TP BRU-OPO - can anybody confirm it ?

[ip202659]

Hello all,

I've been trying to confirm an information for a few weeks now and maybe someone can help me out on it.

As somebody has mentioned in another post, the information has circulated that TAP will be reopening this route but they are yet to confirm the timeschedule. I've been in contact with their representative for BE and LU but she said I should wait for the official press release...

Does anybody have any information on the schedule for this flight ?


And on a side note... any suggestions for a flight to Tokyo over this coming Autumn ?

Many thanks in advance

P Vaz

[Kapitein]

Slots are requested for a daily flight with A32S

TP602/603
arrival/departure in BRU: 1705 - 1750 LT

[tolipanebas]

I truely wonder where they think they will find enough pax for such a flight? SN currently operates on the route daily, mostly with RJ85, and the load on that flight is about 75% on average, or about 60 pax, so adding 130 or so seats on the route may be overkill, or are there really that many TAP pax going to/from Porto via LIS?

And what about the odd schedule?
I know that if you have just a once daily flight, it is difficult to come up with a schedule which will please business travellers and tourists, but still: a flight arriving at BRU in the late evening and landing in OPO at night, is hardly appealing for either business men getting to BRU (they need to come the eveing before) nor for tourists going to OPO (they loose the entire first day)...

Before SN took over the route from Portugalia and developed it, it was operated with E-145, so it might have been more cautious for TAP to use this plane, operate a morning flight and see what it does, especially as they will be starting in winter season!

[spotter1102]

And on a side note... any suggestions for a flight to Tokyo over this coming Autumn ?

Any info about this ?

[Kapitein]

And on a side note... any suggestions for a flight to Tokyo over this coming Autumn ?

Any info about this ?

not before 2008/2009 or maybe even later.
There was a proposal made to NH but they refused.

[ip202659]

I truely wonder where they think they will find enough pax for such a flight? SN currently operates on the route daily, mostly with RJ85, and the load on that flight is about 75% on average, or about 60 pax, so adding 130 or so seats on the route may be overkill, or are there really that many TAP pax going to/from Porto via LIS?

And what about the odd schedule?
I know that if you have just a once daily flight, it is difficult to come up with a schedule which will please business travellers and tourists, but still: a flight arriving at BRU in the late evening and landing in OPO at night, is hardly appealing for either business men getting to BRU (they need to come the eveing before) nor for tourists going to OPO (they loose the entire first day)...

Before SN took over the route from Portugalia and developed it, it was operated with E-145, so it might have been more cautious for TAP to use this plane, operate a morning flight and see what it does, especially as they will be starting in winter season!

Well, from my experience there really is enough demand on this route, there are as you mention a lot of passengers travelling namely via Lisbon and the current odd Brussels schedule is responsible for that.

But this timetable means a departure from Porto around 13.30... business travellers will not like it. I'm really not sure the route will survive with this schedule. As you say a morning flight would in theory have more demand.

[tolipanebas]

From my experience there really is enough demand on this route, there are as you mention a lot of passengers travelling namely via Lisbon

To warrant 2 daily flights, there should at least be a daily demand from 150 pax each way... whether or not this is the case remains to be seen, but if you say so, I'll take your word for it as I have no idea how many pax connect through LIS in the morning.

this timetable means a departure from Porto around 13.30... business travellers will not like it. I'm really not sure the route will survive with this schedule. As you say a morning flight would in theory have more demand.

I really don't understand the schedule:

For OPO based business men, the schedule sucks, because they arrive in BRU at around office closure time, whereas for BRU based business men and tourists alike, they arrive in OPO late in the evening, so they loose the entire first day! SN's schedule isn't ideal either, but definitely better still, especially for tourists...

If SN wants to counter TAP, all they need to do is to reschedule their daily flight to the early morning, let's say to an 8.30 AM departure time in BRU: it would still allow most Europeans to connect to the flight, it would bring Belgians to Porto at a reasonably early morning hour AND it would allow Portuguese business men to at least make use of their afternoon in Brussels after arrival of the return flight, with an early return the day after, which is far less wastefull on their time than the TAP late evening arrival, a few working hours in the morning and then wondering around till late evening to take the flight back....