FLYBE takes off from Exeter
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FLYBE takes off from Exeter
FLYBE TAKES OFF
26 Jun 2003 12:23
FLYBE is set to continue its rapid expansion by confirming Exeter Airport as its fourth UK base.
The carrier is due to announce a host of new routes from the airport next month, believed to be to a range of Spanish destinations.
Ibiza, Malaga and Murcia, which the airline serves from Southampton, are favourites to be launch destinations from the south west.
A number of new ski-focussed routes are also due to be unveiled from Birmingham and Southampton in time for the 2003 winter season.
The carrier is hoping to boost its current 3.6 million passengers a year on its network of 17 regional and 20 international destinations.
26 Jun 2003 12:23
FLYBE is set to continue its rapid expansion by confirming Exeter Airport as its fourth UK base.
The carrier is due to announce a host of new routes from the airport next month, believed to be to a range of Spanish destinations.
Ibiza, Malaga and Murcia, which the airline serves from Southampton, are favourites to be launch destinations from the south west.
A number of new ski-focussed routes are also due to be unveiled from Birmingham and Southampton in time for the 2003 winter season.
The carrier is hoping to boost its current 3.6 million passengers a year on its network of 17 regional and 20 international destinations.
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I must be confused as Exeter is FLY Be's home!
Don't they have all their offices and engineering there? Doesn't the MD work there? As JEA they flew from there. Now we have NEW news that they fly from there.
Wow. This is hot.
Perhaps it is a try of some new routes but as 'low cost' ops', not a new base.
Don't they have all their offices and engineering there? Doesn't the MD work there? As JEA they flew from there. Now we have NEW news that they fly from there.
Wow. This is hot.
Perhaps it is a try of some new routes but as 'low cost' ops', not a new base.
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Any truth in the rumour that they are seriously looking at 318/319s as a 146 replacement?
Is there a timeline in place for an order (of these or other similarly sized aircraft) or introduction of new types.
Is there a timeline in place for an order (of these or other similarly sized aircraft) or introduction of new types.
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It is news, albeit the rumour has been around for several weeks, that Flybe are about to develop some sort of network from Exeter. At present they fly to Dublin, Jersey and Guernsey, plus a Saturday flight to Belfast from EXT. Apart from the Scilly Skybus that is the total of EXT's scheduled services.
The SouthWest Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) has recently been involved in backing an independent report looking at air travel services in the far south west (Devon/Cornwall) which are pretty poor at present.
A company called aviasolutions looked at three options:
1. Continue with the present EXT, PLH and NQY airports and develop them as need arises.
2. Close PLH and concentrate on EXT and NQY.
3. Close EXT and PLH and build a new airport at South Hams, whilst leaving NQY to continue.
The report narrowly recommended option 2 but acknowledges that this is only an initial conclusion and recognises the detrimental affect it would have on the Plymouth area.
The situation is further complicated by the presence of BRS which, although not part of aviasolutions' brief, was stated last year by the SWRDA to be competing with EXT as the whole region's (not just Devon/Cornwall) main airport. The SWRDA went on to say that a decision on this will have to be made in the next fifteen years.
All very strange when one considers that BRS carried over 3.5 million pax last year (on track for 4 million this coming year) against EXT's 340,000, and aviasolutions report, endorsed by SWRDA, states that EXT is not likely to have more than 2.5 million pax by 2030 under options 1 or 2 above.
I would think that if Flybe can make a go of 'low cost' operations at EXT then the likes of NWI and HUY must soon be on somebody's list.
The SouthWest Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) has recently been involved in backing an independent report looking at air travel services in the far south west (Devon/Cornwall) which are pretty poor at present.
A company called aviasolutions looked at three options:
1. Continue with the present EXT, PLH and NQY airports and develop them as need arises.
2. Close PLH and concentrate on EXT and NQY.
3. Close EXT and PLH and build a new airport at South Hams, whilst leaving NQY to continue.
The report narrowly recommended option 2 but acknowledges that this is only an initial conclusion and recognises the detrimental affect it would have on the Plymouth area.
