Route Development & Rumours

[justplanecrazy]

Scrap my last post too! Lol

 

[nwoody2001]

It seems TAP won't be joining the BHX party next year:

Ricardo Dinis, TAP's general sales manager, told Business Traveller that the carrier wants to "consolidate what we have in the UK market".

Currently, TAP operates 11 weekly flights to Lisbon from both LGW and Manchester.

Dinis said: "We want to reach 14 daily flights a week [for each] by summer next year."

Although no new destinations will be served next year, Dinis said the aim is to "improve connectivity".

Cannot quote the article just yet, as every time I flick between tabs on my iPad, it reloads the page and deletes the post. The article link is on the MAN TAP thread however, if anyone would like verification.

Disappointing but I suppose not surprising! I hadn't realised that TAP only serve LGW and MAN...

Having looked at the aviation press recently, there are a quite a few airlines in America and Europe cutting capacity to south America as its generally agreed that the continents aviation sector is going into a period of slow decline. Whilst I think BHX could sustain a Loco operator to Lisbon (and im frustrated we still don't have it on our departure board), it is the links to south America that would be needed to hold up the TAP route in my view...

that said, times changes in aviation so hopefully they can be tempted into BHX but if its not TAP, then get, tere must be another loco we can convince.... Vueling, Norwegian and Ryanair could all make Lisbon work in my view!!!

 

[nwoody2001]

So PK and his team have done a great effort in winning new routes to the airport, but as PK often says, winning the routes in only part of the challenge. Using them on the other hand is a different thing.

Having looked at the BHX route map on their own website, I have round the following to be included…

New Airlines into BHX (As of the start of 2015)

• American Airlines – New York (Not on website)

• Beijing Capital Airlines – Beijing (Not on website) , Hangzhou (Not on website)

• Blue Air – Bucharest (Not on website)

• CSA Czech Airlines – Prague (Not on website)

• Icelandair – Reykjavik

• Iberia Express – Madrid (Not on website)

• Norwegian – Malaga (Not on website), Madrid (Not on website), Barcelona (Not on website), Las Palmas (Not on website), Tenerife (Not on website)

• Qatar – Doha (Not on website)

• VLM – Waterford, Antwerp

• Vuelling – Barcelona, Alicante (Not on website)

• Wizz Air – Warsaw, Budapest (Not on website), Bucharest (Not on website), Poznan (Not on website)

New Routes into BHX (As of the start of 2015)

• Flybe – Rotterdam

• Ryanair – Corfu (Not on website), Madrid (Not on website), Verona (Not on website), Vilnius (Not on website)

So out of 26 new routes announced over the last 18 months, only 5 of them have actually made it only the BHX destination map and timetable.
As PK says often, its one thing getting the new routes, it’s another thing using them. It’s not a great show when even the airport can’t be bothered to show them on their own website.

 

[Brummiegem]

That is a concern nwoody2001.
You would think with all the talk and tweeting over the past few weeks and months the website would be very much kept up to date.After all it is what people use to see what an airport has to offer.
I hope it is changed sooner rather than later.

 

[User001]

Beijing and Hangzou won't be on the website yet given the flights technically don't exist at this moment in time.

Flybe to Rotterdam is also not on sale to the public yet, so, strange that this is on the website but other routes, including established ones, are not on the website.

 

[Brum X]

I will send an email to remind them of this missing information, and as you say the more"inexperienced" traveller will look on these websites to find out where they can fly to from there local airport.

I bet they could add 10% onto the AA route to new york with more publicity.

Having said that though guys if you go onto the BHX official website, under the social feed section they have this on today.

www.birminghamairport.co.uk/travel-advi ... york-city/

 

[nwoody2001]

which also angered me....

The tweet reads:

Birmingham Airport ‏@bhx_official · 4h4 hours ago
Xmas shopping in NYC? You can with 4 direct flights a week from BHX! Read our guide here: http://goo.gl/HpzwRF

Well this is an awful advert!!!! Yes there is only 4x weekly over the winter months with AA, but there is also UA which fly between 4-5x weekly. Consequently to those wishing to go xmas shopping, surely they should be stating their are 8-9x weekly flights to new York, not 4!!!!!

 

[User001]

Airport and airline social media as well as mainstream can be awful.

There are the cases at MAN where MAG management have stated such things as:

On the launch of MAN-HKG, one of the MAN directors stated 'we welcome our first Far East airline to Manchester'.......Erm, Singapore Airlines?!?

Just recently on the launch of Beijing, Charlie Cornish stated he would like to see MAN gain direct flights to Los Angeles. Thomas Cook will be thrilled to know even the boss of the airport doesn't know about what is considered one of the 'prestige routes' for a regional airport to get.

Ryanair on Twitter is one of the worst. If a route is sold out, they claim 'we don't fly that route'. It's actually quite funny to read sometimes!

 

[Brum X]

Yes i do understand what you are saying however this article is about American Airlines and going to JFK, there is also a link onto the AA website at the bottom. Dont think AA would be too happy with BHX to automatically include United Airlines in the same breath.

