Bristol and easyJet

[MerchantVenturer]

Is Bristol now a completely 737-700 easyJet base? I have just checked the ‘live’ BRS eastern apron website and the seven overnighting easyJet a/c parked there are all 700s. For anyone interested they are: G-EZJF, EZJT, EZJU, EZJZ, EZKB, EZKF and EZKG.

There was a press conference and celebrations today at BRS to mark the launch of four new easy routes from BRS – to BUD, CIA, MAD and VLC.

On their website easyJet say they have carried 2.15 million pax through BRS in the last twelve months which accounts for over 9% of the airline’s capacity. easyJet believes there is ‘great potential for further growth’, citing the fact that 41% of the passengers travelling in the last year were first time users and easyJet expects to build on its repeat traffic as well as grow the market for new travellers.

They currently have twenty routes out of BRS.

[JT8]

Yes indeed. BRS now all B737-700. 7th aircraft added for the winter season.

[Localiser Green]

As JT8 said, all NGs based at BRS now. Non-based aircraft operating NCL and BFS flights also all NGs as they in turn are NG bases, just the Berlin flight is the A319.

The odd 733 might sub now and again.

[a bristolian]

Not bad for the biggest Easyjet base outside London - is it!

[CaptJ]

Interesting that Bristol was a GO base, whose success took them by surprise even. Gatwick has been a great sucess for easyJet too.

Common theme? Ed Winter, easyJet's present COO came from GO and was BA's Head of Engineering(Operations?) at GATWICK.

I think he's made his mark on easyJet and for the better too.

Three cheers for Ed!:)

[MerchantVenturer]

CaptJ

When Go made BRS their second base in the spring of 2001 such things were a novelty in English provincial airports. I believe LPL with easyJet was the only other provincial field to have a low cost carrier based at that time.

Go at BRS turned out to be even more of a success than the Barbara Cassani team anticipated. BRS's relatively early start in the low cost game gave them a firm base upon which to build.

However, when easyJet took over Go there was speculation locally whether easy would continue to operate out of BRS. Furthermore, some wondered whether BRS's high proportion of ABC 1s would take to the more proletarian service of easyJet, having got used to the more 'upmarket' low cost image of Go.

It seems that both concerns were needless.

Even with low cost rivals at nearby CWL, EXT and SOU competing on some of easyJet's routes to the sun out of BRS the loads from Lulsgate have not been affected adversely. Indeed, most months CAA stats show year on year increases in these loads that were high to begin with.

Now, we locals can only dream of what the success would have been like had Bristol's airport been at Filton and not Lulsgate. That will never happen now so we must applaud and be very thankful that Lulsgate, with all its physical and weather disadvantages, seems to be coping so magnificently. Much praise is due to the airport management and all the staff of the airport, airlines and contractors.

My only connection is as a regular fare-paying passenger.

[CaptJ]

MV,

ah yes I still recall that (all too frequent) sinking feeling as we approached BRS in the dreadful Jersey Eurpoean's venerable Fokkers, only to divert to Birmingham, or Exeter or FILTON.
For that pleasure we paid a kings ransom too.

[ATCO1987]

Hi People,
Anyone know if it'll be a B737, B733 or A319 operating the new LSGG/GVA flight?
Thanks.
Dan.

[MerchantVenturer]

Do you mean EGGD (BRS) to GVA?

If so, it will be a 737 NG (700 series) as it will be operated by a BRS-based a/c and the base is now all 700s (seven of them).

It starts mid December and will replace the CPH rotation at that time.

[Tom the Tenor]

Anyone care to guess if easyjet could ever be coaxed to take an interest in Bristol-Cork on say three to four days a week. The short flight might work in such a way to connect up with some of EZY's European flights and such like. I am sure EZY prices would be very competitive with Aer Arann fares. Aer Arann have handled ORK-BRS poorly in my opinion.

Dan Air used to do well with a venerable Vickers Viscount in the 1980s - admittedly that was via CWL.

Soon, I must make a visit to Bristol to see how things are done - it is a great success story.

[ATCO1987]

MV,
Yes I did mean EGGD-LSGG. Are you sure its Bristol based? Because I think it goes EZY6154 LSGG-EGGD then EZY6155 EGGD-LSGG. That would mean its Geneva based surely?
Dan.

[willywick]

Definately a BRS based. Were it a GVA based it would be a 9** flight number.

[MerchantVenturer]

According to the easyJet timetable the BRS-GVA service starts on 15 December.

The timings shown are leave BRS 1030, arrive GVA 1320 on EZY 6155.

