Travel costs to France

[Harry Stottle]

4 minutes ago, whatmichaelsays said:

These aren't really being sold to "loyal fans" though - or at least, that's not the clubs main intention with these charters. They're being sold to corporate customers and, whilst any bum on any seat helps the club offset the cost, that's clearly who the club wants to be sat in them.

A captive market of corporate decision makers stuck in an aluminium tube for two hours with Rob Oates? That's what the club wants. 

 

Really, good business if they can get away with it, the usual thing is if you want something from 'corporate's' you entertain them at your expense not charge them for the privilege of getting money out of them.

[whatmichaelsays]

11 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Corporate customers can be loyal fans though can’t they? Just fans who can afford things like £800 to fly to France for the day? 

They can, and maybe it's just my inference of the term, given that "loyal fans" can often be used quite emotively when it comes to how clubs price things. 

I think the point still stands. 

[gingerjon]

18 minutes ago, whatmichaelsays said:

These aren't really being sold to "loyal fans" though - or at least, that's not the clubs main intention with these charters. They're being sold to corporate customers and, whilst any bum on any seat helps the club offset the cost, that's clearly who the club wants to be sat in them.

A captive market of corporate decision makers stuck in an aluminium tube for two hours with Rob Oates? That's what the club wants. 

 

Exactly. It seems to be entirely win/win for Leeds and I'll assume they have loyal fans with the money and corporate connections to make it worthwhile.

Not everything in rugby league has to be done on the bargain basement approach.

[gingerjon]

11 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Really, good business if they can get away with it

What, exactly, are they getting away with?

[whatmichaelsays]

18 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Really, good business if they can get away with it, the usual thing is if you want something from 'corporate's' you entertain them at your expense not charge them for the privilege of getting money out of them.

And I'm sure that Oates' credit card will be taking a nice hammering at the bar. 

As has been mentioned previously, there's a good reason why Leeds don't have a high turnover of sponsors season after season. 

[Harry Stottle]

15 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

What, exactly, are they getting away with?

Read what Micheal said.

[Harry Stottle]

17 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Exactly. It seems to be entirely win/win for Leeds and I'll assume they have loyal fans with the money and corporate connections to make it worthwhile.

Not everything in rugby league has to be done on the bargain basement approach.

Mostly it does up here in the impoverished North, we aren't like you affluent sorts down south.

[gingerjon]

Just now, Harry Stottle said:

Mostly it does up here in the impoverished North, we aren't like you affluent sorts down south.

Plenty of room for both value offerings and those aimed at people with a bit more cash.

Unless you just want to be bitter for the sake of it.

[Gerrumonside ref]

Is this another transparent Leigh/bash the French teams thread loosely masquerading as news?

[Gordon Street]

10 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

What a stupid question, if Leeds don't go to Catalan in the play offs then Salford do, it is the obvious comparative to make.

Thanks for the feedback. Of course it isn't my place to say whether my question was stupid or not. Would Mr Rats have asked it if the club hadn't been Salford but, say, St Helens or Wigan? you have the right to think my question was stupid or not and to say so. I have the right to say that the question Mr Rats asked was disingenuous, unconstructive and illustrative of a small minded agenda.

[Gordon Street]

1 hour ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Is this another transparent Leigh/bash the French teams thread loosely masquerading as news?

pretty much 

[Gordon Street]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

Mostly it does up here in the impoverished North, we aren't like you affluent sorts down south.

up here in the impoverished north there are people who are reasonably well off who enjoy rugby league. To be truly inclusive the sport needs more of them.  There are rhinos fans who can afford this deal and who will take it up. There were Featherstone fans and  hunslet fans for instance for whom a trip to Toronto and Toulouse was the highlight of the season. 300 hunslet fans went to Toronto. 

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Mostly it does up here in the impoverished North, we aren't like you affluent sorts down south.

Before I respond to that, was it a tongue in cheek comment? 

[barnyia]

Catalan used to do it regularly, they even did it for the grand final and Wembley. 

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, Gordon Street said:

up here in the impoverished north there are people who are reasonably well off who enjoy rugby league. To be truly inclusive the sport needs more of them.  There are rhinos fans who can afford this deal and who will take it up. There were Featherstone fans and  hunslet fans for instance for whom a trip to Toronto and Toulouse was the highlight of the season. 300 hunslet fans went to Toronto. 

It was a joke....

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

Before I respond to that, was it a tongue in cheek comment? 

