Aviation Discussion

[Alfie1014]

Can't see it reported elsewhere, but easyJet look like they've closed their crew bases at Southend and Stansted.

All flights to/from Southend will be pulled, not sure about what it means for Stansted.

Reported in the local press as reducing from 24 to 4 routes at Stansted; Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and Amsterdam.

 

[BayPaul]

Was it hand luggage only, and if not how did they sort the bag transfer?

For me it was hand baggage only. But it was a Dash 8 with low down baggage compartment, so I guess they just loaded the bags for transfer last with a big colourful label on them, and we're able to move them between planes in a couple of minutes. They had to unload the Bristol bags anyway, and I think they also advertised the Bristol - Newquay leg, so presumably also loaded some bags as well.

 

[Bald Rick]

For me it was hand baggage only. But it was a Dash 8 with low down baggage compartment, so I guess they just loaded the bags for transfer last with a big colourful label on them, and we're able to move them between planes in a couple of minutes. They had to unload the Bristol bags anyway, and I think they also advertised the Bristol - Newquay leg, so presumably also loaded some bags as well.

Interesting, thanks.

 

[WestCoast]

Flybes replacement on a lot of Anglo Scottish Niche Routes Loganair are turning out to be a lot more expensive from my observations.

Inverness to Birmingham in October about £67 per person one way - Flybe last year under £50

Edinburgh to Southampton in October about £156 per person return - Flybe last year under a £100

These are more akin to Eastern Airways Prices.

A bit galling when I am Flying Easyjet BHX-EDI for £20 this Saturday.

You do get a bag and refreshments on Loganair .

Is this the future for Anglo-Scottish niche routes ?

Next two months, easyJet has already cut a lot of the planned Glasgow - Birmingham flights with flights down to 4/5 times a week instead of the originally forseen twice daily services. Not checked Edinburgh - Birmingham.

Not entirely sure how long they will last before they ditch it? Then Loganair takes over? Might be more of a realistic mission to fill Loganair's 50 seaters than easyJet's mainline jets.

 

[popeter45]

the long term recovery time for airports like heathrow and fact there could still be covid flareups/ new virus outbreaks gave me an interesting idea
with the lack of demand for now close down Terminal 4 and rebuild it as a terminal that as well in normal times can act as normal terminal in times like this be engineered as a "red zone" terminal for flights from countries with outbreaks with stuff like pre-designated spaces for testing/ full segregation of arrivals/departures and even dedicated quarantine accommodation/ quarantine secure routes to quarantine hotels

 

[Butts]

Next two months, easyJet has already cut a lot of the planned Glasgow - Birmingham flights with flights down to 4/5 times a week instead of the originally forseen twice daily services. Not checked Edinburgh - Birmingham.

Not entirely sure how long they will last before they ditch it? Then Loganair takes over? Might be more of a realistic mission to fill Loganair's 50 seaters than easyJet's mainline jets.

Have just returned from Birmingham to Edinburgh this Morning on Easyjet a steal at £20 two thirds full I would say.

I have been affected by the "flight cuts" mainly from 2 to 1 a day on various BHX/EDI/GLA Flights.

If Loganair takeover the fares will rocket due to smaller capacity.

It's a great product at 45 Mins Flying time.

Social distancing perversely does not seem to an issue on Aircraft the same way it is on Coach/Train and they seem to be the only product offering competitive fares in relation to the other two at the moment.

 

[eoff]

Have just returned from Birmingham to Edinburgh this Morning on Easyjet a steal at £20 two thirds full I would say.

I realise this may only happen from EDI but did they cram you into a stairwell with the other passengers before letting you out to walk across the apron?

 

[Butts]

I realise this may only happen from EDI but did they cram you into a stairwell with the other passengers before letting you out to walk across the apron?

No, I wait till the last minute before entering the "pre-boarding" Lounge at BHX.

As one of the last passengers the lounge has already cleared with people boarding so it's down the steps and straight onto the Aircraft.

With Flybe they used to get everyone "sealed" in the Lounge before actually starting boarding which led to the problems you have described.

 

[eoff]

The standard pattern I experienced at Edinburgh (almost always to Bristol) was that they would 'board' the flight from the gate but that just meant they would cram people into the corridor and staircase down to the apron so you would be ready to go when they said it was OK to board the plane. I was always near the front so don't know if you could avoid this by just waiting to be last at the gate.

