Another major blow for Waterford! Aer Lingus to stop flights to UK from Jan 2013!

Psychedelic

CardBordWindow wrote: »

Are they not doing that at the moment??

No, and this is one thing the Government actually has the power to do, if they provided the funding for the runway extension. It would create jobs in construction phase, and attract new airlines & routes which would in turn create and support new jobs.

Dum_Dum

Aer Lingus Regional turn out to be not very regional.

wellboytoo

Dum_Dum wrote: »

Aer Lingus Regional turn out to be not very regional.

In fairness to Aer Lingus this is an Aer Aran decision which is controlled by a bunch of truckers .whose only interest is getting Southend airport numbers up.the southeast have voted with their feet and resisted going to Southend in numbers that went to Luton.

dukedalton

RobitTV wrote: »

I Honestly cannot believe this has happened im quite upset and disappointed to be honest.

Aer lingus as usual thinking of themselves, they couldn't come up with other plans obviously.

Aer lingus have let the Region down and im annoyed they couldn't of bothered to come up with any ideas on how to attract more customers and business.

Aer lingus at the end of the day its your fault! - Prices that would make your eyes fall out for a start, No wonder less and less started flying with you from Waterford.

I have to laugh at posts like this.

Aer Lingus is a private company. It exists to make money. They're not flying out of the goodness of their heart. Clearly, it wasn't making money on this service, so it pulled it. I'm sure if they flew loss-making routes and ended up bankrupt they would get very little sympathy from anyone.

I disagree with your assertion that "it couldn't be bothered to come up with any ideas on how to attract customers and business"- that is it's business. There clearly isn't a market for its service.

I sympathize with people affected by the loss of the service, but you can't blame the company for pulling a loss-making service.

wellboytoo

dukedalton wrote: »

I have to laugh at posts like this.

Aer Lingus is a private company. It exists to make money. They're not flying out of the goodness of their heart. Clearly, it wasn't making money on this service, so it pulled it. I'm sure if they flew loss-making routes and ended up bankrupt they would get very little sympathy from anyone.

I disagree with your assertion that "it couldn't be bothered to come up with any ideas on how to attract customers and business"- that is it's business. There clearly isn't a market for its service.

I sympathize with people affected by the loss of the service, but you can't blame the company for pulling a loss-making service.

One more time it was loss making cos Aer Aran fcucked it up.they tried to send people where they did not want to go

Jamie2k9

The routes were doing well its just RE have sold the aircraft no dought to pay for there 6 new ATR72-600 which will be based at ORK and DUB. This had nothing to do with Aer Lingus so stop going out about them. This was always coming since they moved the route proftiable route to SEN.

The Wateford Dublin rail line will be next.

Off topic but there will be major inprovments to services to Dublin by late Jan, a slight reduction on off peak servicess but nothing major. Expect anything up 15 minutes dropped of the current journeys.

RobitTV

dukedalton wrote: »

I have to laugh at posts like this.

Aer Lingus is a private company. It exists to make money. They're not flying out of the goodness of their heart. Clearly, it wasn't making money on this service, so it pulled it. I'm sure if they flew loss-making routes and ended up bankrupt they would get very little sympathy from anyone.

I disagree with your assertion that "it couldn't be bothered to come up with any ideas on how to attract customers and business"- that is it's business. There clearly isn't a market for its service.

I sympathize with people affected by the loss of the service, but you can't blame the company for pulling a loss-making service.

Well maybe if Aer arann didn't mess it up none of this would of happened in the first place and then Aer lingus came along and didn't make the situation improve.

The Routes they had were non-profitable since the start, I mean what's the point of Southend it was clear it wasn't as profitable compared to Luton, Luton was the money maker here, they made a bad choice cutting the Luton route.

Yes it's a business but who going to fly with them with the prices they had to offer?

Jamie2k9

Aer lingus came along and didn't make the situation improve

Aer Lingus increased passengers on all 3 routes this summer compared to summer 2011.

dukedalton

RobitTV wrote: »

Yes it's a business but who going to fly with them with the prices they had to offer?

9.5 million did in 2011

I'm not being facetious about this, but the airlines have actuarial minds greater than myself and
and I daresay anyone else on here. I find it hard to believe they would walk away (and no other airline take up the route) if there was a way to run it profitably.

