Boeing77W From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 156 posts, RR: 0 Posted (5 years 6 months 4 weeks 9 hours ago) and read 2073 times:
Air Southwest announced today a number of new routes. From April next year they will offer:
New service to Newcastle from Plymouth, via Newquay
New service to Glasgow from Plymouth, via Newquay
Passengers will be able to book flights from Plymouth to Newquay
Extend the Cork and Dublin services to Plymouth, so: Plymouth to Cork/Dublin via Newquay
This is excellent news for Air Southwest and it's good to see them expanding. I hope that Air Southwest continue to succeed, I really enjoy flying with them and think they're a good little airline
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards..."
BAOPS777 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (5 years 6 months 4 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 1916 times:
Mind you dont BE have 3 or 4 ex BA connect Q300 in storage at Exeter could they be destined for WOW. Finally the aircraft will return to former Brymon turf
Boeing77W From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 156 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 1664 times:
The BRS base will be closing, like Humberside said they have only been doing charters for the last few months and it's obviously no longer profitable for them to keep it open. The aircraft that is moving to PLH will be used to help cover the new routes. I don't believe there are plans to acquire new aircraft in the near future.
Quoting Cornish (Reply 9): Lets just hope the owners don't decide to sell to a rival as has been mooted...
What's this about???
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards..."
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11136 posts, RR: 63 Reply 13, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 1546 times:
Quoting Boeing77W (Thread starter): Passengers will be able to book flights from Plymouth to Newquay
That's always been possible, first flight of the day is about £24o/w, the rest are about £90o/w.
Quoting Boeing77W (Thread starter): Extend the Cork and Dublin services to Plymouth, so: Plymouth to Cork/Dublin via Newquay
That should be interesting, there will now be up to 7 daily flights on the PLH-NQY sector!
Quoting BAOPS777 (Reply 2): or I doubt they are but could they the UFO for a european carrier for 10 Q400!!!!!!
Nope, that would not be possible, PLH's runway is too short for that aircraft - it was too short for the -300's to take off with a full load until recently. If they were to use a -300 series as a shuttle to and from NQY then they could quite possibly add a Q400 for the GLA and NCL flights, but I doubt that would make economic sense. As it is, I'm not sure of the viability with a stop at NQY.
I really hope this will work for Air Southwest, as it marks some pretty significant investment in the region, especially PLH. Sutton Harbour Holdings, the owners of both Air Southwest and Plymouth's airport had been attempting to get out of an agreement with the council for the airport's operation, to sell the land surrounding the cross runway for housing, which would also have lead to the removal of the hanger and engine testing bay. Seems with the basing of a third aircraft at PLH that this will definately be on hold now, I certainly hope so!
Great news for the airline, airport, and the local economy!
Boeing77W From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 156 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 1521 times:
Quoting Cornish (Reply 9): Lets just hope the owners don't decide to sell to a rival as has been mooted....
I can't really see this happening to be honest. If they sold the airline then Sutton Harbour would have no need to keep the airport open, someone like BE are hardly going to have operations out of both PLH and EXE. Due to the amount of property and commercial interest that Sutton Harbour have in Plymouth the benefits of an "international airport" are significant for them. If it were to close then it's likely this would have a detrimental effect on their other commercial operations in the city.
Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 13): sell the land surrounding the cross runway for housing, which would also have lead to the removal of the hanger and engine testing bay. Seems with the basing of a third aircraft at PLH that this will definitely be on hold now
I had heard that if the sale were to occur then there was the possibility money from the sale would be invested in new hangar facilities and the possible expansion/re-build of the current terminal building.
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards..."
Cornish From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2005, 8187 posts, RR: 56 Reply 15, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 1498 times:
Quoting Boeing77W (Reply 14): If they sold the airline then Sutton Harbour would have no need to keep the airport open, someone like BE are hardly going to have operations out of both PLH and EXE
bingo !
And for BE the benefits are all traffic migrates to EXE and the get Dash 8 pilots plus far more importantly, useful slots at LGW.
Just when I thought I could see light at the end of the tunnel, it was some B*****d with a torch bringing me more work
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11136 posts, RR: 63 Reply 16, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 1484 times:
Quoting Boeing77W (Reply 14): I had heard that if the sale were to occur then there was the possibility money from the sale would be invested in new hangar facilities and the possible expansion/re-build of the current terminal building.
