Winter flights

[med777]

sorry, but I am still not getting this.
how can it be cheaper to ..........
A. travel south and back again.
B. ovenite accommodation twice.
C. take 2 days of holidays merely for traveling.
And/or... do it in a day each way with 2 flights.. having to factor in time in case of delays....that is a whole day airporting/ flying for what is basically a max 2 hour checkin and a 2 and a half hour flite from Glasgow/Edinburgh which again is a whole day traveling each way.
........and bottom line is why should we have to? Somewhere along the way it has been forgotten the WE are the customers :-(

Miriam


Miriam

 

[El Gordo]

Hi Roman

We have flown via Barcelona ..... our stopover gap of an hour was too short. .

What would you suggest as a comfortable gap between arriving/departing times at Barca to cope with bags/security/checkin etc

 

[Flyer]

sorry, but I am still not getting this.
how can it be cheaper to ..........

Romano was asking for ideas to get to Palma in the winter from Newcastle as there were no direct flights with EJ. I did not say it would be any cheaper (although in some cases it can be when drawing a comparison against direct flights) to fly via Barcelona/Alicante/Gatwick. It does not take two days to travel - yes it takes longer however it does give the traveller the opportunity to (in this scenario) take 'time out' to look around Barcelona or Alicante (assuming Gatwick is not of interest!) should he or she wish. Customers have "been forgotten" because demand is not great enough to justify a scheduled service on a regular basis in the winter months.

 

[fil6699]

Miriam you are 100% correct but unfortunately as of now its the only way. I think Palma airport should force the Airlines who have landing rights during the summer to provide a service all year or loos the rights for the good times. It would appear the Airlines can have there cake and eat it. Its up to the authorities in Palma to sort this out with the Airlines. And come to an arrangement they could for example subsidies landing fees etc during the winter months and encourage airlines to use the airport and at the same time offer better deals to those who use the airport all year. the situation is now beyond crazy and the authorities in Palma must act or without doubt many places will have to close down. As people move to other destinations. This is the worst it has ever been for winter flights In the whole of the North of England and Scotland the only flights are from Liverpool and only on a Monday and Friday the only daily service from the entire country is from Gatwick this is madness and the Government in Palma need to act along with the Airport authorities and get together with the airlines. Perhaps as a forum we could find out who to lobby to make this happen and have our voice heard.

 

[Flyer]

It would appear the Airlines can have there cake and eat it. Its up to the authorities in Palma to sort this out with the Airlines. And come to an arrangement they could for example subsidies landing fees etc during the winter months and encourage airlines to use the airport and at the same time offer better deals to those who use the airport all year..

Not permitted under EU ruling .....

"The Commission makes it clear that the financing and provision of airport infrastructure by the public authorities must comply with the Community rules on State aid. Aid may be justified and declared compatible provided it meets an objective of general interest, such as regional development or accessibility. Additional conditions are that the aid must be in proportion to the objective set and must not adversely affect the development of trade within the EU."

Edit > Apologies full statement (which continues re landing fees etc etc) too long to reproduce on this site.

 

[romanb]

When I said the one hour gap was too short, it was too short for my daughter and I when she wanted to look around the shops etc. It is probably a comfortable gap otherwise, our luggage was transferred as we used Iberia. Also on the occasion when I booked and it actually worked out cheaper than direct flight I will add it was during the summer school holiday and a last minute booking, so this may not always be the case. It really was not a problem to do the stopover and only added two hours to total flight time.

 

[fil6699]

"Aid may be justified and declared compatible provided it meets an objective of general interest, such as regional development or accessibility. Additional conditions are that the aid must be in proportion to the objective set and must not adversely affect the development of trade within the EU."
Well hit me with a Fish but surely this qualifies for the above because without aid not only can there not be development but the opposite will happen many places will close down forever and accessibility well that speaks for itself there is non from 1st November to April almost half the year. in these difficult times perhaps the commission should look at this. as should the Airlines and the Airport Authorities.

 

[El Gordo]

When I said the one hour gap was too short, it was too short for my daughter and I when she wanted to look around the shops etc. It is probably a comfortable gap otherwise, our luggage was transferred as we used Iberia. Also on the occasion when I booked and it actually worked out cheaper than direct flight I will add it was during the summer school holiday and a last minute booking, so this may not always be the case. It really was not a problem to do the stopover and only added two hours to total flight time.

