Quote: "Aer Lingus has confirmed it will have a new base at Belfast International Airport by the end of the year.
Ten new European flights are to begin in December.
Routes will include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Faro, and Rome."
Major announcement from EI and great news for BFS. I know they announced LHR a week ago, but this is great news for BFS. With EZY news of new routes, Ryanair also launching routes and new route from Wizz Air, its great to see the influx of aircraft and destinations from BFS.
BHD From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2005, 280 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 3495 times:
I can't believe I missed something as big as this on the local news or in here.
In one aspect this is good as the new route will provide competition to existing operators on routes such as Faro and Barcelona. This is also true of EZY new route announcement. It would be nice though to see some new routes announced from BFS. I myself have just booked a weekend on the new flights to Warsaw by Wizz Air, return for £30.
Shamrock350 From Ireland, joined Mar 2005, 6099 posts, RR: 15 Reply 3, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 3424 times:
I'm waiting for the official announcement on the 7th to see if any changes will be made. I'm surprised Aer Lingus is planning to go head to head with Easyjet and Jet2 on most of their routes. It seems very "Ryanair" of them especially if they have a big advertising campaign and start with very low fares to get themselves noticed on the routes.
Poitin From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 3288 times:
Quoting Shamrock350 (Reply 3): I'm waiting for the official announcement on the 7th to see if any changes will be made. I'm surprised Aer Lingus is planning to go head to head with Easyjet and Jet2 on most of their routes. It seems very "Ryanair" of them especially if they have a big advertising campaign and start with very low fares to get themselves noticed on the routes.
I agree, but the fact of the matter is EI has little choice but to compete with the bare knuckles LCCs if it wants to stay in the short haul. Hopefully, they can do it. The big issue will be can they cut their costs to match.
Shamrock350 From Ireland, joined Mar 2005, 6099 posts, RR: 15 Reply 5, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 3134 times:
Quoting Poitin (Reply 4): The big issue will be can they cut their costs to match.
Aer Lingus did have lower operating costs than U2 in 2006 and if DM gets the cost cuts he wants through this summer things would be looking good for them.
COEI2007 From Vanuatu, joined Jan 2007, 1912 posts, RR: 6 Reply 6, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 3025 times:
Quoting Shamrock350 (Reply 5): Aer Lingus did have lower operating costs than U2 in 2006 and if DM gets the cost cuts he wants through this summer things would be looking good for them.
I never knew that EI had lower costs than EZY! Dont get me started on DM and his 'changes'!!!
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24873 posts, RR: 60 Reply 7, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days ago) and read 2761 times:
I wonder why UTV haved removed the news item!!! Could BFS or EI be telling them to take it off!! Its happened twice now over the past few weeks. Somethings going on .
Cjbmibe From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2006, 108 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 2706 times:
Everyone already knows EI's coming, people who arent in the industry know about them. We're just waiting for the official go ahead from EI themselves, they really didnt keep this one quiet.
UTV is shoddy anyway so its probablly just had a server crash and didnt put it back up, they really are a joke.
How can I soar like an Eagle when I have to work with these turkeys?
Smokeyrosco From Ireland, joined Dec 2005, 2112 posts, RR: 14 Reply 9, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 2640 times:
Quoting OA260 (Reply 7): I wonder why UTV haved removed the news item!!! Could BFS or EI be telling them to take it off!! Its happened twice now over the past few weeks. Somethings going on .
Door5Right From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2005, 707 posts, RR: 18 Reply 13, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 2239 times:
It will be terrific to see Aer Lingus back at BFS again.
I just hope they have a later flight from LHR to BFS than Bmi's 19.40 flight to BHD. Belfast definitely needs a later flight from Heathrow and if Aer Lingus manage to schedule one they should do well.
EI321 From Iraq, joined Jul 2009, 0 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 2235 times:
Quoting OA260 (Reply 12): Quoting EI321 (Reply 11):
The vested interests in the Shannon area are calling on the govt to intervene to stop EI pulling its Heathrow route.
The government has already turned this down. And in fairness they should stay out of it.
There would not be any legal basis to do anything, so I think they are calling on the Govt to veto as a shareholder. I wonder will BMI look at SNN.
Up, up and away as Ulster fliers are spoiled for choice
[Published: Tuesday 7, August 2007 - 08:00]
By Claire McNeilly
As a typical Ulsterman might say, now we're flying. Just five years ago, the only scheduled international flight from Northern Ireland was from Belfast to Amsterdam.
Today, however, a staggering 30 European and transatlantic destinations can be reached from Ulster airports, not to mention chartered flights to far flung corners of the world.
And now that Aer Lingus and Ryanair have announced plans to fly from Belfast International and Belfast City airports respectively, that figure seems set to soar.
