Market share GLA-USA 2022

[Aerecosse]

Yeah reading the 'Glasgow Times' today and get this 'virtual advert' sorry news story from our neighbours along the M8
https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/197 ... c-comeback
Absolute joke that you can't fly directly to the US from Glasgow these days.

[Iain]

Of course that tactic only works when a non stop flight is available from Turnhoose to the destination airport. New York and seasonally Orlando, Las Vegas, Washington, Boston and Chicago, mibees aye. Little Rock, Tupelo, Harrisburg, Key West, Albuquerque, etc, not so much.

But all these smaller destinations ARE a problem, cause flying between them and GLA now requires 2 stops because the only 1 stops were via US hubs. I'm not just talking about nowheresville either - it includes big Metro Areas like Indianapolis, St Louis, Buffalo, Kansas City, Cleveland, Columbus, Milwaukee etc etc. Most people traveling to the dozens of destinations where this applies will now go to/from EDI too.

I think people are underestimating how big a blow the loss of direct flights to the USA is to the city. Iirc American tourists are the largest origin of foreign tourists in the city and very big spenders. With no direct flights, many will simply bypass Glasgow and it will cost the city millions in lost revenue.

What's more, once they start bypassing, the US visitor numbers will fall and airlines will start saying there aren't enough to justify starting new flights - it's all a spiral.

With things like the hosting of cop26 and reopening of the Burrell the city should have been able to capitalise and come back strongly after covid, but that's already hobbled because the airport is going to s*** and it's too expensive and difficult to get here. You might say that if AGS want to run the airport into the ground that's their prerogative, but when people who are employed in tourism businesses start to lose their jobs then that's a different matter imo.

Now as others say EDI has capitalised on alliances, new destinations, expansion from existing carriers and connectivity throughout Central Scotland by bus and train.

If we look back just 5 years iirc both GLA and EDI had a daily year round EWR one or two extra seasonal routes each and now here we are with all all GLA's scheduled transatlantic gone an EDI with 7 routes. Is it really the case that most of the pax on the GLA flights were actually going to Edinburgh? Is it really the case that brexit/COVID etc have made the transatlantic demand from GLA disappear whilst Edinburgh's - which had the same brexit/COVID - has grown - of course not.

Instead, as you say, EDI have employed a clear and simple strategy and pushed it hard - and GLA have consistently failed to combat it.

I know I've mentioned it many times but I particularly find the lack of any action by GLA to improve their transport links to Edinburgh to be utterly flabbergasting. I attended a couple of the "meetings" about 10 years ago and I remember one where the (at that time fairly new) Glasgow-EDI bus was mentioned and iirc it was dismissed as being not a problem - now it must carry hundreds of thousands of pax from the very core of GLA's catchment to EDIs forecourt. How wrong they were. Yet here we are a decade later and GLA still haven't done anything about it. For me that's absolutely damning.

[Clive]

Of course that tactic only works when a non stop flight is available from Turnhoose to the destination airport. New York and seasonally Orlando, Las Vegas, Washington, Boston and Chicago, mibees aye. Little Rock, Tupelo, Harrisburg, Key West, Albuquerque, etc, not so much.

But all these smaller destinations ARE a problem, cause flying between them and GLA now requires 2 stops because the only 1 stops were via US hubs. I'm not just talking about nowheresville either - it includes big Metro Areas like Indianapolis, St Louis, Buffalo, Kansas City, Cleveland, Columbus, Milwaukee etc etc. Most people traveling to the dozens of destinations where this applies will now go to/from EDI too.

I think people are underestimating how big a blow the loss of direct flights to the USA is to the city. Iirc American tourists are the largest origin of foreign tourists in the city and very big spenders. With no direct flights, many will simply bypass Glasgow and it will cost the city millions in lost revenue.

What's more, once they start bypassing, the US visitor numbers will fall and airlines will start saying there aren't enough to justify starting new flights - it's all a spiral.

With things like the hosting of cop26 and reopening of the Burrell the city should have been able to capitalise and come back strongly after covid, but that's already hobbled because the airport is going to s*** and it's too expensive and difficult to get here. You might say that if AGS want to run the airport into the ground that's their prerogative, but when people who are employed in tourism businesses start to lose their jobs then that's a different matter imo.

Now as others say EDI has capitalised on alliances, new destinations, expansion from existing carriers and connectivity throughout Central Scotland by bus and train.

If we look back just 5 years iirc both GLA and EDI had a daily year round EWR one or two extra seasonal routes each and now here we are with all all GLA's scheduled transatlantic gone an EDI with 7 routes. Is it really the case that most of the pax on the GLA flights were actually going to Edinburgh? Is it really the case that brexit/COVID etc have made the transatlantic demand from GLA disappear whilst Edinburgh's - which had the same brexit/COVID - has grown - of course not.

Instead, as you say, EDI have employed a clear and simple strategy and pushed it hard - and GLA have consistently failed to combat it.

I know I've mentioned it many times but I particularly find the lack of any action by GLA to improve their transport links to Edinburgh to be utterly flabbergasting. I attended a couple of the "meetings" about 10 years ago and I remember one where the (at that time fairly new) Glasgow-EDI bus was mentioned and iirc it was dismissed as being not a problem - now it must carry hundreds of thousands of pax from the very core of GLA's catchment to EDIs forecourt. How wrong they were. Yet here we are a decade later and GLA still haven't done anything about it. For me that's absolutely damning.

Agree about a bus to Edinburgh or lack of it. Very strange indeed. I used to badger them about that regularly. Could even be a simple add on to some of the scheduled Edinburgh-Buchanan Street buses.

But if GLA bosses had any sway over United and Delta/Virgin leaving, and previous to that American, etc, then they wouldn’t have left. I’d bet my house on the fact that they had no influence either way because the airlines had made strategic decisions to consolidate Scottish ops at Edinboro.

2023 may well see the return of scheduled flights to US hubs but global demand will ultimately dictate that.

All IMHO of course.