Wizz pulling out of Cardiff Airport

[North Cardiff Blue]

I initially supported the WG buying the airport and I think it may have closed without them doing that so I suppose it was the right decision.

But this is yet another example of how utterly incompetent they are. Is there anything they have excelled at? Clealy airlines don't think much of them. I suspect they are slow, don't understand the market, take too long to make investment decisions and run it in a political as opposed to commercial manner.

They excel in draconian covid measures and ruining the traffic flow, and wasting money on stuff that's not needed like the slowest roads in the UK and Europe and free prescriptions for millionaires, and free money for kids coming out of care, and the longest NHS waiting lists, and it looks like they could get the biggest reduction in airport traffic pretty soon.

[North Cardiff Blue]

What's that got to do with anything? Is your life filled with ways of blaming absolutely everything on Drakeford?

South Wales is one of the poorest areas of the UK. Of course things will take longer to recover as people have less money here.

He never wanted to unlock, and called Boris reckless, he should have been the opposite and opened up sooner and attracted some money for Wales if we are so poor, I said at the time it will damage the welsh economy and it has. Yes, he scored a lot of petty points and cost us all prosperity our airport is going downhill like everything else.

Can you name anything he's done better than England to kick on our economy?

[Chris Pontprennau Blues]

Don't forget Dickford cancelled the M4 relief road, so alienating anyone travelling from England and spending a hour driving through Newport - who owns Cardiff Airport - oh yeah WG

[North Cardiff Blue]

the disparity with Bristol airport happened a long time before the Welsh government got involved

Partly true, you don't give up, that's like saying Morison was poor so if Hudsons really crap, the disparity with Swansea started long ago.

Running an airport should be a piece of piss for a government!

[North Cardiff Blue]

Don't forget Dickford cancelled the M4 relief road, so alienating anyone travelling from England and spending a hour driving through Newport - who owns Cardiff Airport - oh yeah WG

Yes and banned the Engish coming here and spending their money in Wales the buggers, let's triple their council tax that will stop them, from coming here and using our tourist industry, and that'll teach them!

Literally, everything he does, makes you think that's exactly the opposite of what you should do to stimulate an economy.

It falls on deaf ears here, all of you must know this but for some reason think I must defend daft actions because he's Labour!

[North Cardiff Blue]

Bristol is a pain in the arse to get to

Cardiff has a huge runway and can easily handle the big flights

If it got hold of the bucket and spade flights then it might be a contender

Apart from Manchester which is really dominant you have Leeds Bradford , East Midlands and Liverpool

Surely Cardiff can be that sort of second rung airport but down here ?

The buildings at Bristol look smaller if anything

They just seem to have more flights

Why is that then?

Maybe because it's being run properly?

[North Cardiff Blue]

At least it gives Harry a day off 🤣

He's just as dopey, what a pair!

[North Cardiff Blue]

It isn't the Welsh government's fault that Cardiff Airport isn't successful

Basically local taffies are tight and want to save 50 quid by flying from Bristol

You could put an airport in someone's back garden in South Wales .....and let's be honest it is ......and they would still find something to moan about

Not true, I talk to a lot of people, and almost everyone prefers Cardiff but there are not enough routes, so Bristol picks up all the money. The Silver Zone car park is expensive, as said drop-offs are a fiver and they are making money from the clean air zones. I flew from both last year in the summer, there were 12 flights from 6 till 7 in Bristol and 12 from Cardiff all-day on the day I compared.

I would always pay more to travel from Cardiff.

We are losing a fortune the demand is there, and it would create more jobs, just get help from someone that can run a business not ruin one!

[splott parker]

And the alternative to Labour in Wales is………………

[North Cardiff Blue]

I don't think that's right.

The Welsh government have been calling for APD to be devolved for years, presumably so they can immediately scrap it. Westminster should have done it years ago but have been refusing to do it.

The main reason Bristol is cheaper to fly out if for carriers is the economies of scale i.e. the costs for all the behind the scenes stuff that has to go on at an airport is shared between more flights and is therefore cheaper

Yes because it's well managed and they attracted more flights while our lot keeps reducing them!

[Rjk]

Not true, I talk to a lot of people, and almost everyone prefers Cardiff but there are not enough routes, so Bristol picks up all the money. The Silver Zone car is expensive, as said drop-offs are a fiver and they are making money from the clean air zones. I flew from both last year in the summer, there were 12 flights from 6 till 7 in Bristol and 12 from Cardiff all-day on the day I compared.

We are losing a fortune the demand is there, and it would create more jobs, just get help from someone that can run a business not ruin one!

yes it's cheaper for airlines to travel from Bristol because the passenger numbers are so much higher there, so they get more flights making it cheaper and so on.
Cardiff was run into the ground prior to the government stepping in, they were doing a good job at getting more flights in and passenger numbers back up, but with COVID and everything since it's obvious that smaller airports like ours will be affected more

[North Cardiff Blue]

And the alternative to Labour in Wales is………………

The raving looney party would run it better!

[JamesWales]

It's certainly fair to criticise the UK govt for not devolving Air Passenger Duty (APD) as it has been done to Scotland and N.Ireland. However, they are arguably different cases but I do think it should be devolved

There is no reason to let the WG off the hook though. They own the bloody thing and APD is the same in Bristol as here. And would they even use the powers? They have a habit of not doing so and would Drakefords Labour really subsidise such a polluting industry?

