Newcastle fans – be aware this thread is not very complimentary towards your favourite airport.
Newcastle staff – it would do you good to read what your vile airport is like from the point of view of a passenger.
On 30th March we left Scarborough and travelled via York to Newcastle. We went First Class on a Virgin Voyager, and enjoyed a free snack box with a hot bacon sandwich, fruit and yoghurt on the train. It was raining when we got to Newcastle, and after looking round the city centre and not finding any good eating places, we caught the Metro to the airport. Big mistake, as NCHell does not have any places where you can get a meal, unlike airports like BRU, MAN and BHX! All it has landside are Costa bloody Coffee places and a pie and pasty counter! So we ended up eating in the airport hotel – overpriced muck. Also, unlike MAN and BHX, NCHell does not have anywhere where you can see aircraft, apart from a crappy coffee bar where the view is blocked by a BA aircraft most of the time.
Alongside the NCHell terminal. This was all you could see.
NCHell’s ugly terminal building.
On the morning of the 31st, we checked out of the hotel and headed across to the airport. It was very overcast and raining. We went to the check in area, but check in did not start until 2 hours before the flight (they are not so rigid at BHX). And even when check in did start, there was no information provided at all on the information screen. What a bloody awful airport! I wish we’d gone from BHX instead of this dump!
The check in assistant worked in slow motion and eventually when we did get checked in we were given seats 4A and 4C.
We went through into the departure lounge and at last we could see something.
The line up. NCHell has only one airbridge, which only seems to be used by BA. Other passengers have to board outside via steps. Brilliant when it is pouring with rain!
My first easyJet.
By: Grey Area - 4th May 2006 at 23:32
This is straying badly off-topic now, chaps!
Please try and stay on-topic.
Thanks
GA
By: Manston Airport - 4th May 2006 at 22:57
Being in the heart of the city is an advantage? London is a dump.
The Goverment has turned the whole off the UK into a dump.
yeah mate there are at least five subways in the city.
Sorry mate I mