Airtours MD83's

You could scan it through rather than typing it ?

Airtours was one of the first airlines i remember flying with and they are important in my memories.

I do indeed have all the info.

However I am a busy man and before I contemplate hours of running around…

can I ask…..why…….????

It will take time but I do own some old magazines and I remember that Airtours displayed a map of Europe and a list of destinations with distances shown between a departure airport and an airports at the destination.
The routes were indicated in red lines.

Regards

Thank you.

Airtours inflight mags do have the routes. I had a 93/94 winter season one but sadly lost it.

No I don´t think so because I have only old inflight magazines of Airtours showing basic information. It will take time to find all this stuff.:)

Im wondering you can find the routes Airtours served in the first summer season from Manchester ?

I will try to search for such information in my papers. I think that many flights operated in w-patterns and I remember that at least one MD-83 originally based in London-Stansted (?) was later based at Gatwick. Please remember that Airtours leased additional 155-seat MD-83s leased from Finnair:

Here is a nice photo showing OH-LMU with Airtours-logo and the classic basic livery of Finnair:

http://www.md-80.com/mcdonnell-douglas-md-80/md-80-betreiber/zus%C3%A4tzliche-md-80-bei-airtours-international/

Bye, bye

Where did Airtours base in it’s first few years of existence.

I know they based at Manchester, Birmingham, Stansted, Glasgow and Gatwick but where else saw the glory of the MD83’s.

Didn’t Leeds Bradford get the Airtours MD83 popping in on w patterns.

For me it is not so easy to claim this as the main reason in 1994-1996. Operating costs are only a part of an entire cost-structure but the efficiency of the MD-80 was not as high as on more modern aircraft. Several (possible) additional reasons come to my mind and these are only my two cents and private researches are not that easy:

– Airtours had the choice to renew leases or to re-shaped their fleet.
– die MD-80 generated very high demand as a used aircraft during this time – a favourable situation if you want to re-market aircraft for lessors.
– Airtours was the only operator of this type in the UK during this time – not a very good situation for an operator compared to other European countries.
– The route-structure of Airtours was highly demanding for MD-83s and the A320 was able to do these missions in a more relaxed way and with even more profitability (because the A320 is able to generate more profit). The 172-seat MD-83s were operated sometimes at the edge of their possible performance with lack of space for ski-equipment etc..
– The retirement of these MD-80s took place when the first round of retirements started at long-time European operators. This was part of a normal cycle and had no effect on other established operators.
– The MD-83 was claimed by at least one European operator to be approx. 10% overall less efficient than the A320 (these margins went up and up over the years but I don´t believe such high numbers). Margins in charter-business were somestimes very narrow and in a move to remain competitive, a replacement was one of the possibilities.
– The MD-80 is not able to match the performance of the A320 or 737-800 and is not part of a family with several members.

The reasons of an airline to switch is not that easy if often claimed. Airtours made a good choice to streamline their fleet to A320s in the catergory of 170/180 seats with the possibility to exand their fleet easily with A321s.

Have a nice day 🙂

Operating costs……

One of the members was going to try and dig out an old Manchester Airport timetable.

Haven’t you asked these questions many, many times before?

An Airtours L1011 would of been nice. Im still trying to find out the airline i would of flown on in 1990 to Alicante from Manchester.
Does anyone know what airlines would of used back then on the ALC route on a Saturday evening in August.

MD83’s are only A320 size. I think back in 1991 Airtours went for them because they couldn’t get hold of any 737’s.

Make your mind up, Tommy.

You asked why Airtours got rid of the Mad Dogs, not why they acquired them in the first place.

My research revealed that the combined Airtours/Intereuropean wanted to streamline their fleet and plans were on hand to order A320s or MD-90s. Other sources say that Airtours wanted generally higher capacity aircraft with the A320 as their smallest plane. Die evaluation of Airtours was quiet interesting and the decision against the 737-400 and A320 in favour of MD-83s was a nice success.

I wrote an article about the Airtours and their MD-83s:

http://www.md-80.com/mcdonnell-douglas-md-80/md-80-betreiber/airtours-und-die-md-83/

A translation-tool is available beneath the left navigation bar.

Regards!

MD83’s are only A320 size. I think back in 1991 Airtours went for them because they couldn’t get hold of any 737’s.

Maybe they needed larger aircraft as their business grew?

probably the bad press for one skiding to a halt at Ringway with its nose on the ground

Them MD83’s would be been beautiful in MyTravel livery.

The only other reason apart from the above is that they aquired A320’s from Inter European (Aspro holidays) and PREMair (sp?) of Denmark.