richcandy wrote:

My sister was booked to fly BE 1360 LCY-BHD last night. The inbound aircraft was diverted to SEN and then the LCY-BHD sector was cancelled. She got put in a taxi and driven to BHX, overnighted at a premier inn and then rebooked onto the 0645 BHX-BHD this morning. These things happen but it did take flybe an age to decide what to do after the flight had been cancelled. (They also wouldn't say why the flight was canceled. They claimed that they couldn't tell passengers for security reasons.)

I suspect that due to BA’s computer problems last night , LCY probably had a lot of Embraer’s on the deck , with nowhere for them to go... hence nowhere to put the BHD flight ...???

planemanofnz wrote:

1. The continued viability of Belfast having two airports - BFS and BHD - when both have just four year-round non-charter scheduled airlines each (!)


C.

This has been mentioned on here numerous times over the last decade or so. They serve various markets and areas. Many use one or the other based on their location in the province or around the border areas. Many business people use BHD due to its near city centre location. For longer trips that require a longer runway BFS is the only one that can handle those flights. Its a unique set up in Belfast and they have survived far tougher times then anything more recent. The case for both airports is there and will continue to be there for many decades to come. The figures when you look over a longer period of time reinforce that.

2 airports in a medium size city seems to be a curse. Unattractive to airlines to set up a hub , no critical mass .

Dublin does really well out of Belfast having two mediocre airports .... if Belfast had a proper hub airport ( not going to happen ) ... it could cause DUB real problems

Same for Glasgow and Edinburgh , one single big airport between them would be a greater economic success but two mediocre ones is really helpful to DUB as a hub

Saw speculation about possible new EI service next year in the Denver discussion @ post #5.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1399305

From Project Atlantic on p.4 of the following https://choosuploads/2018/05/EDC-Minute ... 9-2018.pdf
"Project Transatlantic
Hadwiger presented Project Transatlantic. Project Transatlantic is proposing to offer nonstop flights from
DIA beginning in spring 2019. The schedule under consideration is four times weekly service, year-round,
on an Airbus A330-200 aircraft with a capacity of 266 seats.
Staff is requesting a two-year, $400,000 EDC marketing/performance cash grant in support of this project.
The grant will consist of a reimbursement of 50% of marketing activities as mutually agreed upon between
OEDIT and the airline, up to $200,000 per year. This grant is at the average of other EDC Strategic
Initiatives recently offered promoting new direct international flights. Denver International Airport will
provide at a minimum a $1:$1 match.
M/S/P – Duran, Clark – Project Transatlantic approved as presented and recommended by staff."

Denver was heavily rumoured just before Seattle was announced, I’m sure at one point it sounded like SEA was out and DEN was in but obviously we know what the true outcome was.

Aer Lingus definitely fits the description for ‘Project Transatlantic’ but where would the A332 capacity come from? Unless of course the fleet can be juggled around a bit or yet another A330 is on the way? The first A321LR is rumoured to be pushed back by a month or two and it’s doubtful it will go straight into transatlantic service so I don’t think we’ll see that take effect until late summer or early autumn.

I think it started with the fact they were due another A330 this summer but it didn't happen. As a route it makes a lot of sense despite IAG JV and AA which isn't going to be sorted by 2019 and I can't see them wanting to do another MIA route on an A330 with no feed on the US end.

Aer Lingus flight to Dublin forced into Shannon diversion
Passengers from London Heathrow told wind conditions ‘unstable’ on approach

An Aer Lingus flight to Dublin was diverted to Shannon after an attempted landing was aborted on Thursday afternoon.

A second aircraft following immediately afterwards also aborted its landing.

Passengers on the Aer Lingus flight EI 163 from London Heathrow were informed that the wind conditions made it too “unstable” to land and the flight was forced to “go around”.

The 180 passengers on the aircraft were told a second flight following just minutes behind also had to abandon its landing.

www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-n ... 9?mode=amp

——

Air accident probe finds Aer Lingus plane was blown off runway by rogue gust of wind

The aircraft was buffeted by strong winds as it landed at Donegal on September 7, 2016

An air accident probe found that an Aer Lingus Regional aircraft was blown off a runway by a rogue gust of wind as it landed.

