Route Development & Rumours

[LichfieldBlue]

As it stands in my opinion Breeze is probably BHX's best chance of securing a US service. We know we are talking to airlines and have NYC alongside HKG as priority destinations for BHX.

So could we see both coming to fruition ?

I spoke about Breeze back in December 2023 and was shot down in flames on here. They would be an ideal fit IMO with the A220-300 and business model. Breeze already serve EWR and have connectivity to Orlando so maybe?

Nah, not convinced these "Not known" US Airports will work from most UK airports, let alone BHX. Norweigan tried a one season wonder out of Edinburgh and that failed, yes from Edinburgh.

Id rather wait for a serious contender to come along and offer BHX what it needs.

It's a no from me. Sorry Breeze, maybe the winter gales will blow you into la la land.

Not sure EWR is a "not known" US airport

 

[Brum X]

I spoke about Breeze back in December 2023 and was shot down in flames on here. They would be an ideal fit IMO with the A220-300 and business model. Breeze already serve EWR and have connectivity to Orlando so maybe?


Not sure EWR is a "not known" US airport

But on an A220 and they don't have a hub like UA ??

 

[LichfieldBlue]

But on an A220 and they don't have a hub like UA ??

220 has the range for ewr. I still think New York is the go to destination for most brits (not me) and although currently limited, as I’ve said they do serve EWR to MCO which is the other popular east coast destination. The relatively low number of seats on the 220 would surely also play to a BHX service. If we couldn’t fill that regularly I’m not sure the service would ever be viable

 

[Brum X]

220 has the range for ewr. I still think New York is the go to destination for most brits (not me) and although currently limited, as I’ve said they do serve EWR to MCO which is the other popular east coast destination. The relatively low number of seats on the 220 would surely also play to a BHX service. If we couldn’t fill that regularly I’m not sure the service would ever be viable

I know it has the range but for some people even an A321 NEO/CEO is too small so an A220 just isn't going to cut it for lots of reasons.

But we did fill it, for a number of years, we filled 2 daily US Scheduled services, one to New York and one to Chicago. And if I am not mistaken the reasoin why US Airlines cut back regional services in 2016/2017 was a result of a plummeting £ against the $ in the wake of Brexit and US travel from UK regional airports in general. It was a change of political/economic reasons. Edinburgh excluded but as far as I am aware at the time, the now corrupt scottish SNP used to incentivize airlines to go to EDI or did I dream that ? BHX has never been able to offer the same due to the powers of our elected mayors.

And of course we had PRIMERA using the A321 Neo family of aircraft but the airline was a rubbish airline for BHX. Also a low cost airline. They went bust and the rest was history.

Oh and Monarch had plans to serve New York daily with the 737 Max and again they went bust and the rest was history

Bloody hell,. BHX really has some bad luck sometimes.

I am still holding out hope for a daily Delta 767 to New York JFK or Atlanta in 2026

 

[Seasider]

I don't think it is going to happen. No British airline is interested and US airlines are only interested in London and Edinburgh.

 

[gulftraveller]

I am still holding out hope for a daily Delta 767 to New York JFK or Atlanta in 2026

Going from nothing to a 767 is quite a jump. I am afraid football sponsorships do not make a difference in passenger demand. The only thing which will change the situation is a stengthening of GBP (highly unlikely) or the collapse of the dollar.

 

[Nethercote2019]

Football sponsorship ..Aeroflot sponsored Man Utd & there wasn’t a schedule & of course United sponsor Wrexham but I don’t expect Chirk to be added to the timetable

 

[Mackadown spotter]

Dunno why but I’m still satisfied we will get 2 new carriers for next year (Autumn at the latest).Cathay and Etihad.
My reasons for Cathay:

1. Tourism in both Birmingham and Hong Kong
2. Chinese cuisine and culture and their food is stunning
3. Population will extensively build bigger for Birmingham
4. Business and trade flights
5. Connecting city airports

My reasons for Etihad:

1. More or less the same for Etihad
2. Connecting city airports
3. Food,Culture and nature
4. Business cities
5. F1
6. Theme parks.

You might laugh and might not at what I’ve posted but who knew Saudi was coming.

This is my prediction:
Cathay 5 weekly B77W /A35K
Etihad 4 weekly B77W/B787-9

 

[IanFarquharson]

Dunno why but I’m still satisfied we will get 2 new carriers for next year (Autumn at the latest).Cathay and Etihad.
My reasons for Cathay:

1. Tourism in both Birmingham and Hong Kong
2. Chinese cuisine and culture and their food is stunning
3. Population will extensively build bigger for Birmingham
4. Business and trade flights
5. Connecting city airports

My reasons for Etihad:

1. More or less the same for Etihad
2. Connecting city airports
3. Food,Culture and nature
4. Business cities
5. F1
6. Theme parks.

