Calchas

In the news to-day: St Helena's new airport, once built, will likely be served once per week by Comair (BA's South African franchisee). Comair is the preferred bidder at this point.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31945384

http://traveller24.news24.com/News/F...elena-20150317

http://atwonline.com/airports-routes...helena-service

Comair does run some services under its own colours and under another marketing name (kulula.com I think). But hopefully it will serve this British territory under British Airways colours so it can be reached with Avios.

However, a bit like the LAN service to the Falkland Islands, I think the once-a-week flight proposal is a bit of a mistake. It means the curious visitor who just wants to get a feel of the place is stuck there for too long.

You could still have four flights per month, but perhaps bunch two of them three/four days apart either side of a weekend.

Perhaps that is just my view.

nufnuf77

True, 7 days is way too long for somebody who needs to first position to SA, just to take this flight! Nevertheless, St Helena it is (on my 2016 holiday programme) ;-)

Calchas

It is suggested that Atlantic Star (a start up airline) will be serving the place as well from London, so you have an escape route.

However no doubt somehow they will both serve the airport on the same day.

T8191

I feel a Thread Merge is coming on ... am I wrong?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...t-airport.html

callum9999

I didn't realise Comair had any flights under their own colours - do you know what route(s) that's on? It seems bizarre to not use the already established British Airways brand!

Given Kulula.com is the low cost offshoot I wouldn't imagine they'd be used to get to St. Helena.

simons1

Does it? Which ones are those then?

Steve_ZA

Only BA franchise and kulula LCC flights.

http://www.kulula.com/flights/routes...hedules/routes

cornishsimon

Ahhhhhh my thread


cs

jlsw7

I think the airport is intended to help people get off the island more than get on to it. One of the big issues for the islanders is the time it takes to get to a hospital. Even spacing of flights will help with that. Tourism will doubtless be a mixed blessing.

As a potential tourist, I'm excited about having oneworld flights there, but I wonder if part of the attraction of the place is that it is so hard to get there. Once getting there becomes feasible, I probably wont want to go!

Calchas

If it was so great to be difficult to get to you'd have been there already.

HMG built the airport as an investment, they are hoping to reduce the money they (we!) spend on the island's upkeep every year, which runs to something like 35 million: the exact figure was in the BBC article I think.

So they are hoping for tourists!

Calchas

Does it not offer charter and private hire under its own name? I may well be wrong.

Calchas

My bad: I did have a search but at the time only found threads from four or five years ago. Must have missed it.

checkerboard

Well, until they get the airport built, there are still several other ways to get to St. Helena:

By Mail Ship: http://rms-st-helena.com/schedules-fares/

Or by Tall Ship: https://www.barkeuropa.com/schedule/dates-and-fares

The latter vessel stops each year at St. Helena enroute to Ascension (about 2 weeks after leaving Cape Town). Since there's no airport yet, very few people actually sign-off there, though after a time, return to South Africa is always/eventually possible via the mail ship HMS St. Helena. Most folks end up continuing as far north as the Azores (as I've done myself in the past).

As much as I love flying, it will be kind of a pity to lose one of the few permanently populated places on earth that remains only accessible by sea.

Calchas

You've always got the Pitcairn Islands

simons1

They have a charter/executive jets company but in the sub 10 passenger range so it wouldn't be relevant for this.

I would expect a 737. Presumably there will be opportunities to make money on cargo as well.