Thanks Roman

 

[puertofun]

What would you suggest as a comfortable gap between arriving/departing times at Barca to cope with bags/security/checkin etc

I would suggest you allow two hours if just in transit plus if flying from UK it is worth trying to book the same carrier for BCN > PMI as UK to BCN. That way if there is a delay out of UK you will gain more sympathy re your possible missed onward flight from BCN to PMI. RyanAir for example currently have three daily flights BCN > PMI > BCN.

 

[majprop]

For those of you living in the north of England you may be interested to know that I have just booked flights BCN-MAN (Manchester) for the14th November to the 25th for 57 pounds per person return including taxes, anyone interested just type into your search bar happy hour weekend monarch airline, these offers are quoted for dates through to January. They are direct flights to Barca with plenty of cheap onward flights to PMI and good timings, especially if you are entitled to the residents discount. Oh and obviously the flights work in reverse but you must book by Monday midnight.

 

[puertofun]

Well hit me with a Fish but surely this qualifies for the above because without aid not only can there not be development but the opposite will happen many places will close down forever and accessibility well that speaks for itself there is non from 1st November to April almost half the year. in these difficult times perhaps the commission should look at this. as should the Airlines and the Airport Authorities.

I think what you have to realise is Spain alone has 44 'major' designated airports and with 27 countries now in the EU then the chances of PMI receiving any preferential treatment (which is not 'allowed' anyway ~ case law RyanAir v Charleroi) is very doubtful plus with diminished returns the likes of RyanAir are now grounding c 80 of their fleet over the winter as the customers are not around or will not pay the required fares.

 

[Smiddy]

Majprop, Thanks for the info i'm sure some will find it very useful, but it still doesn't help the many PP fans who live farther North. Some may say the drive is not a problem, and in good conditions it probably is not. But, over the past 2 years especially, if you'd decided to travel Dec/Jan then there were periods when the weather turned horrendous, and you would have been taking hours on end to get there, or on a more serious note you would be risking your life!

 

[Rosie34]

Majprop, Thanks for the info i'm sure some will find it very useful, but it still doesn't help the many PP fans who live farther North. Some may say the drive is not a problem, and in good conditions it probably is not. But, over the past 2 years especially, if you'd decided to travel Dec/Jan then there were periods when the weather turned horrendous, and you would have been taking hours on end to get there, or on a more serious note you would be risking your life!

This last bit re the weather here is what's deterring us from booking in January for San Antoni festival - we are prepared to drive to Stansted from the north, but thinking back to the snow last year - just wonder if it's worth it. I dont understand why the airports need to cancel all the Palma flights - to my simple way of thinking, couldnt they just reduce them to maybe 2 or 3 a week?

 

[animagic21]

We want to come over for San Antoni too. May leave until last minute to see what the weather is like.Will have to drive from Poole to Gatwick so if heavy snow like last year it would be a problem. Just wish we could get 1 flight a week from Bournemouth to Palma.

 

[Sparky]

We want to come over for San Antoni too. May leave until last minute to see what the weather is like.Will have to drive from Poole to Gatwick so if heavy snow like last year it would be a problem. Just wish we could get 1 flight a week from Bournemouth to Palma.

Animagic, surely Bristol would be closer for you.

 

[animagic21]

Have to admit we've never tried Bristol! Think it's because we just go M27, M3, M25 whereas Bristol is more "twisty turny" However will certainly consider, anything to get to beloved PP! Thanks for suggestion!

 

[med777]

Customers have "been forgotten" because demand is not great enough to justify a scheduled service on a regular basis in the winter months.

How do airlines work out that demand ? (or lack of).

Miriam

 

[Flyer]

How do airlines work out that demand ? (or lack of).

Miriam

It is not rocket science! Basically they look at historical figures particularly passenger numbers (PMI) and their own fleet occupancy coupled of course with returns to determine whether a route is worth scheduling. As stated, in the case of RyanAir, they have determined this winter that it is in their financial interest to 'mothball' c. 80 of their fleet otherwise they would be running those planes at a loss.

 

[CathB]

Easyjet fly twice a week in Jan to palma...Thurs - 10:25 and Sunday 07:10
Forgot to say this is from Bristol..great flight times as it means you do not lose a day.

 

[Sparky]

Cath is that from Bristol?.