an article in yesterday's Lavanguardia said that after this season Ryanair will stop flights to Reus airport.  Their agreement is supposed to last till 2013 but they wish to stop this year.They will go to Barcelona, el Prat & Girona.  This will leave people in south Catalonia with an imposible journey as there are no trains or buses from the airport in this direction. Also people in the north will be in an equally difficult position. Surely the tourist centres in Salou & Cambrils have some clout to bring pressure to bear on the local authorities to maintain a service at Reus airport? or will it become a very expensive white elephant?

oh well if the rumour is true ,then this is maybe another casualty of the crazy rules imposed on foreigners by the cataloonyans ,everybody baling out home for good and holidaying elsewhere instead, 8-)
maybe catalunya should take note and stop penalising potential investors to their area,if more people had the power of mr oleary then maybe things might change there for the better,or maybe they like to stay in the dark ages, ;D

Let's hope this doesn't happen, for all of us locals and of course all of the tourists.
Does that mean that he is pulling out of Reus altogether?
He has several internal flights throughout Spain at the moment.
Has anyone heard anything about Castellon airport lately? and which airlines are going to use it? and when?

I agree lets hope it doesn't happen, good to hear people who appreciate Ryanair and the service they provide, cause in the past some members of the Forum have done nothing but complain about not getting 1st class service at budget cost.

Well I have to say I have never compained about Ryanair, They have not always been the cheapest, but over last ten years have used them a hell of alot,  I have always said you get what you pay for !!!!!
Have not used Reus for ages, always been too dear or shut for season, and have used Gerona or Barc but a load of extra fuel,time and tolls.
Lets just keep our fingers crossed.
Phil

Has anyone heard anything about Castellon airport lately?

The latest date is "late summer" 2011, there are no airlines signed up yet and they are still waiting for Government approval / Licence to operate. They now have an agreement for air traffic control and an airport operator.

Ryanair and Veuling are said to have been negotiating........

Gyronut,
Why would the Cataloonians be bothered now, they have sold all their allotments at vastly inflated country house prices and taken all the EU grants for their olives and roads and water supplies etc.they don't nead,or want tourists !

Nothing is certain yet but it could happen. There is a planned conference on the future strategy of Reus airport probably to be held in September to include opinions of civil society, governments ,institutions & businesses, they will consider revising the charges of the airport. The president of the chamber of commerce of Reus, Sanroma Isaac & Albert Abello feel it was a mistake allowing Ryanair to go to El Prat as they would loose interest  in Reus.  Surely it would be a good idea for people who really use Reus airport & who need it for their livelyhood and readers of the Tortosa forum to make sure they are represented at this conference.

wrote on Jun 24^th, 2011 at 3:49pm:

Nothing is certain yet but it could happen. There is a planned conference on the future strategy of Reus airport probably to be held in September to include opinions of civil society, governments ,institutions & businesses, they will consider revising the charges of the airport. The president of the chamber of commerce of Reus, Sanroma Isaac & Albert Abello feel it was a mistake allowing Ryanair to go to El Prat as they would loose interest  in Reus.  Surely it would be a good idea for people who really use Reus airport & who need it for their livelyhood and readers of the Tortosa forum to make sure they are represented at this conference.

Nice idea but this Spain,20 years behind the rest of Europe.A general strike did nothing so what chance does a load of whinging expats (who might want to go back to the UK a couple of times a year) such as ourselves have.

Yes but what about businesses that rely on this airport?  It is an awful drag to go into Barcelona central from El Prat & then have to catch one of the very slow trains to Salou, L'Aldea ,Mora etc .Enough to put any visitor of a short break  off that many small businesses rely on.  What about Port Aventura they would loose out.  This should be well publicised.

