Knock Airport

lotusm · 10-01-2018 4:43pm

Any news when will there be US flights from Knock. The demand is there without doubt. It was a shame Norwegian air did not come in. I thought there was a secondary airport in New York which was linking up to provide a new route.

JCX BXC · 10-01-2018 6:31pm

lotusm wrote: »

Any news when will there be US flights from Knock.

Nope, should there be some?

The demand is there without doubt.

I disagree.

It was a shame Norwegian air did not come in. I thought there was a secondary airport in New York which was linking up to provide a new route.

The airports linked, means sweet f** all in reality, just a PR stunt.

marno21 · 10-01-2018 7:24pm

lotusm wrote: »

Any news when will there be US flights from Knock. The demand is there without doubt. It was a shame Norwegian air did not come in. I thought there was a secondary airport in New York which was linking up to provide a new route.

Is there demand for transatlantic services from Knock? Probably to a certain degree. Would it be a good idea to launch direct transatlantic services from Knock? Probably not.

People within Knock's catchment area have the following options for flying to the US:

1. Fly from Knock via a connecting airline (Flybe/Aer Lingus).
2. Drive 90 minutes to Shannon and fly from there (90 minutes since the M17/M18 opened)
3. Drive to Dublin or get the train to Dublin and fly direct to 10+ destinations from Dublin via the upgraded N5 with further upgrades on the way.

Ireland is a small island and has 4 transatlantic airports (DUB, ORK, SNN & BFS). It's debatable how sustainable this is especially Cork and Shannon and Belfast being reasonably close to Dublin which has a myriad of direct routes.

People in Knock's catchment area have all those options so they are not being deprived of transatlantic services at very good prices. If Norwegian/AN Other launched direct services from Knock, you would simply be splitting the demand with other airports, in particular Shannon which is thin enough to begin with and is sufficiently close to a lot of Knock's catchment area to serve them effectively.

Masala · 10-01-2018 8:15pm

lotusm wrote: »

Any news when will there be US flights from Knock. The demand is there without doubt. It was a shame Norwegian air did not come in. I thought there was a secondary airport in New York which was linking up to provide a new route.

I can't understand the fascination of wanting Regional Airports to put on flights to the USA. I see posters on Kerry social media also pushing for USA flights.

There are plenty of UK & European markets that should be cracked before wanting to pick a flight with a Shannon or a Dublin. Leave the big boys to the USA market ..

lotusm · 10-01-2018 11:46pm

marno21 wrote: »

Is there demand for transatlantic services from Knock? Probably to a certain degree. Would it be a good idea to launch direct transatlantic services from Knock? Probably not.

People within Knock's catchment area have the following options for flying to the US:

1. Fly from Knock via a connecting airline (Flybe/Aer Lingus).
2. Drive 90 minutes to Shannon and fly from there (90 minutes since the M17/M18 opened)
3. Drive to Dublin or get the train to Dublin and fly direct to 10+ destinations from Dublin via the upgraded N5 with further upgrades on the way.

Ireland is a small island and has 4 transatlantic airports (DUB, ORK, SNN & BFS). It's debatable how sustainable this is especially Cork and Shannon and Belfast being reasonably close to Dublin which has a myriad of direct routes.

People in Knock's catchment area have all those options so they are not being deprived of transatlantic services at very good prices. If Norwegian/AN Other launched direct services from Knock, you would simply be splitting the demand with other airports, in particular Shannon which is thin enough to begin with and is sufficiently close to a lot of Knock's catchment area to serve them effectively.

sure if a carrier decides to take a punt and fly from Knock what have other airports to fear. ( I realise there is not a queue of carriers lining up at the moment) does it not give more competition and value to the customer if it did happen. Saw the below article Knock linking to Stewart airport in New York. So something must be happening in the next year or so.

http://www.con-telegraph.ie/news/roundup/articles/2017/07/23/4143441-ireland-west-airport-signs-sister-airport-agreement-with-ny-airport/

JCX BXC · 11-01-2018 12:02am

lotusm wrote: »

sure if a carrier decides to take a punt and fly from Knock what have other airports to fear. ( I realise there is not a queue of carriers lining up at the moment) does it not give more competition and value to the customer if it did happen.

Agreed, however I disagree that there's a market and cannot ever see anything happening in regards transatlantic flights from Knock ever in the future. With better connectivity to the rest of Ireland arriving, especially with the M17, regional's markets are getting smaller, and hubs like Dublin are getting bigger, just look at the massive drops that Cork and Shannon faced with the opening of the M7 and M8, and Waterford + Galway airports have no commercial flights whatsoever, mainly due to the M6/M9 opening.

