Leeds Bradford - General Thread

[Tarn Spotter]

Great post White Heather: In business better to work on your strengths not your weakness. LBA growth is the summer business, which grew about 15% this year, work on the apron and other issues may allow a 10% growth next year, not impossible with the Jet2 Holiday growth.
For me we need to build on the areas that are working for us, jet2 holiday passengers have doubled in one year, no reason why they cannot achieve substantial increases next summer as the competition is very limited and involves a least one serious rival who has huge financial problems and wishes to cut back in many areas where Jet2 Holidays strong.
A serious amount of this Jet2 growth will come through LBA

 

[752]

White Heather; You say that LBA is currently making a loss, do you know by how much? and what reasons the loss making might be?

 

[Moo2009]

2 extra stands have been built this year, well if you look how jet2 have parked there aircraft today you will understand why 6 aircraft on 4 stands on the remote area looks like a scene from the desert

 

[White Heather]

Ap1995, sorry I don't have the figures but the airport making a loss is ( I assume) down to the annual running costs (circa £29m based on what the MD told us), plus capital investments on infrastructure and subsidies for public transport, exceeding income from airlines, retail, parking etc. I suppose that after this year, there is the possibility that loss may turn into small profit in view of the increased passenger numbers and airline presence. Lets hope so.

 

[SNOWMAN]

Think with the St Jude storms and other weather issues all airports especially those in the south, had a bad October, one month means nothing when the weather pattern we know caused the specific issues. October weather patterns over the years has resulted in disruption all over the country, without do a full review, of all airports, not realistic to say LBA results good or bad.
My experience over the years places East midlands first, Manchester second, and belfast third in my diversion problems, this in over 60 years, Leeds does not get in the top 5, yet tops my list in respect of usage, you can make figures make any case.
used to fly into Linate Milan every 3 weeks for 17 years, in winter virtually every flight due to land before noon was delayed, can remember one winter when we had 42 days when the fog did not lift, lets put Leeds into prospective.

high tarn spotter
the airports you list has having worst diversion problems than lba don't seem to have that problem now,(I mean fog not snow) due to improved landing aids on both ends where we have not.also the type of aircraft landing systems have improved,but alas
no use on 14 and limited use on 32,i remember man been closed for 3days and all ba
1-11s working out of lba no cat 3 on them also orion airways all diverting into lba from
ema 737-200 but those days are all gone now the only aircraft with problems are the
turbo props.but we still loose some of our cat2&3 aircraft.i seem to remember lba closed for 2weeks with fog.also just noticed on the jet 2 thread the cant base any more
aircraft at lba no stands no more expansion there then.moo2009 is always well informed on all things jet2.
regards
sm1
ps Malaga this Friday for us.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

Snowman: Have a good break, no desks to empty trays behind x-ray machines at malaga last month, took 30 minutes at the machines alone to get through, makes LBA a cup of tea. In addition even more seats taken out at the gates in Zone B, seats a huge premium now.
If jet2 your lucky as check in in T3 now, if Ryanair T2 and the long walk.
Last month forced again on arrival to walk from T2 back to T3 for customs and back to T2 for luggage, must have been a mile, in March, April may allowed to go straight from t2 to t2 luggage. makes the walk along the walkway at LBA seem just a short stroll.

 

[SNOWMAN]

hi tarnspotter
thanks for info re Malaga airport.
we don't do ryan air (our choice)
I think jet2 new check in desks are in a great position for the train station at agp.
this holiday is with Thompson ex Doncaster to the 4* hotel Anglia in fuengirola half board and transfers for £290 each for 1 week .
regards
sm1

 

[lbaspotter]

Snowman1 if you going on holiday you going to melt in the sun. lol

 

[Bigman]

I assume you mean the Angela in Fuerengirola, which I have always heard good stories about. I miss the old Costa del Sol. A good few years since I went now.

Anyway, down to business, I see that there is no sign of the new timetable on the LBA website, despite the summer season now being long gone. Does anyone know when this is likely to be updated?

 

[lbaspotter]

I see that there is no sign of the new timetable on the LBA website, despite the summer season now being long gone. Does anyone know when this is likely to be updated?

Why you want that bigman? As you know what they're like and It's normally useless anyway.

 

[Seasider]

Have I missed something here? I always use the timetable on Lbaspotters' website.

 

[lbaspotter]

Have I missed something here? I always use the timetable on Lbaspotters' website.

No you didn't miss anything important Seasider. "Bigman" was on about the PDF Timetable/leaflet that the airport produce themselves and put on there own website at http://www.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk/destinations

I was just replying saying that its normally useless and is now online and looks as bad as i thought it would be.

 

[Seasider]

I am posting on this thread as my comments go across different threads.
Having been "off-line" for a few days it has been really interesting catching up. The big debate between the top priority of more stands against better runway perfomance has been carried out with great enthusiasm by the "supporters" of each. One of the things I like about this forum, especially the LBA thread, is that members have a wide range of abilities, experience and ideas but can accept other people's opinions. Long may it continue.

Let us not forget that we all have our "wish lists" but Bridgepoint bought LBA to make money, not to make it the best airport in the UK. Think about this question.
If your pension company invested money in projects that were very expensive with no guarantee of a return, how would you feel?