I agree with Nobrot ,Spain is the third next country in Europe on the to go Bust list  ,so a Airport and non country men/women wont be high on there list of things to do at the mo ,I would not have thought  :'(

The most important department of any airline is a little known one called yield control.  This is run by actuarists who work with algorithms to calculate the highest revenue production based on (such as) lead time to flight, special events occuring near the flight, historic seat occupancy for that period.......to cut it short, the earlier you book the seat the cheaper it is, providing no one else wants to fly that day.   If you leave it late then you're desperate and they can hit you with a high price that you'll pay.   All flights have a break even load factor (ie. some scheduled airlines need 65% occupancy just to pay the direct operating costs).  Low cost carriers (LCCs) such as FR and EZY have far more complex algorithms based on for example the amount of money the local council or airport has paid into their coffers to attract them in the first place, the amount of time they hold your money earning interest....these funds will skew the charges they need to make to the passengers.   All in all, fellow forumites, FR has bled as much out of the region as they can get and now they're off.  Tough luck on all those who have set up homes in the catchment area, they are of little consequence to the shareholders of the company.  So do not bleat.  You have had advantage of the cheapest airfares since fleas started riding on the backs of ducks.  Go now and find alternative airports because this is the time of the fat getting fatter and tough luck to the rest.  It's called capitalism. 

Quite agree,O'Really is a shrewd businessman and nobodies fool.If he doesn't get what he wants he'll be off.Factor in the Catalan/Spanish general attitude to marketing,promotion and competition....could be interesting

I agree too. Ryanair have pulled out of airports before in France leaving expats in similar situations to us now. We will just have to learn to deal with it. I sympathize with people whose business's rely on customers getting cheap flights in. But short of a revolution and the smashing of the corrupt capitalist system what can we do? Might be an idea for everyone to share rides to El Prat and travel at the same times in future?
Ho hum.
Bruixot

I agree with my brothers/sisters of the revolution, if Ryan air do push us to the limits with the help of the corrupt capitalist system. We should storm the barricades ( being British we should wear uniform. over sized tea-shirt, badly fitting shorts, flip flops or sandals so we can be identified. ) We will have a meeting point, I think in a tea room somewhere close. We will use our greatest strengths, these being shuffling about like headless chicken complaining loudly or our fallback stand in a que and apologise to everyone for everything. Brings a tear to the eye being British and if this does not resolve the problem pack up our lunchboxes and go home. I must admit at this point I'm one of the b*****ds who use Easy Jet. So power to the people and up the revolution but not in July as its too hot.
Yours Comrade Bulldog.    

Power to the Tooting Popular Front

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Bulldog you forgot to mention that the TShirts have to have the England Logo, and you must wear socks with your sandles + if poss a beer Belly that,s it isnt it !!!!!!!
;D

Wolfy! Foxy! This takes me back. oh dear am i really that old?

I don't feel it, but then I don't feel very much at all these days  :(  :'(

Think I must be a similar age to you John, but I still feel like an 18 year old woman !!!!!!!!!! :D :D

Havent we lost the plot here?  Loss of an airport in the south of Catalonia is a problem.  Look what it cost to enlarge Reus airport, I wonder where these millions came from? & so recently too! If I remember last winter there was no airport between El Prat & Alicanti available to travellers from the UK, possibly it will be the same this coming winter.  The UK authorities should take an interest in this & what about the EU ?  So much money is wasted here, look what has happened with the  new unfinished industrial estate, Catalunya Sud & the half built L'Adea bypass now abandoned.  The politicians here who promise so much before their elections should be taken to task, remember the tax payers here & from the EU, that includes people from the UK are paying for all this nonsense, be it incompetence or worse.

As indicated this is capitalism. You can't force a company to provide flights from your chosen airport.  Or are you suggesting a naTionalised service that runs at a continual loss like we used to have? We haven't lost the airport just a carrier and this could all be a threat by ryanair to get an even better deal. If you really care then petition another carrier to look into profitability at Reus.
And hit ryanair where it hurts, in the pocket, by not using them if you have to travel to El Prat. It might cost a little more from the other carriers but money is the only thing that talks in a capitalist system.
Bruixot

Dear All,
As you can see from my opening words I am now treating the situation at the afore said airport in my official capacity as revolution co-ordinator. To put some peoples mind at ease I used Goole earth ( Capitalist Swines ) and have discovered where the careless person has placed the missing airport. In future just call me Holmes with my less than willing other half as Watson. As for the UK gov. I have spoken to the relevant people ( a rather simple young man called Clegg ) he asked had they invaded us and if not calling him El Prat was rather rude. We ended on friendly terms as he stated the way things were he may in a few years time have to find a home in Spain and hopes I do find the airport. As for the second point of a nationalised service he stated the UK has been successfully running at a loss for decades and if we needed advice how to do this a senior gov. official would be happy to come and explain how its done. At this time seeing a number of complaints about Little Britian I have spoken to Tim who has agreed to supply the impending revolutionary committee who's members will be voted upon on this very same forum in the near future with out of date ginger nut biscuits, so now just the whist drive to put in place. Rest easy comrades this will be a truly British revolution of course it must wait till after the holidays.
Your Leader in waiting Bulldog.

