EGPF Forum

There is an interesting article in Travel Weekly from Barrhead Travel regarding the lack of transatlantic flights from Glasgow and highlighting the previous demand, it also states that they are talking to airlines, at least that could help the situation being a major travel agency.

Anything that could help would be appreciated, and of course Barrhead Travel is American owned.

Why does 'via Gatwick' get mentioned?

Iain wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 1:32 pm https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/lac ... rhead-boss

BA crew apparently now refer to the GLA-LGW route as the Disney Express. Virgin's loss would appear to be BA and Gatwick's gain.

There is an irony to this coming from Barrhead Travel. A travel agency which over the last 10 years has championed long haul expansion from the wrong Scottish Airport and even went as far to incentivise agents to book customers from the wrong Scottish Airport at the expense of GLA. The company pushed this very hard with agents all too keen to tell Glaswegisns how close and easily accessible EDI is. Barrhead Travel have played their part in demise of GLA's direct USA flights by sending GLA passengers down the M8.

You reap what you sow, Jacqueline.

Rather a contradictory post. Barrhead Travel will most certainly not be affected by incentivising their passengers to go via Edinburgh.
From what I read on here and elsewhere, the flights from Glasgow East to USA are rammed.
And how many are doing Gatwick to Disney rather than flying Virgin from Glasgow East?
Why would anyone with a brain take two flights rather than one?

hads wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 2:15 pm Rather a contradictory post. Barrhead Travel will most certainly not be affected by incentivising their passengers to go via Edinburgh.
From what I read on here and elsewhere, the flights from Glasgow East to USA are rammed.
And how many are doing Gatwick to Disney rather than flying Virgin from Glasgow East?
Why would anyone with a brain take two flights rather than one?

Barrhead Travel most certainly have been influencing passengers to fly from Glasgow East rather than GLA and have been for the best part of a decade now. As an example agents would receive kick-backs for booking passengers EDI-EWR-XYZ with UA. The same agent incentives were not on offer to agents if they booked GLA-EWR-XYZ. Likewise if agents booked passengers on direct GLA-MCO, no kick-back. Anytime a new long haul route from Glasgow East was announced Barrhead Travel celebrated this like all their Christmases had came at once and each time they wanted to support these new routes and to do so again they'd incentives agents to book these new routes over the long established routes from GLA. At no point did Barrhead Travel look at the bigger picture and think for all their support of new routes at Glasgow East are they neglecting and driving their customers away from the established routes at GLA.

They have been doing the same with long haul going east. Barrhead Travel massively favour QR from Glasgow East over EK at GLA. While selling these routes to Glaswegians agents will gleefully tell passengers how accessible EDI is as that would often be passengers biggest objection to booking, they want to and have for years been flying from their local airport GLA.

On your other point, VS flights from Glasgow East are certainly not rammed. Just look at the CAA stats. It's quite satisfying to see how EDI-MCO has flopped even more so than anyone predicted.

On your last point, just ask the millions of people who take connecting flights each year. If I live in Glasgow and I'm traveling to Orlando I don't class EDI-MCO as direct as I'm traveling via EDI. It's only direct if its from where I'm traveling from and to where I'm traveling to. EDI is neither. Plus as a proud Glaswgian I'd prefer to support my city's own airport rather than bankroll the second city.

I live in Glasgow and have done for quite some time.
It is beyond my basic comprehension how anyone; particularly with young kids would take two flights rather than one.
Youre doubling the hassle and wasting hours faffing about in a shopping mall with airbridges.
Maybaye just me of course.

Getting to Glasgow East Airport is a far bigger hassle than a quick change of flights at a well organised and efficient hub. Even more so on the return journey. Landing at GLA knowing home is just 15 minutes away. No matter how much money Gordon Dewar chucks at CityLink I won't be faffing about with planes, coaches and taxis ever again.

FlyGLA wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2023 2:33 pm

Barrhead Travel most certainly have been influencing passengers to fly from Glasgow East rather than GLA and have been for the best part of a decade now. As an example agents would receive kick-backs for booking passengers EDI-EWR-XYZ with UA. The same agent incentives were not on offer to agents if they booked GLA-EWR-XYZ. Likewise if agents booked passengers on direct GLA-MCO, no kick-back. Anytime a new long haul route from Glasgow East was announced Barrhead Travel celebrated this like all their Christmases had came at once and each time they wanted to support these new routes and to do so again they'd incentives agents to book these new routes over the long established routes from GLA......................They have been doing the same with long haul going east. Barrhead Travel massively favour QR from Glasgow East over EK at GLA..

The question that arises in response to this is: Why?

What did Barrhead Travel have to gain from pax flying from EDI instead of GLA? Who was subsidising these "kickbacks"?