Pilgrim's progress: Knock Airport announces first flight from New York in 2015

Comhrá

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/pilgrims-progress-knock-airport-announces-first-flight-from-new-york-in-2015-30912436.html

yew_tree

A once off charter, nothing to get too excited about. Flights like this have happened before. Having said that I am surprised Aer Lingus are running it. Do they usually run once off charters like this? they will probably use one of the 757 aircraft.

L1011

EI operate a fair amount of charters - 330s to ski destinations are one I used to run in to at LGW a fair bit

Cosmo Kramer

I really wish they would put as much effort into securing a connection into a major European hub airport to allow worldwide connections as they do into getting TA services. Much smaller airports in the UK seem to manage it as well as Cork, Shannon and both Belfast airports. IWAK chasing the wrong market here imo - with the pre-clearance and history of service from the airport they are unlikely to ever challenge Shannon on transatlantic.

Tenger

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

I really wish they would put as much effort into securing a connection into a major European hub airport to allow worldwide connections as they do into getting TA services. ..... IWAK chasing the wrong market here imo.....

This is a once off charter....not as if IWAK are actively chasing a regular scheduled T/A connection to NYC. Obviously it would be nice but I assume the board are pragmatic about their options.

goingnowhere

Wonder what they will think we the get to the mandatory donation before entering security..

The Nutty M

goingnowhere wrote: »

Wonder what they will think we the get to the mandatory donation before entering security..

The airport development fee is waived for pilgrims to 4 places so I'd be thinking it will be waived for this flight too.

Zonda999

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

I really wish they would put as much effort into securing a connection into a major European hub airport to allow worldwide connections as they do into getting TA services. Much smaller airports in the UK seem to manage it as well as Cork, Shannon and both Belfast airports. IWAK chasing the wrong market here imo - with the pre-clearance and history of service from the airport they are unlikely to ever challenge Shannon on transatlantic.

A KLM feeder service to AMS really would be perfect for IWAK but I suspect the relative proximity to Dublin & Shannon and the would put them off. That and the fact IWAK would be quite a bit further from AMS than a lot of the regional UK airports they serve

Masala

Must be quiet day in the media........ A hollabaloo over 2 flights???

Sure ... Aren't they on the way to and from Dublin anyway... So no more than a glorified fuel stop really.

L1011

Zonda999 wrote: »

A KLM feeder service to AMS really would be perfect for IWAK but I suspect the relative proximity to Dublin & Shannon and the would put them off. That and the fact IWAK would be quite a bit further from AMS than a lot of the regional UK airports they serve

It's still well within Fokker 70 range compared to other airports they serve.

Cosmo Kramer

Tenger wrote: »

This is a once off charter....not as if IWAK are actively chasing a regular scheduled T/A connection to NYC. Obviously it would be nice but I assume the board are pragmatic about their options.

No, they are chasing scheduled T/A services and have said on many occasions that it is one of their top priorities. I think it is the wrong market for them to go after with Dublin and Shannon already offering these routes. There's only so much T/A one small island can sustain and Shannon's EI routes are marginal enough. Here's Joe Kennedy's comments from today's press release though.

IWAK Chairman Joe Kennedy wrote:

We are delighted to announce this new pilgrimage service with Aer Lingus from New York in 2015, which marks the return of transatlantic flights to the West of Ireland after an absence of 8 years. It will be a major milestone for the airport and the region to welcome Ireland’s flagship transatlantic carrier Aer Lingus to the airport for their first ever transatlantic service to the West of Ireland. We hope this is an important stepping stone in securing regular transatlantic services for the region into the future and we look forward to welcoming our US visitors to the West of Ireland in 2015.’

If they think EI are going to be setting up a scheduled T/A service from Knock they're surely mistaken - if, as looks likely, IAG get their hands on them their interest in the Irish provincial airports will only reduce.

