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Post by ametyst on Oct 31, 2016 14:09:20 GMT 1
Southport to Liverpool Airport in 30 minutes?, good luck with that one!
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Post by LPL on Oct 31, 2016 14:51:59 GMT 1
Southport to Liverpool Airport in 30 minutes?, good luck with that one! Was thinking more Formby but the same criteria would apply for getting to MAN obviously.
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Post by LPL on Oct 31, 2016 15:01:05 GMT 1
Besides that these businessmen would surely use the Northern Line to LSP and jump a taxi on his expenses.
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Post by kuga59 on Oct 31, 2016 15:04:45 GMT 1
I have long argued for the provision of air bridges and better departure facilities. Yes they will give the more discerning passengers the facilities they see at other airports and now expect. If they are paying full service prices, they expect full service not only from the airline but also the airport. Upgrade just a couple of the gates and see if they make a difference and attract full service airlines. From reports that I have read on the site from contributors Aer Lingus loads on the route are not that bad but with Ryanair selling return tickets for £10 (as many of members can testify on their spotting trips to Dublin) are just impossible to compete against. As IAG are run by accountants and not airline people if a route doesn't make the targeted return it's scrapped, without hesitation. Using Dublin as a transit point for the US is a great saving of time. Wherever you clear immigration in the US there are long queues which can take well over an hour. My last trip to JFK took nearly 2hrs. I've not used Dublin but have used Toronto, small queue and much more pleasant service. It will be missed. However another reason which has been mentioned before is the announcement last week of Stobart/Citijet expanding services from Southend, quite substantially. So where do the aircraft come from? Citijet are still expanding from London City and have ordered more aircraft to cover this expansion. Stobart own Southend Airport so they are going to support it. So they could have cancelled/amended their agreement with Aer Lingus so those aircraft can be used elsewhere, hence the cancellation of routes, as Aer Lingus is short of aircraft. And then there is the same problem with Veuling competing against Ryanair and Easyjet. OK there is a big number of passengers using the route (over 200,000) but what was their yield? They were never truly "low cost", they offered connectivity, which you paid for. Would have been a much better option to have operated a route without competition e.g. Serville. Again an IAG airline. CSA to Prague seem to have been bullied off the route by Ryanair. They seem to have proved demand and now the opposition have jumped in. We will see if/when they reduce the frequency & increase the price? As for Flybe who knows how they work. Policies might change now that a new CEO is in place. They need something like ATR 42's or something smaller to establish new routes or to provide additional frequencies, not the larger Dash 8's or ATR 72's on domestic routes. More importantly they need to operate the flights they advertise and on mainly business routes offer at least 2 flights a day. Many of their flights from the south of England pass close to LPL on their way to Scotland. I cannot believe they are full, so why not route them via LPL? It might allow for better frequencies from the original departure point. Passengers need to be able to trust them. We will have to see what happens in the future. One step forward, another back. I think we are stuck with the "Big Two" Lo-Co's who have the strength to do almost as they like to others. Good luck therefore to Blue Air when they start up next year with their based aircraft. It might be harder to pick off a group of routes than just one?
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Post by ametyst on Oct 31, 2016 15:05:06 GMT 1
Businessmen tend not to use public transport, and it is fairly useless if your flight departs before 8:30am, or arrives after 10:30pm. Also, taxis do not wait around at LSP.
Flybe already have a hub at Manchester allowing south coast to Scotland and Northern Ireland so why would they increase costs and set up a similar operation at Liverpool?
Passengers first thoughts are not air bridges but price. Probably even more so after the Brexit vote. Ryanair, easyJet, Flybe and Aer Lingus do not use air bridges at Manchester or Birmingham.
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Post by vanguard on Oct 31, 2016 16:30:23 GMT 1
Personally I think a few air bridges would be worthwhile, in a perception thing, it would put Liverpool Airport on a level with others, and Easyjet use them anyway. I don't know about Wizz or Blue Air, they may, I know FR don't. However before air bridges, the gates need improving, The Easyjet ones are passable, Ryanair ones are frankly awful. They could just connect the terminal as it is now up with the airbridges, would be many, and see where that gets us. I agree with both of the above comments,maybe stands 1,2 and 3 on the main then 51,52 and 53 on Tango, i preshume our two big carriers use them at other airports (at a charge) then LJLA just reduces that charge to the airlines that want to use them,who knows it may happen one day. Vanguard.
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Post by ametyst on Oct 31, 2016 16:45:05 GMT 1
No airport would reduce the charges for the use of air bridges. They will want a return on their investment. Air bridges do not come cheap and they make turn round times longer. There is no business case for air bridges at Liverpool.
