Vueling

[lbaspotter]

Well think this Airline now deserves its own thread in the LBA forum here:

As has been posted on the rumours and news pages it looks like IAG owned Spanish low cost airline Vueling will be adding a new 2x weekly Barcelona – Leeds/Bradford service for next summer 2016 season. It looks like this new route will start operations from March 28th 2016 with flights been operated every Monday and Friday which are now bookable on the airlines website at https://www.vueling.com/en

Here’s the timetable

Mondays
(From March 28th until September 12th)
VY8794 = BCN: 07:00 – LBA: 08:35 / VY8795 = LBA: 09:15 – BCN: 12:35
Fridays
(From April 1st until May 27th)
VY8794 = BCN: 07:00 – LBA: 08:35 / VY8795 = LBA: 09:15 – BCN: 12:35
(From June 3rd until September 9th)
VY8794 = BCN: 13:10 – LBA: 14:45 / VY8795 = LBA: 15:40 – BCN: 19:00

Another additional airline which for sure will be welcomed to LBA with open arms....

 

[andyc941]

Great to see at long last a new overseas airline at LBA.Hope its a great success for the airport and region.

 

[Aviador]

Great to see at long last a new overseas airline at LBA.Hope its a great success for the airport and region.

Indeed. It's definitely what LBA needs. Some will argue it's over capacity on the BCN route but passenger figures from other airports would indicate there's sufficient potential to expand the route further out of Leeds. It will be nice to see something different at LBA for a change.

 

[White Heather]

Well they are clearly up for the challenge as they have also launched 3 times weekly flights from LPL to BCN too in competition with Easyjet and Ryanair. Lets hope they are very successful without impacting on our Jet2 and Monarch operations. Lets also hope for more from them in the future. It is a good sign that we have another IAG group airline. We just need Iberia now !! Madrid anyone?

 

[rmac]

Madrid: Didn't Jet2 have a Madrid service a few years ago? How successful was it, does anyone know? Maybe Iberia Express with a smaller aircraft might consider it, but then they have just started MAN-MAD - but who knows, it would be good. I hope Vueling do well and they might add to their initial offerings from LBA.

 

[Gray Ham]

Good indeed to see a new operator at LBA, especially a non-based one. Doubtless Vueling will have done its homework and is confident about choosing a start-up route in which it will go head-to-head with Jet2 and Monarch, and on days or the week when both these operators have flights scheduled. Let's hope the demand is there to support the extra capacity. (Why did Ryanair pull out?) Personally, having read a variety of customer satisfaction reports for all 3 of these airlines I would contemplate the newcomer over the established pair only if there was a strong financial incentive to do so. If Vueling operated a route where It was the only operator I would use it rather than travel from another UK airport. Maybe my view is idiosyncratic but I wonder whether Vueling should have considered starting with a monopoly route. But what do I know? There must be good reasons why Jet2 have pulled out of Madrid, Valencia, and Almeria in recent years, just to mention Spanish routes.

 

[jfy1999]

Good indeed to see a new operator at LBA, especially a non-based one. Doubtless Vueling will have done its homework and is confident about choosing a start-up route in which it will go head-to-head with Jet2 and Monarch, and on days or the week when both these operators have flights scheduled. Let's hope the demand is there to support the extra capacity. (Why did Ryanair pull out?) Personally, having read a variety of customer satisfaction reports for all 3 of these airlines I would contemplate the newcomer over the established pair only if there was a strong financial incentive to do so. If Vueling operated a route where It was the only operator I would use it rather than travel from another UK airport. Maybe my view is idiosyncratic but I wonder whether Vueling should have considered starting with a monopoly route. But what do I know? There must be good reasons why Jet2 have pulled out of Madrid, Valencia, and Almeria in recent years, just to mention Spanish routes.

Barcelona is Vueling's biggest base with the most onward connections, so it's always going to be the first destination from any UK airport.
At BHX (my airport) the Vueling route to BCN has been a triumph, even though it's competing with Norwegian, Ryanair and Monarch. I think Vueling are a fantastic addition for LBA and I wish them and the airport continued success :drinks:

 

[Ray Finkle]

I can only echo jfy's words that this is a great addition for LBA and with those timings I assume they arrive just after the morning wave of departures which will help make use of the quieter times? They also have plenty of bases across the continent so if the route does well then, well who knows what the future may bring.

It also comes complete with BA and Iberia code share which will help matters.

