Cardiff Airport - General Thread

[Jerry]

What is good about the gradual restoration of the bread and butter routes from CWL, is that they are being operated by three different airlines, rather than the one dominant airline we had on the routes previously. Ref to your previous entry Jerry, what date is Dublin restarting?

I believe Dublin starts 31st August. Yes the spread of airlines is good in that the airport isn't relying on 1 particular airline but with them being away based (not Eastern obviously) it does mean less jobs created locally by based aircraft. In a way we are seeing a bit of a mix of away and based airlines which isn't to bad. Hopefully over time Wizz will add more aircraft and replace the Flybe jobs that were lost.

 

[geoff]

Let's hope that HOP may consider the CWL-CDG route in the future.

 

[Jerry]

Let's hope that HOP may consider the CWL-CDG route in the future.

Well with less domestic routes available to them hopefully it'll lead to Air France looking at airports like CWL to expand to.

 

[aviatorconcorde]

I’m booked onto a Belfast service from BRS.

It’s a shame aer lingus didn’t have the dates and times we wanted. For the dates i did try for the fare was way more expensive, a £36 admin fee was added and a checked bag was £20 more each way.


It’s good the service exists but it’s a shame ryanair couldn’t be encouraged in.

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Hopefully over time Wizz will add more aircraft and replace the Flybe jobs that were lost.

I've been told by a reputable source that the initial plan is to increase to 3 based aircraft. No info on timescale or potential routes, but I'm guessing with an Airline like Wizz they will increase now depending on how demand goes for the rest of 2021 and how summer 2022 sells over the next 12 months.

 

[KevinMcGrath]

Hi, I once took a ticket through BRS twice and all those two times the company without any explanation, just cancelled my name from the ticket purchase list.... I'm still shocked!

 

[Jerry]

I've been told by a reputable source that the initial plan is to increase to 3 based aircraft. No info on timescale or potential routes, but I'm guessing with an Airline like Wizz they will increase now depending on how demand goes for the rest of 2021 and how summer 2022 sells over the next 12 months.

3 aircraft would be fantastic! Even if it was just 3 in the summer and 1 in the winter that would add at least over 600,000 seats onsale.

 

[Jerry]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1400014346005196800

 

[geoff]

The CWL departures board is showing 2Excel as flying to Budapest tomorrow, is this where the Welsh team are basing themselves for the Baku fixtures? also there is a flight to Baku Friday morning showing as being operated by Eastwind Consolidated Partners, with a W9 flight number which is Wizz UK.

 

[Jerry]

The CWL departures board is showing 2Excel as flying to Budapest tomorrow, is this where the Welsh team are basing themselves for the Baku fixtures? also there is a flight to Baku Friday morning showing as being operated by Eastwind Consolidated Partners, with a W9 flight number which is Wizz UK.

Just wonder if actually Budapest is a fuel stop for the Welsh team aircraft and the other flight could be a corporate charter for the tournament maybe FAW top brass as I'm not sure fans can go?

 

[Severn]

Just wonder if actually Budapest is a fuel stop for the Welsh team aircraft and the other flight could be a corporate charter for the tournament maybe FAW top brass as I'm not sure fans can go?

Correct, the 2Excel B733 (G-SWRD) departed Cardiff this morning for Budapest for a 1hr fuel stop before continuing to Baku.

 

[Jerry]

Almost as if a pandemic hit!

Covid: Cardiff Airport saw biggest drop in passengers in UK

It had a further blow after Aer Lingus' operators Stobart Air went into liquidation on Friday.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Llandudno]

"A review will also be conducted of the Welsh government's subsidy for the Holyhead to Cardiff air route.
Ms James said she was open-minded about the route's future: "I don't know what the effect of that plane on the environment is because I don't know what people who go on the plane would do if they weren't on the plane."

Climate change: Wales 'needs to do twice as much' in next decade

Road schemes are to be reviewed and a new law to tackle air pollution will be introduced next year.

www.bbc.co.uk

I’ve always found that air link completely unnecessary.

the Welsh govt also subsidise the ‘WAG express’ train which is more than adequate for their needs, and Valley airport is too far west away from the population centres to be of major use to anyone (there’s a reason why the RAF built the base where they did, as it was away from urban areas).

Cardiff is not a hub so can’t really be used for VLY-CWL-XXX connections and even if it did, Manchester and Liverpool airports are closer and offer more destinations.

so, makes sense to see this route end.

 

[Jerry]

The route exists because there is extremely poor internal connectivity between the north west and the south because of well virtually no investment over the years. It's alright for people to say scrap it but there'll still be a distinct lack of connectivity in place. The train isn't an express service. It's incredibly slow. Holyhead to Cardiff takes 4 hours 25 minutes with 10 stops, Cardiff to Holyhead takes 4 hours 35 minutes with 13 stops and both direct leg's only operate once a day. If you wanted to do a day trip traveling time is 9 hours.
An option could be less stops only stop at Bangor, Wrexham and Newport with faster locomotives. I don't how much time that would cut off or if even if it's possible due to the borders line especially.
Personally I'd be surprised if they cut it but they do need to look at making it more eco friendly. Another factor is Anglesey airport itself. What would happen to that.

