DalRiada wrote:I think DUB is so far to the west that EI expanding east wouldn't be a good business move, certainly in terms of the DUBHUB. DUB is a perfect location for flying across the Atlantic, as you are not backtracking at any stage during your flights. There is no incentive for people from Germany, France, Austria etc to come to DUB just to connect to a flight to Asia, adding at least 2 hours onto their journey time in the process, compared to connecting in the likes of AMS, CDG or FRA.
I'm not convinced of EI merely focusing on the US - it can't be that good to have all of your eggs in one basket?
As a carrier with great brand recognition in Ireland, EI has an opportunity to tap into growing Ireland - Asia links.
Similarly, although IB has a Latin America focus in IAG, it's still able to pursue Asian growth in China / Japan etc.
With regards to feed, I'd say:
- O&D traffic to one mega-destination, like PEK or TYO, should be the focus (both passengers, as well as cargo).
- Back-tracking is not a barrier - just as people fly DUB - FRA - NYC (LH), people may fly FRA - DUB - PEK (EI).
- EI could still source a few secondary UK connections to Asia - even HU will fly some people from EDI via DUB.
In this day and age, I'm really surprised that Ireland
still has no air links whatsoever to China, Japan or ASEAN.
So many secondary / small European cities do, such as ATH, BEG, GVA, LIS, OSL and MSQ - why doesn't DUB?
Cheers,
C.