Bradley International Airport

[NewEnglandsTeam]

I'm stuck at work and shouldn't even be on this board otherwise I'd look this up myself... but does anyone know how many flights Northwestern currently has through Bradley? And are they in the new Terminal currently? I guess this pretty much assures they'll be in the new on come next summer as I believe that's where the International Check Point is if I remember correctly.

Edited October 12, 2006 by NewEnglandsTeam

[drc72]

As long as there is a lack of feed on the BDL side (which will always be the case, no ones going to make it a hub) just about any service except for maybe London would need to have connections.

European hub locations are:

AMS (NW/KLM)

CDG (Delta/Air france)

FRA (United/Lufthansa)

I personally think a Delta 757 BDL-CDg would do far better than a NW BDL-AMS, however DL just doesnt have the aircraft, though they are gettign 10-15 new 757s for translantic routes, i expect BOS would see them long before BDL would. Quite possible in the 2010-2015 timeframe, i expect it will take BDL-AMS 2-3 years for it for it to mature where additional flights would come on from any airline.

i expect BDL and PVD to really start to see INTL traffic in the 10 year timeframe 2015-2020 when JFK/EWR and BOS really max out. BDL can pull from the NYC suburbs and PVD will offer high speed rail to both BOS and NYC, most europeans are already used to air/rail connections which will make it more convenient.

The State with the most Italian ancestory in the country should have direct flights to Italy. Newark is right near JFK, and AlItalia flies both out of Newark and JFK. I would love to see AlItalia come to Hartford.

[uconn99]

The State with the most Italian ancestory in the country should have direct flights to Italy. Newark is right near JFK, and AlItalia flies both out of Newark and JFK. I would love to see AlItalia come to Hartford.

Northwest fly

Edited October 12, 2006 by uconn99

[paul514]

The State with the most Italian ancestory in the country should have direct flights to Italy. Newark is right near JFK, and AlItalia flies both out of Newark and JFK. I would love to see AlItalia come to Hartford.

VFR (Visiting Friends/Relatives) traffic is notoriously seasonal and low-yield for airlines. Flights to Italy would probably have high loads in the summer/holiday season and smaller loads during the winter. Alitalia is in dire straits and if they cannot make money flying to Los Angeles or a number of larger cities in North America, I'm not sure that Hartford would be a great choice. Also Alitalia's smallest plane capable of flying BDL-MXP or BDL-FCO is the 767-300ER which is considerably larger than the 757-200 that Northwest Airlines is deploying on BDL-AMS. Perhaps service by Eurofly to Naples or Palermo would be better, maybe a once a week seasonal flight.

I personally think Frankfurt would be a great choice for nonstop flights using a 757-200. With US Airways being a Star Alliance member, this could easilly connect to Lufthansa's megahub. However, US seems to be concentrating on using Philadelphia as a transatlantic gateway.

Aer Lingus would be another interesting airline. Ryanair is currently trying to acquire them and turn them into a low-cost transatlantic carrier serving underserved airports, much like they do in Europe. However, I would think that they would need to get 757s, since Aer Lingus' longhaul fleet consists exclusively of Airbus A330-300 and A330-200s.

[drc72]

VFR (Visiting Friends/Relatives) traffic is notoriously seasonal and low-yield for airlines. Flights to Italy would probably have high loads in the summer/holiday season and smaller loads during the winter. Alitalia is in dire straits and if they cannot make money flying to Los Angeles or a number of larger cities in North America, I'm not sure that Hartford would be a great choice. Also Alitalia's smallest plane capable of flying BDL-MXP or BDL-FCO is the 767-300ER which is considerably larger than the 757-200 that Northwest Airlines is deploying on BDL-AMS. Perhaps service by Eurofly to Naples or Palermo would be better, maybe a once a week seasonal flight.

I personally think Frankfurt would be a great choice for nonstop flights using a 757-200. With US Airways being a Star Alliance member, this could easilly connect to Lufthansa's megahub. However, US seems to be concentrating on using Philadelphia as a transatlantic gateway.

Aer Lingus would be another interesting airline. Ryanair is currently trying to acquire them and turn them into a low-cost transatlantic carrier serving underserved airports, much like they do in Europe. However, I would think that they would need to get 757s, since Aer Lingus' longhaul fleet consists exclusively of Airbus A330-300 and A330-200s.

The Hartford area is loaded with many Italian-Americans, including myself. I know many people here that travel to Italy, and they have go to Boston or NY to get a flight out to Italy. Hartford would be a perfect fit for Alitalia.

Edited October 13, 2006 by drc72

[paul514]

The Hartford area is loaded with many Italian-Americans, including myself. I know many people here that travel to Italy, and they have go to Boston or NY to get a flight out to Italy. Hartford would be a perfect fit for Alitalia.

