Airport.

[Roger Mexico]

4 hours ago, asitis said:

We have had ego driven Chief Ministers, whose sole aim in life was to attract Easyjet irrespective of the cost. As a result we extended the runway to fit with their SOP's ( not the resa bollocks that was sold to the public), the knock on effect of which was Flybe's demise in the island was hastened.

But easyJet started flying to the Island before the runway extension was built, so they clearly didn't need it.  I rather got the impression at the time that the extension was needed more for jets which they somehow imagined would be flooding in.  But getting an honest answer out of Reynolds was impossible and she made up regulations to suit.  I suspect citing easyJet as the reason was 'justification' afterwards, not the driving force.

Flybe's demise had little to do with easyJet either, even the proposed reduction in work here (which was never implemented as the whole company collapsed first) was part of a wider plan to centralise services.  The two operated together for about a decade.

Edited to add:  This doesn't negate your other points, indeed it maybe highlights just how poor the management was.  The only thing you could say against easyJet is that by providing cheap travel it increased traveller numbers after the post-2008 slump and that made Reynolds' numbers look better.  But when has failure ever had any consequences here.

Edited October 10, 2022 by Roger Mexico

[IOM]

15 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

.

Flybe's demise had little to do with easyJet either, even the proposed reduction in work here (which was never implemented as the whole company collapsed first) was part of a wider plan to centralise services.  The two operated together for about a decade.

 

You are entirely right in saying Flybe version 1 demise was not specifically related to the Isle of Man it was a broader corporate issue.
 

However I think your post misses the point somewhat . The arrival of EasyJet with jets carrying up to 180 passengers has made it harder for smaller airlines who typically offer higher frequency to provide regular services and turn a profit .
 

The reality is we are now faced with a situation where key routes particularly London are difficult to serve in the way some users want ( regular suitably timed frequent flights ) . You only have to look at the current EasyJet schedules going forward some days there is only one flight a day to London others the first flight off the island mid afternoon. Personally I don’t think that’s the sort of connectivity required for a key market but sadly some posters on here seem to think EasyJet are the answer for the island . 

[doc.fixit]

1 hour ago, Roger Mexico said:

But easyJet started flying to the Island before the runway extension was built, so they clearly didn't need it.  I rather got the impression at the time that the extension was needed more for jets which they somehow imagined would be flooding in.  But getting an honest answer out of Reynolds was impossible and she made up regulations to suit.  I suspect citing easyJet as the reason was 'justification' afterwards, not the driving force.

Flybe's demise had little to do with easyJet either, even the proposed reduction in work here (which was never implemented as the whole company collapsed first) was part of a wider plan to centralise services.  The two operated together for about a decade.

Edited to add:  This doesn't negate your other points, indeed it maybe highlights just how poor the management was.  The only thing you could say against easyJet is that by providing cheap travel it increased traveller numbers after the post-2008 slump and that made Reynolds' numbers look better.  But when has failure ever had any consequences here.

Could there possibly be a reason for the extension that it is for use as a strategic base for fighters and bombers/ Just musing.

[Flyingfemme]

3 hours ago, doc.fixit said:

Could there possibly be a reason for the extension that it is for use as a strategic base for fighters and bombers/ Just musing.

Wouldn't have thought so - Valley is only a couple of minutes in a fighter.

[asitis]

5 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:

Flybe's demise had little to do with easyJet either, even the proposed reduction in work here (which was never implemented as the whole company collapsed first) was part of a wider plan to centralise services.  The two operated together for about a decade.

I was referring to Flybe's demise here on the island, Government were told that if Easyjet take one of the london routes then Flybe would remove one of its four aircraft based here ( I recall the Gatwick one I think). At the time the Flybe CEO had said anywhere that didn't;t have four based aircraft was not a base, and it was under this premise that aircraft were no longer based here. I don't think the Government at the time had the intellectual capacity to see all the spin offs which were immediately lost to the island, we lost staff and expertise and never got them back !

[asitis]

6 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:

I suspect citing easyJet as the reason was 'justification' afterwards, not the driving force.

 

When those of us involved with the airport called out her bullshit the reasons shifted to safety concerns and away from commerciality. Like the radar we had to have as the old one couldn't be used, funny how we did use it for another I think seven years until they sorted the Italian one out !

[Roger Mexico]

1 hour ago, asitis said:

I was referring to Flybe's demise here on the island, Government were told that if Easyjet take one of the london routes then Flybe would remove one of its four aircraft based here ( I recall the Gatwick one I think). At the time the Flybe CEO had said anywhere that didn't;t have four based aircraft was not a base, and it was under this premise that aircraft were no longer based here. I don't think the Government at the time had the intellectual capacity to see all the spin offs which were immediately lost to the island, we lost staff and expertise and never got them back !

That actually doesn't make any sense.  EasyJet began flying from Gatwick in 2012, but the announcement of closure of the base wasn't till September 2019 and of course it was pre-empted by the collapse of Flybe anyway.  Flybe had stopped flying from Gatwick back in 2014 in any case, because they could make money by selling all their LGW slots - to easyJet.

