G-CDFF
April 13, 2006 at 10:24 am

LGW-FUE with FCA!! (Long and LOTS of pics!)

Here is my report on my recent trip with FCA to Fuerteventura. As you may know FCA are my favourite airline and I really enjoyed flying them last year, and I am pleased to say that I have had another great experience with them this year. Enjoy my report! 😀

Flight: FCA4744
Route: LGW-FUE
Date: 02/04/06
Aircraft: 321
Reg: G-OOAH
Seat: 13F
Dep time: 13:30
Arr time: 17:45

After a long trek to Gatwick Airport, we finally arrived at the North Terminal to check-in at aroud 10:45. We entered on the lower arrivals level and went upstairs to Zone B to check-in for our flight. What I really like about FCA at LGW is that they have many desks and none of them are allocated for a certain flight – you can check-in for any flight in the day. Because of the large amount of desks, we were checked in before I knew it we were all ready for our holiday – which had come round very quickly – it didn’t feel long since I was last in Gatwick’s North Terminal!

After check-in, we went downstairs to the Avenue, a large shopping/restaurant area before security. I had a quick browse at a couple of the shops, but I was starving so went to McDonalds – I knew we wouldn’t be eating on the plane for quite a while yet. After my meal I had another quick browse at the shops before going back upstairs and through security. At security there was a very long queue – stretching through into the check-in area. By the time we had actually got through security the time was approaching 12:00. Half an hour before boarding. I decided to look in Dixons for an iPod, but didn’t really find much. I then really wanted to go and watch the aircraft from behind Dixons, where there is a large window with a great view over the gates and the cargo area and the runway in the distance. Here is an example of what the view is like courtesy of tomfellows 😉 – http://www.myaviation.net/search/photo_search.php?id=00609166 . I was very disappointed that the area has now been turned into a children’s play area, however I did stand and watch a BA772 push-back and taxi to the runway and BA737s, BA and an Air Southwest Dash8 were also on stand.

At half 12, the departure screens for our flight told us to go to Gate 47, the 2nd furthest away. After a long walk to the Gate, I waited in the departure are and took the following photo of the Gatwick Bridge along with aircraft from DL, EK, BA and AEU.

After a wait in the lounge for a while and watching numerous aircraft take-off and land, our flight was called for boarding. We walked to the aircraft via an airbridge, and were greeted by the very friendly crew of FCA. I took to my seat (13F), one of those comfy, turquoise leather ones you find fitted in First Choice’s aircraft. I got a snap of G-OOOB, an AEU 752 ex-FCA, off to Friedrichshafen.

We left slightly late, and the pilot apologised as some paperwork had to be completed on the ground prior to departure. He also told us our route details, over the south coast, Britanny, the Bay of Biscay, Faro and Lanzarote, and that are flight time would be just one minute over four hours and we would arrive in Fuerteventura at around 6 o’clock. Ten minutes behind schedule, we pushed back and taxied out to RWY26L. After waiting for a TCX752, EZY319 and an Azerbaijan 752 to depart and a BA146 and MON332 to land, we entered the runway and lined up. Just after we did so, the engines spooled up and we started to roll down runway 26L. Here’s a photo of rotation.

We did a strait out climb, and we were at some altitude before we made our left turn towards the Canary Islands.
-Leaving the South Coast

We then overflew Jersey and I had a great overview of the airport on the island, unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a photo.

Soon after departure, the In Flight Movie started, which, today was the recent Harry Potter release, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I wasn’t really bothered as I’m not a Harry Potter Fan. I had a listen to the radio stations but wasn’t that impressed really, so decided to listen to my Franz Ferdinand album instead. By now, the snacks service had started, didn’t buy anything as the prices aren’t the cheapest around on aircraft.

A little bit later on in the flight, the meal service started. Today’s meal was you normal bread roll, crackers and cheese along with Roast Chicken with potatoes and vegetables followed by a delicious chocolate sponge pudding. As some of you may know, I loved the food we had last year on FCA, and this year was no different. By now we were flying over mainland Spain, and I took this shots of the beautiful terrain here –

Shortly after the meal trays had been collected, the crew announced the Duty Free Service would shortly start, and when it did I brought a model of a FCA321. We were now over the Atlantic Ocean heading straight for the Canaries, and outside it seemed to become very hazy, so, without much of a view, I decided to listen to another of my CDs, The Go! Team this time around.
-This is what it did look like out the window (it was worse at one point!!)

After listening to a couple of tracks, I noticed the Kumars at No42 was on, so I decided to watch that instead. Soon the weather cleared up and we started our approach over Lanzarote
-Arrecife Airport (sorry it’s hazy)

We decended quite quickly into FUE, passing the airport before a 180° turn lining up with RWY01 (sorry the photo isn’t very good again, it was quite hazy)

We then flew right over the resort of Costa Caleta where I was staying and my hotel!!

We then landed on RWY01 and braked very hard before exiting the runway and taxiing to Gate3.

We left the aircraft via an airbridge an quickly went through FUE – it has to be my favourite airport I’ve visited (behind Singapore Changi) because of it’s simple layout and it’s so quick to get through 🙂

Overall I had another very enjoyable flight with First Choice, and I hope you have enjoyed my report so far. 😀
–Comfort 10
–Service 10
–Meals 10
–On-time 9
–IFE 7

Member for:

19 years 1 month

Posts:

2,135

Send private message

By: cloud_9 - 2nd May 2006 at 10:35

Cheers Airscan! 😀

Yes, G-OOAH does still have a premium section, though i don’t know how it’s premium, the only difference I could see was that the seats were a different colour!