Please remember what we have compared to 10 years ago, more choice of flights/holidays at less cost and a better terminal.

 

[User0001]

Let us not forget that we all have our "wish lists" but Bridgepoint bought LBA to make money, not to make it the best airport in the UK. Think about this question.
If your pension company invested money in projects that were very expensive with no guarantee of a return, how would you feel?

Please remember what we have compared to 10 years ago, more choice of flights/holidays at less cost and a better terminal.

Interesting points Seasider. Even I know that LBIA will never be the best airport in the UK or anywhere near in actual fact! What we all should be demanding though is that those entrusted and lucky enough to be running LBIA are fit and proper people to do so. This should be the minimum of any wish list for those who care about LBIA.

If bridgepoint are having to invest their money into a paper mill in slovakia, a plastics factory in finland or chewing gum developer in rochdale etc instead of ploughing much needed money in to my local airport (terminal extension, aircraft stands, landing aids, taxiways etc) - then they should never have bought the airport in the first place. I am not interested in shareholders getting their pension - I am only interested in the years out of date infrastructure improvements getting completed to help our airport get close to where, not in a wishlist, but wher in reality it should be.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

It should not be forgotten that in addition to the points Seasider raised, even with 3million passengers LBA is still losing money for Bridgepoint.
To fund expansion they need to see an increased income stream, either charge airlines more, unlikely to be feasible, or increase the retail area at the expense of seating in the departure terminal, or increase retail rents. None seems a very attractive solution.
I have used Leeds, Geneva, malaga, manchester, T5 heathrow and Ibiza this year. Each has their own specific problems and some make Leeds look like heaven, changes and investment are not always for the good, think T3 at malaga, never mind the white elephant of the new runway. Compared to Geneva will cope with LBA drop off and security, I wont do collections from Malaga now. Can cope with LBA small baggage hall if cases arrive in less then 30 minutes on an unknown carosel, then waiting 90 minutes at a known carosel at other airports (manchester).
I think the new departure lounge and the increase in x-ray machines have been a massive plus for LBA, the walkway has been a huge boom, not good for the length of walk for us oldies, but overall a benefit.
We have done a 7am flight 4 times this summer, compared to last year and previous years, a experience now, that stands leeds on par with the other airports we use.
Lets be constructive in our views.

 

[Aviador]

It would seem transport planners are more interested in improving links between West Yorkshire and Manchester airport than to our own airport.

This was in the YP earlier this month.

"Transport body on track to promote rail travel"

"We are working with the train operators and our colleagues in Greater Manchester to take advantage of the “Northern Hub” projects once completed, which will allow services to be improved, as well as allowing direct services to run from Bradford and Halifax to Manchester Airport via both Victoria and Piccadilly."

"James Lewis, Chairman, Metro, Wellington Street, Leeds."
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/deb ... -1-6205092

The need to increase winter traffic at LBA is proving more important than I originally first thought. Not through the choice of LBA managers I am sure but the airport is becoming more and more reliant on summer traffic. Companies like Jet2 openly admit that they are concentrating on the summer season. That is fine if it suits the Jet2 business model but does it suit the business model of LBA?

If LBA fails to provide destinations that are accessible year-round then more and more businesses will look towards Manchester airport to provide alternative year round solutions. We must not accept the loss or reduction of flights to scheduled destinations during the winter months. If our major operator wants to concentrate on operating a mainly summer charter style programme then LBA should look to alternative operators who are willing to provide year-round services and a year round solution to businesses in the Leeds City Region.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

easyjet have cut in half from 6 to 3 the flights from gatwick to malaga this winter, this is supposed to be the one of the most profitable routes in europe, all airlines from all airports are in general cutting flights this winter from u.k. airports, this cut has nothing to do with weather, but the fact that for whatever reason, people are not flying during the winter months.
This months figures from the CAA will be interesting to see what the travel numbers are, if other airports are showing growth and LBA lagging we can decide LBA has winter issues.

 

[752]

Atleast our operations are not as bad as DSA, today they had 2 departures, 1 in the morning (TOM) and 1 at night (Wizz) things could definitely be much worse for us.

 

[SNOWMAN]

easyjet have cut in half from 6 to 3 the flights from gatwick to malaga this winter, this is supposed to be the one of the most profitable routes in europe, all airlines from all airports are in general cutting flights this winter from u.k. airports, this cut has nothing to do with weather, but the fact that for whatever reason, people are not flying during the winter months.
This months figures from the CAA will be interesting to see what the travel numbers are, if other airports are showing growth and LBA lagging we can decide LBA has winter issues.

its daily in jan/feb/march/ from Gatwick to Malaga??
regards
sm1

 

[Bigman]

I do wonder if it is more of a case of go for the easiest option. Do you encourage people to use trains to get to a large existing airport with a whole host of worldwide services/connections with rail infrastructure already in place, or do you invest in a new rail link to an airport with so many 'issues' than can offer only a fraction of the services available from Manchester? It also helps the environmental argument in demonstrating a willingness to tempt more cars off the M62 and roads in general.

Sadly, I believe they are going for the easy option, but what do I know!!