Flybe

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Flybe boost for West Country with brand new Isle of Man to Bristol route

Flybe announces year-round 3xweekly service; and seats now on sale for new daily Bristol to Jersey summer route

Flybe, the UK’s Number One Domestic Airline, today announces more good news, especially for travellers from the West Country , with the launch of an affordable thrice weekly service between the Isle of Man and Bristol effective March 28th, the start of its Summer Schedule.

The new service – operated by a state-of-the art 78-seat Bombardier Q-400 aircraft in just under an hour – will fly every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, with the addition of a Saturday service during the May through September peak season.

With one way fares from just £29.99 including taxes and charges, the new Bristol to Isle of Man service further reinforces Flybe’s commitment to bringing convenient, low cost travel to the regions.  Passengers will benefit from the wide range of quality services offered by Flybe, one of  Europe’s leading regional airlines, that includes an extensive business travel offering with its Economy Plus product;  Rewards4All, the UKs only low cost loyalty programme open to all passengers and on-board refreshment and Duty Free shopping options to name but a few. 

Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer comments: “As the UKs Number One domestic carrier, we recognise the importance of maintaining affordable travel choices around the UK and are pleased to be offer travellers using this new route the opportunity to travel in style whether travelling for business or leisure. Our state-of-the-art Q400 aircraft are particularly popular for their 2x2 seating configuration that offers superior legroom.”

Ann Reynolds, Director of the Isle of Man Airport, says she is delighted with the return of the air service between Bristol and the Isle of Man.  “We have been seeking to restore this important link to Bristol for the last couple of years and it is extremely encouraging that Flybe have decided to develop it in 2010.” 

In addition to its new Isle of Man-Bristol service, Flybe has added frequency on its new summer service between Bristol and Jersey that results in travellers now having a convenient choice of daily services to and from the Channel Islands from the West Country. Seats are now on sale with one way fares from £33.99 including taxes and charges.  The additional services will operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a Saturday schedule added during the peak travel period.

Shaun Browne, Aviation Director at Bristol International Airport, said: “We are delighted that Flybe will be operating additional flights from Bristol International and we look forward to working together to ensure the success of these and other potential routes in future”

Adds Mr Rutter: “The announcement of these new summer routes from Bristol reflects our continued commitment to contributing to regional economies.  We are continually striving to provide the widest choice of convenient, quality travel options by listening and responding to what our customers really want. Both the Isle of Man and Jersey are very popular destinations so travellers are advised to book early to take advantage of the lowest possible fares.”[/textarea]

http://www.flybe.com/news/0911/23.htm

The expensive daily Eastern service BRS-IOM was axed a couple of years ago when the Manx2 route from Gloucestershire Airport with multiple frequencies and much cheaper fares began.

It will be interesting to see if Flybe with its 78-seat aircraft can make a go of this, especially in the winter.

Flybe's previous incarnation, Jersey European, flew BRS-IOM for several years in the 1990s and possibly into the early years of this century.

What is perhaps of more significance is that Flybe appears to have made up its spat with BRS that led it to dump all of the BACon routes when it took over that airline.

Particularly surprising is that it is flying to IOM from BRS instead of from EXT which has no IOM route, no local IOM competition and is the airport of Flybe's headquarters and one that it has developed over recent years in terms of route network.

 

[Aviador]

Excellent news LocalYokel!!!

Hopefully a sign of things to come, but where might this leave Cardiff?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

You may remember I suggested to you recently that I had been told on good authority Flybe was about to expand at BRS. This is a modest step but perhaps may lead to other things. We shall have to wait and see though I'm expecting nothing more in the near future.

As for CWL, I don't know.

Flybe are like Ryanair in many ways and blow hot and cold at all sorts of airports for all sorts of reasons. Five or six years ago they said that BRS would be a major hub but then fell out with airport management after easyJet trumped some of their routes and so Flybe took their toys away.

They said last year they would be the biggest airline at CWL. Well, by movements they already are so I hesitate to guess what they will do next.

Might depend on what baby does or has done done to it by its new masters.

 

[backtrack]

Flybe has announced plans to serve BRS from its IOM base as of March 28th, operating a three times weekly service using its 78 seater Bombardier Dash 8 Q400's.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Bristol travel agents make a flying visit to the Isle of Man

Thirteen travel agents from Bristol flew to the Isle of Man this weekend, courtesy of Isle of Man Tourism and Flybe, following the launch of Flybe’s Bristol to Isle of Man route.

The travel agents, from Hogg Robinson Group, FCM Travel and Ian Allan Travel, were accompanied by Paul Willoughby, Flybe’s Midland and South East sales manager and Louise Neil, business development executive, Bristol Airport.

On their arrival in the Isle of Man on Saturday evening the party was given a whistle stop tour round the Island, taking in Laxey, Peel and Castletown.

