Southampton-3
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After I spent over £90 for a week’s energy maybe it is finally dawning on the airlines that 2023 will mark the big reset for aviation. You just need to go to the pub to see people cutting back on expenditure by not venturing out. Southampton will not be immune to a recession despite its plans and the big talk here.
After I spent over £90 for a week’s energy maybe it is finally dawning on the airlines that 2023 will mark the big reset for aviation. You just need to go to the pub to see people cutting back on expenditure by not venturing out. Southampton will not be immune to a recession despite its plans and the big talk here.
Disappointing SOU can't sustain a decent summer schedule with BA. Is the runway extension really going to yield much success? Can't see U2 wanting to invest much in W patterns at this rate.
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Southampton
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Indeed, pax numbers are not great,latest CAA shows airport October figures similar to Guernsey CI ,the BA flights was a great chance to promote European Sun routes from the airport,I dont think they were advertised well.Its going to.take some time,and good promotion to get the airport back on the Sun routes (post runway extension ) considering that just down the road Bournemouth is expanding its destinations,and having healthy pax numbers.
Last edited by SKOJB; 19th Dec 2022 at 19:49.
It's times like this when there should be a like button in the comments section. It's about time someone called him or her out as I find their posts sooooo annoying. It's like reading the same thing over and over again from someone with a "split personality".
BACF summer 2023
BACF summer 2023 Routes do sadly seem to be culled back substantially, down from the original 11/12 routes planned back in 2020.
We now see no IBZ or JMK -
BER NCE and FLR never ever started.
SOU website 'destinations' page has removed all of these, but BA has not yet.
Only a handful of the sunshine leisure routes are still showing from SOU.
We still seem to have a couple of destinations to rural France, plus AGP PMI ALC FAO.
PMI still has the 3 flights over the weekend, plus the BA TUI SAT PMI charter, and now an extra BA TUES TUI Charter flight...(So no Volotea)
There is of course BACF weekend flights to DUB and EDI buT I won't be packing my bucket and spade for those, although they are handy for some OF US.
We now see no IBZ or JMK -
BER NCE and FLR never ever started.
SOU website 'destinations' page has removed all of these, but BA has not yet.
Only a handful of the sunshine leisure routes are still showing from SOU.
We still seem to have a couple of destinations to rural France, plus AGP PMI ALC FAO.
PMI still has the 3 flights over the weekend, plus the BA TUI SAT PMI charter, and now an extra BA TUES TUI Charter flight...(So no Volotea)
There is of course BACF weekend flights to DUB and EDI buT I won't be packing my bucket and spade for those, although they are handy for some OF US.
Living close to SOU I'm definitely a hugely enthusiastic supporter of the airport and use it whenever I can. However, to mind the biggest issue has always been one of communication. So often when talking to fiends and neighbours they have absolutely no idea that it is/has been possible to travel to so many destinations and they continue view Southampton as 'that little airport in Eastleigh from where you can fly to the channel islands, and may be up north perhaps?'
I'm sure things will turn around, but almost everyone I know who's not a follower of aviation has no idea that it's been possible to fly to some wonderful destinations with BA or jet off to the slopes with EasyJet. If and when a low-cost operator arrives, and being positive I'm sure it will happen, the airport needs to blitz the local area - billboards, bus advertising, dozens of vinyl-wrapped taxis, local radio and tv, local press etc. Relying on Facebook/Twitter as previously won't bring the results.
I'm sure things will turn around, but almost everyone I know who's not a follower of aviation has no idea that it's been possible to fly to some wonderful destinations with BA or jet off to the slopes with EasyJet. If and when a low-cost operator arrives, and being positive I'm sure it will happen, the airport needs to blitz the local area - billboards, bus advertising, dozens of vinyl-wrapped taxis, local radio and tv, local press etc. Relying on Facebook/Twitter as previously won't bring the results.
Also living close to SOU Airport I too try and use it as much as I can.