Yes, this was the plan, but it was significantly flawed. It included the relocation of the engine testing bay and there is no way that they would be granted planning permission for this - I live almost a mile away and can still hear them when they test at 5am. The objections from anyone located near bye to the proposed site would almost certainly be upheld.
Quoting Boeing77W (Reply 14): Due to the amount of property and commercial interest that Sutton Harbour have in Plymouth the benefits of an "international airport" are significant for them. If it were to close then it's likely this would have a detrimental effect on their other commercial operations in the city.
I can't see it having much affect on them if the airport did close actually, it's been loss making for them for at least the last few years and the value of that land for property development is very high... their business is mainly private real estate orientated anyway, so the closure would have a negligible impact. It would though have a major affect on the international businesses located in the cities many industrial estates; when BA pulled out several years ago and the airport was threatened with closure there was significant petitioning for services to be retained and expanded in order for them to resume trading in the city - some did indeed leave.
Hopefully though they will see traffic increase and then go ahead with the runway extension, one disused factory has already been cleared and the sites development use has been dictated as 'temporary' as it falls within the area affected by a compulsory purchase order should the extension go ahead.
EXTspotter From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 992 posts, RR: 1 Reply 17, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1317 times:
Good luck to WOW. I have only used them once on MAN - BRS - PLH, but it was a good flight (Backwards takeoff was wierd but great fun!)
I really do not see the need for Plymouth to have a proper comercial airport, It is only 40 miles from EXT and not much further to NQY. 45 mins on the train and another 20 on the bus from St. Davids and your there. It would be a loss for Plymouth, but WOW could really benefit from basing the aircraft at NQY and opening new routes to:
Jersey
Guernsey
Birmingham
Brest
Paris
Glasgow
Edinburgh
Belfast
Shannon?
Bristol?
Cardiff?
Southampton?
Norwich?
Isle of Man?
Carlisle?
Leeds/Bradford?
Sheffield?
Knock/Ireland West?
Bordeaux/La Rochelle/Bergerac?
AF BE BY FR MV PD SZ U2 VZ DHC6, 8-3/4Q, 732/8, 763ER, A319, A380
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11136 posts, RR: 63 Reply 19, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1273 times:
Quoting EXTspotter (Reply 17): I really do not see the need for Plymouth to have a proper comercial airport, It is only 40 miles from EXT and not much further to NQY. 45 mins on the train and another 20 on the bus from St. Davids and your there. It would be a loss for Plymouth, but WOW could really benefit from basing the aircraft at NQY and opening new routes to:
Try telling that to the businesses located within Plymouth. Go down to the council records office and you will come across a large volume of correspondence from some of the major employers (talking many thousands of jobs here) stating that if the air transport situation does not improve they will be consider relocating to a more accessible city. It may be a coincidence, but I seem to remember several large players did.
Travel time between the two cities is more like an hour, so your are looking at an hour and a half between the city centre and EXT by public transport and, an hour by car. So why in that case relocate to Plymouth at all, when you can relocate to Exeter and save that inconvenient distance? That's exactly why good airlinks are needed, otherwise the city will see potential investment whipped out from under it's nose, either to the EXT or NQY areas, or by more centrally located cities with better transport facilities, on top of that the geography hardly conspires to make the A38 and Plymouth's poor and unreliable rail inks any better an option. Likewise, NQY is an hour away on twisting roads which are congested to a crawling pace during the summer months - although on a side point, I never understand why Ryanair didn't put an emphasis on NQY being "Plymouth's" airport and running a coach service between the two points, considering the two are nearer than some other claimed destination airports!
Flying the Dash 8 backwards is a cool, if slightly bazaar experience. Pax really do wobble in turbulence!
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11136 posts, RR: 63 Reply 20, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1264 times:
Quoting Bennett123 (Reply 18): I had been looking at the BRS to LBA service, but it now seems to be a non starter.
I didn't think that these flights were being withdrawn - certainly they are still bookable for up to a year from now. Perhaps they just haven't been removed yet? I wouldn't have thought they would dump these, as the loads seem to be healthy whenever I have flown them.
EXTspotter From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 992 posts, RR: 1 Reply 21, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1257 times:
The best thing was that if someone picks their nose or farts, you can identify them imediately, also you can have staring contests with the rest of the cabin!
