BLACKPOOL AIRPORT TO CLOSE.

[John1964]

It will not be any concern to those of you living outside the North West but Blackpool airport has announced that it is highly likely to close by mid-October unless a new buyer can be found. We fly out to Carvoeiro twice per year from there on Jet2. Its a great little airport - departures is a bit like waiting in someone's front room with the planes parked only 30 metres from the lounge and you can park within a couple of hundred metres of the terminal building for free - but unfortunately it doesn't make a profit. Fingers crossed that there is a reprieve as we have already booked our flights for Easter and July. If not it will have to be a change to Manchester.

[smudger]

[quote="John1964"]It will not be any concern to those of you living outside the North West but Blackpool airport has announced that it is highly likely to close by mid-October unless a new buyer can be found. quote]
Don't be too sure as my pal from Central Scotland has flown from Blackpool on several occasions to Faro. Because of school holidays and the number in his party, he finds cheaper to fly from there and that includes travel and parking costs!

[laserblazer]

Coventry was like that. From the door to arrivals I could still open/close the car door with the remote. Thomson wanted a longer runway, people protested and Thomson pulled out.

[djprescott]

Yes, we are all happy to take the lower flight prices until an airline/airport goes out of business we all complain! Current fares are too low - Ryanair's plummeting profits demonstrate this even with their economies of scale.

[laserblazer]

EJ has just announced a new increased profits forecast.

[joeysoap]

Yes, we are all happy to take the lower flight prices until an airline/airport goes out of business we all complain! Current fares are too low - Ryanair's plummeting profits demonstrate this even with their economies of scale.

http://bit.ly/1CIvlJR

http://bit.ly/Zeto9R

whatever the cause of local airports not makeing profits, Ryanair can safely be excluded from any arguments about charging too little, they appear pretty sharp at gauging market prices.

[John1964]

Yes, we are all happy to take the lower flight prices until an airline/airport goes out of business we all complain! Current fares are too low - Ryanair's plummeting profits demonstrate this even with their economies of scale.

As we are tied to flying during school holiday times I can assure you that there is nothing cheap about the flights. We are unable to take advantage of the cheap flights that you mention. For Easter it is around £225 per person and £300 in the summer.....and I was reporting rather than complaining

[laserblazer]

Having spent many years tied to school holidays, the trick is to get in as soon as the flights are released. Certainly that's the case with EJ. I had instances where the flights on release have been £100 and by the time I'd phoned my wife to check, they'd gone up to £130. I have to say, it is nice to be able to fly during term time at last. We've just taken advantage of Monarch's sale and go some great deals.

[keela]

I have just been reading the Gazette online and it is official that Blackpool Airport will close on the 15th October. All flights will operate until then. The cheeky so and sos are still charging the £10 airport development fee for passengers leaving until then! Balfour Beatty who own the site want to redevelop it with housing. There is a problem with unemployment in the town so who do they think will be buying them and there are a lot of houses you can fit on a 40,000plus acre site. Bet a lot of the housing will be of the social kind. this closure is a sad day and just about the final nail in the coffin of Blackpool. The comments on the online edition of the paper are telling. They all say that short-sightedness is the root cause and more could have been done to develop business at the airport.

[John1964]

At least Jet2 have transferred our flights at Easter and next summer to Manchester at no charge. Just the £80 car parking fees to add on now