Just managed to change my KLM NBO-AMS-LCY next March, to NBO-AMS-SOU with a great early morning connection at AMS; my sister will still go to LCY as she lives not far.
Seems the morning KLM AMS SOU flight was reinstated, but no one knows unless you dig deep.
Truth is some (quite a lot) of Travel Agents and Locals alike may/do not know what the airport offers and also that British Airways runs a relatively large number of weekend routes out of Southampton Airport, and that with KLM operating AMS twice a day this offers excellent Interline opportunities at AMS.
Yesterday, Travel News Headline ----
British Airways axes more Southampton flights for Summer 2023 – what’s left?
For the second time in recent months, British Airways has taken an axe to its flying schedule out of Southampton Airport.
The launch of these services got caught up in the Pandemic (the original announcement was made in December 2020) so they have never had much of a promotional push.
The BA services were a welcome respite for the Airport which had lost virtually all of its scheduled services at that point.
The initial route launches though were, in many cases, heavily delayed or suspended altogether.
There is – or there was – a full service planned for Summer 2023. But, back in October, three BA routes from Southampton were cancelled for Summer 2023.
The cancelled routes are:
Berlin (already removed)
Florence
Ibiza
Nice
To this list you can now add:
Mykonos --- But don’t panic – If you search SOU to JMK on ba.com, you are offered SOU to GLA (Loganair) then to LGW, then cross to LHR, then finally to Mykonos, a trip taking almost 20 hours !
Erm, I think not...
Well that's my Greek Holiday plans from my local airport for next summer messed up.
So the BA Summer 2023 routes are now running from :
Faro – 29th April
Malaga – 30th April
Bergerac – 13th May
Palma – 13th May
Edinburgh – 14th May
Alicante – 15th July
Limoges – 15th July
Dublin – 16th July
This Winter's 2022/2023 routes end as follows:
Chambery (ends 16th April)
Edinburgh (ends 16th April)
Salzburg (ends 15th April
Many Locals and even Londoners have probably never flown from Southampton.
It is, however, surprisingly easy and a joy to behold.
You can get a direct train from London Waterloo or Clapham, Woking, Reading, Basingstoke to Southampton Airport Parkway station, and coming from Salisbury and Dorset too.
You will be in the small terminal building within a couple of minutes.
Or, it is 2 minutes drive off the M27 and Car Parking is excellent, with a few minutes walk to the Terminal.
Is there a Lounge?
Yes. The Spitfire Lounge at Southampton Airport.
Is there Business Class?
Yes, Business Class is available on both BA and KLM.
As these are on Embraer aircraft with 2×2 seating, however, there is no ’empty middle seat’ benefit. But seats are wide and legroom is generous.
BA serve Hot Meals.
You would get access to the Spitfire Lounge.
Am I doing SOU's PR here?.....lol
Just managed to change my KLM NBO-AMS-LCY next March, to NBO-AMS-SOU with a great early morning connection at AMS; my sister will still go to LCY as she lives not far.
Seems the morning KLM AMS SOU flight was reinstated, but no one knows unless you dig deep.
Truth is some (quite a lot) of Travel Agents and Locals alike may/do not know what the airport offers and also that British Airways runs a relatively large number of weekend routes out of Southampton Airport, and that with KLM operating AMS twice a day this offers excellent Interline opportunities at AMS.
Yesterday, Travel News Headline ----
British Airways axes more Southampton flights for Summer 2023 – what’s left?
For the second time in recent months, British Airways has taken an axe to its flying schedule out of Southampton Airport.
The launch of these services got caught up in the Pandemic (the original announcement was made in December 2020) so they have never had much of a promotional push.
The BA services were a welcome respite for the Airport which had lost virtually all of its scheduled services at that point.
The initial route launches though were, in many cases, heavily delayed or suspended altogether.
There is – or there was – a full service planned for Summer 2023. But, back in October, three BA routes from Southampton were cancelled for Summer 2023.