I hope they do well :smile:

 

[scottrhino]

Yes great addition especially with departing aircraft freeing up unused space. On the Jet 2 Madrid issue I flew on this flight several times and never saw it less than 75-80% full so I can only assume high operational costs (think this might have been one of the few Jet 2 destinations with a one UK airport operation but I stand corrected if Manchester was served). Many people, like my brother in law used this flight for onward transition to South America but many friends used this service to watch Real Madrid etc and with 800,000 non UK citizens coming over to watch Premier League games there must be demand the other way not forgetting UK weekend break customers and so forth. Digressing we still need to address the short fallings of Brussels etc as a destination (hopefully the Antwerp route will address this) and even Rome where Jet 2 have had a reduction for 2016. All in all positive but new routes would be welcolmed from Veuling and others

 

[752]

Does anybody know if Vueling's service with be year round?!

Also I was thinking, does anybody know why Vueling has announced NCL, LBA & LPL to BCN?! is it to get there brand noticed? or tac-tic against the likes of Jet2, EZY, RYR and MON for market share?

on another note Vueling has just announced ALC from MAN & BHX. Definitely a lot of UK expansion happening lately

 

[User001]

The new Vueling routes are a bit of everything.

LPL and LBA will serve their own purpose and are point to point routes in their own right. but, it also helps get their brand noticed across the North for when the MAN based is announced.

Lastly, it's helping divert Ryanairs efforts from capacity dumping at MAN to see them off.

Both LPL and LBA are down as seasonal at this stage, but, I would not be even slightly surprised if they both go year round to keep the brand awareness going.

 

[leedslad]

Will the Vuelling flight allow actual connecting flights (ie with baggage transferred)?... Always seems like Ryanair missing a trick given their network on that front...

 

[whoshotjimmi]

I don't think enough fanfare is being made about the arrival of Vueling onto the scene. This is exactly what LBA needs. Whichever way we look at it, the likes of Jet2 and Monarch simply do not serve inbound tourism/business in the same way that Ryanair did when they were on the route. This will appeal to the many potential Spanish visitors to the Yorkshire region - as well as increasing competition on the route for us locals - and, providing it is a success, could be a building block towards more of the same across Iberia.

 

[White Heather]

It is incredible that there has been no press release by either LBA or Vueling (in this area) about this. LPL wasted no time in announcing it. LBA press relations a re getting worse - there seems to be delay all the time and there is no dedicated press officer. It all falls to Tony Hallwood who is probably away in South Africa at the routes conference. It isn't every day we get a new airline, let alone member of the One World airlines group - so LBA really should do better.

 

[a300boy]

Very poor in every respect. I hope Tony has not become disillusioned and moves on. As I have said it is difficult to see where the growth to the figures they are suggesting over the next few years will come from.

 

[jason1-11]

Not before time: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... -1-7486123

 

[White Heather]

So clearly there has been a press release, but LBA still haven't published it on their own website! Good news is not so common at LBA these days so it beggars belief that when we do have something significant, there is an apparent reluctance to publish it. This wasn't even included in the Consultative Committee business update 3 weeks ago - although when I challenged this fact, it was confirmed! It has taken 3 weeks to announce anything, yet LPL and NCL both had it in the papers in quick time.

 

[airforced]

I welcome the arrival of Vueling, and any other new to LBA carrier for that matter, but as a 'low cost' airline they aren't going to win many friends on this side of the Pennines if the fare I've just seen is anything to go by.

Looking well ahead for next Spring they are quoting a SINGLE fare with bags to BCA on 20 May at a few pennies less than £175. This compares with Monarch at £137 and Jet2 at £140, both with bags as well.

Maybe they operate a different pricing system to the others or maybe they have some special other attractions on board! Not impressed.

 

[User001]

The Vueling fares are not fully loaded yet.

At Manchester, some of their one way MAN-BCN fares are £347 one way, and have been for months.

Not many going to uptake those fares, but they will be adjusted in the new year.

 

[lbaspotter]

It is incredible that there has been no press release by either LBA or Vueling (in this area) about this. LPL wasted no time in announcing it. LBA press relations a re getting worse - there seems to be delay all the time and there is no dedicated press officer. It all falls to Tony Hallwood who is probably away in South Africa at the routes conference. It isn't every day we get a new airline, let alone member of the One World airlines group - so LBA really should do better.

Somebody at LBA must have heard you White Heather as there is a Vueling aircraft picture and a link now on the airport website home page. Also a full PDF press release has been issued on the airport website press section.