Sounds Air seems to be continuing to rebuild its services after the challenges of 2020. The airline was struck quite hard by Covid but has a loyal base of passengers and a commitment to the areas it serves. According to the airline's reservations systems the frequency of flights is returning to pre-Covid levels as the year starts up after the summer break , namely...
Wellington to Blenheim - 39 per flights week
Wellington to Nelson - 19 flights per week
Wellington to Picton - 19 flights per week
Wellington to Taupo - 13 flights per week
Wellington to Westport - 14 flights per week
Blenheim to Christchurch - 18 flights per week
Blenheim to Paraparaumu - 5 flights per week
Christchurch to Wanaka - 10 flights per week
Nelson to Paraparaumu - 4 flights per week
Well this is really good news for them. From now on the next step will have to be expansion. Wanaka could go to 12 or 14 per week. Perhaps they could open a new route. What is really impressive is WLG to BHE with 39 per week along with Air NZ at around 4 per day that is a lot of seats between the two ports.
ReplyDeleteWhat new route do you think they could open up?
ReplyDeleteChristchurch to Te Anau
DeleteI dont think Sounds would be interested in looking at Te Anau.
DeleteI think if Sounds are looking at a new route got a feeling WAG CHC PPQ CHC
DeleteTo Rory,
DeleteWhy do you reckon Te Anau won't work? Too small maybe. It is a very long drive to get to from CHC. Might do well when the international borders open. We are only talking a Pc12 not a lot of seats to sell and the aircraft is sitting around in CHC waiting for the evening flight back to WKA.
Would WAG to CHC be possible in a PC12 its a lot of kms to cover.
DeleteWAG-CHC = 447km - Their longest scheduled service to date was NPE-BHE which was 337km. However they did a BHE-ZQN recently... 580km
DeleteInteresting so it's possible for them to do WAG CHC. Also if BHE ZQN was a flight they did recently they might want to add in NSN ZQN as well.
DeleteBHE - ZQN would have been a one off charter flight.
DeleteStill might work on a long term basis.
DeleteAlso Te Anau is actually larger town than Hokitika is now from the urban areas but by only 20 people so still has potential.
Would be nice to see them add WLG-WKA if CHC goes well.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a long flight in a PC12. Perhaps Wellington to Wanganui again.
DeleteWellington to Whanganui didn't work and nothing has changed on that. Christchurch to Whanganui would be worth a look at, as would Christchurch to Paraparaumu
DeleteIm guessing it would be around 1:45 for WLG-WKA based on 1:00 for TUO-WLG? Not too bad if you are looking to travel WLG-ZQN and then overland to WKA.
DeleteCould a Pc12 fly that far with pax on the one engine.
DeleteYep it could but would have to refuel in WKA before heading back to WLG. I think its too far to be economical in the PC12. CHC-WSZ i would like to see
DeleteWLG-WAG was a number of years ago now and Sounds used a C208B on it. Seem to recall it was carrying around 2/3rds of economical load? PC-12 is smaller and could work. Timing is important for business market and connectivity and through fares at WLG with BHE, NSN, PCT and perhaps WSZ could also potentially tip the scales. If it worked a weekend away friendly WAG-NSN might be worth a look.
DeleteCHC to WSZ I agree would be good as the drive is 6 hours twice as long as to HKK. It also links up the current ports served. One could then travel on to WLG after doing business in Westport.
DeleteGotta say hard to imagine WAG-NSN would work if WAG-WLG doesnt. Tiny market and little business travel.
DeleteAir West Coast and Coastair (one word) tried WSZ-CHC... And its only a 4 hour drive. Avcorp Commuter tried NSN-WAG. As the previous comment said, "tiny market and little business traffic"
ReplyDeleteRe WAG-NSN you have missed the point. I agree re business traffic. My comment however was for weekend service for just that reason. NSN is a well known weekend away location that would take most of a day each way to get to by vehicle/ferry/vehicle and a chunk of time drive fly/fly via PMR or PPQ. Properly marketed it could easily be a winner. Any business orientated WAG-WLG service would need an overnight at WAG. This leaves the aircraft either parked up for the weekend or flying poorly used Sat am / Sun PM positioning services. Doing a weekend tourist service to NSN might work better.
DeleteSeems to me they would be better to serve WAG-WLG which then provides connections across their network including to NSN, BHE, PCN, WSZ, TUO
DeleteWhat will have changed? https://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2015/05/sounds-air-pulls-plug-on-wanganui.html
ReplyDeleteUsing the much smaller PC-12 instead of C208B / 208.
ReplyDeletePossibly also a more air travel minded WAG community - Air Chats has built up WAG way beyond what Air NZ was achieving. They have also taught WAG that flying on a 2nd level airline doesn't mean 2nd level service.
WAG pop has grown since then.
All helps.
Very well put mate. I completely agree with all those factors, also I believe Wanganui is slightly bigger than Gisborne but not as isolated. So the town can support a Welly service same for Whakatane. Sounds Air have heaps more possible routes At least a dozen. if they could just get more aircraft. They could be like the Regional Express of NZ.
