, giving an average load of just over 33 - load factor just above 33%.

 

[alphagolf]

August Pax Figures - CAA

Another poor month regarding passengers figures and load factors:

If all flights operated in the month, available seats = 3,600

Total Pax: 792

Load Factor: 22%

I was hoping that August would be a good month with the School holidays, but with the holiday period business passengers may have fallen!

If there is an increase in September then, this maybe the case!

Even so a pretty poor set of figures in anyones book!

alphagolf

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Helvetic are certainly to be congratulated for sticking with this route - it's scheduled to operate through the winter, albeit at a reduced frequency, where it ought to pick up some ski holiday traffic.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the service has a higher number of Swiss-emanating passengers than vice versa. If that is the case it's a pity it's not better supported from the Cardiff end.

I confess to being very surprised that loads are so low in mid summer. Even given the slow start in the spring I expected monthly load factors to be around 40-50% at a minimum this time of the year with leisure travellers more than making up for a likely decrease in business passengers.

October will see a boost because Wales are playing Switzerland on 7th of that month at Swansea in a European Championship qualifying match and I believe that a couple of flights are sold out or nearly so anyway.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

September 2011

Another disappointing month re loads.

628 passengers from 36 sectors, assuming all operated, which gives an average load factor of 17.4, load factor 17.4% on the 100-seat aircraft.

Since the first full month in April monthly load factors have been as follows:

April 15.6% May 17.6% June 20.8% July 33.3 % August 22% September 17.4%

Two additional rotations did operate in early October in connection with the Wales v Switzerland match at Swansea so that will improve the load total and load factor for this month at least.

Let's hope that the route picks up in the ski season. If the route could match the number of Switzerland-originating passengers with CWL- originating the loads would be reasonable and a basis for optimism.

Interesting press report recently about the Helvetic route and full story can be seen at this link.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-i ... s:20111011

The article says that 90% of passengers are Swiss, inbound to Wales with the majority business travellers, whereas the airport was expecting a 50:50 split between ZRH and CWL emanating passengers.

However, total passenger numbers are below initial expectations.

Spencer Birns, head of commercial operations and air services at CWL, said: “Passenger numbers at the moment are running at 30% [occupancy], when we had hoped to get 50%. For the first year it should be around 35%."

“However, for March 2012-14 we are expecting to achieve a level of 60%. Next year the tour operators will have more time to sell the service.”

“Passenger numbers at the moment are running at 30% [occupancy]

Only for July though. Other months have been well below that. Why do so many airport managers resort to spin that can easily be shown to be just that?

I'm not sure what he means by March 2012-2014. Sounds as though he is expecting the next three Marches to be at 60% but I doubt that is what was intended. May be either poor sub-editing or a printing error.

 

[Aviador]

If the route is attracting a reasonable number of business passengers it may be enough to warrant trialling the route for longer if there's the kind of route funding in place to be able to do that. Has the airport made any effort to publicise the route in Wale, or even South of the river?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

If the route is attracting a reasonable number of business passengers it may be enough to warrant trialling the route for longer if there's the kind of route funding in place to be able to do that. Has the airport made any effort to publicise the route in Wale, or even South of the river?

The Wales Assembly Government can't directly subsidise the route of course because of EU regulations. Whether Switzerland, which is outside the EU, is allowed to I'm not sure but I'm not aware that it has done or is doing.

The WAG has been involved in helping with publicity for the route.

At its inception it was said on one aviation message board that there were advertisements in Bristol though I've not seen any.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

November 2011 - Helvetic, Cardiff-Zurich

The route is now 3 x weekly in winter (from 4 x weekly in summer).

CAA stats show that 267 people used the route in November which with 13 rotations/26 legs gives an average load of just over 10, or a load factor of just over 10% on the 100-seat Fokker 100 aircraft.

Given that November is not a great month for regional UK airports, this is still a huge disappointment.

It really does seem that the airline's decision to route the service via Bristol in both directions from early December is a last gasp attempt to see if it can work.

