'Significant challenges' for Glasgow as footfall drops by 400,000

[G-WATP]

Interesting perspective on the city's problems:

https://www.glasgowbell.co.uk/should-gl ... s-pay-tax/

[bill]

Interesting perspective on the city's problems:

https://www.glasgowbell.co.uk/should-gl ... s-pay-tax/

That's a very good read, thanks for posting.

[Ken1]

Just abroad in the Canaries and catching up on this link.

I lived in Glasgow under lord Provost Kelly in the 1980’s and “Glasgow was Miles Better”. I still love the city, but the people of Glasgow have killed it. I parked in the central business district at 3pm on a Tuesday last week, there was no one on the streets, in 2019 it would be packed. In business/ office occupation surveys, return to office space to work in the office Glasgow is “Miles Behind” the rest of Britain. Less than half Manchester and more against London. Sorry to say it, Well done Glaswegians, you’re all sitting at home “working” but you’ve buggered up your city centre and the few remaining coffee concepts and restaurants WILL close soon. Like Atutuk comments above Sarti was a great venue for regular business meetings, but even its days are likely to be numbered.

So relevance to GLA - I’ve been on 3 flights through GLA this year and c 12 EDI. Sorry to say, as I am a west coaster, the same casual approach is prevalent on the GLA flights. What is noticeable is the financial dynamic on EDI flights now, even an easyJet flight back from Sicily and also one from Munich had wealthy Americans/Japanese and other nationalities using these flights to do a tour of nice tourist locations in Europe. Plus recent IAD and JFK flights from EDI, business classes 95% full with wealthy Americans, where as when I used to use GLA -Newark business class usually c75% full.

So sorry no brainer why airlines are using EDI . GLA best pitch for new services will be; Emirates second daily (otherwise all business will move to EDI) , Turkish ideally 2x daily Istanbul for their 200 onward connections ( emulating success of Lufthansa ). Plus Clive if you really want it, dull additional Ryanair routes , which will get numbers up. Aer Lingus to JFK would be a no brainer, but BA likely to force this to EDI to undermine the 3 American carriers on the NY route.

[Clive]

Just abroad in the Canaries and catching up on this link.

I lived in Glasgow under lord Provost Kelly in the 1980’s and “Glasgow was Miles Better”. I still love the city, but the people of Glasgow have killed it. I parked in the central business district at 3pm on a Tuesday last week, there was no one on the streets, in 2019 it would be packed. In business/ office occupation surveys, return to office space to work in the office Glasgow is “Miles Behind” the rest of Britain. Less than half Manchester and more against London. Sorry to say it, Well done Glaswegians, you’re all sitting at home “working” but you’ve buggered up your city centre and the few remaining coffee concepts and restaurants WILL close soon. Like Atutuk comments above Sarti was a great venue for regular business meetings, but even its days are likely to be numbered.

So relevance to GLA - I’ve been on 3 flights through GLA this year and c 12 EDI. Sorry to say, as I am a west coaster, the same casual approach is prevalent on the GLA flights. What is noticeable is the financial dynamic on EDI flights now, even an easyJet flight back from Sicily and also one from Munich had wealthy Americans/Japanese and other nationalities using these flights to do a tour of nice tourist locations in Europe. Plus recent IAD and JFK flights from EDI, business classes 95% full with wealthy Americans, where as when I used to use GLA -Newark business class usually c75% full.

So sorry no brainer why airlines are using EDI . GLA best pitch for new services will be; Emirates second daily (otherwise all business will move to EDI) , Turkish ideally 2x daily Istanbul for their 200 onward connections ( emulating success of Lufthansa ). Plus Clive if you really want it, dull additional Ryanair routes , which will get numbers up. Aer Lingus to JFK would be a no brainer, but BA likely to force this to EDI to undermine the 3 American carriers on the NY route.

I flew GLA-BHX-GLA at the weekend and it makes one realise GLA is a small airport in a big pond. It’s never going to be huge or attract the pax and services we think it should. It’s beyond imperative that the new owners secure a Ryanair base which will add vast numbers, Euro links and bring foreign visitors into the city. On the back of that we could see easyJet and Wizz expand ops and we’d be in line for Turkish, either 2nd EK or a QR, the return of VS plus a daily NYC by either them or EI or someone else.

But beyond those I can’t see many significant new opportunities or airlines who would come to our little airport to serve our part of “the one market”.

We need a reality check and being in GLA and BHX emphasised to me what I already knew. BHX even has the exact same automated monorail that GLA should have had years ago to Paisley Gilmour Street Station.

