This is the first I have heard of this, but if this is true I believe it would be subsidised by the airport. Airports do subsidise new routes or increased frequencies in some instances when the airport wants more routes opened – typically the smaller ones.

I’ve read elsewhere that it is subsidised, I think for the first year, but I don’t know who by. At the time I read it load factors were only 48%

I hope there will be a similar RDF intorduced for the English regions (particularly Yorkshire and the Humber)

Are there any subsidy systems like this in England at all? Doesn’t BRS-NWK get subsidised? If so, how long does it last

[QUOTE=LeftcoastCanada] I’d like to see a BA/AA merger come to fruition, that would truly be closer to a ‘global’ airline.

Seems good on principle, but you can imaghine what would happen. The Americans caouldn’t stand being taken over by a foreigner, so they’ed buy BA and just make it American in all but name, slash European routes and go **** up.

Yeh I thought of CO, but like most other US carriers they seem to be heading towards Chapter 11, in fact they’re one of the few that are not already in, but by the sounds of it they will be soon. American on the other hand seems reasonably stable.