Cardiff airport

I'm glad to finally find someone who agrees with me. The trouble is that big regional imbalances have built up in the UK economy.That's not to say quality of life is necessarily lower in the 'north' but that there is a sense outside the south east that the economy has not performed well and governments have been neglectful. If one looks at the rhetoric coming out of the northern cities and Scotland as well, the belief is that London has done well because of its lobbying power over politicians who therefore grant it favours. Personally I think that's a bit simplistic. But the regions intuit that the answer is for them to get better at lobbying. But if everyone is lobbying against each other it just looks like a zero sum game. And the actual major flaws in the British economy are ignored.

It's also worth mentioning the 'northern powerhouse'. We'll see if that really amounts to much but if it largely turns out to mean a few favours for Greater Manchester and maybe Leeds, then how long before the north east start saying what about us? Particularly since Newcastle will lose out if APD goes to Edinburgh. There'll surely be demand for a midlands 'powerhouse' and then perhaps even a south west 'powerhouse' for a region that often feels ignored due to the lack of Labour/Tory marginals. Maybe that helps to explain the Lib Dems success there until last year.

I think we sometimes forget how large and how unusual the NUTS regional disparities in the UK are when compared with other EU countries. GDP per head in inner London is 4.7 times higher than GDP per head in West Wales and the
Valleys. In France the maximum variation is between the Ile de France and Limousin and is a factor of 2.

Berlin actually had a lower GDP and GVA then the German average so there is no golden rule that decrees that capital regions are automatically wealthier than the countries they serve.

It's often forgotten but the region with the highest identifiable public spending per head in the UK is London - and that doesn't include 'non-identifiable' spend on the civil service etc. London has been playing this game for decades, pointing at a few very poor boroughs to justify their Garden Bridges, Cable Cars, Concert Halls and palatial railway stations.

I don't particularly like this region v region business but until spending in equitable across the UK it's inevitable.

The only point I would make Ash is that the south east has the lowest spend per capita I believe. It probably makes sense to average the London + SE figures combined. I kind of agree on deprivation. I'm not sure why London should be seen as a special case.

I remember an economic commentator making the point a few years ago (in relation to Crossrail) that ultimately the government was far more worried about a major financial services company pulling out of London that some regional manufacturer jumping ship. There's a certain logic to it but in the end it becomes self-fulfilling. The danger is the regions just try to redress things through crude lobbying. Some sort of 'one nation' approach is needed - but where did that idea ever go?

Some sort of 'one nation' approach is needed - but where did that idea ever go?

Yes, well. That is entirely my point.

If London feels that it is 'propping up' the rest of the UK and others are leeching off their success, then fine. Let them have an London National Party Mayor and hold their London independence referendum. I think the rest of us would do just fine without them.

What can't continue is the endless black hole of public spending on vanity projects. This article pretty much says it all.


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/13/why-is-londons-garden-bridge-worth-as-much-as-five-lancashire-museums-ask-joanna-lumley

On the bright side Cardiff Airport didn't have any "Laser Pen" instances!!

Provisional rolling year to Dec was 1,158,383 pax up 13.6% so we know there must be aircraft out there.

Spanish airline Vueling increases summer capacity from Cardiff Airport by 41%

The Spanish airline will offer more than 151,000 seats to the Welsh market this summer

Barcelona, 3 March 2016 - Vueling, the popular airline for Welsh holidaymakers, will be boosting its services from Cardiff for the 2016 summer season, adding an additional 44,000 seats across its four routes to Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante and Palma Majorca.
This boost in capacity represents a 41% increase compared to last summer, with more than 151,000 seats now on sale for flights between April and October 2016.

The popularity of Vueling's routes from Cardiff has also resulted in the early release of winter flights for 2016/17, which are also now available to book.

Destinations such as Barcelona offer the perfect city break while also being the gateway to the Costa Brava, Majorca is a stunning holiday island and Alicante and Malaga serve popular holiday resorts such as the Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol and Costa Tropical.
Passengers can also reach even more destinations in southern Spain, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands or Africa thanks to Vueling´s connecting flights at the Barcelona hub.

Summer 2016 timetable and frequency
Route Starts Fares from* Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct
MALAGA 29 March 74,99€ 3 x week 4 x week 4 x week 4 x week 4 x week 4 x week 4 x week
ALICANTE 29 March 94,99€ 3 x week 4 x week 4 x week 4 x week 4 x week 4 x week 4 x week
BARCELONA 28 March 39,99€ 3 x week 3 x week 4 x week 4 x week 4 x week 2 x week 3 x week
PALMA MAJORCA 31 March 44,99€ 2 x week 3 x week 4 x week 3 x week 4 x week 4 x week 3 x week

Flybe, Europe's largest regional airline, has released the first phase of its 2016/17 winter programme today (15th March). The announcement features a number of exciting features for Welsh passengers including a brand new route to Berlin.
Flights to Berlin Tegel (TXL) will begin operating twice a week on a Wednesday and Saturday from 2 November 2016, with fares available from just £34.99 one way including taxes and charges:
Schedule from 2 November:
Departs CWL 1020 Arrives TXL 1320
Departs TXL 1355 Arrive CWL 1505
Today's announcement also sees Flybe's Glasgow route increasing to 11 flights per week, meaning Welsh business passengers have even more day return options from Cardiff.
Ski flights have proven extremely popular this winter which has resulted in the release of even more flights to Geneva for the winter 2016/17 ski season. This route will now increase to three flights per week, departing on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and is a convenient gateway to ski and snowboarding resorts in Switzerland, France and Italy.
The service to Paris Charles de Gaulle will continue to operate daily with the flight times now operating earlier in the day, improving Air France connectivity for passengers travelling onward and to allow families longer trips in Disneyland Paris.

fair play, i know at least one forumer who will be happy with that increase in service.

today, I am a donut....

Had to pick up the other half from Bristol Airport at the weekend and the ropey, treacherous 'roads' that lead there make 5 Mile Lane look like a dream. Has put me off travelling from there and as such, even though it is slightly more expensive, I've booked to fly to Barcelona from CWL with Vueling instead of bothering with Bristol and Easyjet. Bristol f*cked up by not making Filton the major airport for the South West and South Wales.

Hopefully CWL can go from strength to strength, one hopes that APD is devolved to attract some bigger companies to CWL. The trickle of new routes coming through though can only be good for the airport.

Very tempted by the Berlin flights I must say, though I'd rather fly to Schonefeld than Tegel.