The situation is further complicated by the presence of BRS which, although not part of aviasolutions' brief, was stated last year by the SWRDA to be competing with EXT as the whole region's (not just Devon/Cornwall) main airport. The SWRDA went on to say that a decision on this will have to be made in the next fifteen years.
All very strange when one considers that BRS carried over 3.5 million pax last year (on track for 4 million this coming year) against EXT's 340,000, and aviasolutions report, endorsed by SWRDA, states that EXT is not likely to have more than 2.5 million pax by 2030 under options 1 or 2 above.
I would think that if Flybe can make a go of 'low cost' operations at EXT then the likes of NWI and HUY must soon be on somebody's list.
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stalling attitude,
I have been suggesting this on various forums for the past twelve months but have stopped doing so for two reasons:-
1. It was suggested to me that I was anti low cost which I am not - I fly on them as often as I can.
2. More and more lo cos seem to be materialising so who am I to say it is wrong.
Doubtless the market will decide in the end, but in the meantime it is a good time to be a passenger.
I have been suggesting this on various forums for the past twelve months but have stopped doing so for two reasons:-
1. It was suggested to me that I was anti low cost which I am not - I fly on them as often as I can.
2. More and more lo cos seem to be materialising so who am I to say it is wrong.
Doubtless the market will decide in the end, but in the meantime it is a good time to be a passenger.
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The trouble with Low cost from EXT is the catchment area.
Penzance to EXT is a long drive, Plymouth needs close links to an Airport to thrive & North Devonians go along the link road to M5 and then to BRS.
Exeter suffered for too long with bad links to M5 ( now much improved) but no railway station nearby.
People in the region will never have the links required to make true low cost viable.
If FLYBE are going to try good luck. They know the area better than most.
Penzance to EXT is a long drive, Plymouth needs close links to an Airport to thrive & North Devonians go along the link road to M5 and then to BRS.
Exeter suffered for too long with bad links to M5 ( now much improved) but no railway station nearby.
People in the region will never have the links required to make true low cost viable.
If FLYBE are going to try good luck. They know the area better than most.
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Exeter Airport's location to the east of Exeter the city, I assume, is a disadvantage because it is even further from the catchment areas, small as they are, to the west. If you come up from the west as far as the east of Exeter, you may as well go on to Bristol. As already noted, the catchment area is not only too small but also too thinly distributed.
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jack-oh,
Newquay is not far from Culdrose so I would not imagine that there could be two airports in Cornwall. Isn't Culdrose a helicopter station? Not sure what runway(s) it has.
Wherever you put an airport in the far south west you will always face the problem of the catchment being too small.
Stability Jane,
I don't know whether FLYbe's rumoured services services from EXT to Spain will use Dash 8s or 146 jets. Either way the use of smaller aircraft than are usually associated with low cost operations might just work at EXT, although daily services might be too much.
I am intrigued that one of the rumoured destinations is Ibiza. Go tried this one from BRS in its first summer of operations there but dropped it thereafter because of poor loads. The thought of the
elderly generation, who make up a large proportion of Devon/Cornwall's leisure flyers, flocking to St Antonio for the night life beggars belief.
Newquay is not far from Culdrose so I would not imagine that there could be two airports in Cornwall. Isn't Culdrose a helicopter station? Not sure what runway(s) it has.
Wherever you put an airport in the far south west you will always face the problem of the catchment being too small.
Stability Jane,
I don't know whether FLYbe's rumoured services services from EXT to Spain will use Dash 8s or 146 jets. Either way the use of smaller aircraft than are usually associated with low cost operations might just work at EXT, although daily services might be too much.
I am intrigued that one of the rumoured destinations is Ibiza. Go tried this one from BRS in its first summer of operations there but dropped it thereafter because of poor loads. The thought of the
elderly generation, who make up a large proportion of Devon/Cornwall's leisure flyers, flocking to St Antonio for the night life beggars belief.
