Leeds / Bradford Airport Forum | flybe dropping LBA - Gatwick route

Hi

Low fares regional airline flybe.com have announced that they are dropping there 3x daily Leeds/Bradford to London Gatwick service from March 31st 2011.

The airline currently runs the only direct link from the Yorkshire and Humber region so the airport are now looking to find a replacement service as soon as possible according to there statement issued on the airports facebook page this afternoon.

Wonder if Jet2 would consider it. Also, is flybe really a LCC?

Guess thats why i called them a low fares regional airline. Not a low cost airline...

Obviously not enough traffic for their 70 seater plane fleet. Maybe a smaller outfit like BMI regional or Eastern can step in, although I doubt anyone bigger would want to.

Gatwick has changed. It's no longer the second LHR that it used to be; nowadays it's more of a low cost hub with some vestigial services left over from when travel was more liberalised. It isn't so much a LBA affair that Gatwick is being withdrawn, it's the change at the southern end of the route. Gatwick domestic flights were mostly BA, VS and transfer passengers for them, and that's dropped off a lot in recent years. Manchester too has seen LGW domestic flights on BA reduced.

Trains have also helped do away with a lot of domestic air travel which isn't connections.

Jet2 have tried both Manchester and Newcastle to Gatwick and failed with both, I think it is unlikely they would try a third time.

The withdrawal is as much to do with landing fees at Gatwick as anything and that would be the problem for any carrier.

BMI or BMIr are unlikely as they are steadily withdrawing domestically, won't be too long before BMI Manchester - Heathrow service dies a natural death.

Eastern is a possible as there model is not based on low fares, in fact they may be the only possibility, question being do they want to operate into Gatwick.