Helvetic Airways

[TheLocalYokel]

Thanks for that, tpm - a fascinating little insight.

From what I've read and from what one or two others who've flown with Helvetic have told me the experience seems to be universally good.

Can't give an answer re the booklets. The destinations list on their website features Bristol - in fact, there is more detail about the city than about Cardiff.

I quite like the F 100s and 70s when I've used them but am yet to use Helvetic's.

Incidentally, was the 50 the joint load or just those from/to BRS?

 

[tpm]

Incidentally, was the 50 the joint load or just those from/to BRS?

It was the joint load. Not sure how many were already on board on the way out, but on the way back most (~80%) seemed to get off at BRS.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Helvetic Friday 28 September 2012

I was out walking yesterday in the Chew Valley and noticed the inbound Helvetic from Zurich arriving at BRS over an hour late.

I expected to see it back from CWL within two hours after that but I didn't see it on the approach path as I continued my walk. A later check with the BRS web site arrivals saw the inbound from CWL blank.

Does anyone know if the aircraft went straight back to ZRH from CWL (presumably having taken the outbound BRS passengers with it) or were the passengers flying to ZRH from CWL taken by bus to BRS with the inbound CWL passengers similarly moved?

 

[Aviador]

That is quite possible I would think. BMI under it's old ownership used to do this regularly with Glasgow and Edinburgh flights from LBA. The reason given was usually "shortage of aircraft" or "technical problem with aircraft", but more often than not it was apparent the loads were on the low side making it uneconomical to operate flights to both Edinburgh and Glasgow.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

BRS-ZRH - September 2012

CAA stats show that 930 passenger travelled between BRS and ZRH in the month, with an additional 388 between CWL and ZRH.

I've updated the monthly list (below) with from left to right BRS monthly figures, CWL monthly figures, the joint total monthly figures (in bold).

I've also added the BRS percentage - to the nearest whole number - of the total load each month and the results are remarkably similar month after month at around 65%.

January 477 251 728 65%

February 611 330 941 65%

March 554 285 839 66%

April 639 345 984 65%

May 707 387 1094 65%

June 829 402 1231 67%

July 986 536 1522 65%

August 903 612 1515 60%

September 930 388 1318 70%

The best two months saw a joint load factor of around 69%.

As it will be ZRH-BRS-ZRH only this coming winter more work needs to be done to build the route and I know that the airport marketing team, as usual, is not sitting on its hands. I am aware that one of the initiatives involves targeting passenger who were using the CWL end of the joint route.

 

[Aviador]

Well it must be breaking even at least otherwise they would have canned it by now for sure. The move to operate just from BRS is a gamble because not all the CWL passengers will follow. It will of course cut costs by reducing landing changes and associated fuel burn from taxiing and departing twice.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Well it must be breaking even at least otherwise they would have canned it by now for sure. The move to operate just from BRS is a gamble because not all the CWL passengers will follow. It will of course cut costs by reducing landing changes and associated fuel burn from taxiing and departing twice.

BRS is certainly doing its bit for this route. Apart from targeting known CWL customers there are advertisements on airport buses and one large one at Bristol Temple Meads railway station, as well as featuring in emails to the airport's customer base. The airport web site also points up the route on the main home page. I have no doubt that other initiatives are also ongoing.

The BRS team can never be blamed if a route ultimately fails. The amount of work that went into publicising the CO route to EWR for example was phenomenal.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

New Timings

Today sees he first service ZRH-BRS-ZRH with the CWL leg axed.

Timings at BRS are arrival at 1810 and departure at 1850, still 3 x weekly.

Previously the flights had been operated during the middle part of the day.

 

[Aviador]

Does anybody know how well this route is frequented by business orientated passengers? I know people are less likely to use this service without a daily or twice daily option but the route should still be able to attract a reasonable level of business related passengers. Easyjet operates a similar type of operation to LBA from Geneva and they have said they have managed to attract a reasonable number of higher priced late bookings from business passengers.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Does anybody know how well this route is frequented by business orientated passengers? I know people are less likely to use this service without a daily or twice daily option but the route should still be able to attract a reasonable level of business related passengers. Easyjet operates a similar type of operation to LBA from Geneva and they have said they have managed to attract a reasonable number of higher priced late bookings from business passengers.

I don't know the mix but I would imagine that in load percentage terms that Zurich would be more business than Geneva.

BRS has the problem with Switzerland, if that's the right word, that its Geneva operation is exceptionally strong in passenger numbers so it may be that people have got used to using easyJet.

