Ryanair leaving Ostend!

OO-VEX · Post by **OO-VEX** » 03 Dec 2003, 12:46

Hi all,

from the 14th of January 2004, Ryanair will cease several routes, including London Stansted - Ostend and Liverpool - Brussels Charleroi. A new route will be opened from Brussels-South Charleroi to Vallodolid.

here is the press release:

Ryanair launches 9 new routes (4 new routes from London and 5 new routes from Brussels, Stockholm & Frankfurt)

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 low fares airline, today (3rd December 2003) launched 4 new daily routes from London Stansted to AUSTRIA, ITALY, GERMANY and SPAIN, with fares staring from an incredible £19.99. Ryanair now has 71 destinations served from London Stansted airport, and the new routes to Erfurt (Germany), Linz (Austria), Bari (Italy) and Jerez (Spain) will add an extra 400,000 in passenger traffic through Stansted airport, and will create an additional 400 jobs in the regional economies.

In addition, Ryanair has launched 2 new routes from Stockholm Skavsta to ITALY, 2 new routes from Frankfurt Hahn to SPAIN & FINLAND, and a new route linking Brussels to SPAIN.

NEW ROUTES FROM LONDON STANSTED TO:

LINZ – BARI – ERFURT – JEREZ

NEW ROUTES FROM STOCKHOLM TO:

ROME & MILAN

NEW ROUTES FROM FRANKFURT HAHN TO:

REUS & TAMPERE

NEW ROUTE FROM BRUSSELS CHARLEROI TO:

VALLODOLID

Over the last 12 months, Ryanair has launched over 60 new routes, and after on-going reviews, several routes will cease from 14th January 2004.

London to: Ostend, Maastricht, Reims, Clermont Ferrand
Stockholm to: Oslo Torp, Tampere, Aarhus
Frankfurt to: Malmo Brussels to: Liverpool.

Commenting on the route announcements today, Ryanair’s Chief Executive, Michael O’Leary said:

“Over the last year, Ryanair operated over 70 routes, carried 11 Million passengers and saved British consumers over £1Billion. Today we are demonstrating our commitment to Brussels Charleroi airport by announcing a new route from Brussels Charleroi to Valladolid in Spain. The four new daily routes will commence on 15th January 2004, and will deliver 400,000 additional passengers and create 400 additional jobs.

“We remain hopeful that the EU Commission will recognise the enormous benefits for Belgian consumers and visitors of low fares services at Brussels Charleroi. We call on the Commission to rule in favour of Brussels Charleroi which complied with the market investor principle in offering Ryanair and other airlines a low cost base. Low fares are serving the needs of consumers and helping to develop under-utilised secondary and regional airports.

source: http://www.ryanair.com

OO-VEX[/url]

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 03 Dec 2003, 12:50

:mexwave: :jump2:

:thumbsup2:

Now that's what I like to hear!!! No more tat at Ostend!! I think that ought to be something to celebrate!!!

BlackEyedB747 · Post by **BlackEyedB747** » 03 Dec 2003, 14:17

yes the garbage is gone im happy that ryanair is leaving its good for the image of Ostend Airport butt the people ho hate Ostend Airport Wiloo will be pleased in an other way im not a fan of willo i hate them lets make that clear butt i like it for the image of Ostend

Grtz,

Nico

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 03 Dec 2003, 14:25

That Ryanair is leaving Ostend is the news I have been wanting to hear for a long time, hence the use of so many icons which I never normally use. The occasion calls for it!! And I will celebrate tonight when I drink my Summer Lightening (an English beer).

Good news indeed! :drink:

:thumbsup2:

Post by **sn26567** » 03 Dec 2003, 16:03

Gone, the only scheduled service from Ostend-Bruges International Airport.

Will the name Bruges also disappear, as it was heavily promoted by Ryanair?

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 03 Dec 2003, 16:07

It's amazing how happy many people are at the de-tattifying of Ostend airport.

