By: Sonnenflieger - 5th June 2004 at 19:26
@RIPConcorde: Without saying too much, Snowflake has a few things planned for the future. A bit sad that they are giving out contradicting information.
bmi-star: The Q400 operations to southern Europe were quite frankly ridiculous. Whereas Swiss were flying RJs and A320s to Stockholm, SAS had Q400s on the same sector. 3 hrs on a Q400 is far too much, I get tired after even one hour on it. The same applies to Amsterdam where KLM were flying several 737-3/4/800s a day to Stockholm, and SAS had Q400s doing the same. PR-wise it is a disaster – how SAS could justify offering turboprop service to a destination whose passengers are mainly businessmen/women is beyond me. But things are better now at least…
By: RIPConcorde - 5th June 2004 at 18:34
I don’t think a could cope with 3hrs on a Q400, the drone would get very, very wearing. The vibrations if sitting next to the actual propellor wouldn’t be too nice for that length of time either.
By: bmi-star - 5th June 2004 at 18:27
I saw the Q400’s @ GVA in April. Me and my bro were a bit confused why they wanted to operate a Q400 flight there. After seeing this post know i understand. I wouldn’t like to go on a Q400 to stockholm! 3 hrs from GVA on a Q400! I was happy with my 733 back to LPL
By: RIPConcorde - 5th June 2004 at 18:22
Not long after they started the route Snowflake said this and what a contradiction!
“So far we are very happy. Demand is definately higher than expected.
“Inverness is the second most popular of nine new destinations brought in by Snowflake this year, behind Sardinia but ahead of cities such as Venice, Lisbon and Split. “
Going from being very happy to ditching the route. :rolleyes:
By: SHAMROCK321 - 5th June 2004 at 17:14
Anybody think we could get a Dublin-Inverness route going with Ryanair or maybe even Aer Lingus with a 500.
By: Sonnenflieger - 5th June 2004 at 16:37
Could be, I don’t know what the flying time from ARN to INV is but it should be around 2 hrs, right? Just like to Geneva and Zurich, for example. SAS has/is operating Q400s on those routes from time to time so it wouldn’t be out of place.
Especially since the four Snowflake painted aircraft are often operating SAS mainline flights and ‘normal’ SAS aircraft operate Snowflake flights.
By: Mark L - 5th June 2004 at 16:23
Like I said it did seem a little weird for a 738! Would be a prime candidate for an SAS minline Q400 though?
By: Sonnenflieger - 5th June 2004 at 15:46
Oh dear… well, you can’t win every time…
By: RIPConcorde - 5th June 2004 at 15:34
Regarding the INV I’m afraid the news couldn’t be any worse! 🙁
Air passenger service grounded ten weeks after taking off
JOHN ROSS
A NEW air service connecting Inverness and Stockholm, which took off just ten weeks ago, is to be grounded next month because not enough passengers are using it.
The service, launched on 29 March, was the first to the UK by Snowflake, the SAS Scandinavian Airlines’ low-cost carrier. It has been operating flights on Mondays and Fridays with return fares ranging from £92-£200.
It has been decided that the service will be cancelled from 23 July, although a new attempt may be made to revive the route next year with a smaller plane.
About 1,700 passengers have used the service since it started – about 45 per flight – but it was not cost-effective for the 146-seat planes used on the route.
The inaugural flight saw 23 passengers arrive from Sweden and the first outgoing flight from Inverness carried 25 people. SAS said it was happy with early bookings and expected the route to be popular with golf, hillwalking, fishing and horse-riding groups in Sweden.
However, Alex Johnson, the commercial and marketing manager at Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), which owns Inverness Airport, said: “Unfortunately, passenger numbers on Snowflake’s Inverness-Stockholm service are not sufficient, and it will stop on 23 July, 2004.
“We are hopeful Snowflake will look at the route again, because with a smaller aircraft it could be a viable operation.”
Martin Tiveus, Snowflake’s head of marketing, said: “We would like to thank the people and organisations in the Highlands who have supported this service.”
David Stewart, MP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, said: “In the long term, a direct link with Scandinavia would have been good for local businesses and tourism. However, I am hopeful there may be a rethink, and the service can be re-introduced next year.”
By: Sonnenflieger - 4th June 2004 at 20:59
The INV route seems a little weird to me, any idea how well it is performing at the moment Sonnenflieger?
Not really, I’ve only just come back after having been on assignment in Norway for two weeks, but as far as I know it’s mostly aimed at golf enthusiasts. Will check if I can find some route stats on Monday…
By: Mark L - 4th June 2004 at 20:11
The INV route seems a little weird to me, any idea how well it is performing at the moment Sonnenflieger?
By: Sonnenflieger - 4th June 2004 at 20:05
Speaking about Scotland, SAS’ low-cost brand Snowflake recently started flying between Stockholm and Inverness…
By: RIPConcorde - 28th May 2004 at 19:38
That’s true, a very punctual airline. 🙂
By: Silver Snapper - 28th May 2004 at 19:36
That’s class Joe! 😀 Yes it is ARN-EDI 5 or 6 times a week with the 736. Just started at the end of March. Rumours are that they will be the airline to restart the Oslo route that EDI lost when duo went bust.
Call sign “Scandinavian” is normally 20/25 minutes early
into EDI… a lot of ‘suits’ at the moment but the leisure
pax will soon be swelling the swells..or as they say “Sometimes I think I like it!” :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
By: RIPConcorde - 28th May 2004 at 19:13
That’s class Joe! 😀 Yes it is ARN-EDI 5 or 6 times a week with the 736. Just started at the end of March. Rumours are that they will be the airline to restart the Oslo route that EDI lost when duo went bust.
By: greekdude1 - 28th May 2004 at 19:01
Do they not normally fly there?
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May 28, 2004 at 6:55 pm