Thomas Cook

[tleeds]

Yes many thanks lbaspotter.

 

[tleeds]

It looks like G-FCLK (757) was the aircraft operating the Larnaca route, positioning in from MAN this morning with the based A320 - G-SUEW, heading down to gatwick.

Hope this is useful to everyone.
Regards, Tom.

 

[lbaspotter]

I just thought this was well worth noting.

Thomas Cook commenced there brand new weekly Thursday afternoon service to the Greek Island of Kos from LBA today.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

How's KGS doing?

 

[lbaspotter]

Hi

Good news. Thomas Cook Airlines will be returning with there own based aircraft at LBA for next summer 2012. There are also reports that they could be upgrading the aircraft from the current Airbus A320 to a larger Airbus A321 or Boeing 757-200.

The tour operator is reintroducing its own services to Tenerife and Crete-Heraklion instead of taking a seat allocations on Jet2 flights as they did this summer 2011. Meanwhile 1 of the 2 weekly Antalya flights that currently operates on Sunday is been dropped along with flights to Fuerteventura due to competition from Ryanair.

They will not be reinstating flights to Tunisia, so the aircraft will continue to operate a 3rd weekly Palma rotation on a sunday morning

Here's the full TCX flying programme for the based aircraft.

MON 07:00 – MON 17:10 = TCX8048/8049 = Las Palmas
MON 18:25 – TUE 04:00 = TCX8518/8519 = Dalaman
TUE 06:25 – TUE 12:50 = TCX8218/8219 = Palma
TUE 13:55 – TUE 23:25 = TCX8144/8145 = Heraklion
WED 07:00 – WED 17:40 = TCX8416/8417 = Larnaca
WED 18:55 – THU 05:00 = TCX8572/8573 = Antalya
THU 06:30 – THU 14:55 = TCX8164/8165 = Zakynthos
THU 16:10 – FRI 01:30 = TCX8412/8413 = Kos
FRI 05:35 – FRI 11:55 = TCX8002/8003 = Ibiza
FRI 12:55 – FRI 19:10 = TCX8376/8377 = Mahon
FRI 20:10 – SAT 05:35 = TCX8504/8505 = Dalaman
SAT 06:35 – SAT 20:40 = TCX8216/8217 = Palma (W-legs elsewhere)
SAT 21:40 – SUN 06:55 = TCX8534/8535 = Bodrum
SUN 08:15 – SUN 14:40 = TCX8006/8007 = Palma
SUN 15:45 – MON 01:35 = TCX8032/8033 = Tenerife South

 

[Jordan-34092]

That sounds all good. It would be good to see the thomas cook A320 based at the airport all year round, with the fact thomson are scaling right back, there is a possibility of setting up a perminant base at the airport, which would be good for the likes of me as it means i would have a choice of three airlines to work for from LBA not the choice of ryanair or jet2

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

I'm thinking if the 737-800 rumours are true with Jet2, Antalya will be added to there turkey destinations. Or the 737-800 will free up a 757 on a Sunday (FAO), and the 757 will head to AYT.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

I don't think it'd fit the Jet2 plan. If they did add IST i think ATH would be added too. Be nice year round destinations for LBA & LS, but i personally think if they were going to try them, it would be more from MAN then LBA.

 

[tleeds]

I personally believe that having 3 Palma flights a week is only temporary. I just don't see the point in them doing it Tues, Sat and Sun Mornings. I know that Jet2 do it every day but I think that with Thomas Cook being a predominantly package holiday firm, people who book 'flights only' would go with the daily Jet2 flight.
I can see the Sunday morning, or even the Tuesday morning flight being utilised a lot easier, say with a Corfu route or operating a route to Paphos, moving the Heraklion schedule back slightly.

Their current 2012 schedule looks like this, based on Lbaspotters timetable listed earlier in the forum:
MON 07:00 MON 17:10 Las Palmas
MON 18:25 TUE 04:00 Dalaman
TUE 06:25 TUE 12:50 Palma
TUE 13:55 TUE 23:25 Heraklion
WED 07:00 WED 17:40 Larnaca
WED 18:55 THU 05:00 Antalya
THU 06:30 THU 14:55 Zakynthos
THU 16:10 FRI 01:30 Kos
FRI 05:35 FRI 11:55 Ibiza
FRI 12:55 FRI 19:10 Mahon
FRI 20:10 SAT 05:35 Dalaman
SAT 06:35 SAT 20:40 Palma (W Legs)
SAT 21:40 SUN 06:55 Bodrum
SUN 08:15 SUN 14:40 Palma
SUN 15:45 MON 01:35 Tenerife South

The Saturday flight is likely to stay due to the 'W' leg to another UK airport, but the Sunday flight could always be removed all together with the Tenerife departing early morning and then the aircraft coming back to do another new route. :/
Just some thoughts anyway.