I have not really understood FCA’s premium service on their short-hual routes, and I even used to work at LGW for the ground handling company that deals with them! Can you remember the name of the person that checked you in at all – long shot, I know but I might know them?

As far as I can remember there is no considerable difference really, not even a bit more seat pitch! Although you would of got to check-in on the premimum desks (1&2 – with the carpet!) and you would of had a complimentary drink on departure, recieved your meals first and dedicated cabin crew…I think!

Member for:

19 years 1 month

Posts:

1,337

Send private message

By: G-CDFF - 1st May 2006 at 19:21

Cheers Airscan! 😀

Yes, G-OOAH does still have a premium section, though i don’t know how it’s premium, the only difference I could see was that the seats were a different colour!

Member for:

19 years 1 month

Posts:

Send private message

4,836

1,337

Send private message

By: G-CDFF - 13th April 2006 at 10:26

The return

Flight: FCA4745
Route: FUE-LGW
Date: 09/04/06
Aircraft: 321
Reg: G-OOAH
Seat: 20F
Dep time: 18:45
Arr time: 22:35

After a very enjoyable holiday on the island of Fuerteventura watching the arrivals on RWY01, it was time to go home. Here are a few shots I took of 738s from Air Berlin and HapagFly flying directly over our hotel. (Sorry the pics aren’t great)

We left the hotel shortly after 4 o’clock to get to the airport for our return flight to London. As we approached the airport we had a great view of RWY01. As we arrived on a coach we had a massive queue at check-in, it took a good 15/20 minutes before we actually checked-in. After we did, we swiftly went through security and up the escalators to the departure lounge. I found a good place to sit in-between gates 3/4 and 5/6 with a great view of the runway and stands. I went to have a look at the viewing terraces but the tunnels to the gates were in the way so I decided to stay where I was, and I managed to take these shots

-Two Condors, the 320 is operating the DE7653 to Dresden

Then, to my surprise, as I was looking at the runway, the special Binter Canarias 734 was slowing on RWY19, inbound from Gran Canaria.

The Binter 734, just arrived on stand, was shortly going to depart as the NT225 to Gran Canaria. Sorry my pic isn’t great, here is a better shot of the aircraft – http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1021814/L/

A Condor 753 taxiing out to RWY19 to operate the DE7827 to Stuttgart

At 18:05, 20 minutes late, our aircraft arrived from LGW. I realised it was G-OOAH, the same aircraft that brought us here. I wasn’t that surprised as FCA only base one A321 in LGW for the winter, and I didn’t think the aircraft would have swapped bases over the past week. Here’s a shot of it approaching Gate3.

An Islas ATR72 inbound from G. Canaria, soon leaving as the IF516 back there

Then, a Myair 320 arrived out of nowhere, as it wasn’t on the departure board, and soon after it departed, a Futura came in also – any ideas where they were off too?? :confused:

Quite a while after the aircraft arrived, we were called for boarding with one of those famous Spanish airport announcements. We quite quickly had our passports and boarding passes checked by the authorities and we boarded the aircraft, once again greeted by the extremely friendly cabin crew. I had a quick peek into the cockpit as I passed – I have to say I’m very impressed with the Airbus 32X series flight deck! I walked down the aisle to my seat, and the cabin crew informed us to sit down as quickly as possible as we had a departure time to meet in the next 10 minutes, and if we didn’t meet it we would end up with a very lengthy delay. However the pilot apologised for the delay as it was due to strong headwinds on the way down, making the flight half an hour longer than expected, but we would hopefully make up for lost time in the air.

The passengers did what they were asked to do, and the safety video was being shown and we were soon pushing back. We then taxied out to RWY19, and as we did an FCA752 arrived from Manchester. By now it was 19:15, half an hour after we should have left. We soon lined up on RWY19 hough, and took off over the resort of Costa Caleta, before making a right turn over the island and having a great overview of the FUE runway extension. Sorry I didn’t have a pic but I have a Google Earth screenshot to show you instead.

We then had another very enjoyable flight with First Choice. Today’s movie was Walk the Line which I enjoyed watching, and the meal was Cottage Pie and a Triple Berry Sponge Pudding (I know this may sound a bit weird but I have to say it was probably the nicest cottage pie I’ve ever tasted). After the meal, I watched a thunderstorm over the Bay of Biscay, which was amazing to watch, especially at night. We then over flew Brittany on a lovely clear night, before approaching the south English Coast, where we went into cloud and I didn’t see the ground again until we landed.

We came out of the cloud just before landing and I saw Crawley all lit up, just before landing on RWY08R. We arrived at 22:40, just 5mins behind schedule, which was quite good when we left half an hour late! We taxied to Gate49, the same Gate I arrived at last year from FUE. We exited on the new glass airbridge, and inside there is no carpet as it is being refurnished. After a long walk we collected our baggage and cleared customs, and to my surprise outside it was snowing! What fun we had then, going back home to the West Country in a blizzard on the M25!!

Overall I really enjoyed FCA again and they really made my holiday that extra bit special.
–Comfort 10
–Service 10
–Meals 11 😀
–On-time 9
–IFE 8