[hads]

As a long time advocate for Glasgow, Clive, I'm not going to do what seems to be the way nowadays, " told you so".
Glasgow faces significant challenges in getting numbers up. Personally, I don't think anything above 9 m pa is achievable.
Not because the Management are dug meat. Not because Glasgow isn't big enough. Not because Airlines are stupid and don't know what they're doing.
Not because of lack of effort.
No, we are in perfect scenario pincer movement. A small airport to the west. A large International airport to the east.
Both sucking customers from the catchment area.
Yes, those from Argyll and Ayrshire find traveling along the M8 a burden.
But with a catchment area of 1.6 million in the city conurbation, its easy for most of us to make choices based on where we want to go.
The Horse bolted years ago. He is lying on a beach in Doha sipping a rum baba.
I wish the new owners well. However, after years of enthusiasm supporting the theory that " we will be great again" I'm afraid I am now in the " this is it" camp.
Reality is a difficult friend I'm afraid. However, it is what it is and less star gazing and more reality is much required I would suggest.

[Clive]

As a long time advocate for Glasgow, Clive, I'm not going to do what seems to be the way nowadays, " told you so".
Glasgow faces significant challenges in getting numbers up. Personally, I don't think anything above 9 m pa is achievable.
Not because the Management are dug meat. Not because Glasgow isn't big enough. Not because Airlines are stupid and don't know what they're doing.
Not because of lack of effort.
No, we are in perfect scenario pincer movement. A small airport to the west. A large International airport to the east.
Both sucking customers from the catchment area.
Yes, those from Argyll and Ayrshire find traveling along the M8 a burden.
But with a catchment area of 1.6 million in the city conurbation, its easy for most of us to make choices based on where we want to go.
The Horse bolted years ago. He is lying on a beach in Doha sipping a rum baba.
I wish the new owners well. However, after years of enthusiasm supporting the theory that " we will be great again" I'm afraid I am now in the " this is it" camp.
Reality is a difficult friend I'm afraid. However, it is what it is and less star gazing and more reality is much required I would suggest.

Fully agree. 100%.

This is why I concern myself with, from a GLA development perspective, what GLA can get and sustain rather than what takes place at other airports. And for me the Ryanair base is the only way we can add 1m pax per year. Anything else the bosses manage to secure will be piecemeal and even at that we have to hope enough of the local market support it when we do cross off one of our no brainer bread and butter type routes. But why would they if it’s easy to get to Turnhoose and cheaper to buy a flight ticket? There’s critical mass there and competitive imperatives that keep airlines hooked.

None of the way the industry has evolved over the last 40 years has been anyone’s fault - it has been the free market and commercial enterprise in action since deregulation and the onset of budget flights. The airlines look after number one. They’ve no interest whatsoever in our local M8-corridor machinations.

[Bearsden]

As a long time advocate for Glasgow, Clive, I'm not going to do what seems to be the way nowadays, " told you so".
Glasgow faces significant challenges in getting numbers up. Personally, I don't think anything above 9 m pa is achievable.
Not because the Management are dug meat. Not because Glasgow isn't big enough. Not because Airlines are stupid and don't know what they're doing.
Not because of lack of effort.
No, we are in perfect scenario pincer movement. A small airport to the west. A large International airport to the east.
Both sucking customers from the catchment area.
Yes, those from Argyll and Ayrshire find traveling along the M8 a burden.
But with a catchment area of 1.6 million in the city conurbation, its easy for most of us to make choices based on where we want to go.
The Horse bolted years ago. He is lying on a beach in Doha sipping a rum baba.
I wish the new owners well. However, after years of enthusiasm supporting the theory that " we will be great again" I'm afraid I am now in the " this is it" camp.
Reality is a difficult friend I'm afraid. However, it is what it is and less star gazing and more reality is much required I would suggest.

Fully agree. 100%.

This is why I concern myself with, from a GLA development perspective, what GLA can get and sustain rather than what takes place at other airports. And for me the Ryanair base is the only way we can add 1m pax per year. Anything else the bosses manage to secure will be piecemeal and even at that we have to hope enough of the local market support it when we do cross off one of our no brainer bread and butter type routes. But why would they if it’s easy to get to Turnhoose and cheaper to buy a flight ticket? There’s critical mass there and competitive imperatives that keep airlines hooked.

None of the way the industry has evolved over the last 40 years has been anyone’s fault - it has been the free market and commercial enterprise in action since deregulation and the onset of budget flights. The airlines look after number one. They’ve no interest whatsoever in our local M8-corridor machinations.

Why are AviAlliance paying £1.53 billion for AGS? Are they just going to 'fleece' the existing customer base?

All we have seen recently is easyJet (Holidays) stepping into Jet2 / TUI territory and a few minimal schedule changes across the three airports. The economy is hardly 'setting the heather on fire' (at least that's what I read in the press other than those complaining about Inheritance Tax!) so when will the outbound bubble burst?

Indeed the inbound market needs a viable hospitality industry and importantly the required accommodation capacity.