[NoTailT]

New Cityflyer route to Aberdeen, is exactly the type of flight that should have happened for us, but was pissed away by the last rabble at the airport. Overnighting in Aberdeen. Hopefully Cobb can reignite the conversation on this and Loganair can rejig frequencies to give us more rotations to Manchester or even open up other new markets.

 

[John Wright]

2 hours ago, asitis said:

I was referring to Flybe's demise here on the island, Government were told that if Easyjet take one of the london routes then Flybe would remove one of its four aircraft based here ( I recall the Gatwick one I think). At the time the Flybe CEO had said anywhere that didn't;t have four based aircraft was not a base, and it was under this premise that aircraft were no longer based here. I don't think the Government at the time had the intellectual capacity to see all the spin offs which were immediately lost to the island, we lost staff and expertise and never got them back !

 

54 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

That actually doesn't make any sense.  EasyJet began flying from Gatwick in 2012, but the announcement of closure of the base wasn't till September 2019 and of course it was pre-empted by the collapse of Flybe anyway.  Flybe had stopped flying from Gatwick back in 2014 in any case, because they could make money by selling all their LGW slots - to easyJet.

Flybe over expanded rapidly in the late noughties early tens. Thought it could become a budget European regional airline serving, mainly, out of the way places. It was a financial disaster. They had to retrench, rapidly. That led to things like sale of the Gatwick slots. The writing was on the wall before EZY pitched up. It's amazing it lasted as long as it did.

The sale of Gatwick slots was actually agreed in October 2013, around the same time the new CEO slashed routs by over 40% announcing that more than 60 of its routes ( out of 150 ) didn't even cover operating costs.

[swoopy2110]

Evening Loganair cancelled. All patient transfers stuck across

[NoTailT]

5 minutes ago, swoopy2110 said:

Evening Loganair cancelled. All patient transfers stuck across

Manchester arrived just fine, what happened to cause Liverpool to get canned? Was meant to be same aircraft I think?

Looks like they tried to get an E145 in but it didn't happen.

Edited October 10, 2022 by NoTailT

[IOM]

9 minutes ago, swoopy2110 said:

Evening Loganair cancelled. All patient transfers stuck across

This is very poor there is nothing worse if you are patient transfer likely having undergone some kind of treatment. These Liverpool flights should be prioritised it’s just not acceptable. 

[IOM]

55 minutes ago, NoTailT said:

New Cityflyer route to Aberdeen, is exactly the type of flight that should have happened for us, but was pissed away by the last rabble at the airport. Overnighting in Aberdeen. Hopefully Cobb can reignite the conversation on this and Loganair can rejig frequencies to give us more rotations to Manchester or even open up other new markets.

 

I agree with you a Cityflyer overnight would be good . However the numbers just don’t add up . There were 18500 passengers on the London route in August of this year ( a key sumner month ) . If you were to have a Cityflyer operating each day as for Aberdeen and EasyJet there would nearly 29000 seats going into London not even counting Flybe or anything else . The problem is that two EasyJet flights drop far too many seats into the market making it extremely difficult for any other carrier to make a go of it . EasyJet then squeeze the market and put fares up and offer a schedule which makes no sense for a lot of people who need to connect to London in the morning and evening. 
 

This is what you get when people constantly trumpet EasyJet as the answer for the island and there have been plenty of posters on here who have . 

[snowman]

Perhaps the IOM should emulate Jersey. Improve economy. Higher population. Leading to more destinations and more flights.

[NoTailT]

17 minutes ago, IOM said:

I agree with you a Cityflyer overnight would be good . However the numbers just don’t add up . There were 18500 passengers on the London route in August of this year ( a key sumner month ) . If you were to have a Cityflyer operating each day as for Aberdeen and EasyJet there would nearly 29000 seats going into London not even counting Flybe or anything else . The problem is that two EasyJet flights drop far too many seats into the market making it extremely difficult for any other carrier to make a go of it . EasyJet then squeeze the market and put fares up and offer a schedule which makes no sense for a lot of people who need to connect to London in the morning and evening. 
 

This is what you get when people constantly trumpet EasyJet as the answer for the island and there have been plenty of posters on here who have . 

But as you keep telling us, the LCY route will appeal to one audience, easyjet to another.

I'd rather see a joined up thinking approach to all this. easyJet is what it is, it's a Gatwick people mover.

A City schedule like above for Aberdeen is just what the IOM business community needs and would allow Loganair to repurpose capacity on City to alternative routes. I think Loganair could then ditch the morning LCY rotation and swap it for Manchester (which is what we really need too) and they can pad the schedule out through the day. Loganair work closely with BA, I think some joined up DFE and DOI thinking could really make something good happen between the two to give us the type of connectivity we really need.

easyJet can continue to do easyJet and move bulks at whatever time, if you aren't sensitive to travel times.