[Anonymous]

[Bath_VIP]

Surprised this has not been covered yet.

http://www.blackpoolinternational.com/

Latest in a line of airports to close recently following Plymouth, Filton, Manston, etc.

[AMcWhirter]

Hello Bath_VIP

But will it concern many business travellers ? I ask because it was mainly a leisure-orientated airport and, of course, Manchester is not far away.

[SimonS1]

Sad, but I have never really understood who would want to fly to/from Blackpool.

[AMcWhirter]

The fact is that Manchester offers so many more services and is not that far away.

Also when I have covered this subject in the past for the magazine, it was clear that some passengers resented paying the £10 (per person) Airport Development Fee, which Blackpool and a number of other small regional airports levy.

[superchris]

aye up, its grim oop north.

So they charged a £10 development fee? So what exactly have they developed if they are closing it??!!

[BigDog.]

Fracking in Morecambe Bay’s huge shale gas fields may have saved Blackpool Airport but that is no longer on the cards.

[VKsNemesis]

Blackpool had an airport?!

[MrMichael]

Bournemouth next…………..alphabetically and condingly.

[LuganoPirate]

I’m sorry, but I have a feeling of schadenfreude when a business or airport makes an iniquitous charge such as a “Development Fee” and then closes down.

To charge your customers a development fee is so wrong. Would you pay a fee to shop at Tesco? No, you’d go elsewhere (as many people are doing it seems even without a development fee!!!)

[Bath_VIP]

Mr Michael,

Why do you think Bournemouth will be next?

[VKsNemesis]

Is Blackpool Airport the Tesco of British Airports or is Tesco the Blackpool Airport of British supermarkets?

[transtraxman]

You surprise me with such condescending comments.
Blackpool has closed because it did not have a connection to Heathrow – which it did have in previous years.

Of course, it is not a high profile destination so does not have many defenders. However, it is in line with such other destinations which could be, could have been interesting to provided feed into Heathrow.
Other such airports which immediately spring to mind are Teeside, Exeter and Inverness.

Many accuse British Airways of slot sitting on its route to Leeds/Bradford. What has to be sorted out is the fact that there is a strong need to provide a third runway at Heathrow so give the outer reaches of the British Isles, including the Crown dependencies their RIGHT to be connected to the capital´s hub airport.

[MrMichael]

BathVIP, simply because I do not see how it’s business model is sustainable. Sou is beating it hands down in choice of flights, airport infrastructure and ease to get to from across the region. It is losing money, just like Blackpool with no reason I can see for any airline to expand services or for new airlines to move in.

Their own responses to me about their rip off charges for picking up and dropping off pax were pretty much along the lines of needing the money because they were skint. charging exorbitant fees for things only works if people really like or need your product, I have seen no evidence anybody actually likes Bournmouth Airport, and I am not sure it is needed. Shame really because Bournmouth has a runway capable of many more destinations than Sou can, but still SOU beats it.

On top of that I just cannot stand the place and have vowed never to use it. Guess I am negative about the place and for that I appologise to you and all forum readers (but not the airport).

[AMcWhirter]

transtaxman – Did Blackpool really have a direct air link to Heathrow ? There certainly were flights with British Midland from Liverpool to Heathrow. But Blackpool ?

The most recent air service between Blackpool and London was with Ryanair but it flew into Stansted and not Heathrow.

Ryanair axed the route in January 2009. It objected to Blackpool’s introduction of an Airport Development Fee.

http://www.uk-airport-news.info/blackpool-airport-news-251008.htm

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