Viking Airlines

[backtrack]

What kind of operation do they uphold from BRS?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

As I mentioned in the Manchester Viking thread there is a link with the former XL Group and its airline XL and Viking, though how strong a link is a matter for conjecture and has been debated in other aviation forums and in travel forums.

Bristol used to be a significant XL base with two aircraft based there summer and winter – an XL B 738 and an Air Malta A 320 contracted to operate full time for XL.

In summer 2009 Viking operated a weekly flight from BRS to Tenerife South on behalf of Kiss Flights.

The programme has been considerably expanded for summer 2010 with a based B 733 flying to
Tenerife South, Lanzarote, Dalaman, Corfu, Kos, Kefalonia, Skiathos, Zante, Heraklion and Rhodes.

Apart from Skiathos, Kiss/Viking will have competition on all the routes but so too did XL when it operated out of BRS (very successfully in terms of punters) and then it was four major tour operators and airlines competing, now it's just two following the take-overs.

 

[backtrack]

Quite a nice line up for summer 2010 it seems, didnt know they were this big to be honest, hence the readon why i was asking.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Had a look at Mayfly for next week and it seems the Viking programme is holding up, despite mention on other sites that the airline is shedding flights across its system.

The Dalaman is gone, presumably because that was for Goldtrail, but there are still ten rotations shown for next week, which is either one or two down from the original weekly programme - can't remember with certainty.

I hadn't noticed that there are some early starts.

The Corfu/Kefalonia is scheduled to depart at 0250 on Monday mornings and the Corfu at 0510 on Saturday mornings.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Despite the demise of Kiss Flights (the major customer for many of Viking's flights) most of Bristol's approximately ten weekly Viking flights seem to be continuing.

It was reported before the announced collapse of Kiss that Viking would be cutting some of their summer flights earlier than planned and Bristol was one of the airports affected.

 

[Aviador]

That's good to know. Has another company stepped it to share the flights do you know?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It seems I may have been premature.

Although most of the flights have continued for over a week since Kiss ceased to trade the flights yesterday, today and tomorrow appear to have been taken out of the system, despite being shown as operating in Mayfly up until two or three days ago.

I'll keep an eye on the boards to see if any Viking flights do operate in the next week.

 

[mathers_wales_uk]

Didn't the CAA advise that flights were to be operating inbound for approx a week or two when the initial announcemnt was released?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I thought they were winding down after Kiss went bust.

BRS arrivals showing VIK 976 arrived this evening from Zakinthos at 2300, 15 minutes ahead of advertised arrival.

 

[Aviador]

Did it take any passengers out do you know? I guess if anyone will know it will be alphagolf?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Did it take any passengers out do you know?

No outbound was shown on the airport website, but earlier last week (ie a week after Kiss folded) both airport departures/arrivals web pages and Mayfly were still showing outbounds and inbounds. Mayfly is still showing one or two VIK flights next week but I'll wait to see if they occur.

The programme was due to reduce significantly in early September anyway - not announced of course (airlines rarely trumpet route closures or curtailments unlike the noise they make about new routes) but someone on the DP had spotted that Viking had brought forward the cessation of a number of their summer routes to early September, including some from Bristol.

This was before Kiss folded.