Thomas Cook

[Jerry]

I've heard of utilisation and the aircraft will be back in the UK before 1 but still. Amazes me they sell the seats.

If the price is right or it's the package they want people will fly.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Don' forget some Greek Airport's are space and slot restricted. It could be mid morning is all thats available.
Most travellers that fly at say 6 or 7 like to be at the Airport for 4. Most would need to leave the house by 3, some earlier. That means up and prepare for 2 so maybe only a couple of hours sleep if that, many would just stay up all night. When you think about it you'l get extra time on holiday arriving mid morning and a decent return flight there you're not hanging about all day. If the demand is there, people will use it

 

[Severn]

As Foxlimayankee alluded to, quite a number of Greek Airports are slot, and space restricted. Zakinthos is no different with only 4x taxi-in/taxi-out stands available for B737/A320+ sized aircraft (and 3x smaller turboprop-sized stands).
Once the first four (larger) aircraft have arrived each morning, from then on it is one in/one out! It would seem likely therefore that the timings are due to the slots available in ZTH rather than timings useful for the company.
Having said all that, the Sunday ZTH flight switches to afternoons for the Summer season after this week!

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

I get how they airports/airlines work; however; i still don't get a 0420 departure from the UK. That 0900 local slot into ZTH clearly has come from the slot pool for the whole of TC rather then TC UK and therefore they are using it. Just confuses me that TC UK is becoming similar to TUI Germany/Condor with middle of the night departures to Greece and Turkey.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The 0420 departure to Zakynthos is shown on MayFly for this Sunday (13 May). However, the following Sunday it is shown as departing at 1300 so the very early departure seems to be for only this Sunday (the previous Sunday [6 May] Mayfly shows it departing at 1300). (As Severn has already pointed out).

TCX does have some more earlyish departures through the week though:

0520 to Mahon on Mondays
0500 to Zakynthos on Thursdays
0525 to Palma on Saturdays

TUI has a 0530 departure to Corfu on Fridays

Somewhere like Dubai has departures around the clock. Our departure from there to Perth for example is 0300 local time.

 

[Marko1]

I note that there is three a321s in use today. Also enfidhna is now on the tcx timetable but no details other than weds

 

[Jerry]

One of them is also a Monarch hybrid livery i believe.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I note that there is three a321s in use today. Also enfidhna is now on the tcx timetable but no details other than weds

Mayfly is showing the usual 2 x 321s and 1 x 320 all day. Do we know why it's an all 321 day today?

 

[Jerry]

Mayfly is showing the usual 2 x 321s and 1 x 320 all day. Do we know why it's an all 321 day today?

I believe the Smartlynx A320 went tech in Heraklion.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I believe the Smartlynx A320 went tech in Heraklion.

Thank you. I noticed a long delay on the inbound Heraklion.

 

[alphagolf]

Thank you. I noticed a long delay on the inbound Heraklion.

It's just left BRS for PFO with 3hr 48min delay

 

[airforced]

Does anyone know why the 17:55 MT1472 flight to HER was cancelled on 15 May but finally got away at 11:30 the next day? This cancellation/re-scheduling of the Smartlynx A320 is probably the one referred to above.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Does anyone know why the 17:55 MT1472 flight to HER was cancelled on 15 May but finally got away at 11:30 the next day? This cancellation/re-scheduling of the Smartlynx A320 is probably the one referred to above.

No takers for that, unfortunately.

I've just checked an aircraft that I heard climbing overhead my house a few minutes ago and FR24 shows it as a SmartLynx A320 YL-LCL operating for Thomas Cook bound for Newcastle. There is no movement shown on Mayfly.

Tomorrow the BRS-based SmartLynx A320 is due to operate for Thomas Cook to Tenerife (0730). The two based A321s are committed - 0605 to Palma and 0700 to Dalaman. I wonder how they will cover the TFS. Seems odd if they position one 320 to NCL and another from somewhere else to BRS to operate tomorrow morning's flight, unless there is a very late running flight from NCL to, say, the Costas which YL-LCL will cover overnight and be back at BRS first thing in the morning.

 

[Jerry]

Tomorrow the BRS-based SmartLynx A320 is due to operate for Thomas Cook to Tenerife (0730).

The NCL based A320 got ferried to MAN earlier today.

 

[alphagolf]

The NCL based A320 got ferried to MAN earlier today.

The NCL based A320 should have operated MT1682 to ZTH but was cancelled very early this morning. Maybe its tech so gone to MAN for repairs.

The next NCL MT A320 departure is to PMI at 0615 tomorrow morning, so maybe another airframe is coming into BRS from elsewhere..............

 

[Severn]

The NCL based (SmartLynx) A320 seems to have gone tech and departed to Manchester at around lunchtime. It will arrive back in NCL in time for tomorrows scheudle.
A LGW based TCX A321 positioned in late morning to pick up the rest of the A320s schedule.
The BRS based (SmartLynx) A320 finished it's flying for the day in BRS and positioned to NCL empty to operate the NCL-ZTH fight (23 hours later than scheduled). It will then position back to BRS in time for tomorrows schedule, not sure on the ZTH-NCL return!

The STN based (SmartLynx) A320 and A321 spent most of the day sat in AYT and DLM respectively (probably due to crew out of duty given yesterdays problems at STN!) before operating back to STN this afternoon. The A321 then operated this afternoons DLM and a MAN based TCX A321 positioned in during the day to operate yesterdays CFU, which to my workings out still leaving todays ACE and MAH delayed until tomorrow (Tuesday).
Not an easy day for TCX!

 

[superking]

I see the Smartlynx A320 has been replaced with a A321 reg no LY VEA. Is this just cover for the A320 or changed to the bigger Airbus as a permanent change.

 

[Jerry]

Having an all A321 fleet is probably easier operationally. I think Smartlynx as well have had a few aircraft go tech.

 

[Marko1]

I know it's not always correct but flight radar currently has the a320 on its way to Bourgas

 

[Severn]

BRS currently has Smartlynx A320 YL-LCL and Thomas Cook A321s G-TCDG and G-TCDK based.
At this moment, YL-LCL is operating to Bourgas, TCDG to Skiathos and TCDH to Antalya.

Thomas Cook has Smartlynx (ART) aircraft based at:
BRS - A320 (YL-LCL)
CWL - A320 (YL-LCS)
NCL - A320 (YL-LCO)
STN - A320 (YL-LCT), A321 (YL-LCQ)

Thomas Cook has Avion Express (NVD) aircraft based at
BHX - A320 (LY-NVZ)
EMA - A321 (LY-VEG), A321 (LY-VEH)
MAN - A321 (LY-VEA), A321 (LY-VEC), A321 (LY-VED)