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Post by LEWIS on Oct 17, 2008 8:30:10 GMT
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Post by southendobserver on Oct 19, 2008 15:36:52 GMT
Flywatch seems to of ended all scheduled services, and it looks as they won't be resuming any next year. The website is now only offering group charters, at a big price, or the opportunity to share charters. I must admit, this is hardly a surprising outcome, especially with the current financial crisis. Where have the Icejets Dormier 328s based at SEN been flying to?
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Post by expressflight on Oct 20, 2008 7:01:35 GMT
In the past week Icejet 328Jets have arrived SEN from Biggin, Southampton, Farnborough and Sion, with departures to Dublin and Paris,CDG. They are probably finding things rather quiet at the moment, along with most bizjet operators.
As far as Flywatch is concerned, I'm not in the least surprised. They actually did more harm than good as they simply gave the impression to the public that flying from SEN must be more expensive than from elsewhere.
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Post by expressflight on Nov 8, 2008 7:36:39 GMT
Bad news on the Ford front I'm afraid.
They are reducing their flights to CGN by 50% with the Tuesday and Thursday rotations being withdrawn. This leaves one rotation on Mondays and Fridays with two rotations on Wednesdays.
It's not looking too good for the JER route either, because SEN has now been removed from the Flybe route map.
2009 is going to be a very difficult year I believe, but at least SEN's aim of having the infrastructure in place by late 2011 to attract new operators could be timely.
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Post by Thames Gateway on Nov 8, 2008 11:16:04 GMT
Expressflight, re the Flybe, I think you may be reading too much into that.
I seem to recall Flybe doing this last year as well the Jersey flights; for some reason probably to do with Travelsmith arrangements, they never seem ready to include them in next summers flights until later than the rest of the Flybe program. If I recall correctly I think they went back on the website in early December or maybe January for last summers flights.
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Post by expressflight on Nov 8, 2008 16:15:20 GMT
Happily, I think Thames Gateway is correct and I was reading too much into the fact that SEN has been removed from the Flybe routemap because I have just spoken with Travelsmith and they will be offering Jersey holidays from SEN in 2009.
They haven't produced their 2009 brochure yet so perhaps that accounts for the delay in Flybe confirming the route.
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Post by southendobserver on Nov 9, 2008 17:14:15 GMT
Bad news on the Ford front I'm afraid. They are reducing their flights to CGN by 50% with the Tuesday and Thursday rotations being withdrawn. This leaves one rotation on Mondays and Fridays with two rotations on Wednesdays. It's not looking too good for the JER route either, because SEN has now been removed from the Flybe route map. 2009 is going to be a very difficult year I believe, but at least SEN's aim of having the infrastructure in place by late 2011 to attract new operators could be timely. One question. I believe last week that there was a third rotation to Cologne, operated by Eastern Airways, does anyone have anymore information concerning the extra flight? Flybe seemed to have removed all flights which are not being operated this winter from the route map. To give an example, I believe that the NWI-JER and GCI have only been suspended this winter, yet they are no longer to be found on the route map. I do think that Flybe will continue to fly from SEN next year, at least on a once weekly basis to JER. If, as the Echo suggested the railway is completed on schedule (next Autumn?) flights could become an all round affair, to be positive of course.
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Post by expressflight on Nov 25, 2008 8:38:32 GMT
All three Flightline MD-83s are SEN-based at present due to the lack of ad hoc charter work in the current economic climate. G-FLTL and 'TM arrived 4/11 and 'TK arrived 13/11 and the latter two are kept at daily readiness should work materialise. None seem to have flown since their arrival SEN. I imagine that FLT are finding things rather difficult at present so let's hope they find work for them soon.
The Icejet 328Jets have been very quiet recently with just TF-MIO currently SEN-based. Since the beginning of November only 5 movements have taken place.
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Post by SENtence on Nov 25, 2008 13:34:10 GMT
I share Expressflights concerns over Flightline, it must be a really tough time for them and with their oil flights disappearing next February (I think?) to Eastern, I'm sure their marketing people are working very hard to secure additional work.
I also notice that Eastern Airlines and Aer Arran are starting services out of LCY next year. I would have thought that they were 2 target airlines for SEN, in fact I think that Aer Arran looked seriously at SEN 18 months/2 years ago. I realise this doesn't preclude them from additionally using SEN, but it certainly seems unlikely in the short to medium term. I guess on the up side they're both likely to divert into SEN when LCY is closed.
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Post by Humberside on Nov 25, 2008 18:22:18 GMT
Aer Arann's new LCY service has been funded by the IOM government, who wanted more flights to LCY. Eastern's new flights are because of the AF/KL/Cityjet takeover of VLM and the requirement for a new rival operator on LCY-AMS. In both cases there are specific issues for using LCY
Its services like Cimber Air's new Billund-Gatwick route that SEN needs to try and attract once the sale is sorted out, and the train station open
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Post by expressflight on Nov 26, 2008 8:09:04 GMT
Interesting that you should mention the Billund route because that originally started as a Billund-Southend daily schedule operated by Maersk, in the early 1980s I believe it was. It was operated by a Dash 7 and I seem to recall that there was a check-in facility at Liverpool Street station with a coach connection from Rochford Station. The route operated for some time and was then transferred to Gatwick. Aer Arann's interest in SEN was in operating leisure routes to France and the Benelux countries, rather than largely business routes such as that about to start to LCY, so there would be no conflict of interest to prevent them using both LCY and SEN in the future - if there is a viable future for SEN and that still remains to be demonstrated
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Post by Humberside on Nov 26, 2008 13:19:23 GMT
If Cimber Air ever did start Southend-Billund, in someways it would be back to the beginning. Cimber Air are replacing Sterling who took over Maersk a few years ago
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Post by LEWIS on Nov 26, 2008 20:21:04 GMT
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Post by expressflight on Nov 29, 2008 13:44:40 GMT
I see that Flywatch have suspended Public Transport operations according to their website.
They had requested of the CAA this week that their Class B Licence be temporarily suspended until the end of February 2009.
I guess they couldn't make money in these tough times, but I hope they come back as they seem a decent bunch of people.
Maybe Kudos will fill the gap at SEN, albeit with a more upmarket product.
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Post by Thames Gateway on Nov 29, 2008 15:16:00 GMT
As I am sure you would agree, it was hardly a surprise about the Flywatch announcement. Good to see that it was ceased in an orderly manner - at least there won't be 'Hundreds stranded in France by failure of Southend based airline' headlines.
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