Saw the below article Knock linking to Stewart airport in New York. So something must be happening in the next year or so.

http://www.con-telegraph.ie/news/roundup/articles/2017/07/23/4143441-ireland-west-airport-signs-sister-airport-agreement-with-ny-airport/

As I've already said, its a completely meaningless PR venture. Has absolutely no bearing on anything really. Note Norwegian had no mention in that article. You can pair any airport with any other airport, doesn't mean they'll get a service! The fact that Belfast services are struggling immensely and Cork's numbers have started to shudder outside the peak season only further drive away Knock's chances of getting such a service.

Despite this the airport is still gaining, with more seats to the UK and a new route to PMI this year I think this is where focus should be, not on a fantasy US service that will be extremely difficult to ever get. Look at the resources Cork has put into the service, simply for a 3pw/2pw service, and they'd be much higher up the list for a service in my opinion.

I'd love to be wrong, but sadly I doubt I will be.

TopTec · 11-01-2018 9:53am

JCX BXC wrote: »

Note Norwegian had no mention in that article. You can pair any airport with any other airport, doesn't mean they'll get a service!

Hmmmm. Norwegian has agreed to make Stewart a terminal for visitors to New York City, 60 miles away. However, Stewart's biggest impediment is the poor access to/from the airport. Only a local bus service is available.

Whether Norwegian commit to Knock-Stewart is another matter of course.

I would use the route if it became available instead of a traipse down to Shannon.

TT

Noccy_Mondy · 21-01-2018 9:15pm

What's the story with the area down near the fuel area and the top end of the runway? The old Road brings you up around there, are the public allowed up there? Nothing to stop them

yew_tree · 24-01-2018 10:09pm

I can do Dublin Airport in 2 hrs 45mims from my home in south Mayo using the M17/M6.

I can’t see scheduled US flights from Knock but Knock is a a very important piece of infrastructure for Connacht and Donegal in terms of connectivity to the UK and European destinations.

Shannon is a also regional airport by international standards in terms of size and of how many people use it...anyone know what capacity the terminal at Shannon is operating at?

It’s worth noting the distance and time someone in London or NYC for example will travel to an airport.

As for the fuel farm in Knock...I’ve heard there are plans to move it if the apron is to be increased to take more aircraft.

Great year for Knock and looks like 2018 will see the number of passengers steadily increase.

Shn99 · 25-01-2018 12:58am

1.7m using SNN per year. Terminal capacity is 4.5m

highlydebased · 25-01-2018 7:19am

yew_tree wrote:

Itâ€™s worth noting the distance and time someone in London or NYC for example will travel to an airport.

Not as long as 2h 45min anyway, I live 2 miles from Central London and can be at Heathrow in around 40 min or Gatwick in around an hour, door to door!

JCX BXC · 25-01-2018 8:30am

highlydebased wrote: »

Not as long as 2h 45min anyway, I live 2 miles from Central London and can be at Heathrow in around 40 min or Gatwick in around an hour, door to door!

Not as long as 2hrs 45mins, however how far is Stansted/Luton from you? You'd be surprised how far people travel to them!

25-01-2018 9:24am

Just wondering, will Brexit have an impact on Knock airport. A lot of the flights are very UK based.
Also I don't think they should try and go after the North American market instead Knock management should go after regular flights to hub / one world European airports.

Knock really should try and get regular flights into London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol, I understand this is not easy as these slots are actually sold to airlines. It would take major convincing to get an airline to commit to giving one of these slots to Knock.

Other then doing that Knock will always be a regional airport. BTW, I am a huge supporter of knock airport.

Jayop · 25-01-2018 10:03am

Is Heathrow really viable?

highlydebased · 25-01-2018 10:32am

JCX BXC wrote:

Not as long as 2hrs 45mins, however how far is Stansted/Luton from you? You'd be surprised how far people travel to them!

Luton is also about 40 min door to door but made slow by an awful shuttle bus from the train station and an awful airport experience too!

Stansted is the only airport that is truly far away, but anecdotally very few people I know tend to use it.

lotusm · 25-01-2018 1:14pm

Shn99 wrote: »

1.7m using SNN per year. Terminal capacity is 4.5m

That's only 38% capacity. Did they make any profit last year ? What's the capacity for Dublin cork Kerry knock?

yew_tree · 25-01-2018 5:39pm

lotusm wrote: »

That's only 38% capacity. Did they make any profit last year ? What's the capacity for Dublin cork Kerry knock?

