V-Flyer

No one could have predicted this one...Globespan this morning announced services from MAN-CPT!!! Using a 763 in 3 class cabin and prices starting from around £290. Will be 3xweekly in the winter, with i guess the 763 being used on GLA-SFB runs in between those times.

Yet again VS has been caught lagging by the competition- when they could clearly invest some money into MAN services over the last 5 years they have been beaten to it by the opposition (BD,AA,GSY)...whilst VS would never be interested in this service it would be interesting to see how many of VS' pax on LHR-CPT start off at MAN???

Your phrasing makes it sound as though VS have shown an active interest in a MAN-CPT route, but beaten off by Globespan. By the same logic I could say British Airways must be licking their wounds, having been caught napping whilst Aeroflot were adding another Moscow - Kiev flight.

They have added the BGI route from Manchester over the last year, but I suspect this is a combination of scheduling availability and commercial need. Virgin neither have the aircraft nor the funds to build up a serious base of operations from Manchester right now. They haven't been "caught lagging" since they simply haven't been playing in that market.

How many passengers on the VS LHR-CPT route start from Manchester? I have no idea, but I would be very surprised if it's much more than 10%, and even that seems generous.

Pete

I guess if I was in route planning at VS the first question I would always want to ask is Where can I make the most money this year?

We all know the really good high yield stuff flies out of LHR.

We had the same problem when I worked for Cathay. We cancelled MAN after 9/11, and everytime we wanted to get it back, Route planning in Hong Kong would decide another higher yield route should get the limited aircraft resources. In this case London went from 2 to 4 dailies before Manchester got put back on the map (though this is now delayed by BMI complaints!).

MANCPT has been thought about by alot of different carriers before. I know SAA had considered it when they couldn't get slots at LHR for extra services. Also Nationwide thought of serving the route before they got LGW access.

Ultimately these kind of routes are always going to be jumped on by the LCCs or the usual indirect hub carriers (Emirates, Ethihad etc).

I think Virgin's policy of not overstretching itsself by expanding routes beyond its core destinations so far has actually helped the airline bounce back from 9/11, SARS etc pretty well.

VS don't have a year round direct service LHR-CPT so probably not going to bother with one from MAN as well.

""Cheesey aint the word!!! Hahaha

I think my point has been missed here- i wasnt suggesting for a minute that VS wanted to start MAN-CPT....I was saying it shows the clear lack of investment by VS an airline which we all know prides itself on being inovative etc.

MAN has had a lack of attention from VS for a huge number of years, and whilst the MAN-CPT routing was an example (but one that I would never expect to see VS on)- it still shocks me today that BMI beat them to routes such as MAN-LAS!!!

Yes a choice of direct investment into service from LHR/LGW has a lot to do with it as does aircraft- but a lot of routes have been added over years since MAN-MCO was introduced and a couple could have easily been MAN routings.

Jag- the globspan service isnt year round either.

Hey.

I did read that Globespan are also planning on GLA/CPT, not sure if its gonna be via MAN, but will run on a saturday.

If we are sAying VS should or could expand into MAN, then why cant we also say NCL? It is becoming busier and busier. Maybe a Virgin link to the US could be contemplated, IAD-NCL? LAX-NCL? EVEN Orlando-NCL,
the permutations are endless. We just have to rely on SRB and his troops knowing what they are doing.

Just to reiterate what others have said, VS don't have the planes (both in numbers and in size) to expand to airports outside of the London area where they will make less money. I'm sure if VS had 767s or other smaller long haul aircraft they might, but VS aren't going to use a huge 747 on a route where the plane might not get even half filled. BA is doing the same thing and they have more materials than VS currently has. Ol' Willy has just stated that BA will not launch any more long haul routes originating from airports other than LGW and LHR in the foreseeable future. The truth is, the big carriers are only concentrating on getting on the moneymaking routes. VS may put more effort into MAN next year when they have a bunch of new 346s to play around with, but thatÕs still a big ÒmaybeÓ.

Originally posted by iforres1
"Cheesey aint the word!!! Hahaha

Voted "Airline of the Year" in errm... Scotland!!!

Whoo hoo!!"



I seem to remember this quote from an earlier post on a different topic.
Not bad from a cheesy airline from Scotland:D

Im the guilty party Ian

And the web site is stil Cheesey and they aint won nothing down here yet -

hahahaha