TUI Airways

[lbaspotter]

Well who would had thought it!
TUi Airways are now to be the first airline to operate the Boeing 737-MAX8 aircraft into LBA...

Wonder if Ryanair might bring there Boeing 737-MAX200 in when they start to receive deliveries later this year?

 

[SNOWMAN]

when its landed i will believe it.
sm
big man can i borrow your tin helmet?.

 

[Severn]

The 3x weekly TUI flights this Summer will be operated by the following:
Tue: PMI-LBA-PMI (operated by a DSA based B737-800)

Fri: CFU-LBA-CFU (operated by a MAN based B737-MAX 8)

Sat: PMI-LBA-PMI (operated by a MAN based B737-MAX 8)
VRN-LBA-VRN (operated by a NEOS B737-800)

 

[lbaspotter]

Well I think we all knew it would eventually happen. TUi have now axed the planned Saturday Verona service which was to be operated by Neos Boeing 737-800 this summer season.

 

[Bigman]

Are we really surprised???? At least if that lot ever go the same way as Monarch and Germania, it won't even scratch the surface of our operations.

 

[lbaspotter]

I suppose I should of said it was inevitable.

 

[White Heather]

It isn't a surprise at all, given its Tui and is their normal practice - and, it was reported yesterday that despite very good bookings being taken pre-Christmas, tour operators are reporting a significant slump in bookings since, as we get nearer B day. Seems like folk are waiting to see what happens. Somehow I suspect Jet2 Holidays will do OK but I would think it is the last thing an operator like Thomas Cook needs right now. As for Tui I really wonder why they ever put on sale destinations such as Verona from LBA in the first place as I am sure they were always very unlikely to actually fly it!

 

[Tarn Spotter]

It isn't a surprise at all, given its Tui and is their normal practice - and, it was reported yesterday that despite very good bookings being taken pre-Christmas, tour operators are reporting a significant slump in bookings since, as we get nearer B day. Seems like folk are waiting to see what happens. Somehow I suspect Jet2 Holidays will do OK but I would think it is the last thing an operator like Thomas Cook needs right now. As for Tui I really wonder why they ever put on sale destinations such as Verona from LBA in the first place as I am sure they were always very unlikely to actually fly it!

Bookings are not slowing due to the B day, although it will be having an effect, both On the Beach and Tui last week laid the blame directly at last years hot weather as the reason, booking before Christmas as you say were up 17%. Inflation dropped to 1.8% today and with wage growth over 3%, disposable income at a near decade high, in the view of the BBC today, making a holiday more likely this year for many families.
We heard from Mark Carney yesterday about the wonderful financial opportunities available to this country when we leave the E.U. and are able to enter free trade deals through out the world, dropping his project fear, no doubt on evidence on his own door step.
A glance at currancy contracts in the city of London last month, shows how after the referendum, London has become more global, deals in the Renminbi were £86 Trillion a day, far outstripping the euro and dollar, staff in the city up a net 91k since the referendum only 4k lost to europe and other world markets, showing as one door closes others open us, Carney is aware of these facts

 

[White Heather]

Well according to Radio Leeds, it was both Brexit and last years hot summer that had reduced bookings, although why last years hot summer should result in post Christmas bookings going down and have no impact whatsoever on pre Christmas bookings is beyond me.

 

[louis_walton]

I think that its just a poor excuse for a loss from poor management and sales! I can't name one person who didn't not go on holiday because of the hot weather, if anything I wanted to go more to get in the pool and properly relax!