My wife and I used easyJet BRS-GVA and back in summer 2011 for leisure purposes and the majority on the flights seemed leisure rather than business though there was a film crew sat around us returning from location shooting which could be classed as business. However, these were Saturday flights so not typical vis-a-vis business travellers.

CAA stats show that in 2011 BRS again carried more scheduled passengers to Geneva than any other airport in the UK outside London, more even than Manchester and Birmingham, though these two airports have big Zurich markets. easyJet operates about 10 x weekly in summer and up to 18/19 weekly in the winter ski season with up to 4 x daily on both Sats and Suns.

In 2011 CAA stats show that easyJet BRS-GVA carried just under 147,000 passengers with another 9,000 on charter flights.

With this sort of number flying betwen Bristol and Switzerland it might be thought that a 3 x weekly 85-seater to Zurich ought to be tolerably popular at least.

At the moment there is no facility for onward connection at ZRH. If that was to change, and I believe a minimum 6 x weekly schedule would be required, then loads could well pick up substantially.

 

[alphagolf]

A interesting development regarding Helvetic, just happended to stumble across the website and discovered the Summer 2013 schedule has been released. Flights are able to be booked now............

It shows the route becomes 5 x weekly from 31st March 2013, with flights operating to Zurich, Mon 09.25, Wed, Thu & Fri 20.00, Sun 14.30. :good:

They must have some confidence in the route maturing as time goes by as this is quite an increase in capacity on the route.

alpahgolf

 

[Aviador]

It does seem adventurous with the average passenger load running at only 65% My personal thought is they must be picking up reasonable levels of business passengers enabling them to improve the flight frequency options.

Let's be honest, I think most people are surprised this service has lasted this long. Helvetic must have been achieving a better yield than most of us had first thought. Let's hope all the hard work pays off for them.

 

[alphagolf]

Seems it has been tweaked since I looked earlier, now 4 x weekly. M-W-F-Su which makes a either a short or long weekend city break available.

 

[Aviador]

I thought 5 a week was somewhat adventurous but 4 seems sensible and should allow more options such as long weekend breaks etc.

 

[Aviador]

Anybody out there that can give us an update as to how this is performing at the moment?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Anybody out there that can give us an update as to how this is performing at the moment?

So far only one month (November) has been reported since BRS went 'alone' on the route.

711 passengers were carried on 26 legs giving an average load of 27, load factor 32%.

Not great but far better than November 2011 when CWL had the route to itself and 267 passengers were carried so the airline might draw some slight consolation from that. 711 is better than any of last winter's months between BRS and ZRH from January to April (BRS came on the route jointly with CWL part way through December 2011).

Whether an increase to 4 x weekly is a sign of confidence or a last chance to give it a real go is uncertain.

The problem is probably easyJet to Geneva. This operates up to 19 times weekly in winter, at least double daily every day and 4 x daily on Sats and Suns.

The easyjet schedule is less in summer but still at least daily - more on some days.

My wife and I are looking at Switzerland for this summer. It's a country we know well and many of the mountain areas are longish train journeys (never a chore in Switzerland) from either Geneva or Zurich and easyJet is cheaper.

If we go I'd still like to try Helvetic so will have to speak sweetly to Mrs TLY.

 

[Aviador]

Thanks for the update TheLocalYokel! Only a couple of weeks until the next lot of figures are out I suppose but December figures are usually pretty poor all round so January and February might be the months to watch so far as the winter figures are concerned.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

December 2012

CAA stats show that 917 passengers used the route from 13 rotations (26 legs), assuming the Boxing Day flights operated.

This gives an average load of just over 35, load factor 41.5%, up over 9% on November.

 

[tpm]

Out of curiosity, can that be even remotely profitable with a Fokker-100 ?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Out of curiosity, can that be even remotely profitable with a Fokker-100 ?

I really don't know. On the face of it you would think not, though there is a premium cabin which reduces the number of seats overall to 85, but how many pay to ride in that is purely conjecture.

The route does seem to be building as 917 is the third best month between BRS and ZRH - after July and September - since it came on to the route.

In December 2011 when the route was brand new from BRS and didn't start until the second week of that month 343 travelled between BRS and ZRH.

I wondered last month whether an increase to 4 x weekly this summer is a sign of confidence or a last chance to give it a real go.

January 2013 will be the first month where a full month comparison can be made since the BRS leg began. In January 2012 728 passengers were carried on the combined CWL and BRS legs (477 on the BRS and 251 on the CWL).

Another interesting point would be the number of passengers who now fly between BRS and ZRH who formally flew between CWL and ZRH. The BRS team certainly wasn't slow in trying to entice such passengers.