KLM

[imagineif]

Effective October 31st - KLM Cityhopper will shut down its UK cabin crew bases at Humberside and Leeds Bradford airport, the last 2 remaining cabin crew bases in the UK.

KLM will continue to operate into all former UK crew bases, Amsterdam based crews will night stop across the UK network to facilitate the early morning departures still.

Remaining UK cabin crew will be made redundant or can work from Amsterdam and commute from the UK.

Remaining UK pilots at Leeds (largest UK pilot base for KLM cityhopper) and Bristol are expected to remain in place until October 2018 approximately.

KLM is in the process of driving down costs as part of its transform2020 program, simplification by eradicating the KLM cityhopper UK subsidiary is one of the results of this - ironically, UK crew are cheaper than Dutch crew with a weaker £ - they also have a weaker Union and poor MOA compared to the Dutch crew.

It is worth mentioning that the decision to do this was made before the EU referendum.

The final Fokker 70 flights will also take place in October (currently 9 remain) - replaced by further Embraer 175 aircraft which KLM has configured to a sardine class 88Y.

Complementary bar service in economy class on all flights under 1 hour is no longer as standard - crew discretion apparently. Only a box with a cup of water and a tiny sandwich is given out.

It's clear KLM is re-positioning itself as a no frills carrier as far as it's euro network is concerned and already it is some years now since it also started charging for bags.

Cost will be the key decision maker for passengers going forward, all KLM will have is the appeal of "connecting with ease" at Schiphol & frequency I guess - as the full service elements of the carrier continue to be eroded away.

 

[cmj]

Sadly seems to be the way the 'full service' carriers are going - KLM are perhaps leading the race to the bottom, but the others will follow.

 

[JakeS]

Remaining UK pilots at Leeds (largest UK pilot base for KLM cityhopper) and Bristol are expected to remain in place until October 2018 approximately.

I guess FlyBe will see an increase in applications from Embraer E-Jet rated pilots then.

 

[a300boy]

I do not think many people would leave Klm for Flybe it would make far more sense to commute to Amsterdam.
Having said that its 35 years plus since I left them so things may be very different now.

 

[BarnsleyHolidays]

CityJet RJ85 substitution for Sunday's KL1549/1550

The 'word on the street' is that a number of Sunday tea time turnarounds this summer will feature an RJ85 of CityJet. Is there anybody at the 'LBA coal face' able to confirm the dates?

Barnsley Holidays

 

[imagineif]

CityJet RJ85 substitution for Sunday's KL1549/1550

The 'word on the street' is that a number of Sunday tea time turnarounds this summer will feature an RJ85 of CityJet. Is there anybody at the 'LBA coal face' able to confirm the dates?

Barnsley Holidays

KLM cityhopper is short on aircraft and crew (ironic since they are dumping the UK lot) and because of that they are leasing 2 Cityjet RJ85 with the crews to operate them starting sometime in May.

The aircraft will be operating several of the LCY rotations and service other routes as and when required so yes quite possible it will make an appearance at LBA.

Aircraft shortages are due to introducing several new routes and having to take over operation of Milan rotations as relations with Alitalia deteriorate.

 

[oldendays]

Just walking through the Chevin and saw a departing KLM fly over. It must have turned right, rather than left, after take-off from RW32. Was it flying a new SID or is there some other reason for this routing ?

Ta.

 

[White Heather]

Just had a look on FR24 oldendays and as you say, the KL1550 did indeed turn right after departure and then headed down to the South East on the Northern side of the Wharfe Valley. I am not sure if this is a one off or not, but, the revised departure routings that LBA are working on for the future with the CAA, and which will need to be trialled, include right turns for aircraft whose routing would benefit from a right turn rather than a left turn - so this would include AMS and flights to Germany, Poland, the Baltic States etc. off runway 32. This is the first time I have seen it done. It may of course have been for some other ATC reason.

 

[oldendays]

Thanks WH. I've looked on the NATS AIP website and there's no mention of any new SIDs.

 

[White Heather]

I doubt there would be yet. Even if this was part of a trial and not just a varied routing for other ATC reasons, the trials may result in changes, so they wouldn't publish anything until they have finalised the procedures. The most likely explanation is probably another aircraft in the vicinity of the usual routing?

 

[lbaspotter]

I doubt there would be yet. Even if this was part of a trial and not just a varied routing for other ATC reasons, the trials may result in changes, so they wouldn't publish anything until they have finalised the procedures. The most likely explanation is probably another aircraft in the vicinity of the usual routing?

It wasn't just the KLM that took an unusual routing out of LBA. The was a couple more that did it before and afterwards.

 

[oldendays]

The plot thickens ! This morning's inbound KLM was vectored on a left-hand pattern to RW14, meaning the aircraft flew downwind east of the airfield rather than the usual west. I suppose this must be a trial to make more use of this area of airspace without cramming everything to the south and west of the airfield.

 

[lbaspotter]

The plot thickens ! This morning's inbound KLM was vectored on a left-hand pattern to RW14, meaning the aircraft flew downwind east of the airfield rather than the usual west. I suppose this must be a trial to make more use of this area of airspace without cramming everything to the south and west of the airfield.

That's nothing new, as I've definitly seen KLM and others do that left hand down wind quite a few times over the past years whilst inbound for runway 14.

Also when it's busy due to congestion on the ground I've seen inbound aircraft been vectored by ATC to the LBA overhead hold, then they do a left hand down wind approach for runway 14 (seen passing over Huby/Weeton and Otley)

 

[oldendays]

That's true lbaspotter but I'm fairly certain it isn't routine procedure. Probably because the edge of controlled airspace is only four miles east of the airfield and beyond that the military are very active during the week and all manner of GA at the weekend.

We need an ATC insider to enlighten us.
Aviador, would you be able to reproduce the last two or three posts in the ATC thread please ?

 

[White Heather]

LBAspotter is correct oldendays. The KLM and other flights coming in from central Europe regularly approach runway 14 from the NE, flying over Wharfedale, often passing directly overhead the reservoirs at Swinsty/Fewston, before heading out to Skipton and turning onto final approach for 14. It isn't anything new - it has been happening on occasions for some years. I am a regular walker around the reservoirs and see this frequently. It may not be the regular routing, but it happens quite often.

 

[yorkie40]

I've seen it quite a few times especially the klm but also Ryanair from Riga often it passes over me in ripon then pateley bridge

 

[Pat]

Back in the 70s and early 80s aircraft taking off from Leeds/Bradford routing towards Norwich would fly across Lincolnshire at medium level under the control of military radar (Midland/Northern/Eastern Radar) so I expect they will be doing the same now with what ever military radar covers the area to the east of leeds/Bradford

 

[a300boy]

Very little Lars coverage these days !

 

[White Heather]

Back in the 70s and early 80s aircraft taking off from Leeds/Bradford routing towards Norwich would fly across Lincolnshire at medium level under the control of military radar (Midland/Northern/Eastern Radar) so I expect they will be doing the same now with what ever military radar covers the area to the east of leeds/Bradford

The new routings are over the military air space as far as I am aware. Flights will climb faster and be above military activity by the time they clear the LBA airspace - at least that is how it was explained.

 

[White Heather]

Back in the 70s and early 80s aircraft taking off from Leeds/Bradford routing towards Norwich would fly across Lincolnshire at medium level under the control of military radar (Midland/Northern/Eastern Radar) so I expect they will be doing the same now with what ever military radar covers the area to the east of leeds/Bradford

The new routings are over the military air space as far as I am aware. Flights will climb faster and be above military activity by the time they clear the LBA airspace - at least that is how it was explained.