Leeds Bradford: EasyJet Flights, New Routes & Schedule Updates

[gulftraveller]

The trouble is that airlines don’t really care about passenger convenience. What matters to them is economics.

 

[HX3]

I believe its this weekend that the M62 is actually closed on an evening around J22-24 from memory. Last thing anyone wants after arriving at MAN at 2am is a closed M62 and mass diversions.

Night closures right up to the end of September. They are fitting parapets on the bridge at Krumlin (Scammonden bridge).

 

[Fernley]

Whilst unfortunate that easyJet are pulling out, LBA is lucky that 2 other low cost carriers already operate these routes and can absorb this additional capacity. Many U.K. regional airports don’t have this luxury and are left with nothing once an airline departs!

 

[dmrodgers]

I believe its this weekend that the M62 is actually closed on an evening around J22-24 from memory. Last thing anyone wants after arriving at MAN at 2am is a closed M62 and mass diversions.

M62 was closed from Monday of last week between 10pm and 6am every night until the end of September due to problems with the bridge over the motorway near to Scammonden Dam. Not good if you are on an early morning flight, another reason for using LBA unless on long haul and want to go non stop without changing flights at Schiphol or Dublin.

 

[Aviador]

The trouble is that airlines don’t really care about passenger convenience. What matters to them is economics.

They will care when their passengers can't get there. Today on the M62 (yes I'm on it again) it said closures running upto mid November now in separate overnight work.

 

[gulftraveller]

They will care when their passengers can't get there. Today on the M62 (yes I'm on it again) it said closures running upto mid November now in separate overnight work.

Being cynical, they then declare them no-shows and keep their money.

 

[Aviador]

Being cynical, they then declare them no-shows and keep their money.

Proximity isn't the dealbreaker people think it is, just look at Liverpool and Manchester, East Midlands and Birmingham, Luton and Stansted, or Edinburgh and Glasgow.

I accept LBA didn't work out for easyJet this time, but the way they approached the launch was flawed from the start. Drip feeding individual routes into an established Jet2 and Ryanair stronghold, especially while the wider industry is facing severe cost and capacity pressures was never going to deliver the required impact. It should come as no surprise to anyone that a low key rollout failed to gain traction under those conditions.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Whilst unfortunate that easyJet are pulling out, LBA is lucky that 2 other low cost carriers already operate these routes and can absorb this additional capacity. Many U.K. regional airports don’t have this luxury and are left with nothing once an airline departs!

But will they increase capacity or launch a new route to BFS?

 

[Fernley]

But will they increase capacity or launch a new route to BFS?

No idea but with 4 daily using EIR in place and being utilised, a direct service to Belfast already exists, so not a complete disaster.

 

[AviatorYorks]

Proximity isn't the dealbreaker people think it is, just look at Liverpool and Manchester, East Midlands and Birmingham, Luton and Stansted, or Edinburgh and Glasgow.

I accept LBA didn't work out for easyJet this time, but the way they approached the launch was flawed from the start. Drip feeding individual routes into an established Jet2 and Ryanair stronghold, especially while the wider industry is facing severe cost and capacity pressures was never going to deliver the required impact. It should come as no surprise to anyone that a low key rollout failed to gain traction under those conditions.

Unfortunately airlines like easyJet will have to launch routes at Paris and Barcelona when they have based fleet availability and slots. easyJet clearly decided to steadily build up there presence at Leeds, but it hasn’t worked for whatever reason. I did use the Malaga and Paris flight last year and it was 90% full at least so I am still dubious as to if this is down to bookings.

I was talking the other day with a travel agent friend who said next to no promotion had been done with them by LBA or easyJet Holidays to promote the routes to them. There was also an article by the T&A stating that Idle Travel weren’t even given a heads up by either the airline or the airport. Don’t LBA employ someone to do this stuff? Pretty poor if so.