RobitTV

dukedalton wrote: »

9.5 million did in 2011

Yes but Aer lingus regional for some reason don't seem to be cheap and that is reflected in the 23% drop in passengers at Waterford in 2011

Look at the prices from Waterford and compare with Ryanair from cork or Dublin, many people wouldn't pay The prices at aer lingus regional.

RobitTV

dukedalton wrote: »

9.5 million did in 2011

I'm not being facetious about this, but the airlines have actuarial minds greater than myself and
and I daresay anyone else on here. I find it hard to believe they would walk away (and no other airline take up the route) if there was a way to run it profitably.

I just hope Flybe may help out and fly to London again Atleast

dukedalton

RobitTV wrote: »

Yes but Aer lingus regional for some reason don't seem to be cheap and that is reflected in the 23% drop in passengers at Waterford in 2011

Look at the prices from Waterford and compare with Ryanair from cork or Dublin, many people wouldn't pay The prices at aer lingus regional.

Well none of us here can definitively give the reasons for that, but I'd guess it's that the demand was weak. Surely if there was a profit to be made Ryanair would be showing some interest?

RobitTV

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Aer Lingus increased passengers on all 3 routes this summer compared to summer 2011.

Well in 2011 there was a significant drop of 23% in passenger numbers, which is quite disappointing.

RobitTV

dukedalton wrote: »

Well none of us here can definitively give the reasons for that, but I'd guess it's that the demand was weak. Surely if there was a profit to be made Ryanair would be showing some interest?

Ryanair would Never come here at the moment, Michael o Leary himself said he hates regional airports and wants them gone.

Also the other reason is Ryanair don't have the correct aircraft to land at Waterford, 737's cannot land at Waterford in the current runaway length.

washman3

We often get Martin Cullen apologists on the Waterford forum. Maybe they can give him a ring at his mansion in sunny Florida and see if he can get it fixhed.:D

RobitTV

washman3 wrote: »

We often get Martin Cullen apologists on the Waterford forum. Maybe they can give him a ring at his mansion in sunny Florida and see if he can get it fixhed.:D

Oh yeah he's the man for the job, our hero.

Jamie2k9

Well in 2011 there was a significant drop of 23% in passenger numbers, which is quite disappointing.

I know that but if you look at the UK CAA stats you will see Aer Lingus have increases monthly passengers over 2011 levels since they started.

SweetCaliber

I thought Aer Lingus were doing good business at Waterford Airport.

However, such a shame, another business closes down.

Perhaps if the government copped on and funded the Airport maybe just maybe it could be rebuilt.

Such a disgrace. I'm sure those who frequently fly from Waterford will miss it. I'll sure miss the planes flying over my house

RobitTV

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

I know that but if you look at the UK CAA stats you will see Aer Lingus have increases monthly passengers over 2011 levels since they started.

Well if that's the case then Aer lingus have a lot of explaining to do, if numbers were increasing then what was their reason for pulling out completely?

With the prices they were charging surely it would of been next to impossible not to make some money.

Jamie2k9

Well if that's the case then Aer lingus have a lot of explaining to do, if numbers were increasing then what was their reason for pulling out completely?

This has nothing to do with Aer Lingus. This is Aer Aranns decision, Aer Lingus only receive a small fee for every seat sold and Aer Arann gets the rest. The routes were proforming well its Aer Arann have sold the aircraft based there and I think one other aircraft. Aer Lingus have very little say in operations its all Aer Arann. Aer Aranns press relase is full of excuses and you could ask any RE employee and they will say its nothing to do with the bad proforming routes. As I said 6 new aircraft have to be paied for.

Rumour has it that EI suggested to RE to return the 2 daily LTN and drop SEN to 3/4 weekly.

Aer Lingus only sell tickets and not much else.

One thing I would say if this happened in the west TD would be up in arms about it but down here nobody cares.

wellboytoo

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

This has nothing to do with Aer Lingus. This is Aer Aranns decision, Aer Lingus only receive a small fee for every seat sold and Aer Arann gets the rest. The routes were proforming well its Aer Arann have sold the aircraft based there and I think one other aircraft. Aer Lingus have very little say in operations its all Aer Arann. Aer Aranns press relase is full of excuses and you could ask any RE employee and they will say its nothing to do with the bad proforming routes. As I said 6 new aircraft have to be paied for.

