Birmingham: TUI Airways Flights, New Routes & Base Updates

[Timberwolf]

Marella Cruises a TUI group company, good to see them running from BHX as well as Manchester and London just a short season but go along with the Marella/TUI winter cruises to Bridgetown and Montego Bay.so very much welcome.

Marella tend to move some of their long haul cruises around.So Singapore this winter may be somewhere else the following winter.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Marella tend to move some of their long haul cruises around.So Singapore this winter may be somewhere else the following winter.

A couple of years ago they had Langkawi and an airport near Bangkok operating every 2 weeks alternately.

Along with Singapore this year there are a couple of departures to Aqaba, Colombo and Muscat.

 

[Timberwolf]

TUI are a bit of a nightmare, they have now changed out flt times to SKG 4 times in 12 weeks, and now on our 3rd operator now.TUI, then Smart Lynx, now Sunwing.

Then yesterday said our sea view rooms booked many months ago have now been changed to non sea room view rooms, and we will get refunds.

We fly out in August so expect many more changes from them before then 🙄😡

 

[juliet-fox-9]

Summer 2024 changes to the flight timetable. Some of these might not reflect any change in the overall number of flights on the route, just a change in those which are available to book as flight only (as opposed to cruises etc).

Increase: Agadir (2 per week), Alicante (3), Arrecife (5), Antalya (7), Corfu (6), Enfidha (3), Heraklion (4), Ibiza (6), Larnaca (5), Marrakesh (2), Palma (10), Paphos (5), Rhodes (5), Tenerife (5)

Decrease: Dalaman (7), Kos (4), Orlando Melbourne (2). Orlando is disappointing - has the change in airports affected business?

Unavailable to book: Almeria (2 per week this year)

 

[Karl C]

Are Tui starting to stagnate a little. Yes they are adding seats, but it's to the same well trodden routes they've been knocking out for years. Reminds me somewhat of Thomas Cook, who stagnated at four based aircraft for years and years and the same destinations every year. Look what happened to them. Not that Tui will have that problem I hope. C'mon Tui....there's life outside of London.....add some more long haul and other greek islands et al. Bring back Porto Santo, Catania, Luxor (did operate with a 767 one season) and Marsa Alam. Start Samos, Kalamata, Preveza, Lamezia Terme, Split, Banjul and La Palma (I know some are winter only).
I am a positive guy, but sometimes I could bang my head against a brick wall with airlines and tour operators.
I'm aware that this one aircraft they are adding to BHX next summer is a direct reaction to Jet2. Maybe Tui are finally realising that you can't sit on your laurels and not expect other companies to come along and eat your lunch. Just wish they'd expand their destinations ex BHX more 👍

 

[IanFarquharson]

Summer 2024 changes to the flight timetable. Some of these might not reflect any change in the overall number of flights on the route, just a change in those which are available to book as flight only (as opposed to cruises etc).

Increase: Agadir (2 per week), Alicante (3), Arrecife (5), Antalya (7), Corfu (6), Enfidha (3), Heraklion (4), Ibiza (6), Larnaca (5), Marrakesh (2), Palma (10), Paphos (5), Rhodes (5), Tenerife (5)

Decrease: Dalaman (7), Kos (4), Orlando Melbourne (2). Orlando is disappointing - has the change in airports affected business?

Unavailable to book: Almeria (2 per week this year)

Loads on Melbourne last year and so far this year are shocking

 

[Jerry]

Are Tui starting to stagnate a little. Yes they are adding seats, but it's to the same well trodden routes they've been knocking out for years. Reminds me somewhat of Thomas Cook, who stagnated at four based aircraft for years and years and the same destinations every year. Look what happened to them. Not that Tui will have that problem I hope. C'mon Tui....there's life outside of London.....add some more long haul and other greek islands et al. Bring back Porto Santo, Catania, Luxor (did operate with a 767 one season) and Marsa Alam. Start Samos, Kalamata, Preveza, Lamezia Terme, Split, Banjul and La Palma (I know some are winter only).
I am a positive guy, but sometimes I could bang my head against a brick wall with airlines and tour operators.
I'm aware that this one aircraft they are adding to BHX next summer is a direct reaction to Jet2. Maybe Tui are finally realising that you can't sit on your laurels and not expect other companies to come along and eat your lunch. Just wish they'd expand their destinations ex BHX more 👍

A company like TUI will only operate what they deem is profitable and they're also as a company looking too offer more frequency on routes so people get more choice in the duration of their holidays and the days they can go on, so as a company they will being trying too find a balance between amount of destinations and frequency on established routes.

 

[Karl C]

A company like TUI will only operate what they deem is profitable and they're also as a company looking too offer more frequency on routes so people get more choice in the duration of their holidays and the days they can go on, so as a company they will being trying too find a balance between amount of destinations and frequency on established routes.