You completely missed the point of my post. This traffic is what airlines call low-yield, meaning it earns less per seat mile. There are hundereds of thousands of Italians in Australia and South Africa and Alitalia gave up flying to Sydney and Johannesburg because these flights had high loads (meaning nearly full planes) but very low yield making them unprofitable. However, Alitalia keeps Lagos Nigeria because even though the loads are low (especially in Economy), business class is full of ENI workers and cargo is full.

I'm sure as many Italians as there in the area many have little connection with Italy. As for those that do are there enough to fill 214 seats on a daily basis? There are also no major Italian corporations in the Hartford area, killing business traffic. I couldn't see them wanting to fly less than daily, because lower frequency flights kill yields (business travellers prefer frequency). If they're not going to serve Los Angeles, Melbourne, Montreal, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney (all cities with far more Italians), then Hartford has a snowball's chance in hell.

Alitalia has had major problems in the past years. It is a state-owned parasite and for the past years has been strugling with EU legislation that denys state aid to airlines. It's on the verge of bankruptcy and is losing €50,000 per hour! They are certainly in no shape to start new destinations, they've scaled back North America to Boston, Chicago, Miami, Newark, New York and Toronto.

A question though, does the Hartford area have any major European corporation that could generate enough business traffic? Raleigh-Durham has a daily 777-200ER flight by American Airlines to London (Gatwick), because Raleigh is the American base for British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline. Apparently this route is such a gold mine for AA that they upgraded it from a 767 just because the 777 has more business class seats, the economy class is many times nearly empty, but high fares and a full cargo load make it one of their most profitable routes.

Edited October 13, 2006 by paul514

[uconn99]

The Hartford area has plenty of companies that do business Internationally to support the new Northwest flight and possibly another to a hub city. I do agree that Rome would be the last thing BDL would ever see. Yes, there are a lot of Italian people in the state, however it would not justifiy a non stop to Rome.

Companies like United Technologies, GE, Stanley, ING, Pfizer, Citigroup, International paper, Travelers, Aetna, The Hartford, General Dynamics, Xerox, Hubbell all have a large presence in the Hartford and New Haven areas.. These and many others will support the route on its own I believe.

Edited October 13, 2006 by uconn99

[drc72]

You completely missed the point of my post. This traffic is what airlines call low-yield, meaning it earns less per seat mile. There are hundereds of thousands of Italians in Australia and South Africa and Alitalia gave up flying to Sydney and Johannesburg because these flights had high loads (meaning nearly full planes) but very low yield making them unprofitable. However, Alitalia keeps Lagos Nigeria because even though the loads are low (especially in Economy), business class is full of ENI workers and cargo is full.

I'm sure as many Italians as there in the area many have little connection with Italy. As for those that do are there enough to fill 214 seats on a daily basis? There are also no major Italian corporations in the Hartford area, killing business traffic. I couldn't see them wanting to fly less than daily, because lower frequency flights kill yields (business travellers prefer frequency). If they're not going to serve Los Angeles, Melbourne, Montreal, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney (all cities with far more Italians), then Hartford has a snowball's chance in hell.

Alitalia has had major problems in the past years. It is a state-owned parasite and for the past years has been strugling with EU legislation that denys state aid to airlines. It's on the verge of bankruptcy and is losing

[MadVlad]

WOW! I didn't know Alitalia was in that bad shape. I know they had some union issues before, that resulted in a major strike back in 2004.

Don't forget Bayer, Trumpf, and Bristol/Meyers Squibb...

[Shakman]

I have just read on "justplanes.com" that NWA will fly non-stop service to Amsterdam using a 757-200 aircraft.

[HartfordTycoon]

I just have to say again that this is friggin awesome!!! Hartford to Amsterdam Direct, daily 365 days a year!!! Many would not have thought this ever possible. Now it's just the beginning for Bradley's International routes.

Edited October 13, 2006 by HartfordTycoon

[Yankee.Peddler]

I have just read on "justplanes.com" that NWA will fly non-stop service to Amsterdam using a 757-200 aircraft.

Many 757s are being reconfigured for Trans-Atlantic service. Since they only seat about 160 passengers, the 757 is a perfect aircraft to use in a medium-sized market like Bradley where there is strong demand.

Phillydog, I would hazard to guess that Memphis has an Amsterdam flight because it's a secondary hub for Northwest.

[JimSawhill]

Time to change the name to:

HARTFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

grock:

Bradley is what it should stay -- Connecticut International Airport @ Bradley. Eugene Bradley lost his life here so we should honor him.

JimS

[Yankee.Peddler]

Sorry, everyone. I started a thread on this topic in the Connecticut forum a couple of days ago and didn't realize until yesterday that this thread was already abuzz with activity.