This was followed by dinner at the Sound Restaurant hosted by Isle of Man Tourism and Manx National Heritage officials. After dinner they were taken to The Regency Hotel in Douglas and returned to Bristol on Sunday morning.

Mr Willoughby said: "The entire group has agreed that we got a real taste of the Island and will definitely return. Actually seeing the airport and Island for ourselves will certainly make it that much easier when booking our clients on future trips."

Angela Crebbin, Isle of Man Tourism communications manager, said: "The new service from Bristol to the Isle of Man is a great opportunity for the Isle of Man.

"I am pleased our guests enjoyed their short trip to the Island and that they have expressed a wish to return. The Bristol route will give us the opportunity to expand our links with the South of England and we look forward to welcoming more visitors from this area."[/textarea]

http://www.isleofman.com/News/article.a ... 7564&area=

I hope this is not a sign that the route needs support already.

This sort of thing was regularly seen with the CO route to Newark over the past couple of years and we know where that's heading (to those who don't BRS-EWR is to be axed in November and effectively transferred to LHR-EWR).

 

[Aviador]

I am sceptical as to whether Flybe's 78 seater Q400 is a little bit too big for the route. Manx2 operate to the Isle of Man from Leeds and they seem to do well on that route but with a much smaller aircraft. I would think if Flybe do decide to drop the route, I would be sure Manx2 would be waiting in the winds to takeover the route.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The route operates IoM/BRS/JER/BRS/IoM

Looking at May CAA stats the BRS-IoM leg seemed to average about 30 load factor - difficult to be exact as the ash problems probably impacted on some rotations so the lf might have been slightly higher.

IoM-JER was derisory in May - 332 passengers, a lf of 9 or 10.

BRS-JER in May averaged the low to mid 40s but there is a Saturday Air South West service as well so it is difficult to be precise re Flybe.

I agree with Humberside that Manx2 is unlikely to spoil its Gloucester route.

Eastern used to operate a daily BRS-IoM year round and at their usual very high fares. They used to average around 15-16 throughout the year on the J41s, slightly higher in summer and lower in winter.

Manx2 came on the scene just up the M5 at Gloucester with their (in comparison) give-away fares and at a twice-daily schedule, and within weeks the BRS Eastern route was shedding passengers at an alarming rate; unsurprisingly, it was axed within a short time.

Going back before the Eastern operation Jersey European (the forerunner of Flybe) operated a daily BRS-IoM as part of one of their (then) 3 x daily BRS-BHD rotations. The anomalous situation obtained that it was cheaper to fly BRS-BHD (via IoM) than it was to fly BRS-IoM.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]South West airline vows to increase presence at Bristol

SOUTH WEST-based airline Flybe has revealed it is planning to increase its presence at Bristol Airport within the next two years.

The company announced yesterday that it is planning to buy 140 new planes in a £3.3 billion deal which would double the size of its fleet.

And as part of its expansion plan, Flybe is looking at launching as many as seven new routes from Bristol to destinations in Europe and the UK.

The firm has placed firm orders for 35 Embraer 175 and E-family aircraft, with an option for 65 more and purchase options on another 40.

The first of the 88-seater planes in the firm order, which is worth around £870 million, will be delivered in September 2011, with deliveries carrying on until March 2017.

Flybe chairman and chief executive Jim French said: “Flybe is delighted to announce this significant order. In doing so, we are securing an aircraft that fits with our stated aim of furthering our position as the leading regional airline in Europe.

“The 175 will allow us to preserve our two-fleet strategy and the economic and environmental performance of the aircraft is in line with Flybe’s policy of only buying A and B-rated eco-label aircraft as part of its commitment to invest in lower-emission, new-technology aircraft.”

Commercial director Mike Rutter said: “We have been looking at expanding into Continental Europe and we have been holding talks with Bristol Airport for some time.

“Our market is focussed on business travellers and people visiting friends and family on the Continent, as well as some leisure travel.”

Mr Rutter confirmed that the company is looking at flying to Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium on a daily basis, as well as flights to destinations in the UK. The airline already flies to the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Flybe took over the BA Connect business which flew out of Bristol but decided to close it down because it was making losses of £40 million a year.

However Mr Rutter believes there will be a demand for connections to Europe. He said: “The Government has made it clear that there will not be an expansion at London airports, and as a result we see regional airports becoming more important.

“There will always be the pull of Heathrow but we believe that we can overcome that and provide a service that the market wants.”

Mr Rutter also revealed that the current economic conditions had also helped in negotiations with Embraer because of the lack of demand for new aircraft.

Shaun Browne, aviation director at Bristol Airport, said: “Flybe is a key component of the South West’s strong aerospace sector, so this investment in new aircraft is good news for the region.

“Flybe currently serves Jersey and the Isle of Man from Bristol, and we are working with the airline to explore a range of potential new routes. These aircraft could potentially link Bristol with additional destinations across Europe.”[/textarea]

http://www.fleet-people.co.uk/transport ... story.html

Looks as though Flybe is promising to expand everywhere in the UK!

