RJ100 From Switzerland, joined Nov 2000, 4107 posts, RR: 32 Reply 1, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 2208 times:
It looks like easyJet will base a fifth Airbus in BSL as per winter schedule.
It will be interesting how the route will performe. Lufthansa serves the route twice daily with CRJ-200 and just announced it will upgrade the route to CRJ-900s.
Thomas_Jaeger From Switzerland, joined Apr 2002, 2266 posts, RR: 31 Reply 2, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 2103 times:
Also interesting to see how they are doing because of competition from the ICE trains that only take 4 hours and 20 minutes between Basel SBB and Dusseldorf Hbf.
Swiss aviation news junkie living all over the place
Darr34 From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2009, 65 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 1935 times:
Interesting, thought maybe that U2 had lost a bit of interest in Germany after the closure of DTM, and the fact that they haven't expanded much from SXF. Maybe a LGW - DUS will soon be on the cards?
Joost From Netherlands, joined Apr 2005, 3128 posts, RR: 4 Reply 4, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 1791 times:
Quoting Darr34 (Reply 3): Interesting, thought maybe that U2 had lost a bit of interest in Germany after the closure of DTM
I find it interesting too. However, I didn't have the impression it lost interest in Germany; in the yearly reports, Germany is still considered as an important market.
DTM was mostly closed as the opening hours were too tight. But I also think they found that DTM is a very price-sensitive market, competing with DUS, FMO, HAJ, CGN, and certainly not the highest-yielding of these airports. AB for example, in the regulated era, operated from DTM; once deregulation started, they moved almost overnight to DUS.
Recently, the expanded at HAM and MUC, although they have stopped BRE and 2 of the 3 CGN-routes (already a while ago).
Quoting Darr34 (Reply 3): and the fact that they haven't expanded much from SXF
This actually surprises me too. They just seem to maintain status quo. They haven't closed many routes (TLL, RIX, MST, KRK are the only four I can think of) but recently they've only added DBV and SKG, but that's already some time ago.
Quoting Darr34 (Reply 3): Maybe a LGW - DUS will soon be on the cards?
I expected that one too, the only competition there is from BE, although BA, LH and AB have routes to LHR, LCY and STN.
Quoting RJ100 (Reply 1): It will be interesting how the route will performe.
It's an interesting route and DUS is an interesting airport. DUS is an airport that can generate enormous volumes, that generates a respectable number of high-yielding traffic but on the other hand, can also attract a large number of price-sensitve pax. Whether BSL is the best airport to test the water from, especially considering competition from train and private car, I'm not sure.
Interesting about DUS is that there is already fierce competition between LH and AB, added to virtually every legacy airline serving their hubs from DUS, so quite some routes see 3 carriers.
Quoting Joost (Reply 4): This actually surprises me too. They just seem to maintain status quo. They haven't closed many routes (TLL, RIX, MST, KRK are the only four I can think of) but recently they've only added DBV and SKG, but that's already some time ago.
Possibly they did SXF- LJU as well? I guess all the focus has been on the expansions at MXP,LGW & MAD so it just seems like they have been taking an eye off of Germany a bit.
Joost From Netherlands, joined Apr 2005, 3128 posts, RR: 4 Reply 6, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 1649 times:
Quoting Darr34 (Reply 5): I still think they will eventually add a LGW - DUS flight, although didn't FR try LGW - NRN and then pull it after a few months?
I think this one used to be a slot-warmer. Besides that, there is an important difference between NRN and DUS. NRN is veyr much a holiday-airport for both the Netherlands and Germany (actually the Dutch account event for little over 50%), DUS is (next to being a holiday airport) also an airport serving the core of the North Ruhr area. This makes DUS more feasible for more expensive airport (DUS can also support LHR and LCY flights, NRN cannot).
Quoting Darr34 (Reply 5): I guess all the focus has been on the expansions at MXP,LGW & MAD so it just seems like they have been taking an eye off of Germany a bit.
That's true of course, and don't forget about FCO. For the Italian market, U2 of course saw an opportunity during the AZ restructuring and the sudden collapse of traffic from MXP.
PhilInBRN From Sweden, joined Jun 2009, 234 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 1537 times:
While U2 is not growing as much as FR in Germany they have added some routes from MUC recently (EDI and MAN). It would be nice to see them fly to some southern destinations from there such as BCN, AGP etc. maybe on a W-pattern with aircraft from other bases.
As for the BSL-DUS service, there have been rumours for years that Germanwings would start flights to CGN and then also BSL-CGN. Serving DUS U2 can also get a junk of the business travellers on this route and maybe convince some customers from Southern Germany to chose them over taking the ICE train.
Paulcaz From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2005, 93 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 1472 times:
Why anybody would want to fly to DUS from BSL when you can get on the train, the service is great, just turn up at the station 5 mins before the train goes instead of being at the airport nearly 2 hours before is a no brainer!
PhilInBRN From Sweden, joined Jun 2009, 234 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 1451 times:
Quoting Paulcaz (Reply 9): Why anybody would want to fly to DUS from BSL when you can get on the train, the service is great
The first train from Basel arrives in Dusseldorf at 12:30, not very convenient for day trip passengers. Also prices are not really below the prices for a flight to DUS. A lot of people travelling from Switzerland to Germany still prefer to take a flight if the price is right, just look at the massive number of flights from Zurich to FRA,MUC,DUS,HAJ,CGN etc.
On a sidenote, the timing of the flights are usually a big advantage on short regional flights in Europe over trains. From my home airport Berne you can take the TGV to Paris but you don't get there until 12PM whereas by plane (AF regional) you're in Orly at 8:15 in the morning.
MogandoCI From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 1432 times:
Especially in western europe, cities are so close together and rail is so convenient that most carriers simply need to route through their national hub and let HSR handle the rest of the connections. None of the CRJ/ERJ mess we see in the eastern seaboard of North America.
I guess BSL-DUS is worth trying, but I'm sure a quick train ride to ZRH then do ZRH-DUS is probably just as convenient (way more frequencies than 2x daily).
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21488 posts, RR: 24 Reply 12, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 1324 times:
Quoting MogandoCI (Reply 11): I guess BSL-DUS is worth trying, but I'm sure a quick train ride to ZRH then do ZRH-DUS is probably just as convenient (way more frequencies than 2x daily).
There is no need to go to from BSL to ZRH to get to DUS. BSL is on the German border and has at least hourly fast train service to many points in Germany. BSL is the major rail hub from Switzerland to the western and northern part of Germany. From ZRH, trains to that area often stop in BSL. From ZRH you can also connect at STR, but from BSL you just take any of the many German trains heading north. I think there's an ICE high speed train every hour.
Darr34 From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2009, 65 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (3 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 1277 times:
well, anyway I guess it will still be interesting to see if it works out or not. Remember that FR have started alot of routes in Spain that can easily be covered by the high speed rail network, like MAD - ALC, LEI, SDR & XRY. These are more or less within a 4 hour radius more or less, although i guess XRY requires a change of train., and of course the train is often more expensive than FR.....
Quoting PhilInBRN (Reply 8): While U2 is not growing as much as FR in Germany they have added some routes from MUC recently (EDI and MAN). It would be nice to see them fly to some southern destinations from there such as BCN, AGP etc. maybe on a W-pattern with aircraft from other bases.
What's the competiton like at MUC? Is LH or AB more dominant?
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