Rumour has it that EI suggested to RE to return the 2 daily LTN and drop SEN to 3/4 weekly.

Aer Lingus only sell tickets and not much else.

One thing I would say if this happened in the west TD would be up in arms about it but down here nobody cares.

This is the truth folks no more half assed thoughts or opinions the above is what happened if you read the press release on the W airport site it says the above in nice politik language so stop talking ****e please

RobitTV

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

This has nothing to do with Aer Lingus. This is Aer Aranns decision, Aer Lingus only receive a small fee for every seat sold and Aer Arann gets the rest. The routes were proforming well its Aer Arann have sold the aircraft based there and I think one other aircraft. Aer Lingus have very little say in operations its all Aer Arann. Aer Aranns press relase is full of excuses and you could ask any RE employee and they will say its nothing to do with the bad proforming routes. As I said 6 new aircraft have to be paied for.

Rumour has it that EI suggested to RE to return the 2 daily LTN and drop SEN to 3/4 weekly.

Aer Lingus only sell tickets and not much else.

One thing I would say if this happened in the west TD would be up in arms about it but down here nobody cares.

Looks like Aer Arann have a habit of totally screwing their own company, they have introduced silly non-profitable routes at high prices and they expected booming profits.

Then they bought 6 new aircraft to cover something anyway, I doubt they needed the extra 6 but they decided it was for the best.

And yeah I agree, our TD's are non-existent and have been non-existent since the new goverment. I mean what have they done since the start? You rarely even hear from them.

Chicken1

One thing I would say if this happened in the west TD would be up in arms
about it but down here nobody cares.

It happened to Galway Airport and no TD worth his salt said anything, as stated it has nothing to do with Aer Lingus its all Aer Arann and again in Galway Luton and Stanstead which had very high passenger numbers were dropped after Aer Arann "sorry Eddie Stobart" changed the route to London Southend, despite the owner of Aer Arann born and bred in the West we were hung out to dry.

washman3

reni10 wrote: »

How is Kerry Airport still even operating?

Surely Waterford would be busier then Kerry?

Jackie Healy-Rae..;)
Got it in writing for Bertie...;)
Who's the clown now........:D:D:D

sunnysoutheast

wellboytoo wrote: »

In fairness to Aer Lingus this is an Aer Aran decision which is controlled by a bunch of truckers .whose only interest is getting Southend airport numbers up.the southeast have voted with their feet and resisted going to Southend in numbers that went to Luton.

I think this pretty much hits the nail on the head. It wasn't that long ago that the Luton route used an ATR-72 which was pretty full whenever I went on it. The switch to SEN, while understandable from Stobart's desire to drive traffic to the airport they own, made the route much less attractive for many people as SEN is miles out of the way. Frankly, I was never that comfortable with travelling on the elderly ATR-42s often used on the WAT routes either.

I've said before that I hoped flyBe would start up an LGW service as that will give access to areas such as the Thames Valley and the Brighton corridor but that presumably was a non-starter with the RE services in place. Let's hope that this, or something similar, can now happen.

Trotter

Would it be an idea for as many of us as possible to email flybe and tell them we as customers want/need a flybe Waterford - London route?

donvito99

Aer Araan, not Aer Lingus.

Waterford's only hope is Flybe right now. Impossible for Ryanair to become involved.

Let's hope WAT doesn't go the way of Galway.

Jamie2k9

Would it be an idea for as many of us as possible to email flybe and tell them we as customers want/need a flybe Waterford - London route?

Could be an idea, note it will not be LGW if anything happens. LGW is trying to price carriers with aircraft lower than 150 seats out of there and BE have cut back there to as a result. LTN is best all round.

wellboytoo

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Could be an idea, note it will not be LGW if anything happens. LGW is trying to price carriers with aircraft lower than 150 seats out of there and BE have cut back there to as a result. LTN is best all round.

Eye on terminal six .?

RobitTV

If Flybe decided to reinstate the London route from Aer lingus, I'd happily take Gatwick or Luton. Gatwick is a great airport with good connections into central London and its on the main Brighton to Luton train line.