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Palmair schedule slash due to "worst summer ever"

8:34am Thursday 26th August 2010 in Latest By Jane Reader

Palmair schedule slash due to "worst summer ever" Palmair schedule slash due to "worst summer ever"

Bournemouth Airport has been dealt another blow with the news that Palmair is pulling out for at least three months.

The locally-based airline will not operate flights in November, December or January but hopes to plan a timetable from February onwards.

Managing director David Skillicorn said a shorter winter timetable with fewer destinations is one of the ideas on the table.

But he said a full winter timetable is not an option.

Palmair initially had problems selling summer holidays until recent bad weather encouraged people to jet off to the sun.

Mr Skillicorn said people are booking just a few weeks ahead of departure, making it impossible to plan for the future.

The news comes just weeks after budget airline Ryanair announced it is ceasing operations for the same three months this winter. A further low-cost airline, Bmibaby, withdrew its Jersey route in June, blaming disappointing sales.

The airport has recently undergone a £45 million transformation programme.

Mr Skillicorn said employees are aware of the situation and said he “fully intends” to produce a winter programme in some form. The company also intends to have a full summer programme in 2011.

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Last year’s winter brochure was on the shelves in July but there are currently no concrete plans to produce one for this winter season, which traditionally runs from November to April.

“It is no great secret that this industry is in absolute turmoil and has been for 18 months,” said Mr Skillicorn. “This summer is the most miserable ever with the economic climate, the ash crisis and other factors like the World Cup and the election.”

The airline currently flies to the Algarve, Corfu, Croatia, Fuerteventura, Lake Garda, Lanzarote, Madeira, Majorca, Minorca, Montenegro, Tenerife and Tunisia.

It routinely offers extras not available on many low-cost flights including free hot meals, transfers, allocated seats and a 20kg baggage allowance.

Mr Skillicorn said he is optimistic for the future, particularly as the pound gets stronger against the Euro.

A spokesman for Bournemouth Airport said: “Palmair is still putting together a winter programme. The aviation industry is experiencing its worst downturn since the war and it is vitally important that operators, such as Palmair, take time to carefully consider where and when they will be operating.”

Comments(19)

nobull says...
10:58am Thu 26 Aug 10

you do not get FREE MEALS they are included in the price you pay!!

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Frank Spencer says...
11:08am Thu 26 Aug 10

I can't draw myself away from this beautiful area in the summer months and have had a great time this year whilst the weather has been so good. I do escape the worst of the winter so this news is a blow. But I think the great weekend ahead with nice sunny weather will help me get over it. If tere are flights from Bournemouth early in the new year I will try to use one though.

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boracay says...
12:08pm Thu 26 Aug 10

Oh well slowly we will get a drip feed report's of Palmair Bathchair going down the bath plug hole. They charge to much for the financial climate we are all in. Dont care what personal service they give fact is i have used Trailfinders for over 20 years now, and they offer a comprehencive sevibe bath chair cant offer. Oh well off to the Bahamas soon for 3 months!

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Tony7 says...
12:44pm Thu 26 Aug 10

No significant planes reported at Bournemouth Airport

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john o' mudeford says...
12:51pm Thu 26 Aug 10

My wife and I have always been delighted with the service that we have rec'd from Palmair, and have been on several holidays with them to the Portuguese Algarve and the island of Corfu, although we have both said at the times of travel that Palmair must feel itself squeezed between the low-cost operators and the larger airlines with many more jets at their disposal.

The firm justifiably glows in the accolade of having been voted as the world's best (smaller) airline, but Mr Skillicorn and his colleagues will have to consider the company's niche in the market very carefully if their current action is not to prove to be the pre-cursor of more restrictions in subsequent years.

As nobull correctly stated, in-flight hot meals are not 'freebies' at all, and the future trend will be for folk to have the freedom to cobble their holidays together using the Internet, thus squeezing Palmair even harder.

Having said that, we remember with affection dear Peter Bath personally wishing each Bath Travel holiday maker ' bon voyage' as they walked from the departure lounge to their plane. Ah! Happy days.

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AbuThanett says...
12:57pm Thu 26 Aug 10

Palmair wont last this Financial world problem as many better companies also fail. I have homes in London and Dorset and my Business friends alway's for a long time have use trailfinders in London and must agree with the blogger Boracay that they offer a better service than Palm Air. Seems that Palm Air Lost it's control. It's out of date and will struggle, this is just the start of the ending as it seems.

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Adrian XX says...
1:17pm Thu 26 Aug 10

Although flying is a lot cheaper now, it 'isn't as good as it used to be'.

Most airlines offered free alcoholic drinks not that long ago, and were flexible enough so that if you missed a flight, you could get on the next one without paying an extra charge. Ticket and check-in desk staff were able to use their discretion.

