Knock introduces transatlantic flights

Schuhart

Does this mean the stopover is finally gone?

Twenty-one years after it was inaugurated, Ireland West Airport in Knock, Co Mayo, is to introduce its first scheduled transatlantic flights.

The flights will operate to and from Boston and New York. Low-cost UK carrier Flyglobespan will begin operating the flights in May.
There will be three flights a week to New York and two to Boston, originating in Liverpool and Glasgow and routing over Knock.

embraer170

No.
Just they found a way around it for Knock.

strassenwolf

How long before Virgin Atlantic appear as the competition on the route?

I'll get me coat.

Flukey

It is good for the reason. Shannon, defending the stopover, always said how it benefitted the south and west of the country. Flights being allowed into other airports is far better for those regions. This is a good step and if managed properly and grown, it will bring great benefits to the whole region.

FlutterinBantam

Flyglobespan... hmmm operating three times weekly..hmmm
originating in Gla and LPL... hmmm what kind of equipment ..hmmm..one runway at Knock crosswinds...hmmm hmmmm


Joe Duffy is goin to be involved at some stage.... hmmmm


Best of luck to all concerned.

BuffyBot

One suspects that FlyGlobespan musn't be selling all that many tickets on their existing direct LPL and GLA services. Seems like a bit of desperate seat filling on their part. Can't help but wonder if this will last..

Nuttzz

there prices are close to aerlingus prices to jfk, i think it will be popular with people from the north east, assuming its marketed properly

Our man in Havana

But they won't have US border clearance in Knock which would save time on the other end.

jjbrien

Flyglobespan have been flying out of Dublin to Toronto for a long time. I wish them best of luck with thier new service. I got at a ticket last year with them for €110 one way to Toronto and it was a good service.

MICKEYG

Schuhart wrote:

Does this mean the stopover is finally gone?

If they are not forced to stop in Shannon then the Shannon stoppver can be seen clearly to be an anti Dublin measure. I am sure the Cork crew will be up in arms.

wwhyte

Bond-007 wrote:

But they won't have US border clearance in Knock which would save time on the other end.

I find that the border clearance only saves time if you have hand luggage. If you're collecting baggage, border clearance in Ireland just gets you into the baggage hall faster. And the officials in Dublin / Shannon tend to be harsher than the ones Stateside.

Victor

jjbrien wrote:

Flyglobespan have been flying out of Dublin to Toronto for a long time. I wish them best of luck with thier new service. I got at a ticket last year with them for €110 one way to Toronto and it was a good service.

A cheap one-way is useless if you are paying through the nose on the way back.

Victor

http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id=8763&lang=ENG&loc=2126

Cullen - proposed new air services linking Ireland West Airport Knock with the US
29 January 2007

Monday 29 January 2007: The Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen T.D. has approved, in principle, the granting of traffic rights for new air services linking Ireland West Airport Knock with the US and the UK. The new services will be operated by UK carrier Flyglobespan, and the routes in question are Liverpool to New York via Knock and Glasgow to Boston via Knock.

The Minister understands that the services are scheduled to commence in May 2007, subject to the finalisation of security arrangements at Ireland West Airport Knock. Authorisation is to be granted to the airline for an initial period of 12 months. This position will be reviewed in light of future progress towards a wider EU Open Skies agreement with the United States.

Commenting on the proposed new services, Minister Cullen said: "The Government's air services strategy promotes competitiveness, flexibility, consumer choice and diversity of product to satisfy different consumer needs. I am very pleased that Flyglobespan will be bringing new competition into the market place and introducing choice for the Irish passenger. It is a positive development that residents in the west of Ireland will be able to fly to New York and Boston from County Mayo. This presents a great opportunity to grow tourism and exploit business opportunities for the benefit of the BMW region."

The services are the first transatlantic scheduled services to be operated out of Ireland West Airport Knock.

"The Government's continued support of our regional airports plays an important role in promoting more balanced regional development and the commencement of transatlantic services at Knock would underline the value of that strategy," the Minister said.

Schuhart

MICKEYG wrote:

I am sure the Cork crew will be up in arms.

I'd say they'd be right to be. It is another example of the screwy approach to regional development policy that ditches the stopover for Charlestown Airport, but keeps it for a regional city that actually has an amount of the wherewithal including scale that makes it a candidate to be a genuine alternative to more growth in Dublin.

Flukey

There should be direct flights from the US to Knock, Cork and even Farranfore if they want them!

penexpers

So, who would use Flyglobespan now?

Our man in Havana

Mad mayo people, who don't want to travel to Dublin or Shannon?

FlutterinBantam

FlutterinBantam wrote:

Flyglobespan... hmmm operating three times weekly..hmmm
originating in Gla and LPL... hmmm what kind of equipment ..hmmm..one runway at Knock crosswinds...hmmm hmmmm


Joe Duffy is goin to be involved at some stage.... hmmmm


Best of luck to all concerned.

Don't say I didn't warn yez!!!!!

Neworder79

This isn't Ireland West Airports fault, they are bending over backwards to help the passengers with food/accommodation and staff working overtime, which the airline should be doing.

Fair play to them for getting a scheduled US service up and running pre open skies, and proving the demand was there. I heard good reports from a several people who flew the route, fares were lower than Aerlingus and the airport said loads were around 90% for the summer. Flyglobespan are the weak link here, lot of problems all summer on all their routes, this will put a lot of people off trying them.

Iompair

I have a friend down there at the moment, its definitely crossed globespan off my list for possible airlines.

penexpers

Neworder79 wrote:

This isn't Ireland West Airports fault, they are bending over backwards to help the passengers with food/accommodation and staff working overtime, which the airline should be doing.

Fair play to them for getting a scheduled US service up and running pre open skies, and proving the demand was there. I heard good reports from a several people who flew the route, fares were lower than Aerlingus and the airport said loads were around 90% for the summer. Flyglobespan are the weak link here, lot of problems all summer on all their routes, this will put a lot of people off trying them.

I don't think anyone is saying that this is the airport's fault, but yeah FGS are the weakest link here.

I fail to belive for a single second that load factors were 90% for the summer, I have heard of flights being re-routed via Knock (on Liverpool-JFK router) to pick up passengers because the Liverpool-JFK flight was only 50% full.

More information here : http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/flygspan.htm

Victor

Review thread: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055103656

Schuhart

Neworder79 wrote:

Fair play to them for getting a scheduled US service up and running pre open skies .... fares were lower than Aerlingus .... Flyglobespan are the weak link here, lot of problems all summer on all their routes, this will put a lot of people off trying them.

Does it not also reflect that a tiny airport like Knock, remote from any significant town, is only likely to attract budget carriers. Hence, you get something cheap and cheerful - or, in this case, seemingly cheap and not so cheerful.

I take it that Cork or Shannon, if they really put their minds to it, could attract a similar service to this. But is it worth it if the service turns out to be unreliable?

JCX BXC

Sorry to dig an old thread, but what aircraft did they use?

BuffyBot

Zombie thread. You might want to discuss it in the Aviation and Aircraft forum