 

[Tarn Spotter]

Radio Leeds never fails to follow a remain or anti Tory brief.
All balance has gone out of all local BBC output, as we saw with a weather girl trying to do a hatchet job on Jet2 aircraft age, relating it to safety issues.
You only have to listen to the recent reporting of the latest Joseph Rowntree Trust report, as born and spent my formative life in York, I any many others shake our heads as the organisation has lost its quaker routes and become a organ for left wing views. Joseph Rowntree was a wonderful social reformer, New Earswick, stands as a shrine to the man and his views, its troubling his good name is used to publish so many flawed reports.
To relate a report on poverty with Brexit, is once again to bring in Brexit, to any discussion, as is the BBC way, it was a work of art, just to get the subject in and had no relevance
I have sent 10 cases to Lord Hall on stories where a business press release, not mentioning Brexit, led to a BBC story including Brexit as a contributing reason. In addition I asked him to review the effect repeated statement of job losses on employees such as mine who export to europe are given out as facts, whereas, I know it will be currency movements not tariffs, that are likely to be the big issue with my european customers in the next year

 

[lbaspotter]

Well I'll be dammed.

Looks like Tui has reversed its decision to drop the planned service from Leeds to Verona for summer 2019. As holidays and flights are now bookable once again. As originally planned the service will operate once weekly every Saturday commencing from May 11th, running until September 21st using Neos Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

NOS6833 = VRN 11:30 - LBA 12:50 / NOS6832 = LBA 13:40 - VRN 16:50

 

[a300boy]

Probably could not get out of the contract ! at least one flight to look forward to seeing.

 

[Bigman]

Wow, they will be reversing Brexit next!!

 

[paully]

Unless they do find a way to get out of the Neos contract then rest assured folks, they`ll drop it like a hot potato.......We know Tui don`t we ??

 

[lbaspotter]

Unless they do find a way to get out of the Neos contract then rest assured folks, they`ll drop it like a hot potato.......We know Tui don`t we ??

Well it looks like TUi have finally found a way to cancel that planned, Neos Air charter to Verona, as the route has been removed from sale yet again.

 

[White Heather]

TUI have become, in my opinion, a joke of a company - one who has no regard at all for customers. I wouldn't book with them if they were the last tour operator in existence quite honestly. To be honest, back in the Thomson/Britannia days, they were none too clever either and regularly 'consolidated' their flights, which translated into axing the well booked LBA flights to ensure those out of main bases were full. Now under TUi they have taken it to another level. My only hope is that since they are based at Luton - an airport owned by AMP Capital, who also own LBA, AMP may find a way to sit down with TUi management and work out deals which bring about a change in their attitude towards LBA operations. As for Verona, I don't think it ever had a hope of operating. They have axed many other routes that have more demand than the likes of Verona, which is something of a niche market. I cannot help thinking that putting such routes on sale from LBA is nothing more than a way of harvesting more bookings which they have every intention of then switching to another airport. Or am I just a cynic?

 

[Finger66]

I would spell cynic as follows: TRUTH

 

[SNOWMAN]

spot on there W.H. the same old thomsons/tui of old,will the next thing be can the rest of the program and blame it on the shortage of aircraft (737 max)
sm

 

[Severn]

TUI have become, in my opinion, a joke of a company - one who has no regard at all for customers. I wouldn't book with them if they were the last tour operator in existence quite honestly.

Understandably TUI has given itself a poor reputation with many customers that use LBA. Your opinion of them is I'm sure is held by many around LBA who have been affected.
However, outside of LBA they are still a large operator that has continued to expand this year, and it's worth remembering that in some areas of the UK (the South-West for example - BRS, CWL, EXT, BOH) they are still the only, or at least the largest operator and continue to hold a very good reputation.

If you look at the whole TUI operation in the UK this summer vs last, then LBA stands out as being the only base that has closed. To give you an idea, this summer will see TUI operate more flights from the UK as well as base 5 additional short-haul aircraft across its (now) 18 bases.
TUI will base an additional short-haul aircraft at MAN, BHX, DSA, CWL, GLA and DUB this summer vs last. As I mentioned, LBA is the only base to see less aircraft, which in its case, will see the base close.
During peak-summer, CWL, DSA, GLA, BOH and EXT will see double-digit growth in the number of weekly flights , with LTN and LBA the only bases that see a major reduction in the number of weekly flights.