Leeds Bradford - General Thread

[a300boy]

We have a familiar problem of disparity which we have had for a long time. I had it on a trip to Brussels in 2016 cheaper return price from Nanchester than a one way via Amsterdam from Leeds.
What can be done ? I don’t know does someone else have ideas ?

 

[Finger66]

This still comes down to economies of scale. Flybe have a min of 78 seats to sell on each MAN - SOU - MAN sector with more sectors to fill each day so its only natural well ahead of travel they will entice bums on to seats to quickly get to break even point. Then they can start charging the earth for whats left to sell. The reverse is true when the route, in the case of LBA is operated by an inreliable and uneconomic 29 seat aircraft. Time is also money for the business traveller so some will still use LBA. Its not always about cost, although that can be important. The above said, as I previously posted, three things need to happen:
LBA need to market all their routes more effectively as I am sure some people still think MAN is the only one with flights as well as looking at landing and handling costs to help the airlines with their operating costs.
Any incumbent airline needs to play their part with reliability to help entice pax, poss with some price incentives too.
But, most importantly in my eyes, if the travelling public do not support any existing routes then there is no incentive for airlines to increase frequency and or capacity.
So in summary it is not just an LBA issue, all stakeholders have a part to play in getting this improved. Those being LBA, the airlines, the pax and also any airport at the other end of the journey!

 

[Britannia94]

Just heard an advert on Heart radio by Jet2.com advertising their routes from LBA. Happy to see it’s not just Doncaster and Flybe being advertised and the true Yorkshire Airport is being promoted

 

[Britannia94]

Just heard an advert on Heart radio by Jet2.com advertising their routes from LBA. Happy to see it’s not just Doncaster and Flybe being advertised and the true Yorkshire Airport is being promoted

 

[Aviador]

But that is often because the LBA holidays are already booked up and MAN has over capacity that they need to fill. It has always been that way. They don't advertise holidays in the windows that are already sold!

For ever the optimist WH !
I would suggest they sell what they get the best commission on but have no proof of that.
Had that problem many years ago and had the mother of all arguments when they told me no flights to my destination operated from Leeds when I knew different.

Absolute nonsence that comment.

Doesn't help when you have things like this to compete with...

Spoiler

http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/travel-trade/

 

[lbaspotter]

Well don't forget from next week onward Flybe will have a a whole lot more seats to sell and fill as the larger 50+ seat (Eastern Airways) Saab 2000 aircraft will be operating quite rotations on both the Leeds-Southampton & Leeds-Aberdeen routes

 

[paully]

Just hope the reliability increases and the cancellations decrease

 

[White Heather]

Absolute nonsence that comment.

Your opinion and thanks for that. My comment is based on years of talking to the travel industry and airport management. What do you base your comment on?

 

[Britannia94]

I have to agree with White Heather on this. Last year went into local Travel Agent to book a holiday to Portugal. When I asked about LBA I was informed that the dates were fully booked with Manchester available. I’m not trying to cause a conflict or anything but I’m going by a past experience so I understand where WH is coming from in regards to this.

 

[Aviador]

Perhaps somebody should just go into the travel agent and ask why they're not selling more LBA holidays.

 

[a300boy]

Sorry Britania94 and Offint I have several friends in the travel agency business who tell me the exact opposite to your submissions.
One thing that happened to me was I was told no seats were available form Leeds to Malaga some years ago and when I made some insider checks the information was correct as far as that tour operator was concerned as the 50 seats they reserved were full however the aircraft operated by my own company Dan-Air was no where near full as the other seats on board were reserved by other tour operators who the agency I had visited had no connection with.
I am sure would defend such practices and I would understand why.
As a passenger you need to ask the correct questions.
I have also been in an office when an airline employee told some passengers on the phone if they wanted to fly Leeds to Amsterdam they would have to fly via Heathrow.
When they had left I queried why he did not inform them of the direct Air Uk flight and he said it was company policy not to pass on information about other companies flights.
Business is Business ! I dont blame them but it is not good for Lba when an agency so close is selling Manchester.
I have checked by booking flights around the dates of the offer of deals from Manchester that I saw and found I could book a flight from Leeds.
I have not tried booking the hotels in the deal so that may be the issue.