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The rumured service to Spain will more than likely operate on the 146.
re the flight's to Ibizia - having just started operating this service from SOU in the last week - i can confirm that this is extreamly popular as is the AGP/GVA/BGY/DUB/BHD and MJV service with pax load's of well over 90% on every flight.
re the flight's to Ibizia - having just started operating this service from SOU in the last week - i can confirm that this is extreamly popular as is the AGP/GVA/BGY/DUB/BHD and MJV service with pax load's of well over 90% on every flight.
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Whispering Giant,
Glad to hear that SOU appears to be doing so well, but of course it has a much bigger catchment area than EXT.
If Flybe do operate one or two routes not flown by easyJet from BRS they might well pick up a few pax from the Bristol area.
Glad to hear that SOU appears to be doing so well, but of course it has a much bigger catchment area than EXT.
If Flybe do operate one or two routes not flown by easyJet from BRS they might well pick up a few pax from the Bristol area.
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Has this been released officially yet? There's nothing on the FlyBE website thus far [other than mention of Judge Jules opening up the SOU/IBIZA route with a jolly at Southampton.] Will Judy Spiers be doing the same at EGTE I wonder? Let's hope not.]
With rail fairs as laughable as they are, it would be nice to see a London route too. There's a huge market shurely in the South West - Bristol seems to do quite well, and they can't all be from the North?
With rail fairs as laughable as they are, it would be nice to see a London route too. There's a huge market shurely in the South West - Bristol seems to do quite well, and they can't all be from the North?
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"With rail fairs as laughable as they are, it would be nice to see a London route too.
Apparently, VLM are considering a LCY service from EXT which would continue onwards to AMS.
Surely Flybe. should have started this service ages ago, but it now appears they have missed thier chance and will probably be very angry if VLM do well on the route.
Apparently, VLM are considering a LCY service from EXT which would continue onwards to AMS.
Surely Flybe. should have started this service ages ago, but it now appears they have missed thier chance and will probably be very angry if VLM do well on the route.
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The Farmer,
It really depends on what you think of as the south west. If merely Cornwall, Devon and south Somerset, the market is not all that big.
If you take the area that government deems to be the south west the area extends from northern Gloucestershire across to Wiltshire and Dorset and down to Cornwall and the Scilly Isles.
In that region the big market is in the north around Bristol and its hinterland and in the Bournemouth/Poole area.
That is why airports like Bristol, increasingly Southampton and probably Bournemouth in the near future are doing well. Furthermore, in the Bristol area for example if people cannot get a flight to a particular destination from Bristol Airport they have the larger Birmingham Airport just up the road and, if needs must, Heathrow which is hardly any further away than Exeter Airport.
That is why Exeter must really exist on its immediate Devon/Cornwall/ south Somerset market. It is unlikely to attract that many passengers from outside this immediate sub region.
When it does get a few more scheduled flights, as seem very likely, the citizens of Devon must support their main airport at Exeter. They have not done so in sufficient numbers in the past to make scheduled services viable.
It really depends on what you think of as the south west. If merely Cornwall, Devon and south Somerset, the market is not all that big.
If you take the area that government deems to be the south west the area extends from northern Gloucestershire across to Wiltshire and Dorset and down to Cornwall and the Scilly Isles.
In that region the big market is in the north around Bristol and its hinterland and in the Bournemouth/Poole area.
That is why airports like Bristol, increasingly Southampton and probably Bournemouth in the near future are doing well. Furthermore, in the Bristol area for example if people cannot get a flight to a particular destination from Bristol Airport they have the larger Birmingham Airport just up the road and, if needs must, Heathrow which is hardly any further away than Exeter Airport.
That is why Exeter must really exist on its immediate Devon/Cornwall/ south Somerset market. It is unlikely to attract that many passengers from outside this immediate sub region.
When it does get a few more scheduled flights, as seem very likely, the citizens of Devon must support their main airport at Exeter. They have not done so in sufficient numbers in the past to make scheduled services viable.
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I worry you're right. In business down here I seem to constantly here people saying things along the lines of "if only there were a Sleazy Jet type based at Exeter offering the same sort of routes down here", but those wishes might not translate into enough bums on seats for the brave airline who made the jump. Someone made the point that the Go flight to Ibiza from Bristol died a death for too few numbers - perhaps the same would happen and even quicker down the road.