The fault, as with many things here lies in Cardiff Bay and the sooner we hold them to a higher standard the better

[splott parker]

The raving looney party would run it better!

But they’re doing shite in Westminster, wouldn’t want them this side of the border

[Rjk]

It's certainly fair to criticise the UK govt for not devolving Air Passenger Duty (APD) as it has been done to Scotland and N.Ireland. However, they are arguably different cases but I do think it should be devolved

There is no reason to let the WG off the hook though. They own the bloody thing and APD is the same in Bristol as here. And would they even use the powers? They have a habit of not doing so and would Drakefords Labour really subsidise such a polluting industry?

The fault, as with many things here lies in Cardiff Bay and the sooner we hold them to a higher standard the better

the Welsh government have been demanding that apd was devolved for years, I'm pretty sure they aren't demanding it so that they can then ignore it and leave it where it was before

[North Cardiff Blue]

yes it's cheaper for airlines to travel from Bristol because the passenger numbers are so much higher there, so they get more flights making it cheaper and so on.
Cardiff was run into the ground prior to the government stepping in, they were doing a good job at getting more flights in and passenger numbers back up, but with COVID and everything since it's obvious that smaller airports like ours will be affected more

Ok so covid did exist when something goes tits up in Wales, but if it's in the UK covid didn't ever exist and it's all the tories' fault make your mind up.

Covid doesn't impact smaller airports more than larger ones, it impacts poorly run ones, less than nimble fast moving well-run ones.

[North Cardiff Blue]

But they’re doing shite in Westminster, wouldn’t want them this side of the border

They're here already

[Rjk]

Ok so covid did exist when something goes tits up in Wales, but if it's in the UK covid didn't ever exist and it's all the tories' fault make your mind up.

Covid doesn't impact smaller airports more than larger ones, it impacts poorly run ones, less than nimble fast moving well-run ones.

no you're talking shite unfortunately

[North Cardiff Blue]

no you're talking shite unfortunately

OK, you've given up good, your attempt to defend them was poor and you've run out of excuses, good try.

They've made a mess of running the airport in addition to the rest.

It must be like trying to defend Cardiff with Mick McCarthy as Manager for ten years, OK we're in the Welsh League but we had covid and it affected us more than the other teams, Micks doing a cracking job.

I wasn't a fan of his either because he was useless too, but at least he had a good month or two while in charge.

[Rjk]

OK, you've given up good, your attempt to defend them was poor and you've run out of excuses, good try.

They've made a mess of running the airport in addition to the rest.

It must be like trying to defend Cardiff with Mick McCarthy as Manager for ten years, OK we're in the Welsh League but we had covid and it affected us more than the other teams, Micks doing a cracking job.

I wasn't a fan of his either because he was useless too, but at least he had a good month or two while in charge.

in the years since the government bought it they increased passenger numbers from about 1 million per year to 1.65 million, which it steady and impressive growth.

then COVID hit and absolutely decimated the numbers of Cardiff and other small airports especially. larger airports were also affected, but as they start from a higher starting point it means that they are more likely to retain the "critical mass" needed to keep more routes open.

[North Cardiff Blue]

in the years since the government bought it they increased passenger numbers from about 1 million per year to 1.65 million, which it steady and impressive growth.

then COVID hit and absolutely decimated the numbers of Cardiff and other small airports especially. larger airports were also affected, but as they start from a higher starting point it means that they are more likely to retain the "critical mass" needed to keep more routes open.

Ok we can agree to differ, I would see it as an opportunity to get on the front foot and steal some business from Bristol while the situation was quiet, but they were faffing around with harsher covid measures and getting on the telly.

They need a director of football equivalent urgently, get some expertise Wales needs a flourishing airport, they can't manage what they've got and need some help and quickly, it's probably too late to sort the roads but at least get some decent routes in quickly, and we need to use them where possible.

[blue matt]

Ryanair and Easyjet operate the same system these days: a small carry-on (Ooh er, missus) suitcase can cost as much as the passenger.

I didnt realise this while I was looking at flights on sky scanner, he was adamant, a carry on normal ( non budget ) airlines is a small suitcase that fits in the bin overhead, a purse is just crazy

we fly KLM to Amsterdam and all took small carry on cabin cases ( from IKEA actually ) and travelled around Holland and Belgium with that

[Trigger]

The airport is another disaster for Welsh Labour. I wasn't against them taking it on at the time but not to continually pump tax payer money into it, whatever their plan was, it has failed.

The list of failures mount up, unlike the uk government who rightfully are challenged and ridiculed, labour here continually get a free ride because it's Wales&Labour forever

UK politics badly needs a shake up, new parties, new election system. It's just the same old shit everywhere, only here there's zero challenge to Labour unless the nationalists get in, which would be even worse somehow.

[Dave Blue]

I didnt realise this while I was looking at flights on sky scanner, he was adamant, a carry on normal ( non budget ) airlines is a small suitcase that fits in the bin overhead, a purse is just crazy

we fly KLM to Amsterdam and all took small carry on cabin cases ( from IKEA actually ) and travelled around Holland and Belgium with that

If you have to pay for a roller cabin case now you may as well go the whole hog and take a hold 23kg one.

[blue matt]

If you have to pay for a roller cabin case now you may as well go the whole hog and take a hold 23kg one.

it wasnt 23kg with wiz air, from memory it was 15 kg