Route Development & Rumours

[58terminus]

lets hope the weather here plays ball

LOL

 

[Brum X]

LOL

Have you being watching the weather forecast 58 ? Its not very good is it ??

 

[58terminus]

Have you being watching the weather forecast 58 ? Its not very good is it ??

Lets hope for another 2 day heatwave

 

[Ray Finkle]

There is always stuff bubbling away, the frustrating thing is waiting for it all to become public.

If we take a look around it's not just Birmingham that is quiet, it's pretty much the whole of the UK. There is a lot going on in the world at the moment and businesses are rightly being cautious. Hopefully the UK will secure a favourable deal and things will start moving again, as they were before all this happened.

In the meantime TUi have taken this years growth into next year, Jet2 are doing phenomenal things and there is even rumours of a bit more from Thomas Cook. Emirates had slots for EK41/2 for this summer so hopefully it will happen in 2019, Air India have grown and next month we'll have the much anticipated timetable update from Primera, hopefully it will be good news

The next announcement I want is for the appointment of a new CEO and for it to be followed closely by the master plan and some extensions to the terminals

 

[rollo]

Blimey Ray the next thing you'd want is the Blues to win and the winning lottery numbers and that's just today, no idea which is most likely.

LOL

 

[Ray Finkle]

next thing you'd want is the Blues to win

I think a new CEO, major terminal expansion and a raft of new routes are much more likely than Blues doing anything

 

[Aceshigh]

Talks are care of course a positive but getting routes over the line, quite another.

At Manchester the talks to increase the Manchester base by 20% were at an advanced stage, it's fair to say they were "nailed on" but at the very very last minute the rug was pulled. In Easyjets case each base puts forward a business case based on a number of routes adhereing to cost/benefit you then factor in availability of aircraft, slots and the trade off between say one route that might be described as a banker versus coupling this to say one where the yield may be less. That could then undermine the whole profitability of the additional frame. It is a highly complex business and every other airport is also doing exactly the same in terms of trying to attract new routes.

I'm terms of longhaul I also recall a former member of the Manchester parish on F4 ( now sadly excluded ) who mentioned Air New Zealand operating from Manchester , again talks were at an "advanced stage". That person was absolutely correct BUT ANZ were simply bartering up for a better deal at Heathrow and simply used Manchester as a make weight for that negotiation.

It worked!

 

[Aceshigh]

PS when looking at what may or may not happen looking back possibly provides the best evidence for what might occur going forward. Numerous factors come to the fore.

Emirates have been highly successful, at Bhx might they increase, an emphatic yes. Could that be to the detriment of other flights...yes again.

Is Birmingham likley to see say a mainline carrier like Air Canada. Well this is less likely.

Might the landscape change with say HS2 coupled to say no rw3 , possibly. Some observers believe it's a major positive with BHX ready to pounce.

A contrary view which is only my own suggests Hs2 AND rw3 will suck the very life out of Birmingham as rediculously cheaper fares and an easier commute price out competition

Both scenarios are equally possible.

Who would have thought North Korea would be playing cards over a glass with the South ?

Who really knows what might happen

 

[Ray Finkle]

A contrary view which is only my own suggests Hs2 AND rw3 will suck the very life out of Birmingham as rediculously cheaper fares and an easier commute price out competition

I agree. We already moan about how many people from our region make the relatively quick trip down to Heathrow, HS2 has the potential to make that journey even easier.

Birmingham really needs to hit the ground running with HS2 which is why it's so disappointing not to have a new terminal linked to the station.

Is Birmingham likley to see say a mainline carrier...... Well this is less likely.

But not totally impossible

 

[thunderchild]

But not totally impossible

If this is a hint then I really hope it’s Finnair....I’m not sure Africaada is classed a mainline carrier!

 

[mullion]

Finnair are a very interesting airline, they have stuck with MAN for a number of years starting with
DC-9 and then MD-80 which I think was a bit big in those days then EMB-170 which were probably too small
EMB-195 and now quite often A319/20 and even A321 in winter. Once they start they tend to stick with it and give
a good go at it as it helps their long haul to Far East and Asia.

