Interesting Movements 2024

[southflyer]

I thought the suffix P was for positioning and not training??

The airline decides which callsign to use, there's no requirement to use specific letters depending on the type of flight.

[PiperOne]

Virgin A35K G-VJAM scheduled for re-run of yesterday's training mission, due from LHR at 1255.

[bill]

They shouldn’t be rolling anything out for Virgin after their shift in loyalty.

The move to east really paid off for them, given the 75% drop in passenger numbers.

With decisions like that, it’s no surprise this airline has had only a few profitable quarters in its history.

If that's the case (and I don't dispute it), why don't they just get back to GLA?

[GKirk]

They shouldn’t be rolling anything out for Virgin after their shift in loyalty.

The move to east really paid off for them, given the 75% drop in passenger numbers.

With decisions like that, it’s no surprise this airline has had only a few profitable quarters in its history.

If that's the case (and I don't dispute it), why don't they just get back to GLA?

One of life's big mysteries. All the other US routes seem to do well from EDI, but MCO seems to a bit flat/dead. Would definitely do better moving back to GLA IMO

[bill]

MCO route from GLA must've been full of the shell suit/track suit brigade that you just don't get in EDI?

P.S. Glad you didn't chuck the forum!

[jetblue497]

They shouldn’t be rolling anything out for Virgin after their shift in loyalty. With decisions like that, it’s no surprise this airline has had only a few profitable quarters in its history.

If that's the case (and I don't dispute it), why don't they just get back to GLA?

One of life's big mysteries. All the other US routes seem to do well from EDI, but MCO seems to a bit flat/dead. Would definitely do better moving back to GLA IMO

Only if daddy Delta lets them

[VS71]

They shouldn’t be rolling anything out for Virgin after their shift in loyalty.

The move to east really paid off for them, given the 75% drop in passenger numbers.

With decisions like that, it’s no surprise this airline has had only a few profitable quarters in its history.

If that's the case (and I don't dispute it), why don't they just get back to GLA?

Our flights the last three years have always been full, but then, it is the start of school holidays. For our return flight next year, Premium was sold out within a week, and Upper within 10 days. Those cabins are always full, and often plenty Americans in them too.

I'm not sure the move to EDI has much to do with things as a general drop off in travel to Orlando has. It would be interesting to look at stats of %/capacity more than comparing to what there was previously as it really isn't like for like. I saw one stat on a pprune forum saying May was 80%.

Obviously the 747s are away, but there is a drop in demand as well as capacity from MAN and LHR too, as some days only one flight and two flights being consolodated into one at quieter times as well. The seasonal Belfast flights stopped as well i'm sure, and Virgin got rid of the Downtown Disney check in area post Covid as they weren't handling the same numbers now - sometimes 6x 747s in high summer. Perhaps a bit of fleet management too as a reason why.

Also, pre-COVID, Disney (not sure about Universals offerings) offered free dining most of the year at its hotels, which is only returning next year. This is something that put off swathes of people - even if the dining credit offered since Covid actually worked out well in our opinion. Prices have gone up too, exchange rate still isn't great, meaning it's not as cheap / affordable now for many as it once was. A popular character dining dinner buffet at one hotel is now $69 a skull (pre tax and tip) which is just madness (we haven't done it for a few years as really hard to justify that cost), though an American friend of mine said she was surprised it wasn't more with how things have been going up.

There's no more free fastpasses in the parks and people have perhaps been looking elsewhere, Dubai and Doha both seem to be more popular.

Flight prices seem to be an issue as well for some by reading other forums, but that of course is down to fewer seats.

I'm not sure a return to GLA (our preferred airport altho EDI is closer for us) would see the numbers shift to have loads in the 90% bracket all the time.

[Clive]

They shouldn’t be rolling anything out for Virgin after their shift in loyalty. With decisions like that, it’s no surprise this airline has had only a few profitable quarters in its history.

If that's the case (and I don't dispute it), why don't they just get back to GLA?

Our flights the last three years have always been full, but then, it is the start of school holidays. For our return flight next year, Premium was sold out within a week, and Upper within 10 days. Those cabins are always full, and often plenty Americans in them too.

I'm not sure the move to EDI has much to do with things as a general drop off in travel to Orlando has. It would be interesting to look at stats of %/capacity more than comparing to what there was previously as it really isn't like for like. I saw one stat on a pprune forum saying May was 80%.

Obviously the 747s are away, but there is a drop in demand as well as capacity from MAN and LHR too, as some days only one flight and two flights being consolodated into one at quieter times as well. The seasonal Belfast flights stopped as well i'm sure, and Virgin got rid of the Downtown Disney check in area post Covid as they weren't handling the same numbers now - sometimes 6x 747s in high summer. Perhaps a bit of fleet management too as a reason why.

Also, pre-COVID, Disney (not sure about Universals offerings) offered free dining most of the year at its hotels, which is only returning next year. This is something that put off swathes of people - even if the dining credit offered since Covid actually worked out well in our opinion. Prices have gone up too, exchange rate still isn't great, meaning it's not as cheap / affordable now for many as it once was. A popular character dining dinner buffet at one hotel is now $69 a skull (pre tax and tip) which is just madness (we haven't done it for a few years as really hard to justify that cost), though an American friend of mine said she was surprised it wasn't more with how things have been going up.

There's no more free fastpasses in the parks and people have perhaps been looking elsewhere, Dubai and Doha both seem to be more popular.

Flight prices seem to be an issue as well for some by reading other forums, but that of course is down to fewer seats.

I'm not sure a return to GLA (our preferred airport altho EDI is closer for us) would see the numbers shift to have loads in the 90% bracket all the time.

How many times can you go to Disney? I went once on a free-day ticket about 30 years ago as part of a driving trip across Florida and that was more than enough. It was free because my sister’s friend was working a season at the Epcot Centre.

[VS71]

How many times can you go to Disney? I went once on a free-day ticket about 30 years ago as part of a driving trip across Florida and that was more than enough. It was free because my sister’s friend was working a season at the Epcot Centre.

Well, as you may remember from my trip reports, which I stopped as didn't think they belonged now we were flying Ex-EDI, a few. Some go a couple times a year. There is certainly a lot of repeat business and more than a few families we see each year on our flight.

I dare say that point you make could be made by others about a number of destinations.

[Iain]

How many times can you go to Disney? I went once on a free-day ticket about 30 years ago as part of a driving trip across Florida and that was more than enough. It was free because my sister’s friend was working a season at the Epcot Centre.

Disney isn't my cup of tea either, but it's undeniably popular. Iirc the numbers I saw pre covid showed it was GLA's most popular US destintion and similarly I belive GLA-KEF-MCO has in the past been in FI's top 10 connecting paths over KEF.

Even if most people might only visit once, the thing is that there is a constant stream of children who will pressure there parents into taking them. There are also a number of expats - with a quick Google suggests there are 400k!

Nevertheless, as mentioned, poor exchange rates and other factors will have decreased numbers, and as an example MAN-MCO/SFB appears to be down about 24% in Jul 24 v Jul 19, even with 2xVS and 1xEI to MCO most days. The problem is that the equivalent numbers from GLA are down about 70% and even GLA+EDI is down about 43%.

Tbh I think GLA management's inability to get a new airline in on GLA-MCO is probably their most glaring failure of all.