 

[Llandudno]

‘Anglesey airport’ is actually a fully active RAF base, so they probably wouldn’t even notice if a 2 daily J41 stopped. The fact you have civil flights into an active RAF base is quite the anomaly in the U.K. anyway.

as for connectivity, I think your being rather optimistic as to how many are making that journey. Apart from the Sennedd ministers and perhaps a few back office staff, who is realistically using this air link that needs to get from North to South Wales (and vice versa) in such a hurry.
I would guess the amount of people who reside north of Shrewsbury/Aberystwyth and work in South Wales is circa 1% of the population? There’s the far bigger cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, not to mention Chester that probably engulf the vast majority of the working population.

for any VFR/leisure, the train is more than sufficient. If it wasn’t, the Sennedd wouldn’t have ploughed millions into acquiring new rolling stock and improving the journey times with schemes such as doubling the track near Wrexham.
As for the express train itself, it already misses a few stops on its journey, has enhanced catering and is timed specifically for the north/south traffic. You don’t need that and an air link.

In its subsidised form, the air link is an act of pure vanity. If it wasn’t so, and the air link was ‘desperately needed’, then it would be able to stand up to scrutiny and survive un-subsidised, but it doesn’t.

In summary, I think you vastly over emphasise the importance of north south links. The north is far more reliant on its north west neighbours for jobs, transport links, leisure and so on, than it ever has been on South Wales. I know you support a strong, independent Wales and that is to be commended, but the reality is, the north isn’t as enthused and reliant about South Wales, as those in South Wales are lead to believe.

 

[Jerry]

In summary, I think you vastly over emphasise the importance of north south links. The north is far more reliant on its north west neighbours for jobs, transport links, leisure and so on, than it ever has been on South Wales. I know you support a strong, independent Wales and that is to be commended, but the reality is, the north isn’t as enthused and reliant about South Wales, as those in South Wales are lead to believe.

I personally think it's about nation building, countries invest in their internal connectivity and don't just concentrate on travelling to other countries and airlinks are part of that and my limited experience of the Anglesey route showed that the route has all sorts of people using it not just politicians.
I will say though that there's a part of me that hopes one day it won't be needed because the investment will have been put into Wales internal north south routes to make the journey fast enough not to need the airlink.

 

[Llandudno]

I personally think it's about nation building, countries invest in their internal connectivity and don't just concentrate on travelling to other countries and airlinks are part of that

but why should there be an agenda of pushing internal links, when for north Wales, the north west of England and Birmingham is by far easier, faster, more convenient and more choice than Cardiff and the south.

It doesn’t matter how good/fast you make the north-south links, the fact that England’s north west is on the doorstep and an intrinsical part of north Wales life can never be trumped and no nationalist argument can surpass that fact.

 

[Jerry]

, the fact that England’s north west is on the doorstep and an intrinsical part of north Wales life can never be trumped and no nationalist argument can surpass that fact

Not disputing that but it doesn't mean that we can't invest in and make better our internal links.

 

[Llandudno]

Not disputing that but it doesn't mean that we can't invest in and make better our internal links.

Investment is fine, but a vanity project air link is not required. Like I say, if it was needed, it would be able to stand on its own 2 feet away from subsidies.

 

[aviatorconcorde]

‘Anglesey airport’ is actually a fully active RAF base, so they probably wouldn’t even notice if a 2 daily J41 stopped. The fact you have civil flights into an active RAF base is quite the anomaly in the U.K. anyway.

as for connectivity, I think your being rather optimistic as to how many are making that journey. Apart from the Sennedd ministers and perhaps a few back office staff, who is realistically using this air link that needs to get from North to South Wales (and vice versa) in such a hurry.
I would guess the amount of people who reside north of Shrewsbury/Aberystwyth and work in South Wales is circa 1% of the population? There’s the far bigger cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, not to mention Chester that probably engulf the vast majority of the working population.

for any VFR/leisure, the train is more than sufficient. If it wasn’t, the Sennedd wouldn’t have ploughed millions into acquiring new rolling stock and improving the journey times with schemes such as doubling the track near Wrexham.
As for the express train itself, it already misses a few stops on its journey, has enhanced catering and is timed specifically for the north/south traffic. You don’t need that and an air link.

In its subsidised form, the air link is an act of pure vanity. If it wasn’t so, and the air link was ‘desperately needed’, then it would be able to stand up to scrutiny and survive un-subsidised, but it doesn’t.

In summary, I think you vastly over emphasise the importance of north south links. The north is far more reliant on its north west neighbours for jobs, transport links, leisure and so on, than it ever has been on South Wales. I know you support a strong, independent Wales and that is to be commended, but the reality is, the north isn’t as enthused and reliant about South Wales, as those in South Wales are lead to believe.

With Welsh Government declaring a climate emergency it is questionable if the air link is required as well as a train.