BHX - Flying under the VA Radar?

30 minute catchment = 2.9m
60 minute catchment = 8m
120 minute catchment = 36.2m

Seems there are quite a few potential VA passengers in BHX catchment area as well as many existing VA passengers that have to overnight at LHR/MAN/LGW to use their routes - enough to whet the appitite of SRB to consider basing an aircarft/crew slap in the middle of UK?

I imagine those catchment figures would be similar to MAN though.

I can't see VS opening a second northern hub though especially as VS are not even meeting demands for e.g. a MAN-NYC flight.

You got that in one - another 'Northern' hub - not sure where the North begins unless its where the M25 joins the M40!!!

Just to add to my original post. It seems odd that VA appear to have an 'exclusion' zone around Birmimgham. My home is 18 miles south of BHX, that's right in the centre of England. I use VA fairly regularly, however being some 99 miles from MAN, 106 miles from LHR and 145 miles from LGW, all departure airports fall outside VA chauffeur service on UC - unless you dip into your pocket. Now that can't be right, can it?

[Darren Wheeler]

Perhaps they've done the sums and decided that the international throughput for BHX is not worth setting up. If Birmingham, why not:

Exeter
Bournmouth
Southampton
East Midlands
Oxford
Teeside
Edinburgh
etc. etc.

Teeside

That's TeesSide if you please (or the more modern and disliked 'Durham-Tees Valley')

Mind it would make the airport even more ridiculous if it did have a VS flight when you can't even fly from MME to London !

Darren, maybe BHX as opposed to your suggestions as it handles more pax that any other on your list.
Tontybear, If VS MAN/JFK is struggling maybe the route is over-served and VA should look elsewhere, First passenger here ready and waiting......BHX

VS don't currently serve MAN-JFK although AA do, it is using a narrow body 757 which from all the comments and reviews, isn't a great way to fly 8 hours!

Perhaps they've done the sums and decided that the international throughput for BHX is not worth setting up. If Birmingham, why not:

Exeter
Bournmouth
Southampton
East Midlands
Oxford
Teeside
Edinburgh
etc. etc.

I didn't think any of those are anywhere near the size of Birmingham airport, East Midlands is the bigger of these (I think, not been to the others), and thats no BHX. BHX also does some longer haul flights, Barbados, New York, Islamabad, Dubai. I don't know which of those airports named do those...

I do like BHX, I used to fly to Brussels, Stuttgart and Cork from there regularly, its one of those airports where you don't end up the waiting pattern for an hour before landing, like LHR.

I get the impression however that its shrank a bit in the last 10 years since I've stopped using it, it doesn't ever seem to service the destinations I go to...

Tontybear, If VS MAN/JFK is struggling maybe the route is over-served and VA should look elsewhere, First passenger here ready and waiting......BHX

VS don't serve that route yet so they are not struggling on it (though if anyone could struggle on a non existant route VS probably could!).

I was using it as an oft quoted example for a VS route that is requested frequently as are some other routes from MAN that would give VS a fairly substantial MAN hub that would then also open the possibility of a VS CH

Doesn't there need to be "slots" available though?

Doesn't there need to be "slots" available though?

And what about the infra structure at the airport? Can BHX offer VS the incentives to tempt them into starting up there? Who knows?

It's not just as simple as the number of potential customers.

Durham Tees is way down now but Newcastle area has had a big VH outlet investment - a reasonable catchment area well away from the others and NCL is an airport very, very keen to have US routes.

I live about half an hour north of BHX and would always choose to fly from LHR - it's only 2 hours away.

You got that in one - another 'Northern' hub - not sure where the North begins unless its where the M25 joins the M40!!!

Anywhere north of Watford basically

30 minute catchment = 2.9m
60 minute catchment = 8m
120 minute catchment = 36.2m

Birmingham falls into one of those zones if you draw a circle around Heathrow and also Manchester. The simple truth is there is no need for another base when Birmingham to Heathrow is about 110 miles and Birmingham to Manchester is what, 65 miles?

BHX has healthy numbers for many short haul routes like BHX-DUB where it comes close to MAN in terms of passenger numbers, and good for it, but as a long haul hub, it's not needed. The cost of setting it up and the relative closeness to other airports make it redundant.

Whilst it would be nice to have the option of flying VS or BA long haul from Brum, i think there's less than 1% chance of it ever happening.

[Darren Wheeler]

A bit like some of the posts on the VS Facebook page you see.

"Please fly to Balitimore"
"When you coming to Albany?"
"Dallas-Fort Worth would be a great new destination"
"Karachi needs you"

A bit like some of the posts on the VS Facebook page you see.

"Please fly to Balitimore"
"When you coming to Albany?"
"Dallas-Fort Worth would be a great new destination"
"Karachi needs you"

None of which limits the uk expansion due to slots, which I kind thought what the undercurrent was here...

I'd love to have BHX, but I don't see it happening. I'd love to see a manchester clubhouse and more flights from there, but thats not likely to happen. Whats more likely to happen is whatever london centric expansion of airports will happen, perhaps even driven by SRB's recent tantrums (new airport, another runway) and VS's expansion will be limited until then.

And anyway, BHX was always actually an option for londoners, if its 'only 2 hours from london' then people from london might be able to use it. Thats less likely than manchester (though if you look at trains, its about 1:15 from Euston to BHX station, and 2 hours to Manchester) .

A bit like some of the posts on the VS Facebook page you see.

"Please fly to Balitimore"
"When you coming to Albany?"
"Dallas-Fort Worth would be a great new destination"
"Karachi needs you"

On FB this morning there are 'requests' for VS to fly to

Detroit
Philadelphia
Seoul
KL

AND a request to start a HKG based low cost airline !

I'd like VS to fly from Wimbledon, then I could stroll down the road .

[honey lamb]

Looks like you've got your wish! According to my iPhone VS app, VS74 yesterday was at BHX awaiting departure to MAN )

I think I will back the OP here a bit. I have moved to the Midlands now (North my ar*e) and must admit I am surprised that there has not been more investment into BHX from a VS point of view. The OP quite nicely sums up the stats regarding population.

There are a number of factors to remember- if it was to work, it would be like GLA and have a seasonal service to MCO. Yes CO serve the airport as does EK but they can rely on feed into their respective services at their hubs therefore as VS would be operating this as a point to point service really only MCO could work.

NCL is of course another possibility although it could be argued is served by both GLA and MAN and really other than Newcastle does not have too much of a catchment area, certainly not on the scale of BHX.

I think it is a good idea (biased aside) we all are aware that VH has helped VS during these tough times (as much as the more snooty members would hate to admit) there is a clear demand for what VH offer and I for one think the more VS embrace that the better. Lets not kid ourselves, with IAG intent on world domination, the day of VS being able to sit back and act as if it wants to be an LHR only carrier are long gone. A quick look on a.net clearly shows that VS needs to do something and if opening routes such as BHX-MCO assist with keeping the airline going then thats surely a good thing.

The more I look at IAG I really do begin to wonder how exactly VS believes it can survive at LHR and I even find myself wondering what they can actually bring to any global alliance they may join.

Why dont VA start off fying from BHX one day a week using the A330 aircraft. ?| they are not to large to fly out of brum, and it would suit us close enough to use our local airport. I live 20 miles away, and prefer BHX to MAN. y)

Curved ball...and controversial....
VS set up a hub in Europe, new market, less tax, better expansion potential...
Cheap feed in from lcc for us Brits who think VS owe us something....
VS are global so to re-establish themselves with a niche fed in central Europe..... Not that far fetched...