Quality will win out over tat like Ryanair

I might have a spotting trip to ostend in September now that I know that there will no longer be tat there to spoil everything.

Avro · Post by **Avro** » 03 Dec 2003, 16:24

Where the hell is VALLODOLID

I never heard of it before. Is Ryanair sure that their will be enough pax wanting to fly there ?

Chris

Lien · Post by **Lien** » 03 Dec 2003, 16:35

Valladolid is +/-150 Km NW of Madrid(Madrid North)

Avro · Post by **Avro** » 03 Dec 2003, 16:51

Ahhhh ok, Now I know why they've chosen that airport.

Will that Airport be renamed as Madrid international

Ciao
Chris
8)

Skystef · Post by **Skystef** » 03 Dec 2003, 17:19

sn26567 wrote:Gone, the only scheduled service from Ostend-Bruges International Airport.

Will the name Bruges also disappear, as it was heavily promoted by Ryanair?

I surely hope they'll change back, Ostend-Bruges really sounds....

ridiculous

.

SS

A318 · Post by **A318** » 03 Dec 2003, 20:08

Comet wrote:It's amazing how happy many people are at the de-tattifying of Ostend airport.

Quality will win out over tat like Ryanair
I might have a spotting trip to ostend in September now that I know that there will no longer be tat there to spoil everything.

Comet, I have no idea where you based your conclusions on since you never have flown with Ryanair.
At least Ryanair is giving little airports a name and customers, something that other airlines never will do.
Too bad for Ostend, I hope CRL will be saved from this totally overdone political game between a bounce of weeners oout there!

Erwin

Sabena_690 · Post by **Sabena_690** » 03 Dec 2003, 20:39

Political game Erwin? Why does the taxpayer have to pay for the people leaving from CRL?

For the rest: you see it too extreme, Louise. Does a Ryanair 737 spoil your sight?
Ostend has lost it's only link with the UK, and actually it's only scheduled passenger carrier.

Frederic

A318 · Post by **A318** » 03 Dec 2003, 21:14

Sabena_690 wrote:Political game Erwin? Why does the taxpayer have to pay for the people leaving from CRL?
Frederic

Why not? It is giving a boost to the economy also and nobody is complaining about that part. Why do I have to pay tax for somebody sitting at home and doesn't work? Why do I have to pay the salaries from the ministers etc etc etc!

ps Who is paying the taxes????
Just from the Ryanair website:

Greetz,

Erwin

BlackEyedB747 · Post by **BlackEyedB747** » 03 Dec 2003, 22:23

ok it is not a big loss OST was many years big in Cargo with sometimes 7 to 8 movements on a day basis from AN124 how many airports can say that i really hope they change the name back to Ostend Intl. Airport that sounds much better

Grtz,

Nico

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 04 Dec 2003, 10:40

Sabena_690 wrote:Political game Erwin? Why does the taxpayer have to pay for the people leaving from CRL?

For the rest: you see it too extreme, Louise. Does a Ryanair 737 spoil your sight?
Ostend has lost it's only link with the UK, and actually it's only scheduled passenger carrier.

Frederic

No Frederic, a Ryanair 737 does not spoil my sight!! But I can go to Manchester and see many FR aircraft, and they are all you get in Charleroi. I would like to go to Ostend to see some of the more unusual cargo carriers which go there, that, to me, would be the fun of spotting at Ostend, not seeing one FR aircraft after another.

Ostend made its name as a cargo airport before the FR flights began, and in my opinion it is good to have a cargo airport which has fewer passenger movements. In some of the bigger airports, the cargo operators work mainly at night when there are fewer passenger movements. Having an airport like Ostend, which is cargo based, could lessen the controversial night flights, I would have thought.

