steps or airbridge?

I remember with great affection the Iberia snake buses that were once common place at the Spanish charter airports. You would be piled in and get so close to people you could see their tan peeling away and smell their deodarant letting them down! Oh the memories!!

In Guernsey last month we were “bussed” (I use the term loosely it was an LDV) from the Trislander to the terminal, which would have otherwise taken us about a 10 seconds walk :confused:

Many a time I have boarded a 747 using steps. It isn’t that bad actually – there’s more to see, you can smell the fuel (hmmmmmm!) and you get to have a good look all round you.

But the busses are awful. they are always packed full and it’s like sardine city.

Once, I was bussed from the terminal at MAN to a waiting aircraft. The plane was very close to the terminal: half a bus length :confused:

I figured as much from my childhood recollection of accidentally stepping on the wing of a model airplane (I know, the HUMANITY!). But I figured an actual metal aircraft would behave differently, and well, a Hasegawa plastic model is a Hasegawa plastic model, afterall 🙂

The dual airbridges are essentially mounted on a crane that keeps them nicely suspended. Quite secure, though it would be quite a jolt for the disembarking pax if one fell on the wing (do you think it’ll merely go through the wing, or keel the plane over and then go through it?! :))

probably the latter

The dual airbridges are essentially mounted on a crane that keeps them nicely suspended. Quite secure, though it would be quite a jolt for the disembarking pax if one fell on the wing (do you think it’ll merely go through the wing, or keel the plane over and then go through it?! :))

Here in Hong Kong, all our air bridges have two doors. One for first and Business and the other for economy. A great idea.

Every time I have flown with Thai, they have used these airbridges which split in two about half way down – one entrance for First/Business Class and the other for Economy.

After our late arrival with Thai into Heathrow back in April, I was very surprised to see that we parked up at a remote parking stand and steps were used. With just one exit is use and me being sat just three or four rows from the back, I was anything but happy! I took about 25 minutes to offload all 400(ish) passengers.

Dual airbridges usually have only one bit connecting to the terminal, then they split into two so they can serve two aircraft doors. There can still be a bottleneck.

Personally I hate them. Al 25 of the F/J passengers get a whole corridor to themselves and the 300 in cattle class have to queue. They don’t make loading/unloading any quicker – even F/J pax usually board/disembark first anyway, so they rarely queue!

Pointless.

must be at least a metre and a half, possibly two. (5 to 7 feet)

dang that thing looks like its resting on the wing 😮 Of course it isn’t, but it can only just be above the wing

AMS has similar airbridges as described by Whisky Delta. They are for widebodies though, not 737. Mostly 747s but I hve also seen MD11s use them.

If I am not mistaken Zurich also has those.

No, it can actually be hellishly quick – using an airbridge, you are moving the entire pax load through a SINGLE door. Last year, with a very switched on Servisair despatcher, we managed to turn round a wide body (moving over 650 pax off/on the aircraft) in 47 minutes, using three sets of steps and coaches.

Here in the States, Southwest Airlines is testing a dual jetbridge setup to load/unload passengers on their 737’s. They have 2 of these set up at an East Coast airport for testing. I can’t remember offhand where I was as my destinations over the last 2 weeks have blurred together.

I wish I got a picture as they are pretty wild looking. The first jetbridge is setup as any single operation would. The second jetbridge exits the terminal and parallels the first along the left side of the aircraft up to the point where the first jetbridge docks with the main cabin door. It then continues OVER the left wing and docks with the service door at the aft of the aircraft. In order to allow for the 737 to taxi in and be pushed back the second jetbridge raises at a joint about at the main cabin door, and it raises quite high up to a 45 degree angle.

I think it was in New York State somewhere. If, when, I make it back there I’ll take a picture. The ramper I talked to mentioned that they were trying to load a full aircraft in less than 5-10 minutes or something outrageous like that.

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

Hehe 😀

Have to be honest here and say that I prefer airbridges on larger aircraft and steps on smaller ones (e.g. 737, 320s). Can’t say for sure why, probably just from my childhood experiences of Manchester airport in the late 80s 😉 I loathe airport buses though

You can turn round a 767 round far quicker than a 757, due to the fact that the baggage is all containerised – baggage can normally be done in 30 mins on a 767, whereas a 757 needs all of the hour normally allowed as the baggage is not containerised.

Containerised due to the wider fuse 😀

No, it can actually be hellishly quick – using an airbridge, you are moving the entire pax load through a SINGLE door. Last year, with a very switched on Servisair despatcher, we managed to turn round a wide body (moving over 650 pax off/on the aircraft) in 47 minutes, using three sets of steps and coaches.

I take it you were driving the company 763 that day 😉 ?

SLF – Self Loading Freight – Passengers 😀

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

SLF – Self Loading Freight – Passengers 😀

Bit of rain, fantastic, gets the SLF scuttling across the apron even quicker, speeds up the turn-round!

SLF?

Weren’t steps a dodgy teen band? 😉

Personally I prefer to get on board by sticking my right foot in the footrest, reaching forward to the canopy frames, and then sticking my left leg over the seat and in between the stick and the throttle as I pull myself in. 😉

Don’t think SN Brussels Airlines will be too pleased if I try to board a 146 in the Cub way on Sunday though. 😉

For me there is only one way to board and thats via the aircraft stairs. Nothing beats the thrill of clambering up the steps and getting a birds eye view of your aircraft. Sadly at the big airports this is all too rare these days. I like to go from small airports like EMA and LBA which arent equipped with airbridges.

At one time if going on a charter flight, you could guarantee that the airport at the destination wouldnt have an airbridge and you would get to disembark and board on your return via the steps. Nowadays some of the Spanish airports are being ‘tarted up’ and not only losing the holiday atmosphere they used to have but also having tunnels.

I want to walk across the tarmac and up the steps, engine roaring and breeze blowing!

You been up to LBA lately? We have two airbridges, my Britannia flight to CFU boarded through an airbridge last year.

I also love boarding up the stairs, was delighted when I got them at MAN this year because all the airbridges were taken.