Both of them are members of the same alliance

What alliance would that be then??? :confused:

Andy

Another thing is to target particular flights: e.g. arrivals from the US to ensure passengers pay import VAT on their new Apple iPods 😀 😉

Not many customs guys looking for iPods (or expensive Canon lenses! 😉 ) when I landed back from the USA at Manchester yesterday! 😎

Andy

I’m curious where the Airbus widebodies would fit into that depiction.

No Airbus widebodies operate into Itami with the exception of JAS/JAL’s A300s, because it only handles domestic traffic – no Japanese airline has the new-gen Airbuses like the A330/A340.

This is an interesting move – whilst both JAL/JAS and ANA use 747s and 777s on domestic runs to Itami, the airport really is ill-equipped to handle such large airplanes as its ramps and terminals are relatively small. Removing the possibility of using 747s and 777s on domestic routes will likely increase the number of movements, because as has already been said a number of these flights at peak times operate full.

Andy

I think we have to go with what the webmaster says… In any case, there’s plenty of places where you can go for photography advice.

Andy

A few of my Jersey pictures from the good old days:

Click for my Jersey pictures

Andy

Jersey can prove expensive for a family but it always has been and has always attracted a different crowd than the ‘costas’. It is still ideal for families with young children – short flight, mild climate and lovely beaches and coves.

I wish some of the airlines would pay more attention to the Channel Islands. Airlines like BD have more or less shifted away from JER flights at weekends and I think thats a shame.

The market for Jersey has largely collapsed, simply because its too expensive and it can’t compete with southern Europe on price. Even if the airlines had offered cheaper fares, the hoteliers haven’t helped by charging (maybe justifiably in their view) more than hotels in, for example, Spain do. Its also more expensive to “live” whilst you’re there – food and drink are all more expensive, making it a less attractive proposition than the alternatives. And of course, as I said, the weather can be less predictable than it is in Spain. Its not so much that Jersey changed and lost the market, its more that they didn’t change and adapt when other alternatives became more readily available.

Now, it is possible, just vaguely possible, that a concerted effort by the low-fare airlines could bring about a limited renaissance in the Channel Islands. But it will take more than just the airlines to achieve this (ie. hotels, etc need to reduce prices – remember there’s no camping to speak of on the Channel Islands which provides a cheap accommodation outlet at other destinations) and it’d help if Jersey had a reputation for being a trendy place to go, which it doesn’t anymore. Ryanair have made a market out of Newquay, but Newquay had already established a reputation with young holidaymakers and surfers before Ryanair “helped” the market by operating there – and even now and with its trendiness amongst the young, Newquay isn’t served anywhere nearly as regularly as Jersey used to be. In all honesty, I don’t see the Channel Islands ever becoming as popular again as they used to be. So, as long as the runways can take turboprops, Jungle Jets and the odd 737, I think they’ll carry on much as they do now. One thing for sure though – both Channel Islands airports have got nice new terminals, and the islands wouldn’t have invested in terminal infrastructure if they didn’t believe that their runways wouldn’t continue to be used even if they aren’t extended.

Andy

Gone are the days when JER (in particular, and GCI to an extent) was pretty much the busiest UK airport outside of London on a summer weekend. I remember going to JER countless times when I worked for British Midland – at the time, it was £10 return, airline staff sub-load fare, and knowing a fair number of the pilots the flight deck jumpseat was almost always assured as a last resort to get back (and used by me sometimes!). In the early ’80s, when I used to go several times a year, the airport was contantly busy – in the earlier times with Viscounts, 748s, DC-9s and 1-11s; more recently with ATRs, Dash’s, a few 146s, and 737s. It even attracted some foreign operators – TranSwede operated MD-80s (and later Fk.100s), Braathens several 737s each Saturday, Lufthansa 737s, Maersk 737s, and on a Saturday there were several NFD ATRs, KLM Cityhopper Fk.50s… Sabena, Crossair, Air France… The list goes on. On a peak Saturday, British Midland used to have six DC-9 (110 seat -30s or 85 seat -10s) flights on EMA-JER-EMA alone, plus countless other flights from other airports like GLA, MME, LPL, BHX, etc. Ah, good times.

Jersey hasn’t helped itself. Hotel rates are higher than the Costas, and the weather not so assured. Flights often cost more than going to the Costas too. Meaning that the average British holiday maker family now prefer Spain to the Channel Islands. That leaves Jersey airport, for the most part, having to serve traffic to and from the island for business, for the local residents, and a significantly reduced number of tourists.

As to airfield performance, the 737-400 CAN depart JER with a full passenger, baggage and freight load (and appropriate fuel plus reserves), at least to places as far away as Glasgow – trust me, it was one of the singificant factors that resulted in British Midland selecting the 737 series over the MD-80 series when the DC-9s were replaced (MD-80 couldn’t meet CAA wet-runway aborted take off criteria at JER – CAA insists calculations were done without taking reversers into account, whereas presumably the Swedish CAA were happy to consider the effect of reversers – see previous comment about TranSwede MD-80s!). In actual fact, British Midland even operated the 737-400 into Guernsey on a few occasions, although the type was weight limited and also only flown by a training captain – the 737-300s were not so restricted into Guernsey and were operated semi-regularly into GCI for a few seasons at peak times.

Andy