Ryanair at Brussels Airport

[Kapitein]

The fact that Ryanair already sells tickets doesn't mean that they already have the slots they want.

Slots are in since a few hours now for winter and summerseason.
If I look for BCN, I don't know how they come at 42 weekly flights: 3 arrivals a day, 2 departures a day

Edit: everything is starting at 27th February

[Kabila]

It had to happen one day... after Ryanair started flying to main airports such BCN, MAD, BUD, LIS,... BRU had one day to be served by Ryanair.

After Sabena's disappearance (now more than 12 years ago), Brussels airport remained stuck around 18 million passengers on a yearly basis.

With SN's lack of ambition (and lack of finances, I agree), SN is to weak of a partner for an airport aiming to grow its passenger numbers beyond 20 million passengers. At a current growth rate of 200.000 to 300.000 passengers per year, it could take an other 5 to 10 years to grow above 20 million, let alone aim at 25 million.

So the only option is to bring in a carrier as Ryanair (and other LCC like Easyjet, Vueling, Norwegian, Wizz, etc. ) if you want to grow. The last 12 years have clearly proven that the current strategy of focussing on full service airlines alone does not work, although there have been a few successes in attracting new airlines (QR, TG, 9W, US, soon EK,...), there have been a few losses too (9W scaling down, AA leaving, SN barely increasing long haul aircraft, cancelling ACC and BKO,...), resulting in an almost status quo in passenger numbers for the last years.

I know there is a huge pro- and contra if BRU should attract low cost airlines, but let's face it, low cost is the only way forward in the next 10 to 20 years for short haul flights. Although lots of us on this forum don't like them (I personally have flown Ryanair once only so far) BRU has no other choice than to jump on the Ryanair or LCC wagon.

If they announce 10 destinations at once now, with 196 weekly flights, I am sure this will only be the beginning. Let them launch a daily flight from all their other bases in Europe (MAN, Malta, etc.) and soon they will be at 20 or 25 destinations. Once their customer base is set, they can only grow from here on (over the next 3 to 5 years). And a part of these extra passenger will definitely eat or buy something in the shops, park their car, increase hotel occupancy in the area,... benefiting just more than Ryanair and Brussels Airport alone.

I do not believe either that BRU was not aware of Ryanair's plans. I presume that 'stealing and convincing' Pegasus Airlines to move from BRU to CRL has made BRU's management finally decide to go in counterattack mode. And in the mean time, Turkish airlines has decided to fill the gap of Istanbul-SAW airport, so even there BRU is not losing a destination on itself.

If I would be CRL management, I would start to get worried now. I predict that Ryanair's major traffic will shift from CRL to BRU over the next years.

[Acid-drop]

If I would be CRL management, I would start to get worried now. I predict that Ryanair's major traffic will shift from CRL to BRU over the next years.

I know plenty of people who will fly where it's the cheapest.

[teach]

What Ryanair are doing here is very simple: capacity dumping. They want to flush out Vueling, so they announce routes to each destination Vueling serves from BRU, but at lower prices and with ridiculous frequencies. They have no intention of making a single Euro from Brussels, they simply want to flush out Vueling. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if they stopped the whole BRU 'hub' once Vueling pulls out...

[b720]

Survival of the fittest.. lest them flush Vueling then.. it is after all the passenger who decides with whom
to fly.. Cheapest, and most reliable. Whoever can excel in both, good for them.. and hopefuly they expand. it is
in the benefit of the Belgian traveller.

[fcw]

it is after all the passenger who decides with whom to fly.. Cheapest, and most reliable. Whoever can excel in both, good for them.. and hopefuly they expand. it is in the benefit of the Belgian traveller.

:thumbup:
FINALLY! It took over six pages before somebody realised there is a winner here and that winner is: the passenger.
As for the loosers: Vueling may have to leave BRU, but the one who will struggle is BruAir. Mr Gustin has the level playing field he was asking for...

[Pocahontas]

All Bru Air bashers are very happy now.

[Didymus]

it is after all the passenger who decides with whom to fly.. Cheapest, and most reliable. Whoever can excel in both, good for them.. and hopefuly they expand. it is in the benefit of the Belgian traveller.

:thumbup:
FINALLY! It took over six pages before somebody realised there is a winner here and that winner is: the passenger.
As for the loosers: Vueling may have to leave BRU, but the one who will struggle is BruAir. Mr Gustin has the level playing field he was asking for...

In the short term it might be good for the passengers, but once the competitors are driven out, fares will definitely go up.

[fcw]

All Bru Air bashers are very happy now.

Nothing to do with bashing, passengers will pay less whatever airline they fly with.
Mr Gustin was saying FR could offer cheaper prices as they flew out of Charleroi.

[lumumba]

All Bru Air bashers are very happy now.

