If you were the boss of Birmingham Airport...

[jfy1999]

KJAY, if you're trying to get new airlines by writing letters and phoning the customer services then it's no wonder you are frustrated! if you don't work in the aviation industry, the best way you can help BHX is to inform any relatives or acquaintances who fly regularly of the services we already have.

 

[KJAY 786]

Family, friends, relatives do fly Birmingham to Pakistan Lahore using airlines in Birmingham but demand is high for Birmingham direct service to new routes look at Carribbean Jamaica Kingston how on earth do many people get there USA /CANADA only AER LINGUS - lets keep writing telling marketing team at airlines to look at Birmingham as Singapore airlines lady said on telephone "Good Idea" lets hope.

 

[Angie88]

Trouble is New St. is still a dingy smelly overcrowded and unpleasant 1960's carbuncle once you get down to the business end,the platforms which are still the first and last impression passengers get.

New street station & Grand Central is a MASSIVE improvement on what was there before & considering the limitations of the project (the station operated throughout construction) it was a huge achievement & has contributed to the revitalisation of how Birmingham is perceived. Operationally there may be constraints & other issues still but you can’t write of the redevelopment as a carbuncle. BHX will hopefully achieve something similar with its 500 million makeover & inject confidence to sell the airport.

Unfortunately in the case of MAN and how to grow a regional airport about 50 years.

Well as you said in your original post, let’s not compare ourselves to MAN as it’s a different case all together. My point is let’s look at how they’ve succeeded & try and adopt a similar strategy at BHX especially with retaining airlines long term & helping them grow in the short term

 

[58terminus]

Well as you said in your original post, let’s not compare ourselves to MAN as it’s a different case all together. My point is let’s look at how they’ve succeeded & try and adopt a similar strategy at BHX especially with retaining airlines long term & helping them grow in the short term

I think at this stage Bristol; and Luton are more on par with the airports we should be taking lessons from..

 

[Angie88]

I think at this stage Bristol; and Luton are more on par with the airports we should be taking lessons from..

Maybe with retaining & growing LCC yes but BHX have a significant Long haul offer already & until recently, successfully operated transatlantic routes for a very long time. I wouldn’t say our position is similar to Bristol or Luton at all

 

[58terminus]

Previous management spent a lot of time boosting their egos chasing long haul with some embarrassing results and eventually a reduced long haul network.
In the meantime they seemed to have take their eye completely off the bread and butter which are the European routes and now their legacy is an ever dwindling European network.
If i were boss i would make sure i and my staff realized Birmingham is an important European city but not a global city and worked within those parameters..

 

[andrew.clarkson]

Hi there all, I agree with previous posts, for Birmingham Airport to succeed, then for a roll model of success, it then needs to look at how Manchester Airport has achieved this. Also Birmingham Airport needs to go ahead and build a second runway and terminal by the m42... Andyc

 

[hay677]

Birmingham is an important European city but not a global city

Which UK cities would you say are 'global' ?

 

[andrew.clarkson]

Hi there all, London and Manchester..

 

[Ianbutty]

Kjay you are right. We need to show the world what a great city we are and rebuild from there. Trouble is outside of the commonwealth noone really cares about the games and it is the non commonwealth European city to city market that we need to claw back.

The city and airport need to come together as one and use the airport more. No point moaning about lost routes if trips are purposely being made up the M6 or down the M40 to catch a flight.

easyJet will only help if they cover the city routes. More to the sun is not worth getting excited about. If easyJet don't do it, then every effort to get Ryanair to do so but as we know they are not having the best of times.

Biggest breakthrough will be a flock of foreign 'national' carriers...but.....

Good list David.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I think at this stage Bristol; and Luton are more on par with the airports we should be taking lessons from..

For several years BRS has had a publicly-stated policy of relying mainly on existing customer airlines for passenger and route growth. This has come home to bite them in the backside this year with flybmi's cessation in February causing a loss of around 200,000 annual passengers (although some of this lost traffic has been replaced by Brussels Airlines, easyJet and Ryanair), and now Thomas Cook has gone which will see a loss of circa 500,000 passengers annually with thus far no airline stepping in to fill any of that void (unlike Jet2 at its airports).

Although BRS has seen passenger growth rise by 40% since 2014 (now 8.9mppa), no other airlines have pitched up in a significant way. Whether this is mainly because of the airport's policy of relying on existing airlines or, as some believe, the dominance of easyJet is not known. With Thomas Cook's demise easyjet is responsible for nearly 60% of BRS's passenger numbers and flights. Apart from that, only Ryanair and TUI provide a portfolio of routes. The only long-haul operations are TUI's summer routes to Sanford and Cancun and occasional West Indies cruise flights in winter, with Egypt and Cape Verde being the next furthest (easyJet and TUI).

As someone who has been following aviation in the South West for many decades, I certainly would not advocate BRS as a template for BHX's growth. Even with the loss of Thomas Cook BRS still outperforms given its many physical and location disadvantages, but if easyJet turned its back or downsized substantially at BRS......................

 

[Angie88]

Which UK cities would you say are 'global' ?

We are a global beta city

 

[TheLocalYokel]

We are a global beta city

The latest list from GaWC (Globalisation and World Cities Research Network) is that for 2018 and includes the following UK cities.

Alpha++: (the highest category) London with New York the only other city in this category

Beta-: Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester

Gamma+: Glasgow

Gamma: Belfast, Bristol

GaWC is a think tank that studies the relationships between world cities in the context of globalisation.

GaWC - The World According to GaWC 2018

 

[KJAY 786]

I telephoned: Kuwait Airways they will note Birmingham demand and MEA say "Good Idea will have management look into it" - I telephoned Egypt Air said lady at reservations "we have a lot of passengers from Birmingham awful lot travel London Heathrow to Cairo and Luxor - it is a route that has taken a lot of interest and lets see what happens in the near future- excellent route majority London traffic is from Midlands." (no more to say except why on earth do airlines only fly to other hubs and not Birmingham but promoted by passengers from midlands- did you know PIA had a large Party on Coventry Road this is TRUE to advertise their Flights for Birmingham Passengers to Karachi and Lahore from Manchester Airport - Argument was why advertise in Birmingham whilst it is Manchester service for midland passengers true PIA) Birmingham City Council should work with Birmingham Airport and Coventry Council as-well problem two councils one airport.

 

[58terminus]

The city and airport need to come together as one

Totally agree but as the airport are objecting to the building of high rise blocks in the city centre as they may interfere with a recently! introduced departure flight path there seems some way to go.
I know other bodies are involved when fixing flight paths but surely the airport would have pointed out that that path might restrict the growth of the city it serves.
You know what? I doubt it.

 

[Matt995]

I still would love to see a new website for the airport, feels its very outdated now, and they need to promote the remaining destinations, and have a clearer section where you can see the destinations, flights times, and make it easier to book flights!!!

 

[KJAY 786]

I like the Birmingham International Airport website page, but don't like Manchesrer Airport web page difficult to understand and worse I have seen. Birmingham might need a new web page development but need to encourage more airlines aswell - overall we will win - Common Wealth Games are Coming ! Birmingham International Airport can do it Birmingham City Centre New Trams and Businesses a lot going on.

 

[KJAY 786]

Birmingham International Airport could open a 24/7 Radio Station that gives flight information Traffic and Travel and advertise the airport to travellers travel through midlands and have good service. Also have a web cam for the airport be fun to watch.

 

[58terminus]

Birmingham International Airport could open a 24/7 Radio Station that gives flight information Traffic and Travel and advertise the airport to travellers travel through midlands

I Would take that above tuning in to Zoe Ball