SkymonsterJust to illiminate any further arguments, for UK airfields why not go to the “official” horse’s mouth (as it were) – NATS.
Select “Aerodrome Index – specific” and then the airfield that you’re interested in. The textual data includes all the frequencies – other pages include stuff like airfield and apron layouts, instrument approach plates, etc.
Andy
SkymonsterSwerve,
Ypu still don’t get it, do you? It is neither a scam, nor dishonest – if it were, regulators in one country or another would have put a stop to it long ago.
Whilst it is true that there are more frequent flyer miles in circulation than could ever be redeemed (and more than the airlines could ever cope with being redeemed were they freely convertable into “free” flights), individual’s miles are entirely redeemable if the individual does as I suggested above – understand how the process works (and the limitations), plan very early, and be flexible with travel dates and classes.
If there is anything wrong with “the system”, it is that some customers (by and large the casual customer who isn’t really a loyal, regular flyer with a specific airline or airline-alliance) have too many unrealistic expectations about getting something for nothing. Now I’m sure Swerve will again argue that this is the fault of the airlines – and maybe to an extent it is. But of course, there has to be a way for new customers to get into the programs, and the airlines won’t know whether they are really worth nurturing until the customer has joined and travelled a bit (or not!). Even if you agree with the idea that the airlines encourage too many customers to join frequent flyer programs, this is not airlines running a scam or being dishonest, but rather the entry requirements being set too low. If anything therefore the reduction or elimination of miles on cheap fares, not allowing customers to join unless they buy a reasonably highly yielding fare in the first place, and the ramping up of the miles needed for awards is a VERY GOOD thing – it reduces the opportunities for such casual and relatively infrequent customers, and therefore focuses the program on the real frequent flyers.
Andy
SkymonsterBecause air miles are a scam.
It has never been possible to redeem more than a tiny fraction of them. From the start, more were issued than could be redeemed, on the assumption that many would not be claimed, & that has got worse – much worse. Hence the steady devaluation, & even devalued, the airlines can’t afford to honour more than a minute proportion.
Now airlines are being required to account for outstanding air miles as liabilities, they have to devalue them further, because of the impact on their balance sheets. Making them nearly impossible to use, instead of merely very difficult, is one way. Adding fees to use them is another.
I disagree with. Certainly frequent flyer miles are not a scam. All that is required is an understanding of basic airline economics, a measure of realism in managing expectations, and a degree of flexibility with travel dates – or at least planning well in advance. I am 1K with United (over 100,000 a year), and I manage to redeem the miles I earn – 1st class to the USA and back on exactly the dates I wanted last year, for example.
SkymonsterAirlines are hardly likely to deplete their inventory by giving away “free” flights to passengers when they might otherwise sell revenue seats. That was the original idea of frequent flyer programs – to give [likely toi be] unsold inventory to frequent flyers. Airlines have, over the years, had to compromise and release a few seats on popular flights, but that’s about all. Thus, there will typically only ever be a few award seats on any given flight, less so during popular travel periods and more during off seasons. Sydney-USA is ALWAYS in demand for award flights, and you’re not exactly planning to travel in the lowest season. In the case of United, they also sometimes make more award inventory available to their own frequent flyers (i.e Mileage Plus members) versus the inventory they make available to partner frequent flyers. Also in the case of United, I know that they open up award inventory almost 12 months before flight, and if you want an award seat on a popular flight the best time to book it is the day they open it up for award travel – for travel in April, realistically you’re way too late. However, that said, if specific flights do not sell well to revenue passengers, further award inventory MAY be opened up at a later date, so there’s still a chance for you. However, that’s all it is – a chance. If you want to be sure to travel next April, my advice would be to buy tickets. If you are prepared to take a chance, maybe things will open up. And if you really want an award ticket between Sydney and London on United, your best chance right now is to be thinking of travelling in early 2010.
Andy
SkymonsterUnlikely to have ALL the numbers – they will have the numbers that are published in the annual reports, and other numbers to which shareholders are entitled. I would be amazed if they have the route results, for example.
Lufthansa have not just been shareholders in the bmi group for several years – they’ve actually had seats on the board. Conversely to your opinion, I’d be amazed if they DIDN’T have access to bmi route results.
Andy
Skymonsterit would be interesting to note the average age of the RYR fleet compared to – say – flybe’s…
Once the Jungle Jets are gone from FlyBE (which will be soon, and which weren’t FlyBe’s originally anyway) I’d bet the two will be broadly similar. FlyBe will be all Dash-8-400s and EMB-195s, Ryanair 737-800s.
Like most airlines, Ryanair are on target to make a loss this year.
Current public prediction break-even (presentation by Ryanair at last week’s Future of Air Transport conference in London).
Would anyone here like to see Ryanair purchase Aer Lingus ?
Nope. The less infestation by Ryanair, the better the industry overall will be.
Andy
SkymonsterI’m extremely concerned as to how so many of them managed to get into such a dangerous location. If a bunch of amateurs can get through a fence by cutting through it, then what sort of message does that send to the ‘professional’ terrorists? Seems Stansted is now an easy target.
But they didn’t get into a location that really threatens security, did they? That’s the point. They were stopped before they did any damage or got into any really secure infrastructure. Flights were stopped for safety reasons. Now whilst I admit that if I was operating an airport I wouldn’t be too concerned about the safety of these people, the safety of passengers and crew is an issue that needs to be considered.