Belfast International Airport (BIA) is the 11th busiest airport in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, with more than five million travelling through its doors in 2006.
BIA's website shows that, up to now, flights to 40 scheduled destinations have been on offer, including 15 domestic services, with the most popular being to London.
Eight scheduled airlines currently operate out of BIA - namely Bmibaby, Continental, easyJet, flyglobespan, Jet2, Manx2, Wizz Air and Zoom - as well as a dozen charter operators.
And, according to the BIA website, these carriers combine forces to serve a total of 68 UK and worldwide destinations.
Last week easyJet, who already offer flights from Belfast to 25 destinations, announced plans to add four new routes to its network.
That's great news for European travel prospects, although the airline already flies to a welter of wonderful destinations as it is - including Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Faro, Gdansk, Geneva, Ibiza, Krakow, Malaga, Nice, Palma Majorca, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome and Venice.
Jet2.Com is also expected to enter the fray by spreading its wings and expanding operations from Belfast.
To date, the airline serves travellers heading to sunnier climes in Barcelona, Chambery, Ibiza, Las Palmas, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Murcia, Palma Majorca, Prague, Pisa and Toulouse.
And from December this year, Aer Lingus will throw its hat into the ring, offering a range of services to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Faro and Rome.
BIA transatlantic flights include Newark (Continental), Orlando Sanford and Toronto (both flyglobespan), Vancover and Halifax (Zoom, which also offers a service to Toronto).
Meanwhile, Manx2.com offers flights to the Isle of Man and Wizz Air provides services to both Warsaw and Katowice in Poland.
Air traffic to Europe is a lot less dense, however, from George Best City Airport, which until recently opted to concentrate on serving the domestic flight market.
As it currently stands, the only direct European flight is to Rennes, operated by Flybe, but passengers can also go to Paris, via Cardiff.
Verona, Geneva, Chambery and Salzburg are also on the map for charter flights by travel companies.
And, from next year, the arrival of Ryanair means more merriment for wanderlust Belfast voyagers, who will soon be able to fly direct to a variety of European destinations.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, a spokesman for Belfast City Airport said that policy changes were in the air.
"We only recently stated our ambition to grow the airport in a European context and we see working with Ryanair as a way to do that," he said.
"Our first European destination was Salzburg. We began operating charter flights there in 2003 and the rest followed. Now we are looking forward to increasing our services even further."
The City of Derry Airport currently offers no European scheduled flights, but passengers can travel to five UK destinations, including London, as well as to Dublin.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
Humberside From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2005, 4899 posts, RR: 5 Reply 16, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 2202 times:
Quoting EI321 (Reply 14): There would not be any legal basis to do anything, so I think they are calling on the Govt to veto as a shareholder. I wonder will BMI look at SNN.
No. bmi will most likely be cutting short haul routes at LHR, not adding them. They've got 51 slots going to BA soon as part of the Bmed deal, plus they need to find slots for the transtlantic flights they want to do. All these slots will be found by cutting short haul flights
I am pleasantly surprised that Paisley has given his blessing to this.
On 7 Aug at 10:45 - Terry from Newry said:
It is a great day for the North of Ireland and will offer alot more routes into Europe. Thank you to Aer Lingus and all the politians who helped make this possible. Aer Lingus has made a commitment to Belfast and I hope the people of Northern Ireland will support them in return.
On 7 Aug at 11:44 - Gary from Portrush said:
I hope they put on a JFK flight soon and I am sure like me everyone in NI who has developed a taste for low cost flying will support Air lingus in this wonderful step. Good Luck Air Lingus
On 7 Aug at 11:46 - Philip from Limerick said:
Good news for Belfast but a loss to the midwest. The heathrow connection is absolutely vital for so many businesses needing to get in and out of Europe daily. Now that has been made so much more difficult and with awful connections to Dublin, that route is more or less closed off as well. Local businesses including multinationals can now look forward to flying to Stansted/Gatwick and hauling bags across London for onward connections. It is hard to understand why AerLingus would kill off that route, I have flown it for more than 10 years on a very frequent basis and it''s always full or nearly so. Certainly for my own business, losing the Heathrow link will make travel, longer, more aggravating and ultimately more expensive, not something that goes down well with the accountants!!
On 7 Aug at 11:53 - Nick from Ballymena said:
NI's economy has a real buzz about it now.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
VinnieWinnie From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 727 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2053 times:
Quoting OA260 (Reply 15): Eight scheduled airlines currently operate out of BIA - namely Bmibaby, Continental, easyJet, flyglobespan, Jet2, Manx2, Wizz Air and Zoom - as well as a dozen charter operators.
And, according to the BIA website, these carriers combine forces to serve a total of 68 UK and worldwide destinations.