 

[David_itl]

Finnair original MAN schedule was HEL-ARN-MAN with 5th freedom rights It peaked at 17 or 18 weekly with a nightstopping service. The Airbus upgrades should have been limited to the run up to the Christmas period only but was extended. A319s should become staple fare on one of the services sooner rather than later.

 

[Ray Finkle]

If this is a hint then I really hope it’s Finnair....I’m not sure Africaada is classed a mainline carrier!

Not Finnair although surely they must be close?

In an interview a couple of years ago, around the time that Qatar launched, it was either Tom Screen or William Pearson that said they were looking to secure another Oneworld carrier, it was obvious who it was. Then only a few months ago Finnair themselves confirmed that Birmingham 'is on the radar'.

I'll leave the rest there as I don't want to kick of another Primera style saga

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Next week is set to be a busy one with several new routes being launched.

Thursday the 3rd sees Jet2 commence Thessaloniki, Kos and Almeria.
Friday the 4th we have Thomas Cook start Gerona and Bodrum, Jet2 start Dalaman and TUi bring back Enfidha.
Saturday the 5th has Jet2 start Zakynthos.
Sunday the 6th sees Thomas Cook start Thessaloniki and Jet2 start Split and Pisa.

The local cake maker is in for a busy week

Busy week indeed. I saw a list of all the new routes over the month of may and it was quite impressive for BHX.

 

[Ray Finkle]

After this week all eyes will then be on Primera.

Malaga and Palma flights start on the 14th with New York a few days later on the 18th.

In between those we have TUi starting Podgorica. I hope that it receives it's own attention as it's a new destination into a new country and a cracking route to have

 

[Ray Finkle]

Might as well post the full list for the year, I think it's up to date?

February

2nd Jet2 - Rome Fiumicino
12th VLM - Antwerp

March

30th Jet2 - Antalya
30th SAS - Stockholm

31st Jet2 - Larnaca

April

1st Jet2 - Malta

2nd Jet2 - Naples

May

3rd Jet2 - Kos
3rd Jet2 - Thessaloniki
3rd Jet2 - Almeria

4th Thomas Cook - Girona
4th Thomas Cook - Bodrum
4th Jet2 - Dalaman
4th TUI - Enfidha

5th Jet2 - Zakynthos

6th Thomas Cook - Thessaloniki
6th Jet2 - Split
6th Jet2 - Pisa

14th Primera Air - Malaga
14th Primera Air - Palma

16th Thomson - Podgorica

18th Primera Air - New York Newark Liberty

21st Thomson - Hurghada

22nd Thomas Cook - Varna
22nd Freebird - Dalaman

25th Jet2 - Venice

26th Jet2 - Dubrovnik

29th Jet2 - Bodrum
29th Freebird - Bodrum

June

4th - VLM - Aberdeen

23rd - Primera Air - Toronto Pearson

July

21st - Jet2 - Corfu

30th - Primera Air - Chania

October

1st - Primera Air - Barcelona

December

5th Primera Air - Reykjavik

6th Primera Air - Alicante

7th Primera Air - Gran Canaria

8th Primera Air - Tenerife

9th TUi - Kuusamo

19th - TUi Airlines UK - Langkawi

26th - TUi Airlines UK - Bangkok

 

[mullion]

Don`t ever remember 17 weekly or night stopper David when was that?

 

[Ray Finkle]

Delta and Virgin are possibly about to launch more UK regional departures?

Additionally, many of the larger US legacy carriers and Middle East carriers operate regional services on a seasonal basis. There are reports that Delta and Virgin Atlantic are launching more UK regional departures this summer.

https://www.passengerterminaltoday....-uk-flights-from-london-to-regional-hubs.html

 

[thunderchild]

Both Emirates and Qatar Airways operate regional services from Scotland and Manchester.

No mention of them serving BHX as well, but a whole paragraph about AA cancelling JFK-BHX!

 

[Brum X]

Not Finnair although surely they must be close?

In an interview a couple of years ago, around the time that Qatar launched, it was either Tom Screen or William Pearson that said they were looking to secure another Oneworld carrier, it was obvious who it was. Then only a few months ago Finnair themselves confirmed that Birmingham 'is on the radar'.

I'll leave the rest there as I don't want to kick of another Primera style saga

But you have me thinking Ray and my mind is going bonkers.