DeleteYEp can confirm that. Our Population has grown since Sounds departure and and Chatham's has done Whanganui Well
DeleteThe PC12 isn't smaller than the 208B its about the same size physically. The main differences being it caries 9 pax flies higher and faster. It costs more to run than the 208/208B as it has a bigger engine up front and is more complex. Putting the 208 on the shorter routes is more economical.
DeletePopulation is and was not the issue... it is getting people to fly the route. WLG-WAG, WLG-PMR and AKL-HLZ all have the same issue... too close to the major centre. WAG-CHC would work better
ReplyDeleteTheyre close but not that close.
DeleteHLZ-AKL 1:25 drive
PMR-WLG 2:00
WAG-WLG 2:40 - the same as TRG-AKL... and further than WRE-AKL
HLZ and PMR also have convenient, business friendly, commuter train connections which allow business people to do work on the train. WAG does not.
DeleteI think WAG people back then voted to fly out of PMR. Probably most were like those originating from PMR - through passengers to BHE and NSN - something S8 can provide. NZ was encouraging them to fly out of PMR so S8 had the triple issues of competing with NZ, being not well known to WAG passengers, and the single engine vs twin engine issue which is still a block for some people especially when there is a choice - as there was back then.
Sounds really didn't try that hard. Sorry, but it was obvious fairly quickly that the C208B was too big for the route but they never swapped it out for the smaller PC12 - why? At the time they could have swapped it with the PC12 on the BHE - CHC route that was frequently booked out. Instead they upped the PC12 frequency on CHC and struggled on with the C208 on WAG. The outcome was inevitable.
Pop is an issue - not so much the numbers (although it helps) but who is moving into WAG. WAG is one of many regional centres benefitting from well heeled Kiwi returnees who value their time so are much more likely to jump into a plane than perhaps the long time residents are.
So its a very different scenario in 2021.
HLZ and PMR also have convenient, business friendly, commuter train connections which allow business people to do work on the train.
DeleteINCORRECT - Hamilton has still not got its train. It will not be convenient... Passengers will have to change to another train at Papakura and then stop at every station from there into Britomart.
I think WAG people back then voted to fly out of PMR. Probably most were like those originating from PMR - through passengers to BHE and NSN - something S8 can provide. INCORRECT - S8 did provide it.
Sounds really didn't try that hard. Sorry, but it was obvious fairly quickly that the C208B was too big for the route but they never swapped it out for the smaller PC12 - why? INCORRECT - They didn't have the PC12 at the time. Also the C208 is much cheaper to operate than the PC12 - if isn't going to work in a Caravan it won't work.
At the time they could have swapped it with the PC12 on the BHE - CHC route that was frequently booked out. Instead they upped the PC12 frequency on CHC and struggled on with the C208 on WAG. The outcome was inevitable. INCORRECT - BHE-CHC needs a pressurised aircraft because of the winds and turbulence off the mountains. WLG-WAG doesn't need that
Pop is an issue - not so much the numbers (although it helps) but who is moving into WAG. WAG is one of many regional centres benefitting from well heeled Kiwi returnees who value their time so are much more likely to jump into a plane than perhaps the long time residents are. INCORRECT - WAG people showed they preferred to drive. Sounds Air tried for 15 months but to no avail. Eagle Air always said their biggest competition is the car/ Nothing has changed. IF there was a demand for WAG-WLG someone would be doing it
So its a very different scenario in 2021. I DON'T THINK IT IS
WRE and TRG are much bigger than WAG and the locals and have a population that will use the service... Sounds tried WAG but the locals voted with their car. TRG people certainly opt to fly give road conditions. No airline can afford to operate a route that people don't use. WAG-WLG was an issue for NZ and S8.
ReplyDeleteIt really is time to end the speculative theory that there is a market for flying WAG-WLG (and return).
ReplyDeleteIf it were viable Air Wanganui Commuter would fly it. They once did, and gave up.
If it were viable Air Chathams would fly it with a Metro. They don't.
If it were viable Soundsair would return. They have not.
The practical reality is that by car it is 2.5 hours each way. Business people from WAG going to WLG can choose their departure time, arrive at their destination without time loss and taxi costs, and have flexibility in returning. If your business destination is not in the CBD, your elapsed time with a car may be less than if you flew.
There is no expressed demand in WAG from business people for such a service. Contrast that with the WAG business enthusiasm for Air Chathams to Auckland!
As for Christchurch, PMR-CHC direct has four flights a day, 2 or 3 are ATR, and direct interconnection with other Air NZ services. WAG people travel to PMR in around 50 minutes by car - a commuting time frame.
There are no flights DUN-TIU or TIU-CHC. TIU has about the same population as WAG, and very good road connections.
Well the only problem is most people in Whangnaui dont want to Drive 50 mintues to Palmerston North they rather have a direct flight to Christchurch then drive 50 mintues every time they want to fly there.
Delete