I don't know how it's been performing from Bristol but I'm not expecting anything sensational.

If I betted, which I don't, I wouldn't put much money on it being retained for next summer. Let's hope I will be shown yet again that I'm wise not to bet.

 

[Aviador]

I think had the route been operated by one of the more familiar airlines it would have disappeared altogether by now. All I can say is Helvetic must have deep financial reserves.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Zurich-Bristol-Cardiff

Not looking promising for the summer.

All Helvetic routes from Zurich now bookable on their website except this one.

Seems the additional stop inserted both ways at Bristol from 5 December may not have been enough to secure the route.

 

[bluebird94]

Zurich-Bristol-Cardiff

Not looking promising for the summer.

All Helvetic routes from Zurich now bookable on their website except this one.

Seems the additional stop inserted both ways at Bristol from 5 December may not have been enough to secure the route.

Helvetic's website is now showing Cardiff as a Summer 2012 destination on it's route map, and Bristol as Winter only. No flights have been loaded yet but i imagine that it is just around the corner. potentionally good news. 😀

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Helvetic's website is now showing Cardiff as a Summer 2012 destination on it's route map, and Bristol as Winter only. No flights have been loaded yet but i imagine that it is just around the corner. potentionally good news.

It's certainly a surprise that the route is to continue into summer 2012 if that is the case, given the dire loads in 2011.

If the map turns out to be definitive it seems that the experiment to route via Bristol didn't work and that the airline believes it can make a go of it to Cardiff alone next summer. If that is so they are to be congratulated for persevering and let's hope the route is far better supported in 2012.

I was very surprised that BRS was added to the mix at short notice and for mid winter. I've seen no advertising for the route except on the Bristol Airport and Helvetic websites.

The only clue we have about Bristol loads is that someone who would know told Forums4airports that there were 30 on the ZRH-BRS leg on 21 December.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

December 2011

372 passengers on Cardiff-Zurich in December according to the CAA stats.

At least that was 29 more than on Bristol-Zurich, though that had one rotation less as it didn't start till 5 December.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Summer 2012

Posts in two forums dedicated to Welsh aviation matters suggest the Helvetic Cardiff-Zurich link will operate this summer.

At present the Helvetic website timetable still shows availability only until the end of March.

Very good news if true. Let's hope it will be better supported this year. No information as to whether the route will continue to operate via Bristol.

 

[alphagolf]

Just checked the Helvetic website and the route map was showing a red line as Cardiff being operated for Summer 2012, however this now seems to have disappeared with both Bristol & Cardiff showing a white dotted line for Winter 2011-2012, so I think it looks like both airports can say goodbye to Helvetic!
Really disappointing, that this route has not been well supported by travellers from the Wales and West, I do hope that the same doesn't happen to Vueling!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

If you hover the cursor over the Zurich icon on the route map the result is as you describe.

However, if you hover over the CWL icon a dotted and a red line appear between CWL and ZRH.

Hovering over the BRS icon brings up nothing, not even the current winter dotted line.

Why a red line and a dotted line in tandem are used (indicating summer a 2012 route and a winter 2011/2012 route respectively) when there is already an option for a year-round route, ie a red line with blue dots, is confusing.

CWL is not the only route to sport a winter dotted line and a summer red one.

We were told a week or two ago on Forums4airports by someone who would know about things at BRS to ignore Helvetic's website.

Neither CWL nor BRS to ZRH is bookable on the Helvetic website after the end of March, and the timetable doesn't go beyond the end of March either, unlike all the other routes which now include the summer 2012 timetable.

If the route is to operate this summer, whether from CWL or from CWL/BRS, they seem to be leaving things very late for people to think about booking.

Some who might have done have probably made other arrangements by now.

 

[alphagolf]

However, if you hover over the CWL icon a dotted and a red line appear between CWL and ZRH.

I stand corrected thanks TheLocalYokel, I hadn't tried that! I sincerely hope I am proved wrong in any case!