The Jet2 effect in action partly. If Jet2 hadn't come along in leaps and bounds to the extent they have, then I doubt Tui would be doing what they're doing.
I like variety. I don't particularly want to go to the destinations that are well trodden already. Maybe I'm in a minority. If Tui or even Jet2 (Jet2 already do to some extent from BHX) aren't willing to think outside the box, then BHX will keep on losing some passengers to other airports. This happens anyway, but being the only operator on a route can sometimes pay dividends.
Bear in mind I'm just thinking aloud and they're only wishlist destinations for BHX.
Tbh there are plenty of cities that need their links reinstated before a small Greek island 👍

 

[Timberwolf]

Yes I think there are a number of factors re Orlando down to 2 flts a week from BHX .. After going there 3 tines in the past

1 Extra distance.

Orlando Int arpt to Int Drive 13 miles.
Sandford to Int Drive 40 miles
Melbourne arpt to Int Drive 72 miles.

After a long flt last thing you want with screaming kids is a 1hr 30 car journey on top from Melbourne.

2.Value of pound.Slumped to 1.20 to the dollar, get less for your money.Was 1.55 for years.

3 Huge increase in prices.They have almost priced terms themselves out of the market.Cost of theme park tickets astronomical. Main meal family of 4 will now cost near £100 a time. amAdd to that breakfast, drinks and lunch or dinner.Gone are the cheap meals and other deals you could get.

 

[Coathanger16]

Main meal family of 4 will now cost near £100 a time

I was in the States in September and dinner for 2 was often more than that, even without starters or dessert.

Are the Melbourne reductions isolated to just BHX, or are TUI reducing their UK-MLB flights across the board?

 

[Seasider]

I think they have been dropped from BRS.

 

[Birmingham Aviation]

Birmingham – Muscat
TOM494 BHX1330 – 0030+1MCT 788 30NOV23
TOM495 MCT0230 – 0635BHX 788 01DEC23

According to aeroroutes

 

[TM3]

I was at BHX last Saturday and it was carnage. Package holiday makers were queuing out of the door.

I spoke to a lady from Manchester and her TUI long haul flight ( I think to Thailand ) had been moved from Manchester. She said it was the 2nd or 3rd time that had happenend and it might be the last time she travelled with TUI becasue of it.

It seems wrong to me that TUI are operating flights to Thailand from Manchester and then moving them to BHX because of capacity issues at MAN. I think if MAN is not up to the job for these flights they should sell them from BHX in the first instance as I'm sure there are lots of Brummies who would go to Thailand on direct flights if they knew they were available.

I also think BHX need to do more to manage this peak time demand as hardly any of the e-gates were working and a lot of the security scanners were closed. I'm pretty savvy at getting thought these quickly but package holiday makers can spend a lot longer than regular flyers getting through the security.

I'm sure a lot of people missed their flights on Saturday and there were a lot of unhappy faces going out the door who had been doing exactly as they were told and waiting in the queue. I know you really have to have your wits about you to get on your flight in these situations so I just about made mine but I think a lot of peoples' bank holiday weekends were spoiled last week because the airport service was not up to the standard passengers and airlines would have expected.

People who miss their flights in these circumstances get nothing from EU compo as you have to get to the gate and swipe your boarding card before you can claim anything.

A lot of people arrange these trips on budget airlines now but I don't think they get that on-time performance is everything for the likes of Ryanair & Wizz which means they'll leave whether you are on the flight or not. Package operators like TUI take a lot more care to get as many passengers on board as they can when there are delays as they do have a much better customer service ethos.

 

[Scottie Dog]

Manchester potentially has a shortage of stands due to apron work as a result of the expansion of their Terminal 2. Obviously this should have been factored in when slots were allocated by ACL.

 

[Brum X]

Good news fro BHX ?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1663903265967296513

 

[juliet-fox-9]

Judging by what’s available at the moment, their long haul has stagnated. The 787s are doing more short haul instead. So this could mean more 787 short haul flights, although I haven’t yet checked the 2024 timetable compared to this year.

 

[A400]

Judging by what’s available at the moment, their long haul has stagnated. The 787s are doing more short haul instead. So this could mean more 787 short haul flights, although I haven’t yet checked the 2024 timetable compared to this year.

More short haul flights but taking into account that the 767s are retiring so Dreamliners will take their place.

 

[Matt995]

Another strange day for BHX operations today

2 B738s G-TAWA & G-TAWW have been parked up all day, yet they are still using a sub charted GetJet B738!!

why? when they do have the aircraft in place to operate now. I can only presume they have a shortage of B738 pilots at TUI?

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I can only presume they have a shortage of B738 pilots at TUI?

Pilots or Cabin Crew (or both).

 

[Timberwolf]

Another strange day for BHX operations today

2 B738s G-TAWA & G-TAWW have been parked up all day, yet they are still using a sub charted GetJet B738!!

why? when they do have the aircraft in place to operate now. I can only presume they have a shortage of B738 pilots at TUI?

TUI have so many leased planes at present why are they so short. Two ES-reg 320s ott one behind the other earlier both with TOM call signs.
At least 4 Sunwings,Titan, Avion Wings and more