Not sure on Knock but the terminal can get very cramped at peak times with four gates practically side by side. I believe there are plans to expand

JCX BXC · 25-01-2018 5:40pm

yew_tree wrote: »

Not sure on Knock but the terminal can get very cramped at peak times with four gates practically side by side. I believe there are plans to expand

Problem with Knock is it's very peaky, there could be 4 aircraft at 11am and then none until again that evening.

Shn99 · 25-01-2018 6:42pm

lotusm wrote: »

That's only 38% capacity. Did they make any profit last year ? What's the capacity for Dublin cork Kerry knock?

Shannon group made a turnover of 68.7m in 2016, up 2% on 2015(no 2017 stats yet). Corks capacity is around 5m per year. Dublin is pretty much at capacity.

lotusm · 27-01-2018 1:34pm

Shn99 wrote: »

Shannon group made a turnover of 68.7m in 2016, up 2% on 2015(no 2017 stats yet). Corks capacity is around 5m per year. Dublin is pretty much at capacity.

Thanks for that but what was the actual profit for 2016

Shn99 · 27-01-2018 2:39pm

lotusm wrote: »

Thanks for that but what was the actual profit for 2016

€7.3m before tax, €6.42m after tax

Neworder79 · 29-01-2018 11:08am

yew_tree wrote: »

Not sure on Knock but the terminal can get very cramped at peak times with four gates practically side by side. I believe there are plans to expand

Seem to remember a design capacity of 800,000 being mentioned when the terminal was last extended back in 2008.

Current configuration isn't helping, ticket hall area is largely wasted as 90% of passengers using eTicketing funnel straight into congested departures lounge.

Storm 10 · 29-01-2018 4:25pm

Neworder79 wrote: »

Seem to remember a design capacity of 800,000 being mentioned when the terminal was last extended back in 2008.

Current configuration isn't helping, ticket hall area is largely wasted as 90% of passengers using eTicketing funnel straight into congested departures lounge.

And have to pay that outrageous departure charge to fund their development.

Jayop · 29-01-2018 4:35pm

Storm 10 wrote: »

And have to pay that outrageous departure charge to fund their development.

Hardly outrageous to pay a tenner to keep a facility going that's of massive benefit to the region. If you had to go to Dublin/Shannon/Belfast instead you'd pay a lot more than a tenner in fuel to get there, the flights are generally more expensive and you'll pay more for parking.

I like most people I know in the area are more than happy to pay the €10 when it's going to keep the place open.

goingnowhere · 29-01-2018 6:14pm

The gripe is having to pay on departure and not being included in the ticket.

Then there is the unequal treatment, charters to pilgrimages don't pay...

Jayop · 29-01-2018 6:16pm

I get the gripe, but if it was included on the ticket would it really matter? The reason airlines will use regional airports like Knock are because they're so cheap for them and if there was a tenner added to them they would be less inclined to use them. As for pilgrimages not having to pay, I wasn't aware of that. Yeah I guess that sucks but given the airports history it's unsurprising and doesn't bother me so much.

lotusm · 29-01-2018 6:24pm

goingnowhere wrote: »

The gripe is having to pay on departure and not being included in the ticket.

Then there is the unequal treatment, charters to pilgrimages don't pay...

I think it is explained when booking your ticket with the airline that there is a separate €10 Euro fee on departure. So the passenger is fully aware of the charge at booking so it's no surprise really. Like what has been said by commentators before on numerous occasions, it's nothing to pay if you have to travel to Dublin or Shannon and the hours saved on road travel.

Locker10a · 30-01-2018 12:06am

goingnowhere wrote: »

The gripe is having to pay on departure and not being included in the ticket.

Then there is the unequal treatment, charters to pilgrimages don't pay...

This was discussed before but it was Ryanair’s point blank refusal to pay any more fees to airport that stated the whole tenner on departure set up we have today

plodder · 30-01-2018 4:16pm

There's a long running discussion about this on Tripadvisor. Someone recently went through the motions of booking a Ryanair flight to Knock, and they weren't informed of it. What concerns me most about it, is not that local people know about it (and understandably accept it) but foreign visitors don't, and it's the last thing they remember about the country when leaving to go home. It's obvious the right solution is for it to be added to the per pax fee paid by the airline because then it is factored into people's plans up front when they book the trip. For a family of four (say) with two children over 12, it's €40. Not to be sneezed at.

Jayop · 30-01-2018 4:18pm

It should only be for adults now that I would agree with.