The plane, an ATR 42-300, with the registration EI-CBK, was on a flight from Dublin to Donegal airport.


As the aircraft, with 17 passengers and three crew, landed at Donegal on September 7, 2016, it was buffeted by strong winds.

www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/air- ... r-12946113

—————

Bird forces plane to circle over coast near Bray before landing at Dublin Airport
Fire services followed the aircraft until it had completed its landing as a precaution

A bird forced a plane bound for New York to circle over the coast near Bray before returning to Dublin Airport.

Norwegian Airlines flight D81842 to New York reported a bird-strike during its take-off roll shortly after departing Dublin at approximately 8:36am.

The plane then flew out over Galway before returning to the east coast, where it entered a holding pattern for around three hours in order to burn off fuel before attempting a landing.

Siobhán O’Donnell, from Dublin Airport Authority, confirmed that the incident took place, and also confirmed that the plane landed safely at around 12:20pm.

www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-n ... 7?mode=amp

Norwegian have released DUB/ORK/SNN summer 2019 schedules. Only changes are at DUB where Providence goes daily year round (x5) while SNN-SWF increases to 5 weekly (3).

BFS just doesn't have the population in the city or the surrounding area to justify or sustain a scheduled long-haul flight, compare it to Cardiff that can snatch passengers from BRS and then along with Newport and Swansea with all the surrounding area heading up the Wye valley etc and you have a population of 4-5 times that of BFS, that's why Cardiff were able to lure QR over BRS (much to their annoyance). The DUP are only ever out to look after one thing, and that's themselves, which given the North voted remain speaks for itself.

Cardiff doesn’t have the population or wealth either , can’t see Qatar hanging around long , they’re already complaining about flight loads

Ticketyboo wrote:

BFS just doesn't have the population in the city or the surrounding area to justify or sustain a scheduled long-haul flight ...

A couple of points:

- BFS might not be able to sustain a wide-body long-haul service, but a narrow-body (which QR has) could well work.
- BFS' catchment area is bigger than other airports which have long-haul flights - look at CBR and CHC as examples.
- Population is not everything - tourism potential can play a part, while freight can partly offset low passenger demand.

I agree that it would be marginal, but it's something QR could at least try? It would give a point of differentiation to EK.

Cheers,

C.

Ticketyboo wrote:

The DUP are only ever out to look after one thing, and that's themselves, which given the North voted remain speaks for itself.

Speaking of Brexit, if there's a hard border, could that detract from DUB and boost BFS' prospects? We know that DUB already sources an increasing number of Northern Irish people to use its flights. If getting to/from DUB becomes too much of a hassle post-Brexit for Northern Irish people, is there an opportunity for someone like EK, EY or QR to come in and shift some DUB capacity to BFS? There must be some eastbound traffic to tap - from VFR traffic in Australasia, to holiday traffic in Southeast Asia, to economic and trade traffic in China? I also think that BFS could attract some Republic of Ireland traffic, due to currency moves - 600,000 from the Republic used BFS in 2016.

Cheers,

C.

OA260 wrote:

The case for both airports is there ...

OA260 wrote:

Many business people use BHD due to its near city centre location. For longer trips that require a longer runway BFS is the only one that can handle those flights.

IMO, the case for BHD is weak - you're essentially giving a few time-sensitive business travellers convenience, at the cost of a far more lucrative economy of scale. The airport's growth has been poor - its traffic levels in 2017 were virtually the same as those as in 2008 (a few growth spurts in-between, but none that proved sustainable). Meanwhile, the airport is always going to suffer from operational restrictions. Why not shut it down, redevelop the land, and use the proceeds to develop an effective mass-transport service like rail from Belfast's CBD to BFS? We're talking a distance of ~20 km here - not radical. Or, is BHD privately owned? Can the government step in anyway?

Cheers,

C.

planemanofnz wrote:

OA260 wrote:

The case for both airports is there ...

