Peaceful protestors 'shut down' Aberdeen Airport

[Neil]

Okay, expansion or no expansion, we probably won't see Aberdeen-North America flights - but 300m extra will make a fair bit of difference when it comes to the viability of Aberdeen-Europe flights.

Don't completely discount US flights. One of the long-standing reasons for extending the runway was to allow the larger Boeing 737's to land so they could start a direct Houston / Aberdeen route for the oil industry to take advantage of. I doubt the current economic climate would make that viable now though.

[Neil]

Mainly so they can run transatlantic widebody services IIRC. Aberdeen-Houston has long been a stated objective of certain interests here. IIRC, their is/was a campaign group plugging the route.

Heh, great minds eh?

[pogofish]

Maybe we have spent too long listening to the same guys banging-on about it & how much a transit through Schipol or London costs them?

[ca_gere]

She's protest the amount of cheese on my knob and then I'd bone her ass so hard she'd actually die which would be a good thing coz hippies are whack.

*spits coffee all over screen*

That's a mighty funny post.

[Cloud]

Don't completely discount US flights. One of the long-standing reasons for extending the runway was to allow the larger Boeing 737's to land so they could start a direct Houston / Aberdeen route for the oil industry to take advantage of. I doubt the current economic climate would make that viable now though.

Apparently the plan was to use an 'all business configured 757' - so your comment about current economic climate would seem to be bang on. Of course, the carrier planning this has since closed down (City Star Airlines) - so I don't know, I just can't see it happening.

The thing that seems lunacy to me is that surely no self respecting businessman would want to fly on an airline that wasn't part of an alliance - those all important air miles would surely dictate travel policy in their case? From looking around (flyertalk, mainly) - these people do attach quite a lot of significance to their air miles account

I just don't see the business case for Aberdeen-Houston flights. The failure of the all-business carriers out of Stansted show that these type of airlines don't attract business because of the inflexibility of the schedule - and while BA's London City-New York service will probably succeed because of the convenience, it just seems unlikely that people would want to travel on a service that might only have one flight a day.

An extension in the runway would certainly help with European destinations though - I imagine Aberdeen's limitations are the reason that Easyjet never expanded beyond their original Luton route.

[Bigsby]

Whatever the rights and wrongs, this was a completely futile and pointless geture - it was approved by the council in 2006.

http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.asp?lID=8375&sID=1466

[pogofish]

Apparently the plan was to use an 'all business configured 757' - so your comment about current economic climate would seem to be bang on. Of course, the carrier planning this has since closed down (City Star Airlines) - so I don't know, I just can't see it happening.

The thing that seems lunacy to me is that surely no self respecting businessman would want to fly on an airline that wasn't part of an alliance - those all important air miles would surely dictate travel policy in their case? From looking around (flyertalk, mainly) - these people do attach quite a lot of significance to their air miles account

That is just the current version of the proposal - There have been different versions all the way back to original expansion the late 70s, which got legs again when the deregulation of Prestwick opened-up Translatantic travel to any airport that could handle it. Before then, the argument was that Aberdeen should be exempt as a special case.

It think its as much an oil biz political/status thing as anything else. There was probably a time when operations were much more dependant on guys who were constantly jetting back & forth. The complaint that it was madness that such an "important" industry lacked a direct connection to the US was often bandied about.

But yes, every time the economy took a dose of the sniffles, the idea got canned for a while so it would probably be unsustainable.

Dunno about the airmiles/alliance things - Didn't I read something recently that suggested we might be about to see big changes there? I took it that the partnerships sounded strained and the main airlines were sick of the idea altogether, wanting some sort of new generation incentives instead?

Then there is the airfreight thing - BAA's target is to nearly triple the current tonnage in the next ten years or so - access for larger aircraft would help that one no-end.

[Neil]

The thing that seems lunacy to me is that surely no self respecting businessman would want to fly on an airline that wasn't part of an alliance - those all important air miles would surely dictate travel policy in their case? From looking around (flyertalk, mainly) - these people do attach quite a lot of significance to their air miles account

Not really. You have to remember that most businessman aren't even paying for the flights in the first place. Their company or clients pay for them. If you can collect some air miles on the way then bonus, if not, it's no big deal. Air miles don't get you much these days anyway. Businessmen are more fussed about making sure they travel in business class or first class rather than cattle class. Primarily so we can get into the airport lounges and get drunk on all the free booze. Whoops...did I say that?

I just don't see the business case for Aberdeen-Houston flights. The failure of the all-business carriers out of Stansted show that these type of airlines don't attract business because of the inflexibility of the schedule - and while BA's London City-New York service will probably succeed because of the convenience, it just seems unlikely that people would want to travel on a service that might only have one flight a day.