 

[Chester1]

Have just returned from Birmingham to Edinburgh this Morning on Easyjet a steal at £20 two thirds full I would say.

I have been affected by the "flight cuts" mainly from 2 to 1 a day on various BHX/EDI/GLA Flights.

If Loganair takeover the fares will rocket due to smaller capacity.

It's a great product at 45 Mins Flying time.

Social distancing perversely does not seem to an issue on Aircraft the same way it is on Coach/Train and they seem to be the only product offering competitive fares in relation to the other two at the moment.

HEPA filters do make flying a surprisingly safe way to travel during a pandemic, providing there is social distancing at airports. Pre pandemic filters on planes were not used to full capacity to save fuel. Birmingham to central belt destination are not journeys that we should be encouraging to do by plane.

 

[Butts]

HEPA filters do make flying a surprisingly safe way to travel during a pandemic, providing there is social distancing at airports. Pre pandemic filters on planes were not used to full capacity to save fuel. Birmingham to central belt destination are not journeys that we should be encouraging to do by plane.

Why not , if you want to sit on a train for 4 hours and pay more for the privilege be my guest !!

 

[eoff]

Birmingham to central belt destination are not journeys that we should be encouraging to do by plane.

Never made sense for me to get a train for that journey, especially from the NEC, it would just lose too much time. Manchester is where the choice is harder.

And (subsequent post), I don't recall the journey being as fast as 4 hours.

 

[Chester1]

From the NEC to Edinburgh flying is a no brainer. I didn't realise New Street to Edinburgh was 4 hours (and even longer off peak). I would have guessed 3 and a half hours based on London to Glasgow times. I live several miles away from Manchester Airport (i.e. I can get there by taxis for a reasonable price) but I would never fly to the central belt. Piccadilly to Edinburgh and Glasgow is a bit over 3 hours so I guess that supports the 3 hour rule on train vs flying.

 

[WestCoast]

Have just returned from Birmingham to Edinburgh this Morning on Easyjet a steal at £20 two thirds full I would say.

I have been affected by the "flight cuts" mainly from 2 to 1 a day on various BHX/EDI/GLA Flights.

If Loganair takeover the fares will rocket due to smaller capacity.

It's a great product at 45 Mins Flying time.

Social distancing perversely does not seem to an issue on Aircraft the same way it is on Coach/Train and they seem to be the only product offering competitive fares in relation to the other two at the moment.

I don't disagree at all but I'd strongly suspect the fares are only that low at the moment because it's a new route for them launched during a pandemic when there's far fewer business travellers than normal. They'll be getting the "staycation" traffic for August (as is also my experience flying Glasgow - Bristol recentlly) but come September/October??

These routes were previously anything up to 5-6 times a day with Flybe so my concern is that if easyJet can't offer say 3 daily flights to facilitate day trips I'll be back on the train if and when I start having to travel to the West Midlands again (near Warwick to be precise).

 

[Bald Rick]

I don't disagree at all but I'd strongly suspect the fares are only that low at the moment because it's a new route for them launched during a pandemic when there's far fewer business travellers than normal. They'll be getting the "staycation" traffic for August (as is also my experience flying Glasgow - Bristol recentlly) but come September/October??

These routes were previously anything up to 5-6 times a day with Flybe so my concern is that if easyJet can't offer say 3 daily flights to facilitate day trips I'll be back on the train if and when I start having to travel to the West Midlands again (near Warwick to be precise).

The 5-6 flights a day with Flybe were on smaller planes of course. And, one assumes, they lost money, at least in part from not filling them.

 

[Tetchytyke]

These routes were previously anything up to 5-6 times a day with Flybe so my concern is that if easyJet can't offer say 3 daily flights to facilitate day trips I'll be back on the train if and when I start having to travel to the West Midlands again (near Warwick to be precise).

That will inevitably happen. It happened here where daily Flybe flights to Belfast were made unprofitable by weekend-only Easyjet flights, so now pre-Covid we only get Easyjet on a weekend.

 

[gsnedders]

That will inevitably happen. It happened here where daily Flybe flights to Belfast were made unprofitable by weekend-only Easyjet flights, so now pre-Covid we only get Easyjet on a weekend.

