Waterford Airport

[carlowgirl88]

Good news for Waterford Airport... British airline, Flybe, will start operating flights from Waterford on 25th March. Waterford getting a second airline at last.

[derrinirl]

For your information resuleuf, Waterford is the only regional airport in Ireland where the passenger numbers are rising. I was dropping off people at that airport in August and there were eight flights (yes eight) departing that day with four of them going to London. The airport has never been so busy. You should've seen the size of the crowd in the terminal that morning. And the airport has recently launched online check-in.

[nwlondoner9]

@derrinirl At last, Waterford airport has online check-in. No more standing in queues for 20 minutes. Now I can just go directly to the boarding gate when I arrive at the airport.

One thing that is still annoying me is the fact that Waterford's flights are often fully booked weeks before departure. Even though the number of flights on the Waterford/London routes has increased, they still can't keep up with demand.

[nwlondoner9]

@derrinirl And there's more good news... EasyJet is commencing operations at Southend from April 2012 and Aer Arann and EasyJet will be providing connecting services. So you can fly from Waterford to Southend with Aer Arann then onto your holiday destination with EasyJet and use the same route coming back. Your luggage will be transferred from one plane to other at Southend so just go straight to the gate when you arrive. Example: Check-in luggage in Waterford and you'd pick it up in Alicante.

[derrinirl]

@nwlondoner9 I heard Easyjet was coming to London Southend airport next year... I read about it one of Waterford's local papers. I didn't know that Aer Arann and Easyjet were setting up a connecting service. Being able to check-in bags at Waterford to your final destination will be handy... better than the set up in Luton where you have to collect your bag when you arrive and then check it in again for your onward flight. I know how I'll be getting to Spain next June.

[taxavol]

Magyar szavak :)

[Cabincrewifly]

ya.....

[derrinirl]

Aer Arann has a sale on this week... I've just made a return booking between Waterford and London for only €41.26

[nwlondoner9]

@derrinirl Booked a cheap flight myself too... Luton to Waterford 36 pounds return. I should book more before that sale ends. That's an offer that won't come back in a hurry.

[resuleuf]

Lads it won't matter when Offaly get their new airport with a runway of 2700 meters that should finish off waterford airport.

[carlowgirl88]

@resuleuf I heard about this Midland airport. I was hoping it'll happen but I read in my local paper recently that Aer Lingus, Ryanair and the DAA are opposed to it and this has put the plan in jeopardy especially after Aer Lingus and Ryanair assured the government that they would refuse use it. The same story went on to say that the Department of Transport is preparing a planning allpication for Waterford Airport and this has the support of Aer lingus and Ryanair with no opposition from the DAA

[derrinirl]

@carlowgirl88 The location of Offaly Airport is expected to be around Tubber between the M6 motorway and the Dublin/Galway rail line. I assume you're from Carlow and it may interest you to know that Offaly Airport would be a 1 hour 50 minute drive up the N80 from Carlow.

I can see why the DAA, Ryanair and Aer Lingus are against it. It would mean less people boarding the flights in Dublin as it'll only be an hour from Dublin on the M4 & M6. Department of Transport said there will be no funding

[carlowgirl88]

@derrinirl I didn't know it was going to be that far from Carlow. It would take much longer to get to than Waterford and Dublin airports. Now I'm over the moon the plan is in jeopardy. There's no point in building an airport just an hour from Dublin when there's already an international airport in Dublin. I for one wouldn't use it at all when the journey to two other airports is much shorter.

[johnballygunner]

@resuleuf what a nasty and negative comment to make,,,,

[derrinirl]

@Ladjets Not every regional airport receives the operating subvention... Kerry and Sligo receive the PSO funding only.

I found an article that says that Waterford costs the state €16 per passenger and Knock costs the state €100 per passenger.

And I found another document that says that both the operating subvention and the PSO funding are per passenger.