The cancelled routes are:
Berlin (already removed)
Florence
Ibiza
Nice
To this list you can now add:
Mykonos --- But don’t panic – If you search SOU to JMK on ba.com, you are offered SOU to GLA (Loganair) then to LGW, then cross to LHR, then finally to Mykonos, a trip taking almost 20 hours !
Erm, I think not...
Well that's my Greek Holiday plans from my local airport for next summer messed up.
So the BA Summer 2023 routes are now running from :
Faro – 29th April
Malaga – 30th April
Bergerac – 13th May
Palma – 13th May
Edinburgh – 14th May
Alicante – 15th July
Limoges – 15th July
Dublin – 16th July
This Winter's 2022/2023 routes end as follows:
Chambery (ends 16th April)
Edinburgh (ends 16th April)
Salzburg (ends 15th April
Many Locals and even Londoners have probably never flown from Southampton.
It is, however, surprisingly easy and a joy to behold.
You can get a direct train from London Waterloo or Clapham, Woking, Reading, Basingstoke to Southampton Airport Parkway station, and coming from Salisbury and Dorset too.
You will be in the small terminal building within a couple of minutes.
Or, it is 2 minutes drive off the M27 and Car Parking is excellent, with a few minutes walk to the Terminal.
Is there a Lounge?
Yes. The Spitfire Lounge at Southampton Airport.
Is there Business Class?
Yes, Business Class is available on both BA and KLM.
As these are on Embraer aircraft with 2×2 seating, however, there is no ’empty middle seat’ benefit. But seats are wide and legroom is generous.
BA serve Hot Meals.
You would get access to the Spitfire Lounge.
Am I doing SOU's PR here?.....lol
Thanks Rog747 for the detail on BA’s S23 ops. The airport is a great asset what with the road/rail network being so close although a little more promo wouldn’t go amiss. It seems BACF are once again spreading their weekend aircraft around the U.K. regionals for some charter work so this may be a reason for the reduced schedule from SOU. In any case, I don’t see BA in it for the long term once the extension is complete and other airlines maybe take on some summer/winter sun flying!
I think some of the problem with JMK was that it was outbound on Sunday and return on Saturday, meaning that you couldn't book a one or two-week vacation.
I use BA to FAO and PMI and it is a refreshingly pleasant experience!
I use BA to FAO and PMI and it is a refreshingly pleasant experience!
BA's Palma is doing well - for 2023 --- 3 weekly on SA/SU and 2 more weekly via the TUI charters on TU/SA.
A couple of these also do W round trips from Palma to Jersey (and IIRC also to Guernsey) and back for a local Tour Operator on the Channel Islands.
No Winter Sun on the Horizon - only the SKI slopes...
As for Mykonos out on a SUN, and back on a SAT - worked OK for us twice last year - we did 13 nights and a 20 nights.
There were no Tour Operators on that flight, so everyone was Independent, thus 6 or 13 nights was not really an issue, although some folk would be put off.
Some of the other routes too were also out SUN, back SAT -
This is due to LCY's weekend opening hours and facilitating getting the Aircraft back to base on a SUN, without the need for an empty positioning flight.
A couple of these also do W round trips from Palma to Jersey (and IIRC also to Guernsey) and back for a local Tour Operator on the Channel Islands.
No Winter Sun on the Horizon - only the SKI slopes...
As for Mykonos out on a SUN, and back on a SAT - worked OK for us twice last year - we did 13 nights and a 20 nights.
There were no Tour Operators on that flight, so everyone was Independent, thus 6 or 13 nights was not really an issue, although some folk would be put off.
Some of the other routes too were also out SUN, back SAT -
This is due to LCY's weekend opening hours and facilitating getting the Aircraft back to base on a SUN, without the need for an empty positioning flight.
Interesting to note that in the airports latest Section106, it states that no planning is required for a northern taxiway from stand 14 to runway. Shouldn’t the airport be adding this small piece of infrastructure whilst machinery is on site for runway works?