I think the new international service from Bradley is excellent and long overdue. However, I'd be surprised to see any additional service added (either by Northwest or another carrier) until the Amsterdam flight has been in service for a couple of months. Remember that this is not just a flight to one city in the Netherlands. It's a flight to a major gateway for Europe, Africa, and Asia. Many of the other destinations mentioned on this thread like Rome and Frankfurt can be reached via an easy connection through Schiphol. If the Northwest flight out of Bradley is a success, then I think we'll certainly see more options in the future (maybe a larger aricraft like an A330, an additional 757 flight, or new service to another European hub). Until then, I think this flight is all that will be offered -- to test the waters so to speak.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

Anyone know who does non-stops to Orlando MCO? Is it just Delta and Southwest? I am planning a trip - dang, airfare is pricey now.

[mikel]

I fly Alitalia all the time. But Amsterdam is a real hub. I almost flied out of Amsterdam to Rome once but I decided to pay more to get a direct flight. However, if there are daily flights to Amsterdam out of Hartford, I'd definitely go there and save myself a trip to JFK.

[Luca Brasi]

I fly Alitalia to Rome once a year out of JFK. It doesn't surprise me they struggling - the service was horrendous. Hopefully they won't go the way of SwissAir. A few years back, I flew SwissAir and they lost my luggage not only on my way to Europe, but also on the way back. I wrote an email complaining and got a form response saying thank you for the correspondence, but we will no longer be in business as of next week.

Retail Brand Alliance in Enfield is owned by an Italian group and heavily employs Italians. RBA owns and operates LensCrafters, Luxotica, Brooks Brothers, Casual Corner, Adrienne Vittadini, etc...

Permastalisa in South Windsor is a major Italian construction company that designs and builds curtain walls for high profile skyscrapers all over the world. They currently have the contract for the Freedom Tower in Manhattan.

[MadVlad]

I fly Alitalia to Rome once a year out of JFK. It doesn't surprise me they struggling - the service was horrendous. Hopefully they won't go the way of SwissAir. A few years back, I flew SwissAir and they lost my luggage not only on my way to Europe, but also on the way back. I wrote an email complaining and got a form response saying thank you for the correspondence, but we will no longer be in business as of next week.

Retail Brand Alliance in Enfield is owned by an Italian group and heavily employs Italians. RBA owns and operates LensCrafters, Luxotica, Brooks Brothers, Casual Corner, Adrienne Vittadini, etc...

Permastalisa in South Windsor is a major Italian construction company that designs and builds curtain walls for high profile skyscrapers all over the world. They currently have the contract for the Freedom Tower in Manhattan.

Alitalia had kinda crappy service when I used them for the return flight from my honeymoon. That being said, the Alitalia magazine had a reference to Hartford in it, calling us a trend setting smaller city, whatever that means. It was nice though...

[Yankee.Peddler]

Anyone know who does non-stops to Orlando MCO? Is it just Delta and Southwest? I am planning a trip - dang, airfare is pricey now.

I'm pretty sure Delta and Southwest are the only ones that offer nonstop service out of Bradley. Maybe someday we can hope for JetBlue?!?!

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

I'm pretty sure Delta and Southwest are the only ones that offer nonstop service out of Bradley. Maybe someday we can hope for JetBlue?!?!

Thanks.

Or AirTran, they are really cheap out of Newburgh.

[drc72]

Alitalia had kinda crappy service when I used them for the return flight from my honeymoon. That being said, the Alitalia magazine had a reference to Hartford in it, calling us a trend setting smaller city, whatever that means. It was nice though...

I will admit, I have had good experiences with the them. Their onboard meals actually weren't that bad.

Edited October 21, 2006 by drc72

[TaylorG4444]

Thanks.

Or AirTran, they are really cheap out of Newburgh.

I wouldn't count on Air Tran at Bradley anytime soon. They were there a few years back, but cut us out completely due to low numbers.

[uconn99]

Hartford-To-Holland Winner

October 15, 2006

Dutch explorers came to Hartford in the early 17th century and opened a trading post at what is still called Dutch Point. So there's a certain historical symmetry in Amsterdam being the terminus for Hartford's first regular trans-Atlantic air service.

The announcement Wednesday that Northwest Airlines will start daily, nonstop service next summer between Amsterdam and Bradley International Airport is, of course, good news. It's been a dream of state officials, starting with Gov. William O'Neill, for three decades. We can now say the "International" part of the airport's name without a wink and a nudge.

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-tra...,0,869657.story

[uconn99]

The Hartford Courant

Business Section October 17, 2006

Page 2.

"Embraer To Build Bradley Facility"

Brazilian jet-maker Embraer plans to build an $11 million service

center at Bradley International Airport, the company and Gov. M.

Jodi Rell separately announced Monday.

The Bradley project is expected to create 60 jobs, according to the

governor's office.

The center will service the company's Phenom and Legacy-brand luxury

jets.

Embraer did not say why it chose Bradley as well as airports in

Florida and Arizona. Both versions of the Phenom are powered by

engines made by Pratt & Whitney Canada.

The state has said it would invest as much as $1.7 million in the

project through loans, grants, and tax exemptions.

I couldn't find the link on the courant's web site anymore.

[drc72]

More jobs is always a good thing.