Last week easyJet, who already offer flights from Belfast to 25 destinations, announced plans to add four new routes to its network.
That's great news for European travel prospects, although the airline already flies to a welter of wonderful destinations as it is - including Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Faro, Gdansk, Geneva, Ibiza, Krakow, Malaga, Nice, Palma Majorca, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Prague, Rome and Venice.
Jet2.Com is also expected to enter the fray by spreading its wings and expanding operations from Belfast.
To date, the airline serves travellers heading to sunnier climes in Barcelona, Chambery, Ibiza, Las Palmas, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Murcia, Palma Majorca, Prague, Pisa and Toulouse.
And from December this year, Aer Lingus will throw its hat into the ring, offering a range of services to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Faro and Rome.
BIA transatlantic flights include Newark (Continental), Orlando Sanford and Toronto (both flyglobespan), Vancover and Halifax (Zoom, which also offers a service to Toronto).
Meanwhile, Manx2.com offers flights to the Isle of Man and Wizz Air provides services to both Warsaw and Katowice in Poland.
Air traffic to Europe is a lot less dense, however, from George Best City Airport, which until recently opted to concentrate on serving the domestic flight market.
As it currently stands, the only direct European flight is to Rennes, operated by Flybe, but passengers can also go to Paris, via Cardiff.
Verona, Geneva, Chambery and Salzburg are also on the map for charter flights by travel companies.
And, from next year, the arrival of Ryanair means more merriment for wanderlust Belfast voyagers, who will soon be able to fly direct to a variety of European destinations.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, a spokesman for Belfast City Airport said that policy changes were in the air.
"We only recently stated our ambition to grow the airport in a European context and we see working with Ryanair as a way to do that," he said.
"Our first European destination was Salzburg. We began operating charter flights there in 2003 and the rest followed. Now we are looking forward to increasing our services even further."
The City of Derry Airport currently offers no European scheduled flights, but passengers can travel to five UK destinations, including London, as well as to Dublin.
Is there enough demand for all these flights? What about yields? Don't get me wrong it is amazing! But with a population of 1,710,300 inhabitants, and Ireland being already well served through Dublin and Shannon, is this growth in flights sustainable?
Then again I'm only an armchair airline CEO, not a real one
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24873 posts, RR: 60 Reply 19, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2028 times:
Quoting VinnieWinnie (Reply 18): Is there enough demand for all these flights? What about yields? Don't get me wrong it is amazing! But with a population of 1,710,300 inhabitants, and Ireland being already well served through Dublin and Shannon, is this growth in flights sustainable?
Then again I'm only an armchair airline CEO, not a real one
Im actually gonna say that I think EI will push out some of the present LCC's in BFS. They will do well on the AMS route with the KLM link up and BA codeshare to LHR will also be popular. There is so much scope for them with the onward connections/thru checked bags etc... You will be able to book all these flights not only on EI.com but on BA.com and KLM.com to anywhere on their network.
EI may find it difficult on some of the other European routes but im sure they can chop and change any routes that dont live up to their expectations.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
Smokeyrosco From Ireland, joined Dec 2005, 2112 posts, RR: 14 Reply 20, posted (5 years 9 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 2028 times:
Quoting VinnieWinnie (Reply 18): Is there enough demand for all these flights? What about yields? Don't get me wrong it is amazing! But with a population of 1,710,300 inhabitants, and Ireland being already well served through Dublin and Shannon, is this growth in flights sustainable?
The economy in Northern Ireland is booming at the moment, so I would think to have this kind of service in place is not only viable but also allows EI to build on it with Northern Ireland's success in the future.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
25 LIPZ: Aer Lingus Group PLC 07 August 2007 Aer Lingus Group plc Routes from Belfast International Airport (BFS) Dublin, London, 7 August: Following its annou
26 OA260: 3 Daily for Winter then in Spring 2008 onwards 4 per day The funny thing is that all routes except GVA are loaded into the CRS system.[Edited 2007-08
27 Door5Right: I think the EI booking system has a glitch or two in it. I have just tried to book a one way LHR - BFS on 16th February and it shows a one way fare of
28 COEI2007: Its a glitch! Cant wait to see EI flying ex BFS!
29 Teahan: GVA has the odd £800 flight in the system too.
30 OA260: Anyone going to buy one for Eur 800 LOL....... There are problems on all routes on certain dates. Im sure they will fix it soon.
31 MaverickM11: As much as I'd love to sift through all 250 posts in Irish Aviation thread #439, I appreciate the unique thread.
32 Door5Right: Maybe the expensive flight are "old" Aer Lingus. Those lovely girls in green, full in-flight service, free drinks, the big oval windows, the whine of
33 OA260: LOL...well the girls are still in Green and the full in flight service is still there ...just now you have to pay for it What could be more important
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