Hmm!!

 

[Aviador]

I'll give them another three years before I make my mind up. (refering to the same Flybe spin in the Leeds thread :nea: )

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Following Ryanair's decision to leave Belfast City Airport Flybe has announced it will fly up to twice daily BRS-BHD from 31 October 2010.

 

[Aviador]

Following Ryanair's decision to leave Belfast City Airport Flybe has announced it will fly up to twice daily BRS-BHD from 31 October 2010.

I keep finding I am repeating myself with regards to the decision by Flybe to operate many of the former Ryanair routes from Belfast City. This is undoubtedly a good move by Flybe as it operates far more suitable equipment. The route should flourish with the QC400.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Certainly smart work by Flybe but, as someone mentioned on one of the other threads, the Flybe pricing structure compared with Ryanair will see a significant reduction in passenger numbers, even taking into account Flybe's much smaller aircraft.

Nevertheless, I think it is a good move.

There was speculation that Flybe might increase its CWL-BHD frequencies to take advantage of the gap left by Ryanair from BRS but it seems that Flybe has recognised the big market that Ryanair has built up on the route over the past year and reckons it can keep a decent proportion of these passengers.

Flybe will now be flying to BHD from BRS (2 x daily) and from CWL and EXT (both single daily).

 

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Bristol Airport and Flybe back business flight

Fast Track Security promotion speeds passengers en route to Belfast City

Passengers using Flybe’s service from Bristol to Belfast City can now benefit from an even speedier journey thanks to a joint promotion between the airline and the South West’s largest airport.

All passengers on the twice-daily service will receive access to Bristol Airport’s Fast Track Security channel, further increasing the speed with which business travellers can access the Northern Irish capital. Fast Track is a premium service for customers wishing to keep waiting times to a minimum and make the most of facilities in the departure lounge, whether to work, relax or shop.

The Fast Track Security offer runs until the end of April 2011. Flybe passengers travelling to Belfast City should simply request their pass at check-in or present their boarding cards to security staff at the entrance to the Fast Track Security channel.[/textarea]
http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/news-an ... track.aspx

Looks as though the route needs a bit of support then, though how much this very modest initiative will help is open to question.

Flybe carried about a third of the passengers in November and December that used to fly with Ryanair on the same route, albeit Ryanair was double daily seven days a week whilst Flybe only goes twice a day on weekdays. easyJet also restored its third daily rotation from Belfast International this winter.

 

[Aviador]

I'm told the QC400 needs 25 passengers or more to make a profit. Is it possible to find out how many passengers on average have used the flight?

 

[alphagolf]

I'm told the QC400 needs 25 passengers or more to make a profit. Is it possible to find out how many passengers on average have used the flight?

The only way that I could get a rough average would be to analyze the CAA stats when released on the 14th Feb. Take the total route pax for the month, divided by the total operated flights.

This would give you a rough idea of how the route is performing on a monthly basis but to narrow it down to pax per flight would be difficult unless you workded behind the scenes at FlyBE

Andrew

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I'm told the QC400 needs 25 passengers or more to make a profit. Is it possible to find out how many passengers on average have used the flight?

CAA stats show that in November 2010 (the first month of the Flybe operation having taken over from Ryanair) 3,126 passengers used the route. If all rotations operated (52 rotations/104 flights) the average load for the month would have been 30.

In November 2009 Ryanair carried 10,333 passengers, an average load of 86 (just under 46% load factor).

easyJet increased rotatons on their BRS-BFS route from November 2010 and over 15,000 passengers were carried on that, 16% up on November 2009.

In December 2010 2,949 passengers were carried on the Flybe BRS-BHD route but as so many rotations were cancelled during that month because of bad weather closing airports (especially in Ireland) these figures are not representative of a full month.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Budapest

Flybe now offering Bristol-Budapest.

However, it's via Air France (Airlinair) BRS-CDG (it codes shares with AF on BRS-CDG) and with Air France on CDG-BUD. I believe similar options have recently arisen to BUD from Exeter, Manchester and Birmingham.

Overall journey times are 6/7 hours and time on the ground at CDG 2/3 hours.

BUD was always popular from BRS when easyJet and Ryanair (at different periods) tried it in the past decade with very high load factors.

However, I believe that BUD is expensive to operate into and Ryanair no longer flies there at all and easyJet only to Gatwick and Luton in the UK.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Isle of Man

A poster on the Dried Plum said recently that the BRS-IoM was being axed.

I've checked the Flybe booking engine and flights are still available to book during the coming summer.

Can anyone confirm or deny the axing of BRS-IoM?

 

[Aviador]

There could be some truth in the rumour. Flybe have just axed SOU - IOM

 

[big g]

That would be a shame, the loads are faily good for the time of year. Any one know what the loads are like from SOU?