However i do agree that BHX need to promote New York as one and include all flights to New York, including Icelandair via KEF.

 

[nwoody2001]

and I have no problem in the above, but the tweet above needs to state 4x weekly 'with American Airlines' because otherwise its just factually inaccurate!!!

 

[Brum X]

and I have no problem in the above, but the tweet above needs to state 4x weekly 'with American Airlines' because otherwise its just factually inaccurate!!!

It does dude :blush:


Part of the article says this "American Airlines has four flights a week from Birmingham Airport to New York City, so getting there is a breeze. "



:good:

 

[andrew.clarkson]

Hi there ray and all, are any of you aware that alex cruz, who is currently the chief executive at Vueling, is now going to replace keith Williams from next April at British Airways as Chief executive, as this is the case now we have Vueling airlines at Birmingham, wouldn't it be a good time once alex is at British Airways, to start enquiring with him directly of any possibility of starting up flights with British Airways from Birmingham airport at all, could be a tall order, but it's a good try and persuade and hopefully wait... Andyc

 

[nwoody2001]

and I have no problem in the above, but the tweet above needs to state 4x weekly 'with American Airlines' because otherwise its just factually inaccurate!!!

It does dude :blush:


Part of the article says this "American Airlines has four flights a week from Birmingham Airport to New York City, so getting there is a breeze. "



:good:

No it doesn't!!! it says it in the article but not the tweet... many people wont take the effort to click the link to the article, read the article and find that actually the airport is only talking about 1 airline!!! the tweet itself sounds pretty simple... unless you were looking to find out more info, the airport in the link alone makes it sound like tonly 4x flights a week to nyc when the reality is the airport offers double that!!!

 

[nwoody2001]

Hi there ray and all, are any of you aware that alex cruz, who is currently the chief executive at Vueling, is now going to replace keith Williams from next April at British Airways as Chief executive, as this is the case now we have Vueling airlines at Birmingham, wouldn't it be a good time once alex is at British Airways, to start enquiring with him directly of any possibility of starting up flights with British Airways from Birmingham airport at all, could be a tall order, but it's a good try and persuade and hopefully wait... Andyc

im in 2 minds..... what would BA offer at BHX that other One World fliers cant offer at BHX? I just cant see it personally myself!!!

 

[nwoody2001]

....and more suggesting that last weeks China route news was NOT the big news PK was referring to after the rugby. I tweeted him asking him for an update, and his response was as follows:

"neil - you are going to have to wait and see what transpires."

...which tells us it has not been announced yet, and also doesn't sound as upbeat as before but I am probably reading things that aren't there to be frank.

Anyway, as fofr next week, there should be a fre interesting things to look out for....

- We should be seeing Flybe announce their summer schedule....
- We know the deadline for the CAAC application passes with regard to the potential new china links
- Norwegian are due to get issued their operators licence for the UK

none of which are garenteed to generate big news, but the the opposite could be possible!!!

 

[User001]

Or is it the Beijing Capital news, and things are not as certain as perceived?

 

[nwoody2001]

potentially, but at this stage, your guess is as good as mine and Dorothy of the street...

However, im still sticking with your initial appraisal. There is no link to the rugby, is 2x weekly flights to china "worth the wait" ...after we had that this year....?

who knows, but alas, I get the impression there are numerous pans in numerous fires....

 

[Jon Dempsey]

which also angered me....

The tweet reads:

Birmingham Airport ‏@bhx_official · 4h4 hours ago
Xmas shopping in NYC? You can with 4 direct flights a week from BHX! Read our guide here: http://goo.gl/HpzwRF

Well this is an awful advert!!!! Yes there is only 4x weekly over the winter months with AA, but there is also UA which fly between 4-5x weekly. Consequently to those wishing to go xmas shopping, surely they should be stating their are 8-9x weekly flights to new York, not 4!!!!!

And, in my experience, travelling to mid-town Manhattan is far easier from Newark than JFK.

 

[andyc941]

Really a 2x weekly link with China will be great news,and a weekly link with Hangzhou.Hope it all happens for BHX next year.The thing is how long will the charters be next year,my guess will be April till September.

 

[Jon Dempsey]

Hi there ray and all, are any of you aware that alex cruz, who is currently the chief executive at Vueling, is now going to replace keith Williams from next April at British Airways as Chief executive, as this is the case now we have Vueling airlines at Birmingham, wouldn't it be a good time once alex is at British Airways, to start enquiring with him directly of any possibility of starting up flights with British Airways from Birmingham airport at all, could be a tall order, but it's a good try and persuade and hopefully wait... Andyc

IMO, BA's decision to retreat to London is an opportunity for other airports to open up routes to destinations that BA could/should serve, and let BA suffer the loss of business.

The expectation from Walsh et al was that the travelling public would all connect or traipse (sp.) via/to a far corner of the country to use their services. Quite frankly, I am delighted to see this policy backfire on them with other carriers now servicing the routes, or pax connecting via other hubs using their competitors.

I look forward to seeing an expansion of services from Manchester, Birmingham and others, and GOOD RIDDANCE to BA and their shoddy service.

Rant over. :diablo: