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Post by expressflight on Jul 12, 2008 9:35:40 GMT
Interesting point regarding possible replacements for the FLT 146s. I suppose RJs would be a likely choice, although I don't think BA will be disposing of any of theirs in the near future - although perhaps with high fuel prices a replacement type might be obtained sooner rather than later. The aircraft at SEN could be G-OZRH I suppose, as I don't know the current status of that aircraft.
Edit at 11:00. Incidentally, the York Aviation report of January 2006 quoted FLT as saying that they considered the current runway a constraint on their operations from SEN and that pax charters of any distance were limited, even with the 146. They did say that given an extended runway they would like to use SEN for charters given the cost savings etc..
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Post by southendobserver on Jul 12, 2008 19:20:37 GMT
Many carriers find the 146 a viable aircraft to operate from LCY, maybe this report has had some inaccuracies. I am sure that statement would be true with the MD83s however.
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Post by southendobserver on Jul 15, 2008 17:58:05 GMT
Now that FlyBe connections has been launched, SEN could be linked up to CDG for instance, quite easily. If timings were negotiated, load factors on SEN to JER could increase significantly and potentially require greater capacity. with the current economic situation, expansion by this means could be a good idea.
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Post by Humberside on Jul 15, 2008 20:22:45 GMT
Wouldn't going via Jersey be a bit out of the way for going to Paris though? Take the general point but from Southend, JER is really only convienent for connecting to Guernsey, South West England, Eastern France, Spain and Portugal, none of which Flybe serve from Jersey apart from a limited Guernsey service that can't be increased in a regulated market (Guernsey isn't open skies)
Such creative thinking is what SEN will need though to attract services
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Post by expressflight on Jul 16, 2008 7:12:09 GMT
SEN isn't included in the Flybe Connections system yet anyway, so they presumably don't think any routings via JER are practical at present.
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Post by southendobserver on Jul 17, 2008 5:39:34 GMT
I'm sure FlyBe could make it work if they were more interested in SEN. we have all read news reports from a few years ago stating FlyBe's expansion intentions. Southend however seems to have missed out.
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Post by southendobserver on Sept 1, 2008 16:57:16 GMT
Flybe are currently selling a single fare from JER to SEN at 189.97 including taxes on charges for Saturday September 6th! No wonder poor load factors have been reported. A family could fly somewhere hot with Ryanair at that price.
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Post by devonian on Sept 1, 2008 18:31:45 GMT
I was back in Essex at the weekend and popped into SEN on Saturday afternoon. The terminal has changed since my last visit, with two check-in desks greeting you and what appears to be a new departure lounge effectively blocking the previous view of the apron. The terminal was very busy because the flyBE Dash-8 was delayed (as usual?) and passengers and welcomers were occupying every seat, and lying on the grass outside in the sunshine. It looked impressive - like a real airport. Sadly, this only happens once a week I guess. If the new railway station is still going ahead, surely that must help to attract more airlines - although not until the current economic difficulties recede.
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Post by southendobserver on Sept 10, 2008 15:49:18 GMT
Flybe profits up 14% 08.09.08
Flybe reported a 14 percent rise in first-quarter profits today. Despite ‘undoubted challenges’, the regional budget airline said it had performed strongly as its fuel-efficient fleet and hedging strategy protected it from surging oil prices. A lower dependence on leisure travel - with 80 percent of its capacity aimed at business and regular travellers - also helped to insulate the business from the effects of the global recession.
The airline increased its pre-tax profits 14 percent to £12.2 million in the three months to June 30. Annual results for the year to March 31 also published today showed record underlying pre-tax profits of £35.4 million after successfully integrating BA Connect, the loss-making regional arm of British Airways bought in March 2007. The deal transformed Flybe into one of Europe's largest regional airlines and helped lift sales this year by 46 percent to £535.9 million.
Flybe's fuel cost per seat rose 44 percent over the three month period due to the ‘unprecedented’ oil prices, but fuel accounts for less than 25 percent of its costs. A spokesman said that around 60 percent of its fuel was hedged 12 months ahead, with only 10 percent completely unhedged.
Flybe operates 520 flights a day on more than 190 routes to 12 countries, also flying from Exeter, Manchester, Birmingham, Norwich, Southampton, Belfast, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is the UK's leading regional domestic carrier with 35 percent of the market outside London. Next month the airline will become the second largest in Scotland after striking a franchise deal with Loganair, which will see the Glasgow-based carrier's 16 aircraft rebranded with the Flybe livery.
