Bigger terminal at revamped Southend Airport – now with increased numbers of Thomson and First Choice flights
Work is progressing on the Southend airport terminal extension, with sections opening in June, October, November and December. In addition to the easyJet flights, to some 12 holiday destinations, there are now also flights by Thomson and First Choice. These are expected to grow rapidly by next year. By summer 2014 Thomson and First Choice will be flying twice a week to Palma, and adding Ibiza to their schedule – tripling their service from Southend Airport in 12 months. The airport is selling its services on its fast processing of passengers, and it wants to attract many from the local catchment area, on grounds of convenience. The travel companies PR talks of …enhancing “the holiday experience for our customers.” Stage 1 of the Southend Airport terminal became operational a year ago and is some 100 metres from the new railway station. The airport hopes passenger numbers will grow to 2 million/ year by 2020. There is the usual hype about some 300 jobs being created. The unfortunate reality is that by encouraging more Brits to holiday abroad, and spend their holiday money abroad, the net effect is that jobs are lost from the local economy, and the UK economy.
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Thomson and First Choice to triple their services from Southend Airport
5 June 2013 (ADS Advance)
For summer 2014, Thomson and First Choice will be flying twice a week to Palma, Majorca, and adding Ibiza to their schedule – tripling their service from London Southend Airport in just 12 months.
Above: Southend Airport MD Alastair Welch (left) with Paul Cooper from Thomson and First Choice.
For summer 2014, Thomson and First Choice will be flying twice a week to Palma, Majorca, and adding Ibiza to their schedule – tripling their service from London Southend Airport in just 12 months.
Thomson and First Choice made the announcement during a tour of Phase 1 of the major extension to the airport terminal. The new Arrivals area is on schedule to be operational by 17 June.
The move to introduce these routes is part of the UK’s largest tour operator’s strategy to ensure customers across the UK can fly from their local airport and stay at the best hotels in some of the most exciting destinations. Local customers will now have access to some of Thomson and First Choice’s most popular hotels including the brand new Holiday Village Ibiza which opens its doors to customers in May 2014. Thomson Cruises will also be exclusively operating its cruise and cruise & stay programmes from the airport to Majorca where customers can sail on the Thomson Dream.
Paul Cooper – airport negotiations manager for Thomson and First Choice – explained why they have decided to expand their partnership with London Southend: “Adding these routes from London Southend Airport demonstrates our commitment to the East of England and following the success of similar routes across a number of regional airports, we know that the demand is there and we know customers are keen to fly from their local airport. Expanding access to our portfolio of destinations and hotels is a key part of our overall strategy and we hope that this move will enhance the holiday experience for our customers.”
London Southend Airport MD Alastair Welch says “We are very pleased that Thomson and First Choice have taken the decision to expand the services they offer from London Southend so soon and we hope this will allow even more of their passengers to experience our new and expanding facilities over the next year.”
Stage 1 of the Southend Airport terminal became operational a year ago and is less than 100 paces from the new railway station. Passengers flying out from the airport wait for a maximum of four minutes for security, whilst those arriving with just hand luggage can expect to travel from plane to train within 15 minutes of leaving the aircraft. This Stage 2 extension is to ensure these high standards of service are not compromised as passenger numbers grow towards two million per year by 2020.
The terminal building is becoming 90 metres longer and will open in phases throughout 2013. Phase 1 – the Arrivals area – will have enhanced baggage reclaim facilities and much more space for immigration as well as a dedicated domestic arrivals route.
The amount of space for passengers in the security area will increase (Phase 2 – opening October), as will the number of check in desks / baggage drop off points (Phase 3 – opening November). The Departure Lounge will also grow in size to enhance the experience for passengers relaxing and awaiting boarding after security – this fourth and final phase of the project will complete in December 2013.
Above: Southend Airport terminal extension from the control tower with the new railway station visible on the left.
The extension is also enabling 300 new, local jobs – these will arise from the increase in Southend-based aircraft over time which will result in a variety of additional operational and service roles.
.[This conveniently ignores the inconvenient, and depressing, fact that all these thousands of travellers taking themselves off on foreign holidays are – in reality – taking their spending money abroad. That means there will be fewer jobs in the UK, either in UK leisure, or in other sectors where the Brits would otherwise have spent their money. One estimate from the US is that for every 35 or so passengers flying abroad for a holiday, one job in the country they have departed from is lost.]
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Southend passenger numbers
CAA data link shows Southend had around 4,000 passengers in 2009 and in 2010. Then some 42,000 in 2011. And 617,000 in 2012.
Now it hopes for 1 million, and 2 million in 7 years.
That means a serious reduction in quality of life for those adversely affected by the airport, especially from aircraft noise.
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More news about Southend at
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TUI Travel brands boost Southend services
Thomson and First Choice are to triple their Southend programme just 12 months after launching services from the airport.
For summer 2014, the TUI Travel brands will add a second weekly departure to Palma Majorca and launch services to Ibiza. The expanded Palma schedule will enable customers to stay for ten or 11 nights, not just the standard seven or 14.