You might laugh and might not at what I’ve posted but who knew Saudi was coming.

This is my prediction:
Cathay 5 weekly B77W /A35K
Etihad 4 weekly B77W/B787-9

A very good chance of Cathay but not a chance of Etihad in my opinion.

 

[Mackadown spotter]

A very good chance of Cathay but not a chance of Etihad in my opinion

God knows about Etihad.They would or could pull off a Saudia like they did with Birmingham

 

[gulftraveller]

If CX did start it would be A359, EY 787-9. Forget about the 777s, at least for a while. At CX they are premium heavy whilst EY’s 777s are deployed on high density routes.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I think Etihad will happen but not anytime soon, more of a medium term one I think.

 

[Mackadown spotter]

Extra night flights at Birmingham Airport set for go-ahead

A report by Solihull Council recommends plans be approved early in the new year.

www.bbc.co.uk

Superb news

 

[MB1]

Extra night flights at Birmingham Airport set for go-ahead

A report by Solihull Council recommends plans be approved early in the new year.

www.bbc.co.uk

Superb news

Good news for BHX yes, superb though?

All the BHX talk about delivering benefits to the regions economy is marketing guff

The extra night slots will allow for a few earlier departures for the leisure carriers, and mainly more middle of the night arrivals from Canaries/Greece/Turkey. Helps the airport offer further expansion to easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI, so a good thing for Midlanders looking for their summer hols.

But to pretend it brings far reaching benefits to the Midlands economy? It's akin to when Ryanair used to claim hundreds of new jobs when they move a 737 from one base to another!

 

[gulftraveller]

Agreed. It might allow a few more arrivals, but the age of late departure red eye short haul flights is over: passengers do not like them; crew do not like them; airports do not have the overnight staffing to process them; it messes up rosters. If you look at target destinations such as PMI or TFS, they have very few flights 0000-0700, no doubt for similar reasons. Worth having but it will make very little difference.

 

[Mackadown spotter]

With 1 weekly flight into Warsaw next summer for 2 months.Do we need an airline that sufficiently offers a higher frequency.My guess is LOT or Ryanair Away based .Wizz won’t do it

 

[nwoody2001]

I cant imagine the Ryanair schedule for BHX-WMI is finalised yet. a 1x weekly service from March-June is very unlikle Ryanair... especially on a city route. I would highly expect this to change in the next weeks/months

 

[Nibbles]

Re extra night flights, maybe something that could be a USP for BHX is a very early departure (say around 5am) to the US, getting you in to New York mid-morning (for a meeting, say). I dont know the schedules enough, but i think most departures to the US leave after 6am from LHR, so arguably BHX could market having the earliest regular departure. Not sure how much value that would have, may depend on what the airline is and how it links in with connecting flights (possibly good if it arrives early enough - you could perhaps be in LA by lunchtime).

The other advantage of the very early flights is the flexibility it gives for multiple rotations. E.g. at the mo you might have a rotation to PMA morning and afternoon but cant do anything else with that aircraft, whereas giving an extra hour or two in the morning might allow that aircraft to also do a rotation to AMS/DUB/etc. Similarly, would that extra hour or so on earliest departure/latest arrival allow 2 rotations (i presume its 1 currently supplemented by a rotation to somewhere <3hrs) to the Canaries/Greece?

 

[gulftraveller]

Wouldn’t work because of aircraft utilisation. Don’t forget that other UK airports have had this dispensation for some time and could have the proposed schedule already but it doesn’t happen. US flights arrive in UK 0530-0800 (West Coast rather later) allowing a two hour turn around back to US. If a flight departed UK at 0500 you could be back by 2200ish (East Coast) but then what? The aircraft sits overnight until 0500.

 

[Nibbles]

That implies that an aircraft will simply fly a route ad nauseum. In your example, a departure out at 0500 might then fly off to, say, LAX departing JFK at 1300, whilst another aircraft, doing the opposite, then wouldnt leave JFK (in this example) until 2100. Ergo no waiting around.

(all times zulu, for ease)

My point is that having longer availability of a runway serves to allow airlines operating fleets of aircraft to more efficiently use those aircraft, with less time spent sitting on a stand. Whether they can actually use that is a function of where they fly to (and their associated flight time restrictions). For example, if we had a hypothetical direct flight to SYD, if the standard flight time of an overnight departure now allowed from BHX meant arriving during SYDs very strict night curfew, it wouldnt be any use.

The allowance for additional flights is purely to provide greater timetabling flexibility for airlines - the end result being potentially increase rotations across the board. Fleet planning and being able to sell enough tickets obviously has a substantial impact on that!