Shn99 · 03-02-2018 2:26pm

Notions.....https://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2018/January/30/SWF_Ireland-30Jan18.html

JCX BXC · 03-02-2018 2:28pm

Shn99 wrote: »

Notions.....https://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2018/January/30/SWF_Ireland-30Jan18.html

Fantasies never hurt anyone

Jayop · 03-02-2018 4:00pm

Just north of doodletown. I'd go there for the name alone.

lotusm · 03-02-2018 7:05pm

Shn99 wrote: »

Notions.....https://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2018/January/30/SWF_Ireland-30Jan18.html

I think this is great news( it's only a email but something must be happening in the near term) Why the negative comments. Anything that brings a more direct route into the west is good for passengers from America and passengers in the region here going state side. I don't seriously think Dublin or Shannon airports have anything worry about. It will be the airline that ultimately decides if it's viable and no better man than Joe Gilmore to get the deal done.

Shn99 · 03-02-2018 8:07pm

lotusm wrote: »

I think this is great news( it's only a email but something must be happening in the near term) Why the negative comments. Anything that brings a more direct route into the west is good for passengers from America and passengers in the region here going state side. I don't seriously think Dublin or Shannon airports have anything worry about. It will be the airline that ultimately decides if it's viable and no better man than Joe Gilmore to get the deal done.

But who’s going to use it? The nuns from the convent over the road?

JCX BXC · 03-02-2018 8:27pm

lotusm wrote: »

( it's only a email but something must be happening in the near term)

This is where I'd strongly disagree, and where experience comes into play. Down through the past few years I've seen the most bizzare articles come from most Irish airports about where they'd like to get routes to, with no actual grounding other than it's one of their aims. Knock can aim for a route to China if it wants (Shannon was once laughably mentioned as getting a route to China in the near future), but it won't get it!

lotusm · 03-02-2018 8:44pm

Shn99 wrote: »

But who’s going to use it? The nuns from the convent over the road?

That what they said when the airport open first. lame joke by the way. ðŸ˜‚

04-02-2018 7:38pm

Shn99 wrote: »

But who’s going to use it? The nuns from the convent over the road?

Shannion Troll, what a surprise:rolleyes::rolleyes:

JCX BXC · 04-02-2018 7:57pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Shannion Troll, what a surprise:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Just to point out, it's actually "Shannon"

Tenger · 04-02-2018 8:22pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Shannion Troll, what a surprise:rolleyes::rolleyes:

There’s no need for trying to engage with or respond to a troll

Shn99 · 04-02-2018 10:25pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Shannion Troll, what a surprise:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Im not a troll, just pointing out the obvious! Knock will be a long time waiting for a USA service

Shn99 · 29-08-2018 6:00pm

CAA UK Stats for July are out (provisional)
caajuly18KNOCK.PNG

JCX BXC · 29-08-2018 6:15pm

Looks like neither Bristol or Liverpool suffered from the addition of the Shannon service.

Shn99 · 17-10-2018 11:35am

Knock-Cologne with FR next summer
http://www.mayo.ie/news/ryanair-launches-new-knock-route-to-cologne/

rivegauche · 17-10-2018 3:05pm

There is certainly a larger population in the Rhein-Ruhr conurbation than in Hahn/Hunsrück so hopefully the route works

Masala · 17-10-2018 5:38pm

Shn99 wrote: »

Knock-Cologne with FR next summer
http://www.mayo.ie/news/ryanair-launches-new-knock-route-to-cologne/

Strange one... Knock don't have a history of successful German flights! Thought that Kerry would have been a better match

18-10-2018 9:41am

Shn99 wrote: »

Knock-Cologne with FR next summer
http://www.mayo.ie/news/ryanair-launches-new-knock-route-to-cologne/

I really recommend folk get onto this. The Rhine and Moselle valley route is a great break, Loads of good stuff to see on this route.

rivegauche · 18-10-2018 9:46am

6541 wrote: »

I really recommend folk get onto this. The Rhine and Moselle valley route is a great break, Loads of good stuff to see on this route.

Cologne is a fair way away from Mosel Valley. The route to Hahn was just beside but there were practically no Germans on the Knock/Hahn route so it failed despite 40 euro return fares. No passengers from Connaught, No passengers from Rheinland-Pfalz so empty planes.

18-10-2018 9:56am

rivegauche wrote: »

Cologne is a fair way away from Mosel Valley. The route to Hahn was just beside but there were practically no Germans on the Knock/Hahn route so it failed despite 40 euro return fares. No passengers from Connaught, No passengers from Rheinland-Pfalz so empty planes.

Apologies I must be getting confused regarding airports. So anything you recommend to do or see around Cologne.

rivegauche · 18-10-2018 9:58am

6541 wrote: »

Apologies I must be getting confused regarding airports. So anything you recommend to do or see around Cologne.

Koelner Dom.
I hear they have a big brothel too but I've never been.

Knock Airport

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