Birmingham: TUI Airways Flights, New Routes & Base Updates

[Ray Finkle]

BHX have had their fingers burnt recently by airlines that come for a season and go, looks like a shift in tactics ?

I look forward to a raft of new Ryanair routes then Ian and x 2 additional based aircraft. You have got my hopes up now 😉

Excellent stuff from the traditional holiday airlines (Thomas Cook, Jet2 and TUi) but we now need some of the others to follow suit and bring back some of the routes that we've lost recently (and add some new ones), rather than just jumping onto destinations already served by others.

 

[Ianbutty]

Excellent stuff from the traditional holiday airlines (Thomas Cook, Jet2 and TUi) but we now need some of the others to follow suit and bring back some of the routes that we've lost recently (and add some new ones), rather than just jumping onto destinations already served by others.

I agree. If I see another additional airline flying to the canaries or Alicante I will.....probably do nothing, but it is depressing.

Would be Great to fill the main Euro capitals and a few extra treats even orlando.

 

[Ray Finkle]

S19 so far although there will almost certainly be changes.

Agadir is weekly on a Thur from May
Thessaloniki is weekly on a Mon.
Izmir is weekly on a Sat.
Split is not bookable although it is available from other airports (this is TUi so at least one had to go 😗 ).

Chania goes 2x weekly with a Fri flight added.
Boa Vista goes 2x weekly with the Sun flight carried over from winter.
Corfu goes 4x weekly for the peak with a Sun flight added.
Rhodes goes 4x weekly with a Fri flight added.
Naples goes 3x weekly with a Wed flight added.
Enfidha goes 2x weekly with a Mon flight added.
Antalya goes 4x weekly with a Wed flight added.
Dalaman goes 5x weekly with a Wed flight added.

Podgorica makes it for a second year and I think there is extra to Palma.

Long haul remains frustratingly predictable. Orlando moves to a Friday but still at a pathetic once weekly and remains useless for anyone with children of a school age!

Orlando Fri.
Punta Cana Tue and Sat
Cancun Mon and Thur
Montego Bay Wed and Sun

 

[thunderchild]

Split

Why do TUi and BHX bother to issue press releases announcing new routes then a week later they’re not bookable. It happens every year.

 

[Ray Finkle]

It does make you wonder.

This year Jet2 have the second weekly Split (on a Wed) operating from May through to Sep, next year it's only from late July until Sept with just weekly for the rest of the season.

Thessaloniki is going to be interesting. Last year we had nothing, this year we'll have Jet2 and Thomas Cook with next year seeing all three.

Agadir is long overdue but I still think we need a scheduled flight to Morocco. It's also great to see Podgorica return for another year.

It would be nice if the gap left by Split could be filled with either Olbia or Preveza.

I have a feeling that Venice will appear at some point.

 

[jfy1999]

Trip report BHX-Phuket

This was from a couple of months ago. So disappointed it's being discontinued 🙁

 

[Matt995]

TUI Summer 2019, peak season flights (I used the month of August) total 126 departures a week, which includes the Air Malta, Fly BE Verona, and a Turkish airline (Freebird?) as well. 9 based aircraft, 1 787, the rest short haul.

TUI should be retiring 4 757s before then, so its possible we might see the 738 Max replacing them.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Many thanks Matt.

I believe there is a gap on Sunday afternoons? Possibly where Split was originally intended go.

 

[Matt995]

I believe there is a gap on Sunday afternoons? Possibly where Split was originally intended go.

Nope no gaps in the TUI schedule, all aircraft fully utilized, only gap was on a Thursday afternoon, which I presume will see the usual Malta cruise ship charter!

If you want a copy of my TUI 2019 spreadsheet, let me know! 👍

 

[Ray Finkle]

Cheers mate.

Looks like another new route to Kuusamo from mid Dec until Feb.

 

[Aviador]

TUI (formerly Thomson) the UK’s largest holiday brand, has today celebrated its first flights to Podgorica, Montenegro for summer 2018 operating out of Birmingham Airport.

Tom Screen, Acting Aviation Director at Birmingham Airport was on hand to welcome customers onboard alongside the TUI cabin crew flying the customers to Montenegro.

Flights will operate once a week every Wednesday until the middle of October.

For customers who have already booked their summer holidays they can look ahead to next year as flights and holidays to Montenegro are already on sale for summer 2019.