Stansted isn't near a bunch of oil and gas fields though. If (and it's a big if now these days) an Aberdeen-Houston route was to come about then it would most likely consist of chartered flights subsidised by the oil companies taking advantage of it. This is done elsewhere in the world by the oil industry (there is a chartered Houston-Luanda route for example). This also gives them control of the schedule etc.

[pogofish]

Whatever the rights and wrongs, this was a completely futile and pointless geture - it was approved by the council in 2006.

Which one? A quick scan suggests there could be several candidates.

[Bigsby]

Which one? A quick scan suggests there could be several candidates.

Starts from page 6.

[pogofish]

Fucking hell - That lot gets more depressing as you go down - Especially when you come to the bit about them approving the adoption of the aalborg commitments.

[Monster Zero]

I just don't see the business case for Aberdeen-Houston flights. .

That's because you are not involved in the oil industry perhaps?

[Cloud]

Stansted isn't near a bunch of oil and gas fields though. If (and it's a big if now these days) an Aberdeen-Houston route was to come about then it would most likely consist of chartered flights subsidised by the oil companies taking advantage of it. This is done elsewhere in the world by the oil industry (there is a chartered Houston-Luanda route for example). This also gives them control of the schedule etc.

The idea about charter flights is interesting, I wasn't considering them at all. In which case, it could happen - but I would hope that Aberdeen Airport wouldn't be expanding to cater for them, but rather for the potential elsewhere in Europe.

Having said this, the more I think about it - is there really that much demand for flights from Aberdeen to elsewhere in Europe? Maybe a Frankfurt flight - but otherwise, it seems that there's nothing really missing from Aberdeen.

Dunno about the airmiles/alliance things - Didn't I read something recently that suggested we might be about to see big changes there? I took it that the partnerships sounded strained and the main airlines were sick of the idea altogether' date=' wanting some sort of new generation incentives instead?[/quote']

I haven't read anything to that extent, but it wouldn't surprise me at all. But then again, the whole alliance system does make quite a lot of sense - for example, being able to fly on LOT to Frankfurt and then Lufthansa onwards.

But I wonder how long the airline industry can sustain things such as elite status on one airline getting you into alliance partner lounges.

That's because you are not involved in the oil industry perhaps?

Don't really need to be - anyone can study the economics and look at history to tell you if there's the demand for it or not.

[pogofish]

But I wonder how long the airline industry can sustain things such as elite status on one airline getting you into alliance partner lounges.

Possibly - Recently my bank were plugging a new card that included access to these lounges & other facillities as one of its "benifits." So it looks like they are offsetting costs by widening access via other organisations?

Didn't fancy paying about 20 times my current annual costs for the privilege though, so I'll stick to cattle class.

[Guest Hobo]

I have not much to say on this other than the protesters are imbeciles.

The hospital has a helipad for emergencies but sometimes an aeroplane is required to transport people depending on the amount of equipment, carers needed on the flight over which do sometimes arrive at Aberdeen International Airport.

[AKA the brando]

Plus all there fucking about ended up costing a shit load of money, services etc!

I`m gonna start a protest to rename the airport, TRUMP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, just to piss them off.

[pogofish]

Plus all there fucking about ended up costing a shit load of money, services etc!

You mean like the 5.9 million they were supposed to have cost police at the Climate Camp? That was later proved to be a complete load of balls.

[AKA the brando]

You mean like the 5.9 million they were supposed to have cost police at the Climate Camp? That was later proved to be a complete load of balls.

i certainly dont think its free to have emergency services in attendance?

I`m just saying that surely theres better ways to do things than that?

ended up making a lot of people angry, rather than getting any sympathy for what they believed they were doing.

bet they were made a laughing stock at the monthly protester club meeting!

they didnt even have dreadlocks! poor show!

[Lemonade]

i certainly dont think its free to have emergency services in attendance?

I`m just saying that surely theres better ways to do things than that?

ended up making a lot of people angry, rather than getting any sympathy for what they believed they were doing.

bet they were made a laughing stock at the monthly protester club meeting!

they didnt even have dreadlocks! poor show!

I'm sure they were all wearing clothes they knitted themselves, and rainbow coloured hats or something.

[The Milner]

I have not much to say on this other than the protesters are imbeciles.

The hospital has a helipad for emergencies but sometimes an aeroplane is required to transport people depending on the amount of equipment, carers needed on the flight over which do sometimes arrive at Aberdeen International Airport.

But this wasnt the case here and even if it was, like was shown when they were lied to, they did what the police asked of them.

[pogofish]

i certainly dont think its free to have emergency services in attendance?

I`m just saying that surely theres better ways to do things than that?

bet they were made a laughing stock at the monthly protester club meeting!

Nope but the same services have already demonstrated a willingness to artificially inflate any costs and lie through their teeth when trying to justify them.

Maybe there is but they certainly grabbed the headlines with their chosen method.

Actually, I was surprised at how easy a ride they got somewhere else, and how well their mouthpiece acquitted themselves.