[Ladjets]

@derrinirl - Both Kerry and Sligo have received Operating Subvention funding in 2010. In relation to the documents are they from the Dept of Transport ?

[derrinirl]

@resuleuf So what! The second bridge over the Suir was first mentioned like 30 years ago and yet there it is. The expansion of Waterford Airport will happen eventually too. Everything takes time man.

[resuleuf]

@derrinirl

My point is don't believe the hype, wait until you see first then you can get excited.

[resuleuf]

derrinirl

Tranport 21 may not have been around in 1999 but plans for a runway extension and severai hangers were and their still waiting.

[derrinirl]

@resuleuf The runway extension at Waterford is part of Transport21 (which wasn't around in 1999).

All the regional airports were going to be expanded under Transport21 with Waterford getting a quarter of the money pledged but the funding to regional airports was postponed because of the recession.

But two months ago the Oireachtas Transport Committee ruled that the government was wrong to include Waterford when the funding to regional airports was put off.

[resuleuf]

nwlondoner3

Waterford, like other regional airports receives government support under the Department

of Transport’s Operating Subvention scheme. In 2008 and 2009 this amounted to

approximately €1.5m.

This was taken from waterford airports own economic impact assessment study which you can look at online. As you can see waterford airport get quite a bit of goverment money. It was said the runway extension is firmaliy back on the agenda its been their since 1999 when they first looked for it.

[resuleuf]

nwlondoner9 you must work for the airport in PR to go to this much effort to sing the airports praises going around to all the videos. why bother the place has never made money it lives on handouts from the goverment.. Going futher, yes into debt.

[nwlondoner9]

@resuleuf The Irish Government does have a fund which goes to the regional airports and Waterford is the only one that doesn't get any of it and yet it survives.

There was meant to be a new runway at Waterford last year but was postponed due to the state of your governments finances. But a couple of months ago the new runway for Waterford was put back on track.

I'm a regular visitor to Kildare and I come through Waterford because it's so much better than coming through Dublin.

[derrinirl]

@nwlondoner9 It's the PSO funding Waterford doesn't get. The regional airports receive money for each passenger that uses them:

Waterford €16.55

Kerry €33

Galway €53.75

Sligo €69

Donegal €82

Knock €99.95

Waterford costs the state less than the other regional airports (€1.5m per year compared to €60m at Knock) and it still remains open for business. Passenger numbers have been rising every year from 24,000 in 2003 to 144,000 in 2008. Some flights are fully booked weeks before they depart

[Ladjets]

@derrinirl - Hi Derrinirl just to clarify Waterford Airport receives "Operational Subvention" like every other regional airport. It has nothing to do with passenger numbers and is not calculated on passenger numbers. It is calculated by the operating costs of the company and generally is the amount required to write off the operating loss of the company for that year.

To see value for money it is divided by the passengers using each airport but this is just a papwork figure for stats etc

[nwlondoner9]

@Hudsonh4 Wouldn't be 90 minutes if there's an accident. When there is an accident on a motorway all traffic comes to a halt. There's no left or right turns, you can't turn around, and you have to grin and bear it until you get to the next exit. One time I was in a taxi on the M50 and there was an accident ahead. The next exit was less than two miles away but it took 1 hour 40 minutes to get to it. The exits on the M9 are about 20 miles apart so if there is an accident you'd be stuck for hours.

[deanow2007]

@Hudsonh4 Sure its only 90 minutes, but why use Dublin or Cork when you have only to book in 30 minutes before the flight in Waterford.. Plus when you factor in the check-in times, atc slots, etc you will be in London 2 hours if not more from Waterford before the one from Dublin gets there..

[derrinirl]

The Irish Government approved the runway extension and the new terminal at Waterford Airport in 2008 to be completed by summer 2009 but then came the recession so it was put off.

The extended runway would've been able to accommodate an Airbus A320 so Aer Lingus, Ryanair and other airlines would've been able to serve Waterford.

[xamy66x]

exciting stuff