NQY isn't for Plymouth, its for Cornwall as a tourist destination, count the number of surfboards coming off many of the flights. My friend Phil is a dispatcher at NQY, from what I've heard, even though expanding NQY isn't viable and never will be because of the type of people using it, there isn't enough industry or people in cornwall itself to suport it, in tandem with miserable loads, the average on the BA to LGW was 16 people on a 734 throughout the whole summer apart from like 1 weekend.
P.S. if PLH does go, I will miss the up the Tamar approach. When I was down at Mutton Cove on my Dad's birthday (he likes the sea and it has good views of the river because it is right at the mouth), I saw one fly over us and I thought, I wish that was me...
AF BE BY FR MV PD SZ U2 VZ DHC6, 8-3/4Q, 732/8, 763ER, A319, A380
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11136 posts, RR: 63 Reply 22, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 1235 times:
Quoting EXTspotter (Reply 21): NQY isn't for Plymouth, its for Cornwall as a tourist destination, count the number of surfboards coming off many of the flights. My friend Phil is a dispatcher at NQY, from what I've heard, even though expanding NQY isn't viable and never will be because of the type of people using it, there isn't enough industry or people in cornwall itself to suport it, in tandem with miserable loads, the average on the BA to LGW was 16 people on a 734 throughout the whole summer apart from like 1 weekend.
Well, I don't think the BA flight is much more than a slot warmer, but I could be wrong. I flew it midweek and there was a load factor of about 30% I seem to remember, it's operated with a mix of 734 and 735, with the latter being used more often from what I saw during the summer. I'm sure somebody here can provide the loadings, WOW fill four, if not five DH3s a day, so I'd have thought BA could shift a few more pax on a 737...
I know NQY isn't for Plymouth, I was taking the piss out of FR Don't underestimate the potential of the Cornish region business wise though, wages might be rock bottom, but that's a good thing if you're looking to invest and there are also a range of tempting grants available for doing so, not to mention the 'pasty pound' NQY has expanded a great deal, a few years ago they did so with the aim of handling 737 aircraft and everyone scoffed, but now look at them - BA and BMI plus FlyBe with the DH4 all newcomers, even if the ambitious MON flights didn't work out. One of the largest markets, certainly for SW - London traffic is the second homes traveler, which is a lot more stable year around than the tourist market which only really affects the summer and other traditional 'getaway' holidays.
Cornish From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2005, 8187 posts, RR: 56 Reply 23, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1089 times:
Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 19): Try telling that to the businesses located within Plymouth. Go down to the council records office and you will come across a large volume of correspondence from some of the major employers (talking many thousands of jobs here) stating that if the air transport situation does not improve they will be consider relocating to a more accessible city. It may be a coincidence, but I seem to remember several large players did.
completely correct. Problem for Plymouth is its a major city that isn't on the motorway network and if it lost its airport as well then it would rank a big fat ZERO for large companies looking to invest there. no matter if the A38 is a good road or not. No motorway and no airport is a big minus compared to other locations. and an airport in Exeter is worth nothing to potential investors in Plymouth either.
It is also regarded that the LGW WOW service would struggle to be viable on a pure LGW-NQY basis only.
Just when I thought I could see light at the end of the tunnel, it was some B*****d with a torch bringing me more work
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11136 posts, RR: 63 Reply 25, posted (5 years 6 months 3 weeks 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1045 times:
Quoting 8herveg (Reply 24): Is there actually much O & D traffic on the NQY - PLH route?
All the times I have flown PLH-NQY-LGW I have never seen anyone just use this short hop and, to be honest, at £99 for all flights except the very first morning one, they are not exactly going to be encouraging people to fill the planes up as far as NQY.
Quoting 8herveg (Reply 24): Also, could anyone see a merge between FlyBe and Air Southwest to create an even bigger regional airline?
I could see a complete takeover, but I don't see what use Plymouth would be to a suitor such as FlyBe, as they would have to retain the DHC8-300 in their fleet to operate from there... or more than likely just close down the PLH base and operate with their DHC8-400s from NQY and BRS.
I certainly hope not anyway, there is a certain touch surrounding WOWs attitude to service which makes it stand out from other regional LCCs. It's friendly, which is something which all too often lacks in todays aviation.
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NQY has expanded a great deal, a few years ago they did so with the aim of handling 737 aircraft and everyone scoffed, but now look at them - BA and BMI plus FlyBe with the DH4 all newcomers, even if the ambitious MON flights didn't work out. One of the largest markets, certainly for SW - London traffic is the second homes traveler, which is a lot more stable year around than the tourist market which only really affects the summer and other traditional 'getaway' holidays.
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