Waterford Airport.

Max Powers

katydid wrote: »

Expensive

Probably about a tenner to 90% of Waterford City, you can drive there yourself, a friend can drop you from anywhere in the SE in little time.
You said it yourself, not enough people using it to justify bus service as people will always prefer to drive, use taxis etc. Out of all the times i have gone to Dublin airport, Shannon or Cork id say i used buses about 10% of the time.

b757

Figures for June are in..

58% on LTN. 2883 Pax
50% on BHX. 856 Pax

Squidvicious

b757 wrote: »

Figures for June are in..

58% on LTN. 2883 Pax
50% on BHX. 856 Pax

Are those good enough to make it viable and profitable?

JCX BXC

Squidvicious wrote: »

Are those good enough to make it viable and profitable?

I'd say they are just short of breaking even, once the routes get a little more awareness the LF's will climb and become viable and profitable.

nkay1985

I'm hoping they stick around until the end of September anyway as I'm booked to fly over for the rugby works cup. Looking forward to trying it out. Think it was about €125 return. Ryanair from Dublin would have been €49. Factor in parking, petrol and time, never mind a checked bag, and I think that's more than competitive.

questionmark?

Load factors are going in the right direction. To be fair though, when flights are launched its usually months in advance with lots of advertising. These routes were launched last minute with an airline hardly anyone ever heard of from an airport that people often forget is an option. 58% LF will increase over the next few months and within a year I would not be surprised to see that figure somewhere between 80%-90%. The service is top notch, 23Kg of luggage with some nibbles and drinks included in the ticket price, add in the easy boarding with the small size of the plane as well as avoiding the trip to the far side of Dublin it will lead to repeat customers and loyalty. Its positive news for waterford and the south east which is often in short supply.

Dum_Dum

Are they still extending the runway as per the original proposal or doing it properly (for Ryanair et al) or not at all?

Jamie2k9

VLM recruiting Cabin Crew at WAT

http://waterfordairport.ie/images/VLM%20Cabin%20Crew%20F50%20WAT%20recruitment_300715.pdf

I was under the impression it was crewed from Belgium, anybody confirm and if so this is a very positive move.

JCX BXC

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

VLM recruiting Cabin Crew at WAT

http://waterfordairport.ie/images/VLM%20Cabin%20Crew%20F50%20WAT%20recruitment_300715.pdf

I was under the impression it was crewed from Belgium, anybody confirm and if so this is a very positive move.

Operating from :Waterford Airport-UK.

Fairly bad that they don't even know what country they are operating out of.

katydid

Carnacalla wrote: »

Operating from :Waterford Airport-UK.

Fairly bad that they don't even know what country they are operating out of.

I presume it means out of Waterford airport AND the UK. I hope so.

Jamie2k9

I think it means operating form Waterford to the UK

questionmark?

b757 wrote: »

Figures for June are in..

58% on LTN. 2883 Pax
50% on BHX. 856 Pax

Do you have the figures for July? Hope it's going up a bit more.

b757

questionmark? wrote: »

Do you have the figures for July? Hope it's going up a bit more.

New figures will be out in about a week and a half. Will post them when published.

Sully

From speaking with people who have been using the service recently including a flight this week it's consistently half full.

Wanderer78

Sully wrote: »

From speaking with people who have been using the service recently including a flight this week it's consistently half full.

that viable?

questionmark?

b757 wrote: »

New figures will be out in about a week and a half. Will post them when published.

That's great thanks. We're do you find the waterford info?

O Riain

Surely, with the premier league season back up and running now, load factors will only increase?

Maybe didn't affect the early flights they put on as people would already have made travel arrangements but you'd surely get a few heads booking onto flights to head over from now.

questionmark?

O Riain wrote: »

Surely, with the premier league season back up and running now, load factors will only increase?

Maybe didn't affect the early flights they put on as people would already have made travel arrangements but you'd surely get a few heads booking onto flights to head over from now.