OA260 wrote:

Many business people use BHD due to its near city centre location. For longer trips that require a longer runway BFS is the only one that can handle those flights.

IMO, the case for BHD is weak -

C.

If its that weak it would have shut ages ago.


George Best Belfast City Airport to invest £15m

Programme aimed at future-proofing airport will include upgrades of existing facilities

Belfast’s George Best Belfast City Airport is to embark on a £15 million investment programme.

It is the first new investment project since it was acquired by the London listed venture capital group 3i as part of a deal estimated at £500 million last year.

www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-a ... -1.3382217


ALSO SEE :


Profits soar in first year of new ownership at Belfast City Airport

PROFITS have soared by almost 6 per cent at Belfast City Airport in its first year of trading under new ownership.

The latest accounts for the airport show that operating profit increased to £2.9m last year, an increase of 5.9 per cent on the £2.74m reported in 2016.

Turnover also grew, albeit marginally to £21.25m in the year to December 31. The north's second largest airport, which directly employs 68 people, saw 2.55 million passengers through its doors last year, a slight fall on the 2.67 million recorded in 2016.

www.irishnews.com/business/2018/07/04/n ... t-1372637/

planemanofnz wrote:

Ticketyboo wrote:

BFS just doesn't have the population in the city or the surrounding area to justify or sustain a scheduled long-haul flight ...

A couple of points:

- BFS might not be able to sustain a wide-body long-haul service, but a narrow-body (which QR has) could well work.
- BFS' catchment area is bigger than other airports which have long-haul flights - look at CBR and CHC as examples.
- Population is not everything - tourism potential can play a part, while freight can partly offset low passenger demand.

I agree that it would be marginal, but it's something QR could at least try? It would give a point of differentiation to EK.

Cheers,

C.

BFS has DUB just down the road and can’t compete with the economies of scale (BFS can’t even really compete with SNN for transatlantic flights to be fair ) ... The present and future of BFS is London , a few European cities and sun destinations ... DUB is the transport and Logistics hub for the entire Island impossible to compete with for critical mass....

Duplicate.

OA260 wrote:

Profits soar in first year of new ownership at Belfast City Airport

PROFITS have soared by almost 6 per cent at Belfast City Airport in its first year of trading under new ownership.

Sure - profits grew back to 2015 levels, after decline - effectively no profit growth over 2015 - 2017/18, let alone consistent and stable growth.

... operating profits at £2.9m are back to 2015 levels. In 2016, there had been a 6% fall to £2.74m.

See: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/busi ... 77603.html.

Leaving this aside, I'd further argue that the combined profit of BHD and BFS could be much higher if they're consolidated - economies of scale.

Cheers,

C.

Galwayman wrote:

planemanofnz wrote:

Ticketyboo wrote:

BFS just doesn't have the population in the city or the surrounding area to justify or sustain a scheduled long-haul flight ...

A couple of points:

- BFS might not be able to sustain a wide-body long-haul service, but a narrow-body (which QR has) could well work.
- BFS' catchment area is bigger than other airports which have long-haul flights - look at CBR and CHC as examples.
- Population is not everything - tourism potential can play a part, while freight can partly offset low passenger demand.

I agree that it would be marginal, but it's something QR could at least try? It would give a point of differentiation to EK.

Cheers,

C.

BFS has DUB just down the road and can’t compete with the economies of scale (BFS can’t even really compete with SNN for transatlantic flights to be fair ) ... The present and future of BFS is London , a few European cities and sun destinations ... DUB is the transport and Logistics hub for the entire Island impossible to compete with for critical mass....

Is there some particular reason why there is no air service between the two? I've always been puzzled by the lack thereof especially as EI seems to get many passengers from NI who make the trip by ground.

The cities are very close ... not worth flying , all roads in Ireland lead to Dublin ever since the Vikings founded Dublin ....

