Thomas Cook

[Ray Finkle]

We now have A321 G-TCDG based

 

[thunderchild]

Summer 15 fleet

Originally TCX planned to base x3 A321's and x1 A320 here this summer. A quick look at their current fleet and all the A320's have left the fleet and there are none on order. Does this mean BHX will see a leased A320 based or will it be x4 A321s?

 

[Ray Finkle]

Looking at Jethro's Fleet Listings it seems there will be five A320's leased for summer 15, one each for CWL, LGW, NCL, MAN and BHX.

http://www.jethros.org.uk/fleets/fleet_ ... nes_uk.htm

 

[thunderchild]

Hoping to catch the new A321 this summer; had a panic I might end up a leased jet. However a quick dummy booking suggests it'll be the A321 so all good.

 

[thunderchild]

For anyone flying Thomas Cook this summer the leased SmartLynx A320 will be operating the following routes;

Mon - Zante & Burgas
Tue - Dalaman & Izmir
Wed - Mahon
Thu - Palma & Bodrum
Fri - Paphos & Antalya
Sat - Izmir
Sun - Kalamata & Dalaman

Everything else should be on the new A321s although their are gaps Wed and Sat.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Banjul is bookable for next winter.

I was a little concerned it may be dropped as we're now an Airbus base and the A321's sometimes need a tech stop, such as tonights flight which has just landed at LPA, so it's good to see it's staying

 

[Brummiegem]

The long-haul offering for 2016 has been released and dissapointingly nothing to look forward to for BHX.A shame as I thought we might at least see a few flights to Orlando.

 

[Brum X]

The long-haul offering for 2016 has been released and dissapointingly nothing to look forward to for BHX.A shame as I thought we might at least see a few flights to Orlando.

A very poor showing indeed from Thomas Cook, especially when they continue to expand Orlando from MAN and ZILCH from BHX. I feel an email needs to be sent just to see there reply ??????

 

[nwoody2001]

be good to hear what they say..... though I suspect that whist the long haul for 2016 may be provisionally released... is april 2015 really the best time to announce new routes? surely sept/oct is when new summer routes for the next summer are officially anounced

 

[Brum X]

be good to hear what they say..... though I suspect that whist the long haul for 2016 may be provisionally released... is april 2015 really the best time to announce new routes? surely sept/oct is when new summer routes for the next summer are officially anounced

Welcome. leasantry:

Well it does feel early to release next summer so hopefully more will be released later in the summer and BHX included.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Did you send an email Brum X, I'd also be interested to hear what they have to say?

They dabbled a couple of years ago with an Easter operation to Orlando and completely sold the flight out but it obviously wasn't enough.

With Thomson showing no signs of expansion, Thomas Cook seemingly not interested and Virgin Holidays content to book people on United via EWR I think the only option BHX has left is to go cap in hand to Norwegian. If they could get Thomas Cook and/or Thomson booking a percentage of their seats it could possibly make a couple of weekly flights to MCO viable.

 

[Brum X]

I will send an email over the weekend peeps.

 

[Brum X]

Email just sent, looking forward to there reply.

 

[User0001]

I would hazard a guess that the reason there is no BHX-MCO is down to lack of aircraft?

They are nicely building up the MAN hub with Condor and Flybe, which means that is the priority at the moment.

Then there is the fact they are starting to build up STN long haul (presumably a MAG deal)

Lastly, Virgin are starting to get a bit more serious at GLA, with extra flights to Orlando and now a couple of LAS flights. This is a market TCX have dominated for a while, so, they are retaliating against VS with extra flights themselves to keep that market share going.

AFAIK, they only have 1 or 2 new widebodies next year, which will account for the STN/GLA increases and the increases/new routes at MAN.

I do wonder who can step up to the MCO market at BHX, as I agree it is woefully underserved. I would have thought TOM was the best bet with a full week based B787, but instead, the last 2 B787 deliveries have gone towards operating short haul at MAN/LGW.

Norwegian do not get any new B787's until the middle of 2016, so, I would think that by the time current long haul bases get their increases and new routes (I would expect LGW-BKK before any regional UK long haul), may be too late for a BHX-MCO route to get going in the summer.

Norwegian however, have said that UK regional long haul will be looked at in 2016, and, as much as it pains me to say it as a MAN fan, I see BHX having the edge as the words for BHX seem more positive from DY than MAN at the moment, which, MAN has stagnated/shrunk in the past 2 years rather than grow.

 

[jfy1999]

As a regular Flightradar24 user I see that all the TCX flights into BHX are marked as being "332"s...
If only

 

[Aviador]

Welcome to Forums4airports "jfy1999"

 

[Ray Finkle]

S16 now on sale and no Orlando.

I think I've given up all hope now.

 

[jfy1999]

Are there any new routes at all?

 

[Ray Finkle]

Apologies I was at work and only had a brief chance to check. It doesn't look as if there is anything new, not sure about frequencies.

I'm afraid it appears that TCX are all about MAG at the moment so it looks like BHX is stuck with just Thomson as the sole long haul leisure provider :s_sad

 

[User0001]

Thomas Cook have not yet loaded ANY of the new routes for S16 yet, they have just loaded the first waves of 'existing' flights.

I am told that BHX-MCO is not to appear, however.