You would hope so but I think this service is aimed at business travellers and weekly commuters as such. Casual travellers look at the headline price of the flight and often fail to factor in other costs of say travelling up to and through Dublin. A quick search shows 3.5million passenger journeys between just Dublin and London alone in 2013 so even grabbing a tiny tiny slice of that market would make this route a success not taken into account people from Cork and Tipp who may normally use Cork or Shannon. I've only got to use the service once so far and it was a pleasure.

Wanderer78

O Riain wrote: »

Surely, with the premier league season back up and running now, load factors will only increase?

Maybe didn't affect the early flights they put on as people would already have made travel arrangements but you'd surely get a few heads booking onto flights to head over from now.

i know plenty of lads that would have headed over for the games but i think those numbers have dropped a bit due to funding. im sure some will avail of these flights though.

Jamie2k9

questionmark? wrote: »

That's great thanks. We're do you find the waterford info?

July stats are:
LTN - 63.3%
BHX - 56.7%

hardybuck

You'd hope that there would be a pick up in British visitors with the current strength of sterling.

questionmark?

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

July stats are:
LTN - 63.3%
BHX - 56.7%

Steady growth in load factors over the last three months. They must be pleased with how it's going.

Dum_Dum

Why is the cheapest fare return to Luton (for a Tuesday to a Tuesday in November, I should add) EUR 193.03?

Is this service only for NAMA megadebtors / the connected?

Anyway, the runway extension must be nearly complete now, RIGHT?

JCX BXC

The promo fares seem to be gone...

Wanderer2010

I really like the fact that on a short flight to London you get a drink, option of a snack or sandwich and even chocolate, plus is all FREE. Unlike Aer Lingus, who charge for practically every flight longer than an hour within Europe, they wouldnt even throw in a cup of coffee if you are going to London. Of all the airlines I have travelled, Aer Lingus are the meanest in that regard.

Wanderer2010

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

I really like the fact that on a short flight to London you get a drink, option of a snack or sandwich and even chocolate, plus is all FREE. Unlike Aer Lingus, who charge for practically every flight longer than an hour within Europe, they wouldnt even throw in a cup of coffee if you are going to London. Of all the airlines I have travelled, Aer Lingus are the meanest in that regard.

Nothing is ever free :P Id say the cost of the coffee and snack is factored into the price of the ticket. Air Lingus would also be nearly half the price of that ticket, so you could easily afford a 4 euro tayto sandwhich on top of that

TheQuietFella

Wanderer78 wrote: »

i know plenty of lads that would have headed over for the games but i think those numbers have dropped a bit due to funding. im sure some will avail of these flights though.

Just flying to Luton & Birmingham at the moment and with the cost

of sterling it doesn't make it one of the most attractive options.

dzilla

Dum_Dum wrote: »

Why is the cheapest fare return to Luton (for a Tuesday to a Tuesday in November, I should add) EUR 193.03?

Is this service only for NAMA megadebtors / the connected?

Anyway, the runway extension must be nearly complete now, RIGHT?

No and no

questionmark?

Dum_Dum wrote: »

Why is the cheapest fare return to Luton (for a Tuesday to a Tuesday in November, I should add) EUR 193.03?

Is this service only for NAMA megadebtors / the connected?

Anyway, the runway extension must be nearly complete now, RIGHT?

In the interest of fairness I checked Ryanair from Dublin to Luton on a Tuesday to Tuesday trip in November comparing like for like as much as possible i.e. driving like you would to Waterford, bags, snacks etc... It would be cheaper by bus if travelling alone than driving.
Cost of flights €42 , 20KG bags €40 , M50 tolls€5:20 , fuel €30ish, parking booked in advance€35, drink and snack on board €10ish. Not a huge saving in price compared to what you were quoted with VLM. Factor in the time differance, quick boarding and you can see how the route is getting used.

spikadelica

Flights for 1 are priced at €39.98 return, allow for fuel and parking would still cost less than €100. Snacks etc are surely an option and should not be built into comparative pricing, this is going out Tues 10 and returning following Tuesday. I agree driving to Dublin is hassle but motorway makes this so much easier, bus fares are fairly cheap also with 3 providers from Waterford so that is also cheaper option from driving and parking.