That sounds like the weekday Flybe flights were unprofitable therefore? Airlines have no fundamental reason to operate unprofitable flights, and competition will always push against them.

 

[eoff]

Flybe were an absolute last resort for me...

55 x 35 x 20cm

 

[Bletchleyite]

Flybe were an absolute last resort for me...

55 x 35 x 20cm

That, to be fair, is because the Dash 8s had small overhead bins.

 

[Tetchytyke]

That sounds like the weekday Flybe flights were unprofitable therefore? Airlines have no fundamental reason to operate unprofitable flights, and competition will always push against them.

The high yield flights justified the existence of the lower yield flights. EasyJet ran an A319 up against them at the busiest times and capacity-dumped, meaning the whole route stopped being profitable.

Yes, that's competition, but the overall effect is a reduction in connectivity.

It's the same with the Liverpool flights. In summer and at TT you can't move for EasyJet planes here, but in the winter EasyJet don't even run a daily flight. The net effect is the Flybe flight, and now the Loganair flight, ends up being supported by the taxpayer.

Again yes, that's open skies competition, but it's not brilliant.

I wouldn't mind, but if you look beyond the headline fare EasyJet aren't even that bloomin' cheap. And IME EasyJet cabin crew make Ryanair crew look full of the joys of spring!

 

[cactustwirly]

The high yield flights justified the existence of the lower yield flights. EasyJet ran an A319 up against them at the busiest times and capacity-dumped, meaning the whole route stopped being profitable.

Yes, that's competition, but the overall effect is a reduction in connectivity.

It's the same with the Liverpool flights. In summer and at TT you can't move for EasyJet planes here, but in the winter EasyJet don't even run a daily flight. The net effect is the Flybe flight, and now the Loganair flight, ends up being supported by the taxpayer.

Again yes, that's open skies competition, but it's not brilliant.

I wouldn't mind, but if you look beyond the headline fare EasyJet aren't even that bloomin' cheap. And IME EasyJet cabin crew make Ryanair crew look full of the joys of spring!

I've had some really good experiences with easyJet and their crew are definitely better than BA.
The fares are reasonable, slightly more expensive than Ryanair but you get a better overall experience.
Must be a localised culture within the Liverpool based crew?

 

[Tetchytyke]

Must be a localised culture within the Liverpool based crew?

My EasyJet experiences are from Luton and Newcastle to Bristol. Plenty of bitching about having a cabin bag and a tiny little satchel. Just felt cheap and nasty.

Lockdown means I've only left the island once since I got here. Then I flew Flybe, who charged £2 for my toddler to sit on my knee not £25, and didn't charge for my buggy, so were cheaper. It so happens I flew on the very last day of Flybe's operation.

That said, Flybe staff towards the end couldn't hide their glee when someone's cabin bag was too big. You've never seen anyone get a card reader out as fast in your life as the staff at Belfast City. Needless to say I left my Flybe tag on my small suitcase permanently as it was, technically, 21cm not 20cm. Don't tell anyone

 

[Bald Rick]

I've had some really good experiences with easyJet and their crew are definitely better than BA.
The fares are reasonable, slightly more expensive than Ryanair but you get a better overall experience.
Must be a localised culture within the Liverpool based crew?

I’ve only ever had a great experience with Easyjet (must be over 50 flights now in 22 years, to from 7 U.K. airports) whole process from booking to landing. Far better than BA or O’Leary’s bunch.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I wouldn't mind, but if you look beyond the headline fare EasyJet aren't even that bloomin' cheap. And IME EasyJet cabin crew make Ryanair crew look full of the joys of spring!

I don't know about Liverpool crews, but I always found Luton ones friendly and personable. There was only one notable exception of being a misery-guts that I can recall, and I'm pretty sure that as of the end of my weekly commuting about 7 years ago I had had all the Luton crews at some point (with some starting to recognise me!)

 

[WestCoast]

I’ve only ever had a great experience with Easyjet (must be over 50 flights now in 22 years, to from 7 U.K. airports) whole process from booking to landing. Far better than BA or O’Leary’s bunch.

Always had perfectly decent experiences with easyJet in about 40 - 50 flights, but I have to say my best experiences have always been with BA short-haul especially their senior crews that pre-covid ran the Glasgow - Heathrow route. Most of those guys seemed like very experienced professionals.

