Wishlist and Predictions for 2024

[Seasider]

My wish is that we continue the "good hearted debate" that this forum thrives on.

Oh, aviation wise - a regional airline (50-70 seats) to operate business flights. If people use the airport for business, they will use it for pleasure.

 

[Finger66]

Hear hear re healthy debate. I think the New Years Resolution for those that slate the airport should be to well and truly get behind it. The airport continues to grow which is only a good thing and there have been enough false dawns and non starters for other Yorkshire Airports in the last couple of decades. LBA always has been, and will remain, Yorkshires number one. Put a sense of reality into all of this please and encourage not discourage.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Thomson to give us something other then 1 TFS for winter..

Jet2 to increase winter ops

Jet2 have already increased their winter offering for 17/18. Announced in early November.

Thomson - likely not to do that. They'll need to offer more destinations that are winter round then they currently offer.

 

[airforced]

Plans for a new arrivals hall with more room and more carousels and including provision of better arrangements to get people up into the terminal without having to lug their bags up stairs.

I'll settle for whoever pushes the buttons showing which carusel your luggage will arrive on being shown how it works! On my last two arrivals the wrong belt has been shown on the screen leding from passport control to baggage reclaim causing mayhem once people realise their bags are on another carusel. Have to admit though an improved arrivals would enhance the LBA experience no end. No harm in wishing is there?

 

[yorkshire]

All the above, clean and working toilets and a 3rd Monarch based plane!

 

[White Heather]

All the above, clean and working toilets and a 3rd Monarch based plane!

All the toilets are being fully refurbished over the winter so at least one of your wishes is coming true Yorkshire. 🙂

 

[Aviador]

Oh no not the toilets again

Ah but at least this isn't the Infrastructure Development thread. 🙂

 

[lbaspotter]

Here's mine predictions for 2017.

Regards the airport
1. Hopefully see the new improvements to the Departure lounge / Extension works are started and completed before the peak summer 2017 season.
2, Leeds city council confirms plans to build the new A65/A658 link road by submitting a full planning application.
3, More discussions take place regards the proposed LBA parkway Rail Station on the Leeds-Harrogate-York line.
4, With promises of a new train station and link road LBA/Bridgepoint Capital move forward with plans to build the Terminal Building ASAP as we will hit the 4 million pax mark within the next 12/18 Months

Airline front
1, Jet2 to add further Boeing 737-800's to the LBA base replacing the older Boeing 737-300's. Like to see them also add a few more routes.
2, Ryanair eventually decide to confirm that it will base a 4th aircraft at LBA for summer 2018 with a few new sunshine destinations along with some business sector type routes.
3, Monarch to look into either replacing one of the based A320's with an A321 before the B737-8Maxes arrive in 2018. Or possibly look into add a 3rd based aircraft.
4, BA decide to have a night stopper at LBA with a new late northbound and early sothbound service introduced for business pax using it for day tips into London and offer even more European & Long Haul Connections.
5, Vueling go year round on Barcelona route and add a 3rd/4th weekly service for next summer which will offer long haul connections onto IAG groups new Long Haul low cost airline thats been set up next year. They also look at adding a few new routes to the sunshine destinations eg, Alicante, Malaga Tenerife & maybe Rome.
6, Iberia Express come along to join the IAG party with a 3/4 weekly Madrid service with long haul connetions offered onto Iberia flights
7, My biggest wish is that a regional airline comes along and opens up business routes to Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt and Copenhagen. Let talks commence with Eastern Airlines, bmi regional, CityJet or a with a good friend to LBA in the past whom is now the managing director at (Soon to be independent ex flybe franchise) Loganair.

 

[White Heather]

Can't argue with any of that lbaspotter. Good wish list.

 

[rmac]

Definitely a good wish list, lbaspotter, especially the regional airline starting business routes to Europe. I wonder if Jet2 might collaborate or have a joint venture with such an airline to provide services to the above list, CPH, FRA, BRU etc but also to use their existing services such as Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Budapest using E75 or E90 equipment. All starting from Leeds but Belfast, etc joining in later. The B733's will have gone but B738's might be too big for some routes, hence the need for smaller equipment and greater frequencies.
Hope to hear that the A65/A658 gets approval quickly.

 

[752]

Does anybody not think Jet2 could look into a code share with say AF or LH etc to their big bases, similar to what EZY and FR are starting to look into, this could also boost load factors etc.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

I would have thought Jet2 will run a mile rather then do a tie up with any european airline. Easyjet shares and profit under great strain due to its internal european flights which may well have to cease when we withdraw from Europe. Until we know the pan european airways agreement after Brexit, the whole European market is not one to enter.
Easyjet is looking to start a European company based in europe so it will have the same structural status in europe as Ryanair, to enable it to continue its internal european network, something Jet2 does not have so no need to protect.

 

[lbaspotter]

Actually Jet2 may have to implement some changes to for its 2+ European bases at Alicante and Palma after Brexit.

 

[Bigman]

Yes, it's nearly time to get sozzled, stuff the turkey and 3 weeks of World Darts, so here we go:

• Jet2 – More classics get upgraded to 800’s and shipped off for Coke can conversion
• Ryanair – 4th based aircraft please!!
• FlyBe – Keep the existing services as best we can
• Eastern – if you are going to operate, then do something more useful than SOU. 2 x daily Frankfurt would be nice
• KLM – how about a 737 on the night stopper?
• Get the diggers in on the terminal job
• How about a hopper bus connection to Apperley Bridge station?
• New runway lighting gets complete resulting in an increased RVR on 14 in fog, so that we have less chance of losing the few winter flights that we do actually get
• Get a direct bus back to York would be nice, but a useful one that stops at places like, Collingham, Boston Spa, Wetherby or Tadcaster
• Transdev – please sort the 62 bus out so that you can actually get to Ilkley and Keighley on a Sunday!!
• How about National Express starting some routes? Surely we must be big enough to warrant a route on the lines of Bradford-LBA-Harrogate-Ripon-Northallerton-Darlington-Durham-Newcastle?

 

[Finger66]

Let's hope the Classics becoming Coke cans is more than a "Fanta"sy

 

[SNOWMAN]

hi finger 66
are you popped up again??

 

[Seasider]

Let's hope the Classics becoming Coke cans is more than a "Fanta"sy

then I will "Sprite"ing down to the supermarket

 

[Finger66]

hi finger 66
are you popped up again??

Lol. No just like to have a "wine" now and again.
On a serious note it perhaps shows how quiet everything seems to have gone when we have had to revert back to awful "tin"ny puns about coke cans

 

[a300boy]

I do not want any news anymore as it is normally bad !

 

[Tarn Spotter]

My wish for the new year is a more positive outlook, then a glass half empty view normally uttered.
Change is usually good for the customer, Nokia used to own the mobile market but did not make the advances the customer base sought.
TUI and TC are finding the holiday market has changed and they took steps to move totally in the wrong direction, customers have voted with their holiday money.
Embrace the future, this is my message to the airport management, dont base the future on the past, being old, even I realise the internet the future, the past like Monarch have gone, TC in danger and Flybe will either refresh or go under.
Hopefully LBA management have the knowledge and drive to see the future and grasp it.