United Airlines

Direct flights from Newcastle to New York announced

The region's first direct flights to New York will be introduced for a trial period next year, subject to Government approval, it was announced this morning.

United Airlines will run non-stop flights between Newcastle and its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, five days a week between May 23 and September 7.

The news was announced in a press conference at Newcastle Airport this morning.

Flights will depart Newcastle at 9.10am daily except Wednesday and Thursday, with a journey time to the US of just under eight hours.

Full article at http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1 ... announced/

That came out of nowhere so far as I'm aware. Let's hope it works for them. I note it's a trial period for three and a half months. When Bristol had a Continental service (now part of United of course) the summer loads were noticeably better than the winter ones.

Well congratulations NCL. a nice addition.

Congratulations to Newcastle for securing the new United Airlines flight to New York. Personally, I'm baffled that Newcastle airport can managed to pick up destinations like this given the size of the airports catchment area. All said, I genuinely hope it works for them.

United start there Summer flights again from Newcastle on Thursday to Newark, great to see them back at the North East Airport. I hope they have another successful season.

Thanks Brum X, I wasn't aware. Glad to hear they're back. I know they said it was a trial initially so it must have had a satisfactory performance last summer.

Reading some of the posts in that other forum last summer it seems that the loads weren't that special at times and there was some doubt amongst some 'supporters' of NCL at one point about it returning this summer.

Fortunately it has so let's hope that it now goes from strength to strength, not only for its own sake, but also as a possible encouragement for the airline to look at other smaller regional airports.

United - Newcastle/Newark

TheLocalYokel said:

Reading some of the posts in that other forum last summer it seems that the loads weren't that special at times and there was some doubt amongst some 'supporters' of NCL at one point about it returning this summer.

Fortunately it has so let's hope that it now goes from strength to strength, not only for its own sake, but also as a possible encouragement for the airline to look at other smaller regional airports.

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Posts in another forum suggest that this route will not be brought back for summer 2017. Uncertainty over Brexit may be a factor but the loads never approached those at BRS for example which Continental (now part of United) axed after five years. I know that yields are the important thing but they are thought to be disappointing at NCL.

It's not yet been officially confirmed so there is a chance that the route may operate. I hope so, not least for the reasons set out in the second paragraph of my earlier quoted post.

It would be a great shame if NCL lost its Newark route with United, however Newcastle's loss could be Bristol's gain maybe.

I think it is a great thing for NCL to have and it is a good selling point for United that they serve so many regional airports.

I think next summer could be a decision between NCL and BRS

United - Newcastle/Newark

Now announced officially that this route will not return next summer. It's a great shame and I don't think it will help BRS or any other smaller airport to get itself a scheduled NYC route.

Disappointing for Newcastle and other regional airports as you say. All the financial experts are saying the UK economy is slowing down so I guess it should come as no real surprise.

Has there been any indication as to whether the flights will be back in the future?

Aviador said:

Disappointing for Newcastle and other regional airports as you say. All the financial experts are saying the UK economy is slowing down so I guess it should come as no real surprise.

Has there been any indication as to whether the flights will be back in the future?

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Not as far as I'm aware.

I suppose a number of factors will impact on the likelihood of future USA scheduled flights from UK's smaller regional airports, including how Brexit affects the economy and pound exchange rate, and whether a new runway appears in the South East, particularly if it does and it's at Heathrow.

TheLocalYokel said:

Not as far as I'm aware.

I suppose a number of factors will impact on the likelihood of future USA scheduled flights from UK's smaller regional airports, including how Brexit affects the economy and pound exchange rate, and whether a new runway appears in the South East, particularly if it does and it's at Heathrow.

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I just wish some of the MPs, Councils, Businesses, and even airports in the regions who are so supportive of Heathrow expansion would start to realise the potential risk to their own direct international services, long haul and short haul, if R3 gets built. BHX are certainly alert to it, and possibly MAN although expressed in rather more cautious terms. Even if it didn't result in cuts to existing services, it would in my view hinder potential growth, unless of course those airports are happy just to see new or extended links to LHR.

This is indeed sad news for NCL and its long haul ambitions. But what will happen to this spare 757 ???

Maybe they will increase rotations on another European route, perhaps not in the UK, or even announce a new route somewhere.

When Continental axed the Bristol-Newark route in 2010 they simply moved the B757 100 miles to the east to operate what became LHR's fifth daily CO EWR rotation.

There has been talk of MAN possibly getting a second daily EWR so it could come here.
Perhaps maybe a route to one of France's second cities or maybe even something like Cologne or Gothenburg?

Or given the B757's are slowly but surely going, maybe a way to accelerate retirements without further cuts to the network or adding capacity to a route that doesn't yet require it (B767 in place of a B757 for example).

TheLocalYokel said:

United - Newcastle/Newark

Now announced officially that this route will not return next summer. It's a great shame and I don't think it will help BRS or any other smaller airport to get itself a scheduled NYC route.

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But doesn't BRS get 3 million more pax than NCL? Also the catchment area for Bristol is a lot richer than the Newcastle catchment area so I would've thought would stand a better chance of succeeding.

I am afraid because of the need to fill the back of as many as thirty flights a day from the London area to NYC there is considerable price dumping via the consolidators.

This effects the viability of many UK and near EU airports abilities to compete fairly on direct services to the/from New York.

Added to that United 75w offering especially in the back is less than appealing these days more especially against those that like twin aisles !

The J angled flat seats are however okay. Copied from my dried fruit post and remains pertinent here too.

Yes Heathrow does have a negative impact on the viability of regional services right now !

Jerry said:

But doesn't BRS get 3 million more pax than NCL? Also the catchment area for Bristol is a lot richer than the Newcastle catchment area so I would've thought would stand a better chance of succeeding.

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But BRS is relatively very close to LHR and that airport is the default choice for most of the West Country long haul travellers, especially business travellers. There are obviously far more choices at LHR and, as rutamkrd points out, there is considerable price dumping on the LON-NYC routes.

My alter ego suggested elsewhere today that Continental may not even have started BRS-EWR in 2005 had the airline had access to LHR at the time. They used LGW for their EWR service but as soon as they were able to use LHR they dumped LGW and dumped BRS a year or two after. From Continental's perspective it made commercial sense. Why operate five daily EWR rotations from the M4 corridor with one flying out of a small airport at the western extremity? It would be much better to consolidate all their EWR flights at the major airport.

It's certainly true that the South West is a big user of LHR with over five million journeys each year according to the CAA, but these people use many flights so it's not a question of moving flights from LHR to BRS to accommodate them. Apart from the physical constraints at BRS there is not the economy of scale to sustain all the flights that people from the South West use at LHR.

Getting slightly off the NCL course but at least that airport has a LHR air link which BRS doesn't and never will because it's too close.