Flybe will look at potential acquisitions as rivals struggle in the tougher operating climate and the industry enters a period of consolidation, Chairman Jim French said. The airline is 69 percent-owned by the family trust of late founder Jack Walker, with Mr French holding 7 percent and other management 9 percent. It plans to float next year.
From UK Airport News. It's very good to see that FlyBe are doing well in the current economic situation. Hopefully they are still in a position to expand at SEN.
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Post by southendobserver on Sept 12, 2008 20:22:56 GMT
The JER flight tomorrow is full according to the Flybe website. I did notice high prices on the route over a week ago. It's a shame there hasn't been more full flights this year, but its good to see hat it's not all doom and gloom, especially with Flybe's increasing profits. It shall be very interesting to see what happens with Flybe's prescience at SEN next year. We have to remember how volatile the market is though, especially with XL going bust today.
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Post by expressflight on Sept 14, 2008 6:50:08 GMT
Air Humberside has observed, elsewhere on the Forum, that neither HUY or SEN will be represented at the forthcoming Route Convention in Kuala Lumpur.
SEN have attended previously, so their decision this time is based either upon the feeling that their offering at the moment will be unattractive to potential airlines or simply that with the sale process being ongoing they are not quite sure what development prospects they actually can offer for the future. Either way it probably makes no difference if they attend or not this year.
Transavia shortly commence a RTM-LTN service twice daily. If SEN had the facilities to come under Transavia's consideration as the London terminus rather than LTN - in terms of a runway that can accomodate the 737-700, probably an ILS on 06 and the promised rail station - there would be at least a reasonable chance they could have chosen SEN. The fact that it probably never came under consideration at all shows just how much work has to be done at SEN before it can lay any claim to being a serious contender as a London passenger arrival point.
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Post by southendobserver on Oct 1, 2008 16:21:20 GMT
Liverpool – IOM freight service to resume 29.09.08
A scheduled daily air cargo service is to operate between the Isle of Man and Liverpool Airport for the first time in two years. From today Janes Aviation will run morning flights from Merseyside to Ronaldsway, with an evening service in the opposite direction.
The route was last operated in 2006, and its loss saw a considerable reduction in air cargo tonnage passing through Ronaldsway. Figures show a fall from 2,300 tonnes in 2005 to 550 tonnes last year. Found this article in UK Airport news. Presumably the aircraft operating such a route cannot be based at SEN. I was under the impression that Janes aviation was to base all it's aircraft at SEN.
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Post by devonian on Oct 1, 2008 18:28:10 GMT
According to a Janes insider on the PPruNe forum, the operation has moved to Liverpool beacuse most of the crews live in the area. I hope they'll still run some ops from SEN, but......
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Post by southendobserver on Oct 2, 2008 16:19:04 GMT
Janes Aviation is run from Benfleet (just down the road from SEN) according their website. I would hope that they will still be involved with some sort of operation from SEN, as I'm sure that any London operations would involve SEN. Does anyone else run cargo operations form SEN?
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Post by southendobserver on Oct 2, 2008 16:32:08 GMT
Stansted puts spanner in works of Flybe expansion Flybe has been unable to significantly increase its operations at Norwich Airport due to the lure of London Stansted for local residents. According to the airline's chief operating officer, Mike Rutter, the "shadow of Stansted" is impeding Flybe's ability to win over people within the hour-and-a-half catchment area.
Speaking to The Eastern Daily Press, he went on to say that the low-cost carrier is making plans to capitalise on a predicted spate of bankruptcies in the airline industry.
With Flybe notching up a dramatic 14 per cent rise in profits during the first three months of this financial year, Rutter said the airline is well placed to move in on weaker competition.
"The present economic downturn and the rise in oil prices will put pressure on marginal business models," he explained. "That will provide more acquisition and organic growth opportunities for Flybe."
But turning to the rivalry between Norwich and Stansted airports, he bemoaned the fact that travellers seem to be addicted to the "joys of security check-ins and queues and car parking charges".
Rutter concluded: "The shadow of Stansted means that it has been a very difficult job to grow aggressively the Norwich market in the way we had hoped and originally envisaged."
From 'Cheapflights.co.uk' It seems that the most probable reason of FlyBe being so cautious at SEN. I think next summer will be make or break for SEN when regarding FlyBe. SEN is the smallest part of the FlyBe network. SEN are still on the Flybe route map...
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