Zonda999 wrote: »

A KLM feeder service to AMS really would be perfect for IWAK but I suspect the relative proximity to Dublin & Shannon and the would put them off. That and the fact IWAK would be quite a bit further from AMS than a lot of the regional UK airports they serve

I have always thought this would be perfect for Knock and much more appropriate than chasing direct T/A routes. If it can work from much smaller airports such as Durham Tees Valley, Norwich and Humberside, it should work from Knock. Knock to AMS is a longer route obviously but the aircraft should have the range. Once the route was established I could see it requiring more than a Fokker too. This would connect the airport to a multitude of destinations worldwide rather than just connecting to North America only - in terms of Knock's market the Irish diaspora are of course spread much further and wider than just the UK and USA now. KLM Cityhopper are starting this service from Belfast City in May so maybe they can be tempted south of the border?

IsaacWunder

Jesus, Kramer, that's mental. Shannon and Dublin both offer pre-clearance, so any time you save by going from Knock you'll lose on the other side gong through the long interrogation queue for the Yank border guards.

Crumbs868

Zonda999 wrote: »

A KLM feeder service to AMS really would be perfect for IWAK but I suspect the relative proximity to Dublin & Shannon and the would put them off. That and the fact IWAK would be quite a bit further from AMS than a lot of the regional UK airports they serve

KLM would have to sacrifice a plane at their peak time(feeder time) for a low yield service which I can't see happening.

There is a reason most knock flights are non peak times which utilise 'spare' planes

Tenger

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

No, they are chasing scheduled T/A services and have said on many occasions that it is one of their top priorities. I think it is the wrong market for them to go after with Dublin and Shannon already offering these routes......


If they think EI are going to be setting up a scheduled T/A service from Knock they're surely mistaken - if, as looks likely, IAG get their hands on them their interest in the Irish provincial airports will only reduce.......

I hadn't seen that quote from the airport person........a bit optimistic perhaps.

basill

Yawn....If the region had the demand for a regular east coast service and was willing to pay a fair price for it then it would have it. Even with Flyglobespan going bust someone else would have jumped in to fill the gap in the market but clearly the demand wasn't there. An ad hoc pilgrim flight does not constitute a profitable route.

roundymac

From what I read in today's Indo all EI will be is long haul out of Dub and SNN with a few selected s/h to europe. I can see FR being the main (only) option for europe s/h. They will crucify the smaller airports Cork/Knock, it will be their way or forget it.

elastico

Zonda999 wrote: »

A KLM feeder service to AMS really would be perfect for IWAK but I suspect the relative proximity to Dublin & Shannon and the would put them off. That and the fact IWAK would be quite a bit further from AMS than a lot of the regional UK airports they serve

There seems to be concern in Shannon again about losing the LHR slots and associated connectivity. A similar service from Knock would surely kill both.

The way its going direct flights from Dublin to more places and middle east based connections for the far east seems to be the way its going.

With the motorways and more regular bus services to Dublin airport things are changing and all in one direction - Dublin airport.

Zonda999

Crumbs868 wrote: »

KLM would have to sacrifice a plane at their peak time(feeder time) for a low yield service which I can't see happening.

There is a reason most knock flights are non peak times which utilise 'spare' planes

Your right, thats ultimately true and hard to get away from unfortunately.

elastico wrote: »

There seems to be concern in Shannon again about losing the LHR slots and associated connectivity. A similar service from Knock would surely kill both.

The way its going direct flights from Dublin to more places and middle east based connections for the far east seems to be the way its going.

With the motorways and more regular bus services to Dublin airport things are changing and all in one direction - Dublin airport.

Yes DUB has seen the addition of EY, EK and TK all offering double daily departures now, and connectivity with the regions is now much improved.

That said, none of these offer the same global connectivity from an Irish perspective that LHR offers for SNN or especially ORK with the lack of its own T/A flights. A market clearly exists for these types of flights to a European hub. EI have not cut frequency on these routes in the last while so clearly a market exists here still. I think I read here lately than that by using the A319 on the SNN-LHR route, the load factors are nearing 90%

The question with the IAG takeover is then of course whether they can find an even more profitable use for these slots than the ORK or SNN frequencies. Theres no point dwelling on that though, that decision would be for IAG and no one else should the takeover go ahead. My point would be more that when a market clearly still exists for euro hub connections ex ORK/SNN, then should the unlikely (in my view of course) happen and EI pulls out of such flights, another carrier would likely take their place to fill the market