Off course

[Gordon Street]

9 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

It was a joke....

of course, or as you would say; off course. Jokes even ###### ones have a point to them 

[Adelaide Tiger]

5 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Leeds do book private charter flights to Catalans during the regular season, and did so less than 2 weeks ago for the regular season game.

6 days notice flight booking is the point being made.

And that is entirely my point.  Sort out the flights at the start of the season as per my suggestion then you will not have the 6 day notice issue.  

[M j M]

Just now, Adelaide Tiger said:

And that is entirely my point.  Sort out the flights at the start of the season as per my suggestion then you will not have the 6 day notice issue.  

But we'd have no idea whether Catalans would make the play offs, what time or day they would be playing or what airport the outbound team would need to fly from. Multiply by two for both rounds of play offs.

Covering off all those scenarios would involve thousands off seat bookings most of which you'd end up trying to cancel. 

[V02]

4 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Really, good business if they can get away with it, the usual thing is if you want something from 'corporate's' you entertain them at your expense not charge them for the privilege of getting money out of them.

Do you think clubs should give away their corporate hospitality and boxes for home games too?

[Gav Wilson]

What exactly is the issue here?

Leeds are charging £800 for a unique hospitality event. Folk will either pay it or they won't.

So what?

[David Shepherd]

48 minutes ago, Adelaide Tiger said:

And that is entirely my point.  Sort out the flights at the start of the season as per my suggestion then you will not have the 6 day notice issue.  

Might be better (and cheaper) for the RFL/SLE to take a weekend lease for the entire season on an aircraft that can then be used to ferry teams to France and vice-versa. Time the kicks-offs right and one aircraft can service all 4 required sectors.

Edited September 7, 2022 by David Shepherd

[whatmichaelsays]

1 hour ago, M j M said:

But we'd have no idea whether Catalans would make the play offs, what time or day they would be playing or what airport the outbound team would need to fly from. Multiply by two for both rounds of play offs.

Covering off all those scenarios would involve thousands off seat bookings most of which you'd end up trying to cancel. 

And as per your earlier point, scheduled flights aren't exactly ideal in terms of match preparation due to the timing and the business model of low-cost airlines. 

Jet2's business model, for example, relies on flights leaving the UK in two distinct "banks" - one early bank around 6-9am, allowing the aircraft to fly out and back in time for an afternoon bank of around 2-5pm. That either means a very early start on matchday (being at check-in/security at 4am), or an overnight stay. Other low-cost airlines rely on similar models. 

Private charters at least allow the clubs to set their own schedule, as well as minimising the amount of "terminal" time, going through the private terminal rather than the current chaotic security rigmarole. 

[Gordon Street]

44 minutes ago, Gav Wilson said:

What exactly is the issue here?

Leeds are charging £800 for a unique hospitality event. Folk will either pay it or they won't.

So what?

people have some kind of small minded, shrivelled up point to make.

[Adelaide Tiger]

25 minutes ago, M j M said:

But we'd have no idea whether Catalans would make the play offs, what time or day they would be playing or what airport the outbound team would need to fly from. Multiply by two for both rounds of play offs.

Covering off all those scenarios would involve thousands off seat bookings most of which you'd end up trying to cancel. 

By all means leave it as it is and let a club like Leeds pay £100k for a charter flight at 6 days notice.  And if Catalans win then let them pay tens of thousands next week and the week after if they reach the GF.  The game must be flush with money it we are willing to blow so much on Charter flights.

And you are right that we do not know if Catalans will even reach the Play Offs.

BUT, here is some crazy thinking.  How about having a contingency plan in place should Catalans reach the Play Offs and drastically reduce the cost of flights thereby keeping more money  in the game!

At the start of the season in anticipation for the PLAY OFFS you just need to book 5 flights of 25 tickets on a scheduled service totalling 125 seats.  Not thousands!  The reason why you only need to book 5 flights on a scheduled flight is that you pre-determine the date and time when Catalans would play their play off game(s) whether they are home and away.  Simple.

UK Airport - Surely to God if you say to all teams at the start of the season ‘We have got tickets already booked at a low cost if you are drawn away at Catalans in the play offs and you will fly from Leeds Airport as that is central for all teams’.  I am sure that the most distant clubs like Saints or Hull/Hull KR would prefer a 90 minute drive to Leeds Airport than having to spend tens of thousands on a Charter flight.  Or I might be wrong.

Sometimes I just shake my head at the total absence of pre-planning in our game.