Tom Screen, Acting Aviation Director at Birmingham Airport, said: “Montenegro is a great destination for TUI to add to its summer 2018 flying schedule. It will be popular with holiday makers as it has stunning mountains, breathtaking beaches and an interesting local culture. We are delighted TUI has chosen to expand its choice of destinations from Birmingham Airport.”

The decision to add Montenegro to the network is part of the holiday company’s plans to offer as much choice as possible to customers flying from their local airport and staying at the best hotels TUI and First Choice have to offer including the brand new 4Sun Holiday Village Montenegro.

Karen Switzer, Director of Aviation Planning for TUI UK & Ireland, said: “It is great to see the first customers heading off on their holidays to one of our newest destinations. We have expanded our programme from Birmingham Airport for summer 2018 and now customers from the Midlands have over 60 destinations to choose from when deciding where to book their holidays.”

Birmingham Airport

 

[Brum X]

Nice to see BHX operating as normal, amongst all the doom and gloom at the moment. A route to this country is a nice little addition, but in true BHX fashion what we gain, we lose (Cluj Napoca)

Only at BHX

 

[Matt995]

Apparently the 3 TUI B757's flights that failed to depart Saturday afternoon, were down to very slow ground handling at BHX putting the aircraft crew out or hours.

TOM7678 To Fuertventura due out at 15:40 Sat has departed MAN on B789 G-TUIK at 12:00 Sun
TOM7644 To Rhodes due out at 14:55 Sat has also departed MAN on B757 G-OOBF at 11:46 Sun
TOM7650 To Kos due out at 16:30 Sat, is now expected to depart BHX at 21:55 Sun
TOM7712 To Heraklion due out today at 08:10, is now expected to departure MAN at 19:30

I presume that 3 of these return flights will operate to MAN too. You have to feel sorry for the poor passengers having been delayed this long, and some having to be bussed up to MAN. Bit of a shambles really, down to poor BHX handling, and TUI not have enough crew for the BHX flights?

 

[Matt995]

now appears that all the above flights will return back to BHX, G-TUIK (first visit) due arround 21:00

 

[58terminus]

Apparently the 3 TUI B757's flights that failed to depart Saturday afternoon, were down to very slow ground handling at BHX putting the aircraft crew out or hours.

So nothing to do with the runway being closed?

 

[Matt995]

So nothing to do with the runway being closed?

The runway closure caused the 3 B757s to divert to East Midlands,but all aircraft postioned back to BHX late Saturday afternoon, but due to slow boarding, lack of airport ground buses to the aircraft, all flight crews ran out of hours, so flights were delayed until sunday, Kos finally departed 23:20 sunday night, a delay of 30+ hours.

 

[Creguk]

I'm looking to book a last minute holiday for a week tomorrow (Sat to Sat). Anyone know what destinations they fly to from BHX on Saturdays. It will narrow my choices down a bit on the destination. I'd love long haul to try out their 787. They only serve Mexico, Dominican and Orlando with the 787, right? Chances of these on the Saturday will be slim I guess!

 

[thunderchild]

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is the long haul flight on Sat.

Other options are Pula, Kos, Alghero, Palma, Mahon, Ibiza, Alicante, Verona, Gerona, Paphos, Las Palmas, Rhodes, Antalya and Fuerteventura.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Langkawi we already knew about but U-Tapao is new, MAN and LGW are the same so I assume it replaces Bangkok which originally showed up.

TUI Airways UK in the weekend of 26AUG18’s OAG schedules update filed winter 2018/19 schedule, including the addition of new long-haul routes to South East Asia, already available for booking on the airline’s website since earlier this year. Planned new routes include the following, majority operating until late-March 2019.

Birmingham – Langkawi 19DEC18 – 27MAR19 Bi-weekly 787-8
TOM492 BHX1300 – 0855+1LGK 788 3
TOM493 LGK1125 – 1655BHX 788 4

Birmingham – Utapao 26DEC18 – 20MAR19 Bi-weekly 787-8
TOM456 BHX1355 – 0825+1UTP 788 3
TOM457 UTP1110 – 1715BHX 788 4

https://www.routesonline.com/news/3...-schedules-new-south-east-asia-routes-in-w18/

 

[MJH]

Let's hope they prove popular.🙂
Good to see TUI adding these routes from BHX.

All hail TUI.