Travelling to London on the train has proved to be so painful of late it would be nice to have an alternative route. And it would be lovely to be able to head off to the obvious ports of call on mainland Europe too.
Travelling to London on the train has proved to be so painful of late it would be nice to have an alternative route. And it would be lovely to be able to head off to the obvious ports of call on mainland Europe too.
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The Farmer,
Yes, it was me who mentioned the Go Fly route to IBZ from BRS. It didn't go that well - but I believe that Ibiza is not as popular as it once was amongst the young - that was the story put out at the time anyway, and from memory loco flights to IBZ from some other UK airports were dropped around that time.
As to EXT flights to the capital, many people have a theory that Exeter is just too close to London to be successful on flights to the capital, whereas Plymouth is that little bit further away.
Air Wales has recently started Swansea-Cardiff-London City. Now CWL is about the same distance from London as Exeter but South Wales has a bigger catchment than Devon. Having said this I don't know how the Air Wales flights from the Principality to London are making out in terms of pax numbers.
I hope that EXT can make a go of things on the scheduled front. My brother-in-law certainly does as he has recently moved to Devon.
Yes, it was me who mentioned the Go Fly route to IBZ from BRS. It didn't go that well - but I believe that Ibiza is not as popular as it once was amongst the young - that was the story put out at the time anyway, and from memory loco flights to IBZ from some other UK airports were dropped around that time.
As to EXT flights to the capital, many people have a theory that Exeter is just too close to London to be successful on flights to the capital, whereas Plymouth is that little bit further away.
Air Wales has recently started Swansea-Cardiff-London City. Now CWL is about the same distance from London as Exeter but South Wales has a bigger catchment than Devon. Having said this I don't know how the Air Wales flights from the Principality to London are making out in terms of pax numbers.
I hope that EXT can make a go of things on the scheduled front. My brother-in-law certainly does as he has recently moved to Devon.
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It's hard to see an Exeter to London service working for long, in my view, given that the road connections to the east are now not too bad and the train, while dire in some ways, makes up in other ways for not having the hassle of getting into London from whatever airport you arrive at. As for the business of the catchment area, you'd have thought enough people from Exeter and Devon/west Somerset as a whole would want to go to "London", but the problem is that a flight has to land in one of, shall we say, five airports, and who ever benefits from an airport to the north will not benefit from an airport to the south, or west versus east, and so on. So an individual service to any airport is not viable as much as anything because of the London area's fragmented airports. Nor are there unlikely to be many interlining possibilities onto other flights for the same reason. You might almost expect more success on a flight to Amsterdam or Frankfurt, where there is only one airport to go to, where connections with the city centres are better and above all where interlining possibilities are better because more services and airlines and concentrated at one airport. Maybe VLM could make it work.....
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flybe are bull-****ting for flogging but can't see any Dev. dev. (Exeter excreta) working out for obvious reasons such as:
-Market not large enough and, in any case, many are seniors or sheep-shaggers who won't want to leave home.
-Much of potential market likely to favour nearer airport or better/cheaper services....BRS SOU etc.
-London and Midlands are about 150 mins away by alternatives
-East Devon is not the same as South Wales, which has a much bigger market and a toll bridge and tunnels to travel to London.
On another fantasy: 'Exeter suffered for too long with bad links to M5 ( now much improved) but no railway station nearby'- sorry but, for over 100 years, Exeter has had 2 stations- both with London (Paddington and Waterloo) services.
-Market not large enough and, in any case, many are seniors or sheep-shaggers who won't want to leave home.
-Much of potential market likely to favour nearer airport or better/cheaper services....BRS SOU etc.
-London and Midlands are about 150 mins away by alternatives
-East Devon is not the same as South Wales, which has a much bigger market and a toll bridge and tunnels to travel to London.
On another fantasy: 'Exeter suffered for too long with bad links to M5 ( now much improved) but no railway station nearby'- sorry but, for over 100 years, Exeter has had 2 stations- both with London (Paddington and Waterloo) services.