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Flybe Southampton Avignon


Ruth

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Just got an e mail from Flybe about their summer 2007 flights and notice the Southampton Avignon route set up this summer seems to have been replaced by Southampton to Nice...a destination covered by other low cost airlines. What a great shame as many friends who visit us in the Gard found this so convenient and the planes were nearly always full...not to mention the excitement of the traders in Avignon. We had already planned a return flight for a family wedding in July. Is there anything we can do to save this route? After NRJ two lots of bad news in two days!
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Having recently booked a gite in Vaucluse for next June, and told my daughter (who lives just outside Southampton & gets terribly car-sick if travelling for more than an hour) that she & our grand-daughter could fly to Avignon & join us, I was very concerned to see that there was no mention of the So'ton - Avignon route on the Flybe web-site for next year.

We are all hoping that the full schedules do indeed show that the flights will still be operating next summer.

I will certainly contact Flybe and add my 2p worth - for what good it may do!

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Reply received from Flybe doesn't look too hopeful .... but I'm not sure that she knows what she's talking about - the statement that the route "only operates in the winter" doesn't seem to fit with the 2006 timetable.

I suggest that everyone who is interested in supporting this route sends an email to Flybe - perhaps it will have some influence on those who make these decisions

Here's the reply from Flybe .....

Thank you for your recent email.

 

The Southampton to Avignon route only operates in the winter period. The winter period runs from November/December to March/April. For a full list of routes we operate and at which time of year you can check our online timetable

Kind regards,

Paula

Systems Support

Flybe

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That 'Paula' hasn't got a clue!

The service was launched at the end of May this year and (by all accounts) has been quite successful.  Pricey though.

With just 3 round trips per wk for 4 mths or so of the high Summer period, it's not one of their 'key' routes.  They'll run it again in 2007 if they've got aircraft availabilty, otherwise ........

Try asking the Vaucluse Chamber of Commerce (if such a thing exists), or drop by the airport and ask the bar owner or tobacconist.  They'll know. 

 

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  • 1 month later...
Still nothing on the Flybe website, so I rang their call centre this afternoon.  Apparently the summer schedules are to be announced on Tues 28th Nov - the guy I spoke to said that they won't even know whether they'd be running the Avignon service till then.  
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I'd almost given up hope - but perhaps there is still a chink of light that the Southampton - Avignon route might yet be resurrected next summer.

Following on from your earlier suggestion Ian, I did contact the Vaucluse Tourist Board in an effort to enlist their support, but didn't seem to get anywhere (but perhaps there has been some "behind the scenes" negotiations - who knows?).

The prospect of Luton - Nimes on Ryanair as the closest alternative doesn't really appeal, so we live in hope!

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Daktari ...............

Following someone's suggestion on another thread to look at BA, I did so for the Gatwick - Montpellier service.  For mid-June, I got £75 return (incl all taxes), admittedly for midweek rather than weekend flights.  Might be worth considering if Gatwick is a feasible arr / dep airport.  Downside is that the dep time ex Gatwick is 06.30 (or thereabouts)!

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Daktari if one dares to speak about the wonderful game of cricket one should perhaps get the terminology correct.  The late and great D C S Compton who also played football for England bowled chinaman's.   But of course he was a right handed bat and a left handed bowler.  Thus a chinaman is unique to left hand bowlers.  I am not sure if a Chinaman is a wrong 'un (that is an off break bowled by a leg break bowler as in Shaun Warne) but by a lefthand bowler I think it is.I hope this makes sense and lots on this forum will be saying what the heck is the relevance?  To cricket lovers it is relevant and here in Normandie on this high point and with huge gusts of wind I would prefer to be in Australia and where I probably will be for the Boxing Day and New Years Day Test.
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Thanks Ian such a wonderful lucid and undoubtedly intelligent response it really must have taken you hours to identify my country of birth I am just wondering how you arrived at that mind-shattering conclusion?......It really must have taken hours and hours of research on your part.

I think it would be highly intelligent of myself not to become further involved in a dialogue that will take us exactly nowhere.  But of course that was indeed your starting point.  Exactly nowhere.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi

For the Vaucluse you could try ryanair Stansted to Marseille !

As an aside Ryanair have been shafted by the french government on flights Marseille to Marrakech and Fez. apparently La Belle has not signed up and ryanair are unable to operate their schedules. O'Leary said that it was protectionism, which appears to be true as Air France has just annonced low cost flights from Marseille to north Africa commencing next summer.

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That might explain why the Nimes airport tabac owner is talking about N Africa flights by Ryanair.

I would imagine that Marseille airport will be less than ecstatic over the French Govt stance, because they're opening a terminal dedicated to l-c flights.  O'Leary could quite easily decide to 'pull' his Std - Marseille flights and run them in to ........ 

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