EBAW_flyer · Post by **EBAW_flyer** » 04 Dec 2003, 11:05

I don't understand you all, I mean EVERY route that is ceased is bad news. Even if it's a company you don't like. But this IS bad for Ostend, it was their only regular service I mean, even though you don't like RYR, they do bring tourist, so they help local economy. And in such a bad economical time, every little euro is welcome, even if they fly RYR. I mean, come on, everybody is complaining about the bad economical situation in aviation, and if we get a little help, you would rather see it leave again because you don't like the airline. Everybody in aviation should stick together and accept EVERY positive thing in aviation.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 04 Dec 2003, 11:17

Ryanair operated the OST-STN route for a relatively short time for it to have a massive impact on the tourist trade of Brugge.

When I have been in Brugge, people I came across had either come on the ferry with their car, come on the Eurostar or flown in with a Belgian carrier (first time Sabena, then SN Brussels and, in our case in the later years it was VLM). I never met anyone who had flown in with Ryanair.

Next year I shall be going to Brugge with SN Brussels, which is more money into the Belgian economy than flying with Ryanair would have provided. Plus there is all the money I shall spend on Belgian railways, Belgian taxis, Belgian restaurants and bars. In short, all my holiday cost next year will go directly to the Belgian economy, more than if I had flown with FR.

Post by **sn26567** » 04 Dec 2003, 11:37

Comet wrote:Next year I shall be going to Brugge with SN Brussels, which is more money into the Belgian economy than flying with Ryanair would have provided. Plus there is all the money I shall spend on Belgian railways, Belgian taxis, Belgian restaurants and bars. In short, all my holiday cost next year will go directly to the Belgian economy, more than if I had flown with FR.

Thank you very much for the Belgian economy, Louise

However, Ryanair probably transported many passengers to Ostend who otherwise would not have come at all. Therefore, their economic impact on the Belgian economy is also positive.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 04 Dec 2003, 11:51

Looking at it objectively, the flights can't have been as successful as Ryanair thought they would be, otherwise why are they being withdrawn?

I would have thought it would have been crazy to withdraw something which was making a good healthy profit.

Ostend, as a major ferry port for UK routes, would have to see extremely cheap air fares for an air route from the UK to be successful. The ferries to Ostend are well established and often offer the advantage of being able to take the car for those who like that sort of thing. The Sea Cat high speed ferry is cheap and very popular for those who have no car and just go and buy a ticket and board.

Ostend is an ideal location for tourists going to Brugge, obviously more so than Brussels, but Brussels has very convenient conenctions, with its own railway station and is the more obvious choice for air passengers going to Belgium.

I'm not being "anti-Ryanair" when I say that I've never met any British tourists who have used their routes into Belgium, it is true - I haven't. The FR services were only any use for those who live in the south east of England. Those who live in the north east have Newcastle and SNBA to connect with Belgium (although I like to be different and use Manchester!)

And as I have said on many occasions, both on here and on my own Yahoo Group, I will only fly to Belgium on Belgian carriers because in my opinion, none of them can compare to Sabena, SNBA and VLM for service and professionalism.

A318 · Post by **A318** » 04 Dec 2003, 13:13

Comet wrote:When I have been in Brugge, people I came across had either come on the ferry with their car, come on the Eurostar or flown in with a Belgian carrier (first time Sabena, then SN Brussels and, in our case in the later years it was VLM). I never met anyone who had flown in with Ryanair.

I don't know where you find the time to question all british tourists in Brugge how they came there but I am sure people do fly Ryanair. I flew with Ryanair from Eindhoven to London Stansted vv, CRL to Dublin vv and CRL to Rome vv but damn, those flight were full with British, Belgium and Dutch tourists. So don't act like no british tourist to Belgium choose Ryanair but VLM because it is a lie!
Ryanair's fleet is huge, new and expanding and "your" VLM just add 2 F50, an amount of planes that Ryanair receives monthly directly from the Boeing factory.
If british tourist should not like low cost carriers there would never be such a huge base for Ryanair, Easyjet, FlyBE etc.

Erwin