 

[Jordan-34092]

Im hoping for Thomas cook to perminatley (sorry if i have mis-spelt this wrong its one word ive never managed to spell properly) base an aircraft at the airport, it would be good if they did.

 

[White Heather]

Tom, I believe that Palma Majorca remains one of the most popular package holiday destinations, particularly now that very few people are visiting those places that became fashionable but are now viewed as potentially dangerous - Sharm El Sheikh, Enfidya, etc.

Some years ago we had even more Palma capacity, and bearing in mind how many passengers Thomas Cook ferry to Palma and back from the Yorkshire region, I don't think 3 times a week is too many - in fact I know that Palma is still a route that is considered to be under-served from LBA. You only have to find out how many fly there on package tour charters from MAN, or DSA, to see how many more could be flown from LBA instead.

That said, I do agree that it would be nice to see a few more of the less obvious destinations, but in difficult trading conditions, like now, tour operators often stick with what they know will sell. Lets face it, they have dabbled in North Africa and got their fingers burned.

 

[Hull City Fan]

In fact I know that Palma is still a route that is considered to be under-served from LBA.

Indeed it is White Heather!.

I see no reason why Thomas Cook should not have 3xWeek flights to Palma. Jet2.com have just increased their frequency to 15xWeekly from Leeds Bradford for Summer 2012.

 

[tleeds]

Hull City Fan, just because Jet2 can operate 15x weekly departures to Palma, it doesn't mean that Thomas Cook have to operate 3x week routes, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if the reason Jet2 have increased, is due to the obvious demand for the route as yourself and White Heather have discussed, but because they have seen Thomas Cook increase to 3x weekly this year.
Jet2 are notorious for stunts such as this. They go for the Bergerac route, when FlyBe operated it fine, and then Corfu, when they saw that Thomson had that route to themselves from LBA.

I'm not discrediting Jet2's intentions and actions, far from it - I merely suggested that they could put that slot to better use, i.e. - on a route, not yet served at LBA, or not anymore. I personally believe that a SSH route, that TCX could operate within their schedule would be a lot more profitable than a Palma service. It would push their FUE flight to the early hours, if it were to be positioned on a Tuesday, but if they altered their schedule, so that a SSH was early morning - evening, they then could operate a second flight, evening - giving people the early morning option on a Sat and a late night option on a Tuesday?!

Just some idea's...

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Judging by post's on PPRune, it would seem that management etc are changing the direction of TCX. It's loosing some fleet (A330's etc), and re-directing it's self to hopefully compete with Easy, Ryanair, Jet2, Monarch etc. More attractive hopefully get rid of that horrendous 29" pitch.

However here in LBA, i believe that w pattern on a Saturday should not operate from LBA base and BJV should be put on more attractive flight times. I'm a big fan of the airport, but flight times like that should only operate Manchester Gatwick etc when they have more then one or two weekly services, and with flight times like that it's a wonder they are filling the plane. That’s the only other thing I thinks’ wrong with the current TCX 11/12 timetable.

I believe with the dropped AYT (TCX), we'll see Jet2 picking up capacity by doing it on a Sunday next year. However i don't think that'll happen unless they shuffle the flight times and aircraft around. Send the 752 out at 710 to FAO, and then 1530 to AYT departure. Evening then turns into a 737-800 or 737-300 flight. Which ever 757 (of the main 3 ALC/PMI/AGP) looses the flight on a Sunday, gains instead of a 733 a 752 on a Tuesday. But I don't run an airline, and don't know inside knowledge only that the aviation week in my mind runs thursday-wenesday.

 

[Jordan-34092]

unlikely we will get a 757 next year it will be an A320 again, this is due to the fact thomas cook are replacing there 757 aircraft with A320 aircraft and some A321 aircraft.

 

[tleeds]

Hopefully we will see them upgrade to an A321 in the next few years..!

Slightly Off-Topic:
I've just found out that NetFlights that sponser Leeds United is actually owned by The ThomasCook Group! It seems that they are setting foundations within the Yorkshire region, literally as well, with the large ThomasCook building in Bradford..

 

[pilot_737]

Offtopic

HI Tom, as of this summer Leeds are no longer sponsered by NetFlights.com!

 

[tleeds]

Aplogies PilotBen, I wasn't aware of this. Who's the new sponser then?
At least we have the large TCX building in Bradford!

 

[jason1-11]

Hopefully we will see them upgrade to an A321 in the next few years..!

Slightly Off-Topic:
I've just found out that NetFlights that sponser Leeds United is actually owned by The ThomasCook Group! It seems that they are setting foundations within the Yorkshire region, literally as well, with the large ThomasCook building in Bradford..

If you speak to any former Airtours pilots (Mike Newell for example if you know him) who did base a 321 for a summer season, they'll tell you the 321 isn't suited to Leeds due to the landing distance available on both 32 and 14.

 

[tleeds]

Is it just that aircraft type then that has difficulties? Similar and Larger aircraft seem to have no problem..?