The return flight is EZY 6156 and leaves GVA 1350 and arrives BRS 1515. All times are local times.

This would indiacte to me that the aircraft goes out from BRS has a 30 minute turn-round at GVA before returning to BRS.

At present the CPH rotation, which is definitely operated by a BRS-based a/c and which runs until 14 December, leaves BRS at 1030 and returns at 1515, so the logical assumption is that the aircraft position currently used for CPH will switch to GVA.

All the above times are Mon-Fri, the Sat and Sun timings are different but these flights also go out from BRS and have a short turn-round at GVA before returning.

willywick has now confirmed it with the flight numbers which I confess to not realising the signifance.

[ATCO1987]

Hi There.
Thanks for the info. I see LEBB/BIO has been withdrawn from the EGGD/BRS timetable, thats news to me, anyone know the reason?
Dan.

[Standard Noise]

Lord help us, why can't we have a fleet which can fly normal approach speeds rather than the 73tortoise?

[MerchantVenturer]

ATCO

easyJet only flew to Bilbao from Gatwick, Stansted and Bristol. They withdrew the LGW and BRS routes at the end of the summer timetable, presumably on commercial grounds.

BIO was thought a strange choice from BRS by many but it became surprisingly popular when, according to CAA figures, it reached a zenith of popularity in August this year, when an average daily load of 132 pax was carried (a fraction under 90% of capacity). Even in September the loads averaged 118 (80%).

Despite this the easy management presumably deemed that better pickings are available elsewhere.

easy are dropping CPH from BRS and NCL because of a charge by the Danish government for each passenger. Again the loads from BRS were extremely healthy.

AMS has been reduced from two to one daily rotation out of BRS, once again because of what easy considers to be unreasonable charges, this time the airport authorities at Schipol are in their firing line. Once again the loads were impressive, even in competition with KLM Cityhopper. I note that since easy reduced their rotations Cityhopper now field a F 100 instead of a 70 on the mid morning rotation.

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Standard Noise - we can do 180 to 6 and 160 to 4 if you ask us to, our pleasure.

Cheers

WWW

[Standard Noise]

WWW - You might have to to keep up with southwest's speedy dashers! I've seen a dash do 170+ to 4D, I don't suppose you fancy trying it?

"Ezy6666, too slow, now number 3 behind the dasher and the Sennapod.....";)

[terrier21]

I must admit that I was always under the impresion that the BIO service was introduced as a Summer the way I believe the GVA will be ceased in March/April next year.

Where I think the GVA will be Fairly full all winter with ski and snow worshippers using the service trhrougout the winter The loads will melt in the spring just like the snow and even though Im sure there will be pax using the service I dont think there will be enough for Ezy to keep the service daily. Maybe even operating on alternate days with BIO next year like they are doing with NCE and PMI(i believe may be FAO) this winter.

T21

[MerchantVenturer]

terrier

BIO commenced at BRS on 17 December 2003 and operated daily from that date through the rest of last winter's schedule and until the summer schedule finished at the end of last month.

I use easyJet quite a lot for leisure and find I have kept last winter's scheduled timetable for Bristol Airport and it shows the start of the BIO service as 17 December.

From a personal point of view I am most disappointed at the cessation of CPH. I have used it and would have done again in the future.

[Silvertop]

So "noisy", what speed would you like? I belive that all 737 variants can deliver 160 to 4, which I think is pretty standard, and I don't suppose that the "Dasher" or Sennapod" have "Flydras" fitted as standard!!

cheers Silvertop

[Cruisealtitude]

May be my thoughts but it really looks as if U2/GO have never really gotten routes right. We've seen many routes come and go (and come back), but ultimately the base seems to be doing fine.

So what surprises (new routes) may Ray have for us?

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Rome (now back) Ibiza, Bilbao and Copenhagen are the only routes ever withdrawn by EZY at BRS.

WWW

[GrahamK]

If your going to be pinpoint, CIA and IBZ were dropped by Go

[Standard Noise]

Sorry Silver, you've lost me, wossa "flydra"?

Anyway, answer this if you will, why do 73tortoise drivers slow to 140 at 10 D so often (usually when they are no1 in a sequence), or have I just answered my own question?

Ta Ta old bean:ok:

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Perhaps we are admiring the view. If a specific speed is needed to manage your flow efficiently then speak up and you'll get it.

Cheers

WWW

[Silvertop]

Standard Noise,
Flidras =Quick access flight recorder or "spy in the cab" which "pings" when a parameter is busted

cheers Silvertop