Flybe: LGW-DUS Dash 8-Q400

Hey Chaps,

Ive written a trip report for my flight to DUS in July. This was my first time on a prop and loved it, looking at booking another flight in near future.

Thursday 23rd July 2009
Gatwick (LGW) – Dusseldorf (DUS)
Flybe
BE1001
ETD 07:25
ATD 07:53
ETA 09:55
ATA 10:15

Bombardier Dash 8-Q400
G-JECN
Seat 21D

Check-In
Having arrived at Gatwick at a very socialable 0500 i procedeed from Passenger Drop off to Concorde House, where i met my travelling friend Neal. Once we had hooked up we headed to the Flybe check in area in Zone D of the South Terminal. Upon arrival there we saw that there was only 2 or 3 desks open, with rather long lines at each. However the Self Service check in machine’s where all vacant, so we decided to use these. After about 1 minute playing around with the machine we had our boarding passes in our hands and headed over to security. Once again, like the check in queue, this was rather long. After 5 minutes or so we reached the security desk where they checked our boarding pass, and with no issues we moved on to the Metal detectors. Like every other journey ive done in my life, it ended with me being frisked by the security personal after having set off the buzzer. Once that was all good we entered the departure lounge.

Gatwick
With still around an hour and half until boarding of our flight, we decided that we would go to Frankee and Benies for a quick spot over the airfield, but also so that Neal could get some breakfast. After he had finished it was time for me to get some food, and I opted for the cheaper McDonalds McMuffin option. Having filled our stomachs we had a look around some of the Airside Shops, and we both ended up buying DVDs at HMV. Time flew by and it was finally time to go to the Gate. So without no further ado we set off towards Gate Two where to my suprise we bumped into a friend of mine, who was also going to DUS for the day. The lounge began to fill up rather quickly, however it wasn’t that big of a room, so perhaps only 40 or 50 people.

Boarding
Boarding was called shortly later at around 0700 and being sat right next to the Gate, we was to be one of the first people on. We then walked out to the aircraft where we was met by some lovely Cabin Crew who guided us to our seats right at the rear of the aircraft, Neal in 20A and myself in 21D. The aircraft for its size, was suprisingly spacious, with me having a reasonable amount of legroom. Boarding lasted for around 10 minutes and once complete the door was shut immediatly. The crew then got on with the final checks and preparations before departure. Thereabouts on the dot of 0725 we began our push back off of Stand 2.

Departure
The taxi from Pier 1 to runway 26L was very short, along Juliet and Mike to holding point M3. Within minutes we was at the hold, watching plane after plane depart. It wasn’t for another 15 minutes that we actually entered the runway. Being my first flight on a Turboprop, i was a little concerned when i saw the speed break deployed as we turned on. Throttle was then applied and speed break still deployed. I nervously watched out the window, but seconds later it dropped and we continued the short take off roll. Before even reaching the Taxiway Delta intersection we was airbourne and rocketing into the air. It was really bumpy and you could feel everything.

In-Flight
We continued to climb out of 26L then we made a right hand turn to follow the Dover 4 Mike departure route. As we flew the downwind to the runway, we was given some great overviews of Gatwick. The plane continued to climb, but at a much slower rate than before. The crew then appeared from the Galleys to begin the inflight service. I did not pay too much attention to the menu having already eaten earlier in the morning. The Captain came on and informed us we was very lucky to have the pleasure of 3 Cabin Crew today, instead of the normal 2. Quite why I don’t know, but it was nice to know. The crew then seemed to have finished there onboard service, but instead of going off to the galleys to chat with each other, they went and spoke with some passengers. I felt this was really nice, and was a great first image of the airline

As the flight progressed we began to cross the North Sea, and the First Officer informed us that it was to get a little bumpy within a few miles and asked passengers to returns to there seats. He wasn’t lying. Without any warning, the plane suddenly jaunted sharply to the left and really started to shake about. I could feel that the plane was descending, but the nose still appeared to be raised. Being in cloud with no spacial awareness made it all the more thrilling. The planes pitch then began to lower towards a descent and the Captain let us know that we had descended to a lower level, to avoid “the bumps”. Which again was true, we popped out of the bottom of the high altitude clouds and the turbulence just disappeared. We flew the remainder of the flight at the lower altitude until we neared our descent.

Approach
The descent was fairly quick and we flew around and before we knew it, we was below the cloud line of a very overcast Germany on the ILS for 23R. The weather was just horrid. With the sky all around being dark grey we didnt have much hope for weather that day. We then touched down on the runway and had a very long roll out. After we turned off the runway we crossed 23L and headed to remote parking where we was greated with a bus transfer over to the terminal. The whole flight then crammed onto one airport bus for the 2 minute ride.

After entering the terminal we headed to passport control which took an age to get to the counter, but only seconds while there. After all passport stuff was sorted we went through arrivals into the main terminal complex, which like all other German airports, was a masterpiece. So clean modern, and damn good looking.

Conclusion
I was exceptionally pleased with my thrilling flight, the whole way. From Check In, through to Arrivals in Dusseldorf. And for a bargin price of £35 return, it was just amazing value for money i felt. I would definatly recommend Flybe to anyone who hasn’t flown them in the past.

There are some pictures to accompany this article, however they are only 200px wide so no point actually posting them, if you wish to see them click the following link http://ldn.mjk.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66&Itemid=73

Thanks for reading
Josh