It’s about a 2 hour drive between Dublin and Belfast. The two cities are connected via motorway pretty much the entire way.
There is an argument to be made for services to Kerry where parts of Kerry are so far away that by the time you get to Cork city you’re still only half way between Kerry and Dublin. Knock provides a connection to the far west (Mayo and the like) and Donegal connects, well, Donegal. There is no argument for domestic passenger flights to anywhere else in Ireland, because the road network has meant it takes longer to fly than to drive when you account for checkin, security and all that faffe.

LAXffDUB wrote:

Is there some particular reason why there is no air service between the two? I've always been puzzled by the lack thereof especially as EI seems to get many passengers from NI who make the trip by ground.

There used to be flights between the two but that was before the train was upgraded and roads on both sides of the UK-ROI Border. The ROI had a lot more to do in terms of their roads and they used to be terrible. In the last 20 years there have been huge infrastructure upgrades and that deemed air services not needed.

With various companies offering hourly express bus services down to DUB that has made it far more attractive although this year with the low STG rate and more options to Sun destinations out of BHD BFS people from the border areas tend to look at both with often good savings to fly out of NI airports especially booking now for next year with the likes of Jet2 .

mast2407 wrote:

There is no argument for domestic passenger flights to anywhere else in Ireland ...

If we look at the island of Ireland as a whole, what about ORK - BFS / BHD, which is actually longer than DUB - CFN / KIR?

Cheers,

C.

mast2407 wrote:

It’s about a 2 hour drive between Dublin and Belfast. The two cities are connected via motorway pretty much the entire way.
There is an argument to be made for services to Kerry where parts of Kerry are so far away that by the time you get to Cork city you’re still only half way between Kerry and Dublin. Knock provides a connection to the far west (Mayo and the like) and Donegal connects, well, Donegal. There is no argument for domestic passenger flights to anywhere else in Ireland, because the road network has meant it takes longer to fly than to drive when you account for checkin, security and all that faffe.

The DUB-NOC route is gone too. The only domestic flights left are DUB-KIR, DUB-CFN and the Aer Arann Islands routes from NNR.

At one stage or another there was a fine selection of domestic routes in addition to above:

DUB-BHD
DUB-LDY
DUB-SXL
DUB-GWY
DUB-SNN
DUB-ORK
SNN-BFS
GWY-WAT
GWY-BHD
GWY-ORK
ORK-BHD

mast2407 wrote:

It’s about a 2 hour drive between Dublin and Belfast. The two cities are connected via motorway pretty much the entire way.

There are multiple existing airline routes, similar in distance to DUB - BFS/BHD:

DUB - BHD: 84 miles

WLG - PMR (NZ): 81 miles
HKG - CAN (KA): 84 miles
FRA - CGN (LH): 85 miles
AKL - WRE (NZ): 89 miles
ZRH - STR (LX): 90 miles
FRA - STR (LH): 97 miles
BRU - AMS (KL): 98 miles

If there is a hard border post-Brexit, perhaps an air link could make more sense.

Cheers,

C.

Galwayman wrote:

Cardiff doesn’t have the population or wealth either , can’t see Qatar hanging around long , they’re already complaining about flight loads

It makes me wonder - could you do BFS as a tag from CWL on QR, like HU's DUB - EDI tag? Two birds, one stone.

If the service is done with a narrow-body, it might even be able to operate into BHD, which would be very convenient.

Cheers,

C.

planemanofnz wrote:

mast2407 wrote:

There is no argument for domestic passenger flights to anywhere else in Ireland ...

If we look at the island of Ireland as a whole, what about ORK - BFS / BHD, which is actually longer than DUB - CFN / KIR?

Cheers,

C.

Perhaps.

I used to take the EI flights between Shannon and Dublin when the stopover was in place for work. I never really found them to be more convenient than driving. For connections, perhaps, but Cork and Belfast have a fairly similar offering in terms of air travel. For point to point though, I doubt there’s much need/want that can’t be accommodated on the motorway, or rail network.

Regarding Irish domestic air services.

I remember hearing rumours of a seaplane operater planning to link the cities. I am not sure what stopped them but with tourism flourishing it could be a winner. Would also be a nice option for business folk looking to city hop. Perhaps reality of the Irish climate would make the venture too high risk?

