excuse my lack of knowledge, but what is “other means”.

Thanks

True Blue

I think Flybe, more than any other, is always trying to put this great spin on their news to make it seem much better than it really is.Everywhere is a base. Every time they announce a new route at Bhd, same old story, further expansion etc, never do they say but we have dropped this route or that.
It won’t be long before they are out of Ncl and Lba just like Brs at Bhd. More rubbish quotes from flybe in the Belfast Tele tonight, the takeover of bacon gives them the opportunity to consider large increases in frequencies on routes, like Bhd – Man, up to about 10 a day. What they don’t say is that 10 a day is about the current frequency between Flybe and Ba. More of the same rubbish that they used to spout about their position on the Ncl – bhd route, major player and all that. A quick check tonight on prices to Galway and doncaster tells me that you will see them go the same way as Nwi and Lpl. Is’nt it great to be so selective with the facts.

I note that the point that I raised in my last point, that the planning rules at BHD has effectively been ignored, has not been disputed. Since these”rules”don’t seem to be the problem, what is? You say that BHD continues to show steady growth, the latest Caa stats to Sept 06 show pax down at Bhd for the month by 6.6%, for the YTD by 3.8%. It has been like that for all/most of this year, as far as I can recall without checking every month again. Having listened to all the spin about how pax, especially business pax would prefer Bhd, I don’t see the evidence. I just cannot understand why Bhd adds new services, but pax nos decline. And nobody has been able to explain this to me.
I agree with you, that if Bfs needs a new terminal, get on with it. With regard to the LDY situation, what is the point of complaining. Public expenditure in this province is out of control and few seem to care.
It will be interesting to see what happens at Ldy if the belfast Telegraph win their court case currently being heard by the Information Commissioner.

ALLMCC

These restrictions at Bhd that you mention, are these the cap on pax numbers that the planning service has turned a blind eye to for years. If that limit exists, number of seats for sale, how come airlines, especially Flybe, has been able to expand at will?
Then there is the rumered operating hours limit, again conveniently ignored by planners. A check most nights on page 457 of ceefax will show flights, on a regular basis, arriving up to 11.30pm.
So if all these operating restrictions, having been ignored by the authorities for years and now to be made legal by default, ever were applied, how come Bhd still fails to attract more pax, because the extra services are operating? The seats are on sale, but the pax aren’t buying and it’s not the planning laws that are making that happen.
Why might EI be good for the Lhr route, because Bd are a monopoly and their service on the route, in the cabin, shows that they know they are a monopoly and they act like it. It makes me laugh when I hear BD moan about how they can’t operate a late night service to Bhd. They knew the rules before they moved there, it wasn’t important then.
One other question, why does this province of some 1.7m people need 3 airports. The next time any of us have a close friend denied a bed in hospital due lack of money, think of the £10m that is to be spent on a joke called City of derry to massage the ego of a few. This to add a few metres to the end of a runway to please FR. I believe that that money could be better spent on more important things in this small country like health and education.
Back to Bhd, the main reason that it will never be able to expand much more is because it sitting almost in the middle of a housing estate. It’s location is totally stupid for what some want to do there. They also need to spend more money, so the charges will go up. If you were the owners and looking at falling pax numbers, would you be happy to spend more money, especially since any profit that is being made is coming from car parking charges?

WW at Bhd

Why would WW move to Bhd. Is this the same airport that keeps on adding new services and yet, when you look at the Caa stats, the pax keep going down. Clearly pax are voting with their feet and deciding that they would rather spend their ££££ in other ways rather than on the high charges at Bhd. A BD move to Bfs would make more sense, especially as Bfs have stated that they have been talking to EI about starting a Bfs – Lhr service. See Belfast Telefraph business section 1st? oct.

True Blue