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Post by kuga59 on Oct 31, 2016 17:30:53 GMT 1
Businessmen tend not to use public transport, and it is fairly useless if your flight departs before 8:30am, or arrives after 10:30pm. Also, taxis do not wait around at LSP. Flybe already have a hub at Manchester allowing south coast to Scotland and Northern Ireland so why would they increase costs and set up a similar operation at Liverpool? Passengers first thoughts are not air bridges but price. Probably even more so after the Brexit vote. Ryanair, easyJet, Flybe and Aer Lingus do not use air bridges at Manchester or Birmingham. Hi Ametyst I am sorry but I have to take issue on some of your comments. "Businessmen don't use public transport?" Is this why the trains are empty! And what is flying if it's not public transport. "Flight departures before 8.30am", well yes maybe 20 years ago. Have you not watched the apprentice and the start times they have? To travel away from the office is precious time, you need to make the most of it. I used to fly up to Scotland regularly, my bosses would have gone mad if I didn't get the flight just after 7am to get to the office up their for 9am. Although I would agree with you on the arrival time back, if not a little earlier. I am not suggesting a new hub for Flybe. Their Southampton - Glasgow, - Edinburgh& Aberdeen flights, which are direct, nearly always pass over LPL. A few years back LPL had a route to Southampton and thinking about it one to Aberdeen, which was pulled on the re organisation of Eastern. Linking LPL to SOU & EDI seems logical if the capacity was available. LPL to EDI seems to be averaging around 30/40 passengers a day. It could make the route more profitable for Flybe without too many additional costs. About Air Bridges I do not think that the airlines you mention would change. After all the ATR's used by Stobart can't use them. No I'm thinking of the Business Traveler connecting at a hub somewhere who expects the facilities of a modern well equipped airport and similarly of a well organised and equipped airline. Not queuing up in a portacabin to get wet as they walk and line up to board the aircraft. The likes of Thomson always use air bridges if available. Yes Brexit will alter costs, we can see this already with the weakness in the pound, but this will effect leisure travelers before business travelers, after all is this one of the reasons for Brexit, to get more foreign business, the later get their companies to pay fares and some even work on the plane. Not easy on a typical Ryanair/Easyjet flight. I think the airport is calling itself "a Boutique Airport". My expectation of this is that of a modern,rather trendy place, which is different from its competitors, which gives you an unexpected pleasurable experience. It's still a long way off but it is trying.
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Post by ametyst on Oct 31, 2016 18:25:29 GMT 1
OK, businessmen do not tend to take public transport to catch a flight.
What I meant is that you cannot get to Liverpool Airport by public transport for the early morning wave of flights. The 86A serves a narrow area of Merseyside.
And dream on if you think Liverpool will get hub connections again or air bridges. Although, as I have said in an earlier post the portakabins need to go and be replaced with a more permanent structure. That has to be the priority. The metal gate holding areas need to be refurbished and made more welcoming with nicer stairs and heating.
Many airlines fly over Liverpool to fly to their destination, perhaps they should all touch down at Liverpool. Flybe will not drop down in Liverpool whilst they have the hub in Manchester it makes no sense commercially.
I think this beginning to sound like thread drift and perhaps this should be moved to the terminal developments section. We did not lose Aer Lingus because we had no air bridges. The airline does not use air bridges at Manchester and the Terminal 1 pier is no better than our portakabins!
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Post by bluefox on Oct 31, 2016 18:39:30 GMT 1
I think thread drift started a while back.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2016 22:40:51 GMT 1
They could just connect the terminal as it is now up with the airbridges, would be many, and see where that gets us. I agree with both of the above comments,maybe stands 1,2 and 3 on the main then 51,52 and 53 on Tango, i preshume our two big carriers use them at other airports (at a charge) then LJLA just reduces that charge to the airlines that want to use them,who knows it may happen one day. Vanguard. Yes at the right price I'm sure air bridges would be used. I know Easyjet use them at Faro, Amsterdam and Barcelona. Essentially if Liverpool had at least some air bridges, it would be a marketable asset which some airlines would use.
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Post by maverick on Nov 1, 2016 0:35:09 GMT 1
I agree with both of the above comments,maybe stands 1,2 and 3 on the main then 51,52 and 53 on Tango, i preshume our two big carriers use them at other airports (at a charge) then LJLA just reduces that charge to the airlines that want to use them,who knows it may happen one day. Vanguard. Yes at the right price I'm sure air bridges would be used. I know Easyjet use them at Faro, Amsterdam and Barcelona. Essentially if Liverpool had at least some air bridges, it would be a marketable asset which some airlines would use. Putting airbridges at Liverpool I think, would be like putting lipstick on a pig. Just saying..
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Post by ametyst on Nov 1, 2016 0:56:31 GMT 1
You are so right Maverick
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Post by bluefox on Nov 1, 2016 0:59:02 GMT 1
So, err, does someone regard some part of Liverpool Airport as a pig?
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Post by ametyst on Nov 1, 2016 1:00:23 GMT 1
Incidentally, easyJet rarely use air bridges at Amsterdam. Most of their flights operate from the H gates which have no air bridges. Occasionally, when the H gates are full they will use the G gates and this entails the use of air bridges.
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