Laudamotion have a weekly Dublin-Innsbruck (Saturday) bookable for December through March.
This in addition to their daily Dublin-Vienna previously announced.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.irishe ... 56928.html

A C750 N752TX belonging to Textron Aviation suffered a nosegear collapse on departure from ORK this afternoon. Runway is currently blocked until a crane can lift the aircraft off. Few arrivals have diverted to SNN.

AmricanShamrok wrote:

mast2407 wrote:

It’s about a 2 hour drive between Dublin and Belfast. The two cities are connected via motorway pretty much the entire way.
There is an argument to be made for services to Kerry where parts of Kerry are so far away that by the time you get to Cork city you’re still only half way between Kerry and Dublin. Knock provides a connection to the far west (Mayo and the like) and Donegal connects, well, Donegal. There is no argument for domestic passenger flights to anywhere else in Ireland, because the road network has meant it takes longer to fly than to drive when you account for checkin, security and all that faffe.

The DUB-NOC route is gone too. The only domestic flights left are DUB-KIR, DUB-CFN and the Aer Arann Islands routes from NNR.

At one stage or another there was a fine selection of domestic routes in addition to above:

DUB-BHD
DUB-LDY
DUB-SXL
DUB-GWY
DUB-SNN
DUB-ORK
SNN-BFS
GWY-WAT
GWY-BHD
GWY-ORK
ORK-BHD

Never remembered GWY-BHD, any idea who operated and what year?

Anyone know how the DAT Dublin Odense flights are performing? That’s a long way on an ATR.

I flew out of T1 today - it remains a filthy and unloved patch work terminal. Even though really busy, Security was a pleasure though.

The airport have spent a fortune on the A gates, but they have left it to rot away inside - badly stained patchwork of floors, windows uncleaned for years, dirty knot tied, tensa barriers and broken ceiling tiles don’t make for a quality experience.

JAmie2k9 wrote:

AmricanShamrok wrote:

mast2407 wrote:

It’s about a 2 hour drive between Dublin and Belfast. The two cities are connected via motorway pretty much the entire way.
There is an argument to be made for services to Kerry where parts of Kerry are so far away that by the time you get to Cork city you’re still only half way between Kerry and Dublin. Knock provides a connection to the far west (Mayo and the like) and Donegal connects, well, Donegal. There is no argument for domestic passenger flights to anywhere else in Ireland, because the road network has meant it takes longer to fly than to drive when you account for checkin, security and all that faffe.

The DUB-NOC route is gone too. The only domestic flights left are DUB-KIR, DUB-CFN and the Aer Arann Islands routes from NNR.

At one stage or another there was a fine selection of domestic routes in addition to above:

DUB-BHD
DUB-LDY
DUB-SXL
DUB-GWY
DUB-SNN
DUB-ORK
SNN-BFS
GWY-WAT
GWY-BHD
GWY-ORK
ORK-BHD

Never remembered GWY-BHD, any idea who operated and what year?

Flybe launched the route on 29th October 2006 with a 5x weekly frequency. Flight time was 50mins. It dropped to 4x weekly for the 2007 summer season before eventually being dropped later that year. Manx2 briefly revived the route for the summer season of 2010 running a 6x weekly service with flight times of 1 hour each way. The route was terminated at the end of the season.

There is a video today of a Vueling A320 tearing up a piece of tarmac at DUB and it getting stuck to the landing gear, the return trip was delayed 2 hours. The video suggests it’s a piece of patched up taxiway, doesn’t fill you with confidence...

Video is in a closed group hence why its not posted. Never saw it before!

shamrock321 wrote:

There is a video today of a Vueling A320 tearing up a piece of tarmac at DUB and it getting stuck to the landing gear, the return trip was delayed 2 hours. The video suggests it’s a piece of patched up taxiway, doesn’t fill you with confidence...

You simply can’t say that there’s a video of that and not provide a link! I mean, that’s just uncouth, amiright.

In all seriousness, the heat of the weather has meant a fair few tar roads are going to be in dire condition for the foreseeable, so why not expect the same of the roads for aeroplanes.