 

[SNOWMAN]

hi all
i also have come across this,some years ago i had a friend who owned is own travel agency in leeds,and we were talking about the pushing of 1 or more destinations,to quote,if a holiday company had a slow selling destination from 1 particular airport they offered a override commission to people on the desk to sell this holiday from this particular airport.
regards
sm

 

[paully]

Sadly the Travel trade often resembles the `Bear Pit`that is the Motor Trade

 

[Finger66]

Sales and Marketing Agreements are all well and good for the two parties involved. However as you quite rightly say this is often to the detriment of customer choice and therefore potentially anti-competitive. As long as there is enough willingness and knowledge to know what is actually out there, and usually in this day and age especially, several ways to obtain that information then all options should be explored. LBA do need to be aware of this and do their own sales/marketing/advertising campaign to fight back. Whilst one of our major tour operators may put you in the middle, if they put you, as the customer, first then LBA would be a stronger market for them. At least one is committed to getting you to jet to where you want to from LBA. Time for LBA to now work on the scheduled carriers to upgrade and expand that network, working closely with them to promote these

 

[Finger66]

So let's put some of LBA's perceived woes into some sort of perspective and compare them to other airports in the relative locality.
Manchester - will always be the biggy in the north purely because of space. It has two long runways, great infrastructure and doesn't generally have many weather issues. That however is where any serious competition stops in my eyes
Durham Tees Valley - some real rants going on about the circa 130k pax per annum they handle. Yes that's per annum not per month so no threat there and so wouldn't swap their shoes for the LBA ones
Humberside - not a lot different to what has been said re DTV/MME
Robin Hood - great for Cargo but pax numbers not really happening. Flybe cutting back all the time but increasing at LBA
East Midlands - doesn't have KLM, doesn't have BA. So whilst it does have comparable sort of numbers in the wider scheme of things I don't see it as a great deal better or worse than LBA
Liverpool - if it wasn't for the LCC's they would suffer even more than LBA does with leakage to MAN
So not exactly an exhaustive in-depth comparison I know but LBA is in a better position than some would give it credit for. 2017 saw a fair amount of consolidation mainly through two big failures in Air Berlin and Monarch, but LBA remains well placed to kick on, especially with the new proactive management. It's only natural we want the perfect, biggest and best airport on our doorstep but that's the wish of every passenger and every enthusiast worldwide. There are just a few small signs of positivity again after the gloom from the last quarter of 2017 so frustrations need to be transferred into support for what in my eyes is something we should be proud of - albeit we all know it ain't perfect. At least not yet anyway!

 

[Seasider]

Sat next to a couple from Rotherham on the flight yesterday. They see no problem with the journey by road except the ring road so suggested carry on A1 and along the Wharfe valley and up Pool Bank.
They used to use Monarch before they went, thought they were good. I didn't get the chance to ask why they don't use DSA.

 

[quik123]

Ive seen the new logo/branding today and its completey underwhelming. The airport will be called Leeds Bradford Yorkshire's Airport. The logo is the same as now but the colours change to black, greys and yellow with the name to the right of it. Leeds Bradford on line 1 and Yorkshire's Airport on line 2.

 

[Silvercity]

For ever the optimist WH !
I would suggest they sell what they get the best commission on but have no proof of that.
Had that problem many years ago and had the mother of all arguments when they told me no flights to my destination operated from Leeds when I knew different.

When I worked in business travel in Runcorn , we also had a retail office for holidays, basically the girl in there just couldn't be bothered to offer a choice , she just posted Manchester offers, even though there were some Liverpool departures too which some passengers would have preferred. It was just too much effort, rather sad !

 

[Seasider]

Where were you flying from Seasider....could explain why they were on the flight as we know DSA has very limited destinations especially this time of year.....but EMA is probably easier for them but I suppose it depends what part of Rotherham they are from and how far from the M1 they are.....Monarch were always my number 1 choice from LBA and MAN.

LBA of course.

 

[Aviador]

The expansion of Heathrow Airport could bring in £9bn worth of economic benefit to Yorkshire, according to the airport’s chairman.

Read more at: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co...-to-yorkshire-of-heathrow-expansion-1-9011890

It is really difficult to see how the expansion of Heathrow airport could possibly equate to any economic growth in Yorkshire but it is my opinion that it is far better than the alternative option.

The North South divide has existed for years but over the last decade or so it would seem there has been an emergence of a regional East West divide. The difference between the economic output and infrastructure and regeneration between the Northern cities is immense and there is a strong collation between a thriving regional airport and economic growth of the surrounding urban areas.

Over the years air services have been driven out of our region to support growth of neighbouring Manchester airport.

We keep being told the way forward is the Northern Powerhouse but for the last decade at least, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull have become more and more like satellite towns of neighbouring Manchester with very little benefit to be seen over this side of the hill in Yorkshire.

Systematic leakage of our business and holiday flights to our large rival that lies in the shadows of the Pennines has lead to insufficient growth from any of the airports in the Yorkshire region.

Supporting growth at Heathrow airport is more likely to lead to growth of international business flights than supporting growth from neighbouring Manchester airport. If Leeds Bradford Airport can sustain it's British Airways flights to London it's more likely to have a positive impact on Leeds, Bradford and surrounding areas with business flights to the world.

Supporting growth at neighbouring Manchester airport will only lead to an increasing leakage of European holiday and business flights which will not only drain even more passengers away from our region but it will also have a greater negative impact on our regional economy East of the Pennines.