EGPF Forum

The start of season report for GLA has now been published, key takeaway points below with comparison against S22

Total Seats Available: 6,265,303 (+3.9%)

Breakdown by Airlines (ordered alphabetically):

Aer Lingus: 214,560 (+64%)
Air Transat: 63,156 (-16%)
Balkan Holidays: 5,220 (+12%)
British Airways: 926,986(-5%)
Corendon: 23,022 (-50%)
easyJet Europe: 170,436 (160%)
easyJet UK: 1,998,456(+4%)
Emirates: 224,378 (+48%)
Fly PLAY: 29,520 (n/a)
Freebird: 19,800 (+53%) *Operating AYT on behalf of TUI
Icelandair: 65,824 (+28%)
Jet2: 1,014,363 (+11%)
KLM: 225,362 (no change)
Loganair: 304,681 (+2%)
Lufthansa: 143,098 (+58%)
Ryanair: 425,126 (+1%)
TUI: 410,133 (-7%)

Some notes on the figures above:

Aer Lingus growth by additional DUB and BHD frequencies
Emirates assisted by the return of the A380
Jet2 7th a/c online this year
Lufthansa increased frequency and a/c size over last summer
Ryanair grows on DUB, CRL, and AGP, but is ultimately constrained by the reduction in WMI flights from 3x week to 2x week

Usual spreadsheet for seats on each route can be found on my website: http://georgentravels.com/glasgow-and-edinburgh-pax/
Password is: CBAIRREC

Mainly positive but I would add pretty poor from air Transat given they are now the only direct link to north America and their previous competition is gone (WS). Likewise TUI just will not expand, so frustrating given the opportunities you would think are available.

TUI down 7% says everything which is wrong with their current business model. No Heraklion, Larnaca or Naples. A lacklustre offering for Greece, Lakes and Mountains and a handful of Spanish destinations: little to Minorca with a short season flight: a family favourite; no Fuerteventura, no Almeria or Gerona, no indication or inclination to offer any new destination such as Preveza, Thessaloniki, Djerba, La Palma or adding Cape Verde all year round.

The wokery which TUI has now become relies on a new type of traveller: adventurous or energised! Their European on board offering is woeful and falls way below that of Jet2, their main competitor, and who have recently overtaken them as the number one operator in the IT industry. Third party flying seems to be the order of the day and 15kg baggage allowance simply doesn’t cut it. If you want to be Ryanair then charge Ryanair prices!

Those adventurous higher disposable income customers are likely to go more upmarket than TUI and energised “the Robinson type of customer” are more likely to go solo and arrange their own dynamic packages.

TUI has forgotten the golden rules of tour operating: bums on seats, new destinations, frequency and service. All of those were amply demonstrated by Paul Brett (Thomson), David Crossland (Airtours), Manny Fontenla Novoa (Sunworld/Thomas Cook) and daddy (baddy) of them all - Harry Goodman (Intasun).

Ts are now daily instead of 5 weekly so I don't know why we are down ? Unless having the A321neo instead of A332 on some days having an impact ?

Speaking of the start of the season just saw a post from GLA on Facebook saying they are expecting 360,000 pax in the next two weeks. Article below.

Glasgow Airport is preparing for one of its busiest periods of the year as an expected 90,000 holidaymakers travel through the terminal for the Easter school holidays this weekend.

With Easter weekend falling in the middle of the school break this year, the airport is preparing for three exceptionally busy weekends ahead.

"This weekend more than 90,000 people will travel through the terminal and a total of over 360,000 are expected to pass through Glasgow Airport during the entire school break.

Many will be heading to popular sun destinations such as the Canary Islands, the Costas in Spain, Turkey, Cyprus and Dubai, which just last week saw the re-introduction of the A380 ‘super-jumbo’ on the Emirates service last week with a seating capacity of over 500.

Passengers are also expected to jet off to a number of city and short-break destinations such as Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Dublin and easyJet’s new Porto route due to start tomorrow (Friday 31 March).

Glasgow Airport will have extra staff in place to help guide passengers, especially those with young children, through check-in and security. There will also be entertainment on offer for our younger departing passengers this weekend including a visit from the Easter Bunny, who will be on hand to dish out delicious chocolate eggs.

Ronald Leitch, Operations Director at Glasgow Airport, said: “This year’s Easter school holiday break is gearing up to be our busiest for years and our passengers will be eager to get away this weekend given there is still a bit of a chill in the air.

“Last year’s Easter getaway came just days after travel restrictions were lifted in the UK and many were still in place across Europe, so there were a lot of nerves for passengers looking to head off on a long-awaited holiday.

“During the next two weeks there will be a fantastic atmosphere in the terminal as we welcome thousands of people heading off to sunnier climes and exciting city breaks, so we want to make sure our passengers enjoy a smooth journey through the airport as they set off on their travels.”

Glasgow Airport is also reminding passengers travelling during the next two weeks to ensure liquids carried in hand luggage are within the 100ml limit to help ensure a speedy security process. To find out more about how to prepare for security and other useful tips and advice visit glasgowairport.com"