I have nothing againts SN but for my part they are not doing well.
In 2003 my flight to FIH where cancelled 3 times YES 3 times in one year so I did not fly with them for 10 years.
In 2013 I try again and a book a flight to Douala and what happend and yes cancelled.
On the other part me and my familly wanna book a flight to Faro in October for a flight end of August next year.
The cheapest flight was more than 500€ per person so if you ask me let them ALL come.

[Passenger]

All Bru Air bashers are very happy now.

Indeed, and it's not a big surprise that this topic becomes another anti Brussels Airlines one.

But actually, the biggest loosers will not be Vueling and/or Brussels Airlines, but Brussels South Charleroi Airport and its owner the Walloon Government, who has built an airport just the way Ryanair wanted.

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/957/Binnenland ... eren.dhtml

http://www.lesoir.be/368815/article/eco ... ne-inquiet

[Acid-drop]

right
omg omg CRL will DIE !
Common

Ryanair has a hub every 50km almost, and CRL stays one of the biggest and one of the cheapest.
It will slow its growth, normal, it's full.

[sn26567]

Ryanair announced 10 new routes out of BRU. From Feb 2014. Four aircraft based in BRU. ALC BCN IBZ LIS AGP PMI OPO FIU TVS VLC. At least double daily.

Envoyé de mon GT-I9100 en utilisant Tapatalk

I sent my message directly from the MOL press conference, without realising that the press release had already been issued BEFORE the press conference, which is not a fair way to treat journalists!

Apart from the news given in the press release, Michael O'Leary also answered some questions (including mine):

He came by plane, with Ryanair to CRL (another on-time arrival - trumpets).

He spoke with Brussels Airport this morning. The misunderstandings have bee ironed out, and BRU is ver excited (happy?) to welcome Ryanair. He will discuss with BRU about the slots for his 196 weekly flights.

He believes that his new base in BRU (the 62nd Ryanair base and the second in Belgium) will not affect CRL, which will continue to grow as a low cost base, since BRU fares will always be more expensive. But introductory fares of 15.99 € are cheaper than anyone else in BRU.

Ryanair is changing its business model by being more business-oriented. Ryanair will aim to be at all major airports, except LHR, FRA and CDG. Business fares will be introduced, with more flexibility to change tickets, increased baggage allowance, reserved seats, higher frequencies (e.g. BRU-BCN 6 times daily, more than any other airline). MOL is talking with GDSs and Google to include FR flights.

Asked how he would call BRU now that he flies to two airports in Belgium, he said BRU would be Brussels High and Charleroi Brussels Low.

Next destinations from BRU would probably be London (STN?) and Dublin.

A few pics from the press conference:

Arrival of Micheal O'Leary at the Sofitel Brussels Europe

The press conference: Jonazthan Brisy, Michael O'Leary, Robin Kiely

Slides of the press conference

End of the question session

[woutertheboy]

All Bru Air bashers are very happy now.

I started comparing SN with FR and searched for a BRU-FCO ticket in mid-may. The prices below are the exact prices charged by SN and FR with a credit card payement.

SN 15-19 May
1 Person = 99.19 Euro

FR 15-19 May
1 Person = 99.94 Euro

SN is on these dates still cheaper, but on other dates. There is a difference of more then 100 Euro + with SN... Who's going to win?

[cnc]

maybe this is a wake up call for SN and LH and things will start to move a bit faster now.
i wonder who will be forced to do the handling as neither aviapartner nor flightcare where eager to give handling services to them in the past

[RoMax]

Isn't Swissport performing ground handling at several airports for FR? Not sure about Aviapartner though.

[fcw]

I started comparing SN with FR and searched for a BRU-FCO ticket in mid-may. The prices below are the exact prices charged by SN and FR with a credit card payement.

SN 15-19 May
1 Person = 99.19 Euro

I can't find a single BRU-FCO for less than 300€ with BruAir!

[Passenger]

Hi André,

Not that's important, but:

He came by plane, with Ryanair to CRL (another on-time arrival - trumpets).

Le Soir writes:
Pour l’anecdote, Michael O’Leary est venu à Bruxelles en provenance de Londres via ... l’Eurostar de ce mercredi matin.

Journalistic freedom or just an Irish joke?

[sean1982]

He came with his own private B738, the learjet was occuppied for crew transport

[Atlantis]

London (STN) and Dublin as next new destinations? Interesting.

Let us look a bit further in the future. Norwegian as LCC is already offering long haul destinations.

FR was playing also already with this idea for some time/years.

SN should realy be worried on the day the FR will decide for that strategy also. Out of a premium airport they can offer very easily long haul flights with as feeder all their European destinations.
Would BRU be also the first airport they will offer that? Time will tell but it is interesting I think.

About the numbers of pax a year via BRU. This year the total number of pax will be over 19 million pax and this due to the new long haul, better European figures and the LCC. Growing figures are rather small but improving.