Route Development

It's only a couple of weeks since Easyjet was rumoured to be basing more equipment over the hill. Could this be a nudge to Manchester if the negotiating isn't going as well as planned, or could this indicate an entirely new agreement potentially being made with LBA? It could of course mean nothing too as we know airports do occasionally appear in airline website drop-down lists without anything coming of it. No harm in speculating though. #easyjetatlba

Love a bit of speculation - of course Easyjet have been good customers of Newcastle for a number of years so the new management team know them well!

Jerry said:

That would require a pretty biggish base though and effectively a price war to hurt Jet2 at LBA I'd have thought?

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10+ base and to target ALL the leisure routes. Personally i would like to see easyJet adding routes unserved such as LIS, GIB, MAD whilst adding frequent business routes such as AMS, CDG etc.

Jerry said:

That would require a pretty biggish base though and effectively a price war to hurt Jet2 at LBA I'd have thought?

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In many respects LBA is still very under-served even on some popular med routes so I don't see why LBA can't sustain three large carriers on the popular runs. We would of course like to see more un-served routes taken up. Easyjet is a perfect fit for LBA with aircraft that are able to use LBAs CAT III ILS unrestricted and with a particularly attractive winter destination portfolio, something LBA is desperate to balance out.

Where is the additional space coming from would be my question?

Previous airport managers have said the airport is trying to fill gaps in the schedule from other airport bases. They also said they would expand the ramp to accommodate expansion as and when it is required.

Easy operating out of LBA with a good selection of routes has been on my wish list for a long time. They do tend to think 'out of the box' and try to make non standard routes work wherever possible in addition to the 'normal' routes. Their exposure to the operations management at NCL over a period of time may have something to do with the current speculation.

Who knows but I remain optomistic.

Is it a coincidence that Easyjet's ex boss, Carolyn McCall now CBI Director General appeared in a picture with Leeds/Bradford Airports CEO David Laws earlier this month which was actually posted on the airports own twitter feed on October 13th.

https://twitter.com/LBIAirport/status/918812858124730369

Ultimately, if LBA, with its new management and ownership, offer Easyjet a deal that encourages them to operate from LBA, then why shouldn't they come back? They have operated from here for 4 or 5 winter seasons so know the airport. They only launched their route to Geneva as a 'tit for tat' action because Jet2 were treading on their toes at Manchester and it would seem they ended up with their nose bloodied a little. But with Monarch gone, it will be easier for them to come back in some form and perhaps build the brand at LBA. Monarch came in and did it reasonably successfully. What we would need from Easyjet is a good mix of high density routes to the Mediterranean where there remains untapped demand, plus routes to places that LBA doesn't serve, the obvious being the likes of Madrid and Lisbon. All we can do though is wait and hope.

Aviador said:

In many respects LBA is still very under-served even on some popular med routes so I don't see why LBA can't sustain three large carriers on the popular runs. We would of course like to see more un-served routes taken up. Easyjet is a perfect fit for LBA with aircraft that are able to use LBAs CAT III ILS unrestricted and with a particularly attractive winter destination portfolio, something LBA is desperate to balance out.

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Then it sounds like they could actually co inhabit. It's strange how new owners come to LBA and then an airlines attitude to an airport they changes overnight as this didn't look likely a few weeks ago. It is probable the new owners may have sounded out Easyjet long before they took over as well.

The new owners are an established airport operator. They now have 100% ownership of Leeds Bradford Airport. They have a 49% stake in Newcastle airport, so maybe Easyjet already has a good working relationship with AMP .

lbaspotter said:

Is it a coincidence that Easyjet's ex boss, Carolyn McCall now CBI Director General appeared in a picture with Leeds/Bradford Airports CEO David Laws earlier this month which was actually posted on the airports own twitter feed on October 13th.

https://twitter.com/LBIAirport/status/918812858124730369

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For the record, the CBI Director General is Carolyn Fairbairn, not Carolyn McCall. Carolyn Fairbairn (pictured on the LBA Twitter feed) was previously connected with the banking world. Carolyn McCall (ex-Easyjet) is set to become CEO of ITV.

Wouldn't we still have the usual nugget to overcome....lack of parking stands?? Perhaps they could do what they did down at Donny a few years ago and bang some W legs in on the old bucket and spade routes, but maybe a few decent routes such as Madrid as mentioned above.

Easyjet press conference been held in Berlin at 2pm this afternoon.
Understand rumours are that Easyjet are taking 25+*Airbus A320 from Air Berlin to operate mainly out of TXL and DUS.

Could we be about to see some proper competition on the German routes, both could be operated by non LBA based aircraft in the quieter periods.

If Easyjet come on to Dusseldorf Flybe aren't going to be happy. Neither are Jet2 aren't if they go onto Berlin.. Jet2 just got the Yorkshire - Berlin market sown up as Flybe are dropping Doncaster - Berlin...

I understand that the Berlin press conference is about operating many ex-Air Berlin routes with 25 ex-air Berlin aircraft.

Isnt part, but not all, of Air Berlin's problems being caused by operating on saturated markets? With this in mind they need to be looking more at unserved routes. Competition should be only where a route can really stand it, so the PMI, AGP, ALC. Berlin does not fall into this category. The only reason I can see them wanting to op LBA- TXL is if they are that p'd off with Jet2 and their STN base that they really do want to fight back

Isnt part, but not all, of Air Berlin's problems being caused by operating on saturated markets? With this in mind they need to be looking more at unserved routes. Competition should be only where a route can really stand it, so the PMI, AGP, ALC. Berlin does not fall into this category. The only reason I can see them wanting to op LBA- TXL is if they are that p'd off with Jet2 and their STN base that they really do want to fight back

I may be showing my age, but I have been around when rumours like this have started before and never come to fruition. Look at the Flybe deal with DSA.

I am keeping my feet on the ground and will be very surprised (but pleased) if easyJet base at Leeds in the near future.

It might not necessarily be a base, at least to start with, and it might not happen at all. As for stands, I specifically asked this question at the last consultative meeting and was told that the airport were intending to re-organise the stands and there would be enough for all based aircraft. That was before the Monarch collapse and even then, surely they need to try to ensure there are a few spare stands on an evening. We have had to turn down diverts in the past due to lack of space. The Masterplan shows new stands within the next couple of years so here's hoping.