Paul Cooper, airport negotiations manager for Thomson and First Choice, said: ‘Adding these routes from London Southend Airport demonstrates our commitment to the east of England and following the success of similar routes across a number of regional airports, we know that the demand is there and we know customers are keen to fly from their local airport.
‘Expanding access to our portfolio of destinations and hotels is a key part of our overall strategy and we hope that this move will enhance the holiday experience for our customers.’
The airport’s managing director, Alastair Welch, added: ‘We are very pleased that Thomson and First Choice have taken the decision to expand the services they offer from London Southend so soon and we hope this will allow even more of their passengers to experience our new and expanding facilities over the next year.’
Owner Stobart Group has invested over £100m in Southend Airport since acquiring it in 2008. New facilities include a train station offering a 53-minute journey into London Liverpool Street, an air traffic control tower, terminal building, runway extension and radar.
The airport currently offers easyJet flights to Amsterdam, Alicante, Barcelona, Belfast, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Ibiza, Jersey, Malaga, Mallorca and Venice, with Berlin, Krakow and Newquay starting this month, while Aer Lingus operates three daily return services to Dublin.
For full details of the Thomson/First Choice expansion click here.
http://www.e-tid.com/tui-travel-brands-boost-southend-services/80079/
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Bigger terminal at revamped Southend Airport
5.6.2013 (BBC)
Includes video clip
Southend Airport has unveiled the latest stage of its expansion plans.
A larger passenger terminal, due to be ready in December, will mean the Essex airport will be able to handle more than a million passengers a year.
EasyJet flies to more than a dozen destinations from Southend and next summer Thomson and First Choice will be flying twice a week to Majorca and adding Ibiza to their schedule.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-22782643
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Package holidays return to Southend
4th August 2012 in Southend Echo
ONE of the biggest package holiday companies in the world will start flights from Southend Airport next year, the Echo can reveal.
TUI Travel, which includes the famous Thomson and First Choice brands, has struck an agreement with airport bosses to offer all-inclusive deals.
The first destination, served twice a week throughout next summer, will be the sun-drenched Majorcan capital, Palma.
TUI chiefs are keen to move away from congestion-clogged major airports and say many more flights could be available from Southend if it proves a popular choice for customers.
A spokeswoman for the company said: “There is always the potential for more destinations. “At the moment we are focusing on our schedule for next year and we’re delighted to be able to enter into this partnership with Southend Airport.
“We want to allow our customers to fly from their local airport.”
Southend Airport has undergone a £100million transformation, sinceStobart Group snapped it up for £21million in December 2008.
Aer Arann, now operating under the Aer Lingus Regional banner, began flights to Waterford, in Ireland, in March 2011 and has since added thrice-daily services to Dublin.
In April 2012, easyJet started flights to nine overseas destinations and will add a further two – Geneva and Venice – within the next six months.
But the airport has yet to crack the lucrative package holiday market.
Because companies, such as TUI, either use their own airlines or charter other aircraft for flights, they can be more flexible in the number of destinations they offer and when those routes are available.
The Palma flights are scheduled to leave Southend at 7.30am on Tuesdays and Saturdays, returning at 1.30pm on the same days.
Crucially, the airline believed to be lined up to run the route, Germania, operates aircraft with more powerful engines than easyJet.
That means despite Southen-d’s limited runway, flights to the Mediterranean coastline and Canary Islands could be possible.
As well as Palma, Thomson and First Choice also offer holidays to more than 80 other destinations, including Portu-gal, Italy, Greece and Turkey.
Alastair Welch , Southend Airport’s managing director, said: “We can confirm we are working closely with Thomson and First Choice as part of their strategy to allow customers to fly to holiday destinations from their local airport.”
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Thomson & First Choice from Southend Airport
Thomson and First Choice are pleased to confirm that their first route from London Southend Airport will go on sale from Friday 23 November 2012 in store, and online from Tuesday 27th.
Holiday makers will now be able to travel to Palma, Majorca –
Customers living near to London Southend Airport will now have access to some of Thomson and First Choice’s most highly scoring flagship hotels including; Thomson Couple’s Hotel Luabay Galatzo, a peaceful adults only hotel offering stylish accommodation; First Choice’s SplashWorld Majorca, a Travelife Gold awarded hotel with unlimited water park access and, opening in summer 2013 a brand new Holiday Village, also from First Choice, offering swim up rooms and six swimming pools.
Paul Cooper, Airport Negotiations Manager for Thomson and First Choice, said of the move “Increasing our capacity and introducing our first route from LondonSouthend Airport demonstrates our continued commitment to providing convenient flights locally for our customers, and we are confident the destination will prove popular.”
He added “Modernising our operations across the UK is a key part of our overall strategy and this move is definitely a step in the right direction towards creating an enhanced holiday experience for our customers.”
London Southend Airport Managing Director Alastair Welch says “Thomson and First Choice operate very successful connections from regional airports across the country and the announcement that their first flight from London Southend is now on sale showcases the growing popularity of the airport as a gateway for leisure travel.”