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Onesock&onecheezcake says...
2:49pm Thu 26 Aug 10

Me & my mate's use to use them year's ago we dont thingk palm air is anything that special. It's just a travel agency that has had it's day in the market place and good idear at the time but we are now in a different age of travel today and it's mabe time for it to get out. Who cares about the loss of job's from that company no one owe them a living anyway. 10's of thousands have lost job's every week. They have to get off their ivory chairs and clean offices and wash floors for a living.

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FlamingCarbuncle says...
3:03pm Thu 26 Aug 10

Exceptional service but also exceptionally high prices. I have holidayed at least once a year with palmair every year for more than 15 years, this year their prices were so high we elected to go elsewhere. The blame has to be with Mr Skillicorn as his greed has killed this once great company, he should have the intelligence to follow the market, times are hard and all businesses have to adjust in order to survive!

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madfromdorset says...
4:36pm Thu 26 Aug 10

Obviously you lot are happy to let the foreign big boys like TUI and Thomas Cook take over the lot. They have already been out buying up the accommodations that were used by the failed companies, and have done this before they went bust. The two companies will hold the monopoly or duopoly, without bringing down the prices. How many more will go under when such companies have the means to ruin it for others. As the two companies take up the accommodation from failed companies, with more failures coming, companies such as Easyjet, Ryanair, Thomsonfly, will have no option but to give up the flight only system, because those using this will have no where to stay. Palmair maybe more expensive than some (not all), but they offer a far better service, and there is no hidden costs. Go to any website and book a holiday. It starts with a price, but by the time it has got to the end of the booking system, you are guaranteed to be paying a lot more, a very lot more. We should be supporting our local industry, not waiving it good bye.

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hoppy says...
6:36pm Thu 26 Aug 10

boracay.swanage!!
Off to the Bahamas Eh!!Best place for you!!
Suggest you stay there.
You are so out of touch,Palmair is what service is all about,not some faceless internet company,Bournemouth has a lot to thank the late Peter Bath for, our first holiday with them was many years ago when they
moved in & saved many holidays when local firm Kentways went bust(probably before you were born) & gave everyone a good holiday.
I hope they survive this & all the people that have supported them for many years continue to do so.
So Boracay when you are in your bathchair (ignorance is bliss) & still using Trailfinders,that is if they are still around,I hope you will still be happy with their so called better service.

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snake hips says...
7:15pm Thu 26 Aug 10

outdated airline.. plane and simple!! ha

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hoppy says...
7:32pm Thu 26 Aug 10

Out of touch "snake hips" walkford.
Probably don,t know what service is even if it jumped up & grabbed you.
Plain & Simple!! Ha.

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Xchurch-man says...
8:29pm Thu 26 Aug 10

It is very sad that so many people think that decent service is "outdated".
I don't recall Palmair proposing to charge a quid for passengers who want to "spend a penny" on the plane!!
For your information whilst I don't use Ryanair, I don't use Palmair either. They don't fly anywhere I want to go and are a tad expensive. There are however many who are prepared to pay for that extra service.
I do hope they continue for many years.

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snake hips says...
8:33pm Thu 26 Aug 10

hoppy wrote:
Out of touch "snake hips" walkford. Probably don,t know what service is even if it jumped up & grabbed you. Plain & Simple!! Ha.
Actually I regulary fly and its certainly not palmair,ryan air or any other budget airline, I recognise great service hence why I use virgin or emirettes.. but then again i suppose your used to poor service as malaga is served by the budget airlines

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High Treason says...
10:05pm Thu 26 Aug 10

snake hips, walkford says...
I recognise great service hence why I use virgin or emirettes..

Oh yea I bet you don't. You can't even spell the company name.
Its not emirettes its spelt Emirates.

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Fire_fly says...
10:31pm Thu 26 Aug 10

The late Peter Bath did his best to maintain the company as it was run many years ago. Some of the old people very much enjoyed him seeing them off at the Airport and indeed this has gone down in Folklore in the Travel sector.

Palmair and indeed bath Travel will go down as being one of the most inventive and largest independent in the South.

I don't think the airport will suffer as First Choice has taken over Palmair routes this Winter.

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hoppy says...
7:21am Fri 27 Aug 10

Snake hips.
Virgin,great service !!used to be good,try Gatwick to Las Vegas with them that will open your eyes.
Yes Malaga is served by low cost airlines without much choice but all of the ones I have used give value for money.
As my home town is Poole I have used Palmair on numerous occasions & would do so again if they started flying back to Malaga as they used to.

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Onesock&onecheezcake says...
2:13pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Cant stand Palmair just overrated. Wont be around that long now more closed travel services no doubt it's just the start. Other travel Airlines better that operate juring the winter at Bournemnuth International Airport. PalmAir just hot air!!

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