In a surprising development which I actually discovered from watching the BBC local news here in Cardiff tonight was that Ryanair are pulling their Dublin to Cardiff route from Monday.

It's a very sudden development and the route was enjoying 737-800 service as opposed to the 737-200's the route had operated for years.

Apparently it was over some issue with the airport however personally I am suprised by this drastic move as I thought the route has always done well.

What with the demise of Air Wales, surely this is a better time than any for BA to return to Cardiff in the form of BA Connect?

Just saw this on Irish TV in the Headlines it said that the service will staop in may and is due to cardiff airport raising PAX fees by 350%

But on a brighter note Aer Arann will start a twice daily service bet cardiff and Dublin the day FR stop.

The full link is here

A full service by Ba at more UK regional airports would be appreciated.

I believe that if a BA MAN-DUB service would be excellent and be profitable, but cardiff os underserved and is difficult to get to and aleays expensive from DUB, indeed Ireland in general

Agreed, but would BA (even as low-frills BA Connect) compete directly with EI on a UK-Ireland route? Can't imagine it would help relations within Oneworld (which EI may well have strained a bit already by cutting their frills and short haul C). EI fly a few A320's a day to MAN at the moment, in addition to FR sending several 737-800's and a token ERJ145 from Luxair flying LUX-MAN-DUB-MAN-LUX once a day.

As for FR's move, if there is money to be made on the route then they will be back. They pulled out of MAN years ago over a similar issue and came back in greater force than before once a better deal was put on the table.

FR have reduced their service to NQY from STN by 50% due to hikes in the airport fees there, too.

Interesting move. I guess if FR can't afford to subsidise fares to their liking they just pull the route

I would say that EI would not like it but with all the traffic back and forth to the UK and Ireland EI have it all bar LGW and GLA routes, that only came in last year and will be canned shortly

I would love to BA in MAN making a more, active agressive stance. I find that outside of London you can't go anywhere on BA from regional airports sure only lately have GB made a pressence in MAN butg that about it

Another ridiculous advert appeared in last night's London Evening Standard.

"Fly for less than BA's fuel surcharge"

"British Airways (sic) fuel surcharge has increased fourteen fold from �2.50 per sector to �35 per sector"

"BA's has (sic) added 7 separate fuel surcharges"

"2 million seats from just �15 (�20 less than BA's fuel surcharge)"

Well, the BA fuel surcharge quoted is for longhaul flights, you dimwits!

IMO the Biggest BA charge is �300 UK business fare from EDI/MAN etc to London, Its cheaper for me to fly to AGP from MAN and then back to MAN via London using BA in CE
umm I wonder how that works?

Aerlingus has also just added a fuel charge to LH booking of �70Return It seems that all airlines are in on this, They will probably make more of this than the cost of fuel

say 300 pax @ �70 each thats �21,000 (approx)
How much is it to fill a 747 at BP these days????

A lot less capacity though, which means higher fares

Have you seen some of the prices that FR charged for the route?

Less capacity but probably better timings.

It might be token, but its actually a really nice flight! See my trip report on it for the Shamrock Do

They also send the A330's for certain Liverpool and Man U home games.

This is really boring uninspired advertising aimed at people with no brains - so no opinion there then....

Six flights a day each way for the Heineken Cup Final to Bristol at 199 Euros one way!

Yes, and most of the time (with flexibility) they weren't all that bad.

Bingo. Someone, somewhere pays the real cost of flying FR - often the airport owners which in large chunks of Europe is the local government, funded by local taxpayers. Nice business model.