Most interesting experiences out of the UK were with the lovely Blue Air; crew that smelled of tobacco, didn't bother with name badges and seemed to communicate emergency exit guidance only in rapid fire Romanian. Flying Wizz Air on the return trip felt like I'd upgraded to first class in comparison*. Also a Turkish charter airline called Onur Air I flew about 15 years ago out of Manchester where it appeared my seat was stuck in recline and my table half fell off.

*To be fair I also flew Blue Air Liverpool - Milan and they were perfectly fine, even served a sandwich and some Morrisons own brand cola the staff had appeared to have picked up on way in. Strange airline!

 

[eoff]

There was a time I really liked BA and I mostly flew domestic:

• Free refreshments
• Free meals (Sausage and mash and curry and Nan on domestic sometimes)
• Shuttle service could not be overbooked with you being delayed to next flight as they would send another plane
• Free refreshments
• Hot BA breakfast on early flights (declined in later years before going altogether)
• Normal cabin case + good allowance for second bag/backpack as hand baggage
• Free refreshments
• No haranging of passengers about putting bags 'under the seat in front of you', when you only had one bag.
• No policy where people can be rewarded for bringing too much baggage to the gate by leaving it and getting to board early
• You could actually find staff airside to talk to (EDI, MAN) rather than have to find a gate with a BA flight to speak to someone.
• Free refreshments
• Telephone checkin
• Booking with no traps like no bag equals no seat reservation
• A time when you could run to the gate between LHR terminals without "helpful" BA staff bumping you off the next flight because they assumed you would miss the connection
• No BA-only shopping centre at heathrow with long walks and lots of 'stop' points to be held at.
• No gates at the new shopping centre (above) designed to keep pesky customers as far away from staff as possible.
• Direct flights from Edinburgh to, Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dublin, Paris, Shetland, Southampton, Stornoway and Wick

Did I mention the free refreshments?

 

[YorkshireBear]

Been looking at some Portuguese flights for November depending on how things go. One my great dissapointmemts from an enthusiast perspective of flybe going bust was being unable to take an Embraer jet anywhere (175, 190 or 195). TAP have started running some Manchester Lisbon flights with the Embraer so tempted to book thag way, prices very competitive too!

 

[Butts]

There was a time I really liked BA and I mostly flew domestic:

• Free refreshments
• Free meals (Sausage and mash and curry and Nan on domestic sometimes)
• Shuttle service could not be overbooked with you being delayed to next flight as they would send another plane
• Free refreshments
• Hot BA breakfast on early flights (declined in later years before going altogether)
• Normal cabin case + good allowance for second bag/backpack as hand baggage
• Free refreshments
• No haranging of passengers about putting bags 'under the seat in front of you', when you only had one bag.
• No policy where people can be rewarded for bringing too much baggage to the gate by leaving it and getting to board early
• You could actually find staff airside to talk to (EDI, MAN) rather than have to find a gate with a BA flight to speak to someone.
• Free refreshments
• Telephone checkin
• Booking with no traps like no bag equals no seat reservation
• A time when you could run to the gate between LHR terminals without "helpful" BA staff bumping you off the next flight because they assumed you would miss the connection
• No BA-only shopping centre at heathrow with long walks and lots of 'stop' points to be held at.
• No gates at the new shopping centre (above) designed to keep pesky customers as far away from staff as possible.
• Direct flights from Edinburgh to, Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dublin, Paris, Shetland, Southampton, Stornoway and Wick

Did I mention the free refreshments?

You forgot to mention smoking on the planes and at the airport !!

Did you not like the "caledonian girls".......I wish they could all be...

Been looking at some Portuguese flights for November depending on how things go. One my great dissapointmemts from an enthusiast perspective of flybe going bust was being unable to take an Embraer jet anywhere (175, 190 or 195). TAP have started running some Manchester Lisbon flights with the Embraer so tempted to book thag way, prices very competitive too!

BA still operate Embraers on some routes in the UK.

 

[popeter45]

BA still operate Embraers on some routes in the UK.

they do under city flyer
took one 2 years ago from Amsterdam to London City

 

[eoff]

You forgot to mention smoking on the planes and at the airport !!

I did forget to mention:

• Upgrade direct from Economy to Business Class

CityJet eased one annoyance as original catering continued but although LCY is nice to arrive at it could be horrible to depart from on busy evenings with likely run-on delays affecting departures.