Does anyone see the irony of the name of this group by the way? Because in my opinion they are just what they call themselves – plain stupid! 😀
Andy
SkymonsterJim French spoke at the “Future of Air Transport” conference in London last week. We were told that direct questions about acquisitions were not going to be allowed, but he did say a few things of interest, amongst which he said:
* FlyBe messed with 737s a couple of years ago and got burned because it put FlyBe on the radar of Ryanair and EasyJet. They won’t make that mistake again, and will stick to lower capacities and their “niche” operation
* The acquisition of BAConnect did them a favour – with a backlog of aircraft on order, they would have had problems now were it not for the fact that they have been able to use the backlog sub for and to offload former BACon aircraft, rather than being forced into expansion just to occupy new deliveries
Make of the above what you wish in respect of bmiBaby and bmiRegional
Andy
SkymonsterReports today that the Plastic Pig (aka 787) is unlikely to fly until May 2009 – meaning deliveries in 2009 are a practical impossibility, and most airlines are anticipating a further six months delay.
A
SkymonsterThere is a similar operation already happening at BHX and has been for a few years now that I’m apart of.
As a semi-regular at BHX (often with a big camera), I’ve never even been accosted by the Rozzers let alone had to justify who I am or what I was doing – not that I am a member of the BHX scheme, but I don’t see the point of paying for badge if they’re not going to do anything
A
SkymonsterDunno… NOTAMs don’t say:
) EGPX/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5531N00436W005
FROM: 08/12/01 14:10 TO: 08/12/02 14:00
E) RWY 03/21 CLSD
Q) EGPX/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5531N00436W005
FROM: 08/11/30 13:42 TO: 08/12/01 14:00
E) RWY 03/21 CLSD
But it looks like it was closed 30th and up to 14:00 on 1st December, opened for 10 minutes, and is now closed again until 14:00 tomorrow
A
SkymonsterThe airline needs to achieve it’s desired load factors, at a suitable yield, and I know the yield at BLK is very low. This is because they have to sell very cheap tickets to sell the seats as the market is weak, both in terms of size and value. Bear in mind that the economy of the Blackpool area is actually quite weak, and there isn’t an awful lot of money to be spent on flights.
If EVERYONE in the aviation food chain – airline and airport alike – can’t make money, then to be honest I believe that the flights shouldn’t operate.
The airline needs to achieve it’s desired load factors, at a suitable yield
That’s exactly the point though – right now, its all for Ryanair and nothing for BLK.
One problem is that a lot of perfectly functional airports want to gold plate themselves when the airlines don’t see it as necessary (as they NEED the lowest cost). It’s all very well saying passengers are the clients of the airport, but remember, without airlines, there will be no passengers, and you have to ask yourself how many passengers are only there because their fare was £1 instead of £90. I know over the last year I have been to Dublin twice because the fare was 1p, I wouldn’t have gone if the fare had been £100, or maybe even £10.01 in one case. So actually, by buying 1p tickets passengers are saying, we prefer low fares than frilly airports, even without realising/thinking about it. In some cases there is a blind view that “If you build it they will come”, and we all know, unless you have a field of dreams, this is utter rubbish.
I don’t see BLK’s desire to develop and improve facilities as being “gold plating” – they want to grow their market, and in order to do so need to improve their facilities. In order to do so, they need to make some money from their existing customers. What’s wrong with that? See previous comments to the effect that if all parties aren’t making enough money to develop and grow, it probably shouldn’t be happening.
A
SkymonsterRyanair throwing their toys out of their pram again – surely not! :rolleyes:
It seems sometimes that according to the law of Ryanair, no one can make money or grow their business except Ryanair. I think that half the time its Ryanair rhetoric – they’re not making money but because of the deals they have made with airports they wait until there’s someone else to blame before they pull services. Grow up Ryanair – airports need to make money (BLK is loss-making at present) and need to provide reasonable facilities.
A
SkymonsterFew people travel long haul for the sake of it, and yet Darling is going to charge them even more. I think its high-time that, if anyone is taxed more, its all the oiks off for cheap weekend junkets that they don’t need to take – that they only take because the flights are cheap.
Andy
SkymonsterA few reasons:
Cairo is a popular destination – BA use variously 747s and 777s and bmi are upgrading their operation to A330. Lufthansa [for example] often schedule A340s or A330s to CAI from FRA, Air France have used 777s and A330s from CDG, and Egyptair sometimes use widebodies to LHR. Each time I’ve been to CAI the flights have been very full. The length of the route and the time difference between UK and Egypt doesn’t make it good for higher frequency operations, so the a/c need to be higher capacity.
CAI is a 24 hour airport – a long-haul widebody can be despatched from western Europe in the late afternoon or evening (after an arrival from say the USA late morning/early afternoon), turn in CAI in the very late evening/early hours, and be back in western Europe early in the morning in time for another USA departure mid/late morning. Thus, as I was once told, CAI can be a useful “gap filler” in a long haul schedule, allowing a long-haul aircraft to do a relatively short (time-wise) return to balance a much longer round trip operation that takes over 24 hours and thus cannot be performed by a single aircraft in a single day – the alternative would have a/c on the ground in western Europe for longer period.
Andy
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