[SimonS1]

Indeed Slotski I think the evening flights are generally quite heavy. It’s the mid-day rotation that I gather is often about 25% full?

[AMcWhirter]

Hello solartravels

Thanks for the feedback re Durham airport. The £6 fee you mentioned when passing through security is, in fact, Durham’s version of an airport development fee.

And yes, KLM’s fares ex-Durham to Amsterdam are very high. Checking return fares for a midweek trip in October, I was quoted almost £500 return for what is a just a 75 mins flight.

[fatbear]

But connecting flights to somewhere else in the KLM network from Durham/Teeside seem to be competitively priced !

[openfly]

Hi Alex….not just Durham for unbelievably high fares on KLM. Leeds/Bradford to AMS must be some of the highest short-Haul in the world!

[PegasusAir]

As we all now know airline fares nowadays are market based rather than cost based and so if you want to go just from MME or LBA to AMS KLM are the only direct operator with competition only if you went from LBA via LHR. However if you want to go beyond then they have to be more competitive. I have just compared a business fare from MAN to DOH in Nov with a MAN to MLE via DOH on QR using exactly the same flights from MAN to DOH and return and the MLE fare is about £1000 cheaper for an extra 8 hrs flying!

[AMcWhirter]

PegasusAir – I agree with you re Durham (MME) to Amsterdam. But not in the case of Leeds where Jet2 competes with KLM on the route to Amsterdam.

Of course KLM scores if you intend to continue beyond Amsterdam but on a point-to-point basis, Jet2 competes with its three daily flights.

[PegasusAir]

AMcW – You are of course right although their frequency at 8/week v KLM at 21/week and their timings are not particularly business friendly. However there is a choice.

[solartravels]

Yes KLM fares through AMS can be reasonable. For example I am doing a MME>AMS>TXL and return 3 days later for about GBP 200 including Friday last flight from AMS to MME (usually busy).

And if you want a quick trip to AMS, you can get a return fare for around GBP120 on the less busy flights during the daytime.

[Charles-P]

Demand drives viability.

Blackpool would stay open if enough people used it or as was stated above there are clear national infrastructure reasons why there must be a subsidy (eg Scottish Islands).

[BigDog.]

A concluding history and comment pictorial

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2794265/blackpool-airport-closes-doors-time-105-year-history.html

[Author]

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