Edit: seems the incident is from last week. And it seems that the incident was while pushing back.
http://www.aviation24.be/air-shows/heli ... ssion=true

planemanofnz wrote:

Galwayman wrote:

Cardiff doesn’t have the population or wealth either , can’t see Qatar hanging around long , they’re already complaining about flight loads

It makes me wonder - could you do BFS as a tag from CWL on QR, like HU's DUB - EDI tag? Two birds, one stone.

If the service is done with a narrow-body, it might even be able to operate into BHD, which would be very convenient.

Cheers,

C.

That’s a very interesting idea

Do Qatar have a single aisle aircraft with range ?

DUB > EDI is an international route with 5th freedom rights . Cardiff > BFS is a domestic U.K. route so traffic rights would be unprecedented .

Galwayman wrote:

Cardiff > BFS is a domestic U.K. route so traffic rights would be unprecedented ...

They do fly domestic tags without traffic rights elsewhere though, like SYD - CBR, so it may not be a deal-breaker.

Galwayman wrote:

Do Qatar have a single aisle aircraft with range?

At 5,442 km, DOH - CWL is within range of a 319CEO (w/sharklets), 319LR, 320CEO (w/sharklets) and a 321NEO.

Cheers,

C.

shamrock321 wrote:

There is a video today of a Vueling A320 tearing up a piece of tarmac at DUB and it getting stuck to the landing gear, the return trip was delayed 2 hours. The video suggests it’s a piece of patched up taxiway, doesn’t fill you with confidence...

Dont see what all the fuss is about. VY obviously helping Dublin Airport out with a bit of resurfacing

Aer Lingus is being sued by a passenger who alleges that he suffered "disabling injuries" after being hit with a bottle of rum during a transatlantic flight.

The personal-injuries action was filed in the US by a man who claims that a large bottle of Bacardi fell on him from an overhead luggage bin when it was opened by another passenger.

www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/pa ... 43963.html

——

Ryanair profits fall 20pc in three months amid higher fuel and pilot costs

Profits after tax at Ryanair have fallen 20pc year-on-year to €319m in the three months to 30 June.

Higher fuel and staff costs off-set the airline’s increase in revenue, which grew 9pc to €2bn, Ryanair said in a trading update today.

The earlier timing of Easter also led to a 4pc decline in average fares.

www.independent.ie/business/irish/ryana ... 44086.html

——

188 'high-risk' bird strikes take place at Dublin Airport over three years

There is also a problem with the high number of hares which can be spotted along the airport's runway

There have been 188 ‘bird strikes’ at Dublin Airport in the past three years, in which birds collided with planes or were sucked into their engines.

Dublin Airport Authority (daa) has described the collisions as “high-risk events” that have the potential to bring down aircraft, pointing to the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ in 2009.


There were also 105 collisions involving hares at the airport, which most often involved animals being “ingested directly into an aircraft engine” while planes were moving on the runway, according to the DAA.

www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/188- ... s-14939334

—-

Shannon Airport sees another transatlantic boost with Norwegian Air International

IT IS a good news day for transatlantic travellers this week, as Norwegian Air International has announced it will increase its capacity for its Stewart Airport, New York service next summer.

This follows a strong performance in its inaugural year at Shannon Airport, with increased operations already announced for the winter season.

It is expects to add an extra 23,000 seats next summer, an increase of 28%.

www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/325167/ ... ional.html

planemanofnz wrote:

mast2407 wrote:

There is no argument for domestic passenger flights to anywhere else in Ireland ...

If we look at the island of Ireland as a whole, what about ORK - BFS / BHD, which is actually longer than DUB - CFN / KIR?

Cheers,

C.

Although I don’t know if EIR ever operated the route, a number of other airlines including Jet Magic and the ill-fated Manx2 have tried it over the years without any great success I think. I would guess that the market would be mainly business travellers between the two cities but even that would be very limited. Avair at one stage also operated a Cork-Derry schedule.

planemanofnz wrote:

Galwayman wrote:

Cardiff > BFS is a domestic U.K. route so traffic rights would be unprecedented ...