 

[White Heather]

Unfortunately airlines like easyJet will have to launch routes at Paris and Barcelona when they have based fleet availability and slots. easyJet clearly decided to steadily build up there presence at Leeds, but it hasn’t worked for whatever reason. I did use the Malaga and Paris flight last year and it was 90% full at least so I am still dubious as to if this is down to bookings.

I was talking the other day with a travel agent friend who said next to no promotion had been done with them by LBA or easyJet Holidays to promote the routes to them. There was also an article by the T&A stating that Idle Travel weren’t even given a heads up by either the airline or the airport. Don’t LBA employ someone to do this stuff? Pretty poor if so.

Yes, they do, and they do go visiting travel agencies. But as I have said before, everyone seems to blame LBA for the lack of publicity, yourself included apparently, but few seem to lay any blame on Easyjet for failing to advertise their own flights.

At the launch of the new routes to Paris, Palma, Malaga etc. LBA advertised on line, which is their normal routine. I don't recall much, if anything, by Easyjet. If I saw the ads, then travel agencies surely did too. If they are on LBAs distribution list, then they would receive the publicity, whether or not they got an in person visit. If they aren't, then that's their own fault.

The fact is, both Easyjet and LBA have a joint responsibility to advertise, or not, and they should agree a publicity strategy between them. Perhaps the lack of advertising by Easyjet is indicative of a lack of real commitment to LBA at this point in time?

 

[LBAYORKIE]

No idea but with 4 daily using EIR in place and being utilised, a direct service to Belfast already exists, so not a complete disaster.

True, but would Easyjet customers start using EIR? I think a direct replacement in terms of frequency and cost is what is needed.

 

[Flightlevel330]

Unfortunately airlines like easyJet will have to launch routes at Paris and Barcelona when they have based fleet availability and slots. easyJet clearly decided to steadily build up there presence at Leeds, but it hasn’t worked for whatever reason. I did use the Malaga and Paris flight last year and it was 90% full at least so I am still dubious as to if this is down to bookings.

I was talking the other day with a travel agent friend who said next to no promotion had been done with them by LBA or easyJet Holidays to promote the routes to them. There was also an article by the T&A stating that Idle Travel weren’t even given a heads up by either the airline or the airport. Don’t LBA employ someone to do this stuff? Pretty poor if so.

I have read the T&A article and nowhere does it state the airport hadn’t informed travel agents, it implies easyJet hasn’t informed them to pass onto customers.

And to further this my partner is a travel agent and they have been to numerous easyJet and LBA events organised by the airport over the last few years. They went to one just a few months ago organised by easyJet in Leeds and the airport where in attendance, and easyJet holidays where saying to agents how much the number of sales have risen from LBA and talking about summer 27, so I would refute that travel agents where not aware. It’s clear the holiday side was performing okay from the outside!

I think some of the marketing could have been better but from the outside looking in, I feel the airport has done the best in can considering how poor the schedules and frequency’s are.

 

[gulftraveller]

I really doubt that their departure is due to poor marketing. I think it is a bigger issue reflecting the opportunity cost i.e. where they can most profitably use their aircraft in a period of high costs and uncertainty.

 

[Finger66]

Any Travel Agent worth their salt would know which airlines and routes are served from their local airport. There is also more than enough technology out there to research things if you didn't already know, simples. And ultimately a lot of that same technology is available to the general public. So regardless of what marketing was or wasn't done, which yes could probably have been more, this hasn't worked for easyJet, probably due to the costs of doing no more than dipping their toe in the LBA water with away based flying. Done right, the demand is there - Jet2, Ryanair, KLM, Emerald/EI are all testament to that.so frustrating as this U2 decision is, their capacity was 3% of LBA overall. Some of that capacity will go to our other airlines so let's support those that support our fantastic airport and not worry too much about those that don't currently want to

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Equally @Finger66 that capacity will just mean Load Factors will increase for other based airlines. Or for easyJet out of Manchester.