Bulldog wrote on Jun 27^th, 2011 at 6:56pm:

so now just the whist drive to put in place. Rest easy comrades this will be a truly British revolution of course it must wait till after the holidays. Your Leader in waiting Bulldog.

If you want a truly British revolution It cannot be a whist drive but a Beetle Drive ro Bingo.

By the way El Prat is no good for the disabled.  Try and get from the train station in a wheelchair - it is an impossibly long walk to the terminal !!

Bulldog wrote on Jun 27^th, 2011 at 6:56pm:

so now just the whist drive to put in place. Your Leader in waiting Bulldog.

Whist Drive, come come, it has to be a Beetle Drive or Bingo.

And, El Prat is no good for the disabled.  It iis a helluva long way pushing a wheelchair and dragging a suitacase from the station to the terminal.

Mottslott wrote on Jun 27^th, 2011 at 12:19am:

Think I must be a similar age to you John, but I still feel like an 18 year old woman !!!!!!!!!! :D :D

So do I ;)

oops!

No one can force a company to fly to a particular airport after the existing contract ceases, that is true , but it is up to the Catalonian authorities to make a deal that is  attractive. I feel I must reveal that we travel here twice a year by car via Brittany ferries!  Only once did we use Ryanair for a 6 day visit back to the UK ;D. However flights to & from Reus have been very useful for visiting friends & family.This summer my daughter & her family came to stay but she came via El Prat with British Airways, she refuses to use Ryanair ever again since they flew with them to Malaga & were surcharged about £700 for excess baggage !!!

I really think we are crying before we are hurt on this one.No one knows for sure what will happen,however
I don't think the Catalan authorities could make Miss World look attractive let alone a deal that would increase tourism,income,prosperity,employment etc etc.

Don't listen to nobrot! Man the barricades! Down with capitalist oppression! We'll storm Barcelona and pour all the guiness in the harbor! Or we could put the kettle on.
Up the Peoples Front of Catalonia!
Bruixot

Dear Bruixot,
You must be an angry young man, and must listen to reason from an old wrinkly. History shows us the last time someone threw a beverage into a harbor ( tea at Boston ) we ended up with the U.S. of A. Before we know where we are we could be going down the path of sending expats to liberate somewhere like Bradford thus throwing doubt on the safety of the Saturday night curry and the Sunday morning revenge if hostilities turned nasty. As for throwing actual guinness into the harbor go straight to bed without any supper and in the morning write fifty times I should not be silly.
Your caring comrade THE BULLDOG. ( I hoped you received my 3 issues of how to storm a barricade made easy. )

Angry young man? Me!!??
Right, we know who's first up against the wall come the revolution!
: )
Bruixot

Oooh dear

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In todays paper it says ' Ryanair to pull out of Reus at the end of summer'

There are always flights from Valencia, much nicer drive than Barcelona.
Otherwise there is a lift on the back of my motorbike for a smallish price  ;)

Ryanair pull out of Reus at the end of every summer

Will Ryanair still fly from Valencia? they did not last winter. Or will another airline provide a scheduled service from the UK to Valencia?

Ryanair have flights from valencia to stansted in November advertised

Ryanair flew Stansted to Valencia all last winter. Hopefully this year too. Easyjet flys Gatwick Valencia all year aswell,

That's great if you want stay in the South, but if you have to hire a car, and drive to the North to see family and friends,
it becomes a long and expensive journey.

The implication of this article is that they are not going to base aircraft at Reus but still fly there (hopefully not just to Stanstead for those who wish to visit God's own country up North).  Speculating with RyanAir is like speculating with football... the golden rule has to be take a Doubting Thomas size pinch of salt and wait until you actually do or don't see aircraft on the tarmac or a player on the pitch!

http://www.tumbit.com/news/articles/3340-ryanair-cease-operations-at-reus-airport.html

Found this interesting reading Michael.
Another one I have bookmarked.