They do fly domestic tags without traffic rights elsewhere though, like SYD - CBR, so it may not be a deal-breaker.

Galwayman wrote:

Do Qatar have a single aisle aircraft with range?

At 5,442 km, DOH - CWL is within range of a 319CEO (w/sharklets), 319LR, 320CEO (w/sharklets) and a 321NEO.

Cheers,

C.

Thanks , very interesting , maybe a A320/321 could work

Problem with the 321LR is much of the belly space is taken up by additional fuel tanks, so cargo capacity is very limited, especially at the upper end of it’s range. Any services from Ireland to the ME would be relying on bums on seats alone for profit, particularly in the premium cabin. Cargo would still need to go via DUB on a wide body.

planemanofnz wrote:

Or, is BHD privately owned? Can the government step in anyway?

Both Belfast airports are privately-owned.

Belfast Aldergrove / International had 20 years without local competition to establish itself as a transatlantic hub, but by the 1980s the best it had managed were seasonal Canadian flights and sporadic tag-ons on Aer Lingus services to New York.

Amalgamating both airports wouldn't be much benefit to the FlyBE traffic out of the City, it sits in its own niche for the higher-income population of the east of NI.

The advantages of Aldergrove nowadays are:
1. Longer runways, with crosswind
2. Better ILS
3. Not curfew-limited which is ideal for freight

The advantages of City are:
4. Convenience

Dublin competes strongly against points 1 to 3 but weakly on point 4. That should indicate which Belfast airport is most at risk by a rapidly-expandig Dublin.

EI474 from Lisbon, which was cancelled last night, will be operated as EI1474 today by TAP metal. From a friend on the flight, non-existent communication from EI about the cancellation and PAX kept at Lisbon airport until all hours before the flight was eventually cancelled. Very little info about re-booking/what to do next. One would imagine this process would be well honed at this stage. I flew with Wizz from BEG to LTN on Saturday and, although delayed, there was constant texts and emails as the flight status was updated.

Separately, I flew into DUB with WX yesterday. Flight was actually operated by JOTA Aviation Avro RJ85, which was a novelty.

Aer Lingus also had a cancelled PSA-DUB last week, the tweets I seen suggested a similar fiasco in sorting hotels etc out.

If remember correctly a four star airline only has to find an alternate flight for passengers, it's a five star airline that must notify passengers on alternate arrangements

Or is it the other way round?
Oops!!!

Aer Lingus faces demand to boost Cork-Amsterdam flights

MEP says service offers business crucial connections

Aer Lingus is facing demands to boost its Cork-to-Amsterdam service which the airline has cut back for the summer.

The carrier flies 10 times a-week between Cork and Amsterdam Schiphol, which is one of Europe’s biggest hubs.

www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-a ... 3?mode=amp

—-

LISTEN: Aer Lingus pilot expertly handles New York air traffic controller in mid-flight spat

"My boss will be in contact with your boss."
A tense exchange of views between an air traffic controller in New York and an Aer Lingus pilot has caught the attention of a number of social media users after it was uploaded to YouTube by Dublin Aviation.

Flight EI104 was travelling from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City to Dublin Airport at 5.15pm local time on 22 July, when a spat began between the two men when a potential threat to the aircraft was spotted.

www.joe.ie/news/listen-new-york-atc-arg ... lot-634333

300 Dublin-based Ryanair staff on protective notice

Ryanair has issued letters of protective notice to more than 300 staff as it announced plans to cut its Dublin- based fleet by 20% for the winter months.

The airline said it plans to cut its Dublin-based fleet of aircraft from 30 to around 24.

It said it has issued letters of protective notice to over 100 pilots and over 200 cabin crew employees, whose services may not be required from 28 October onwards.

www.rte.ie/news/business/2018/0725/9809 ... blin-cuts/

Ryanair puts 300 Dublin-based staff on protective notice.

FR returning to previous behavior pattern? No more Mr nice guy?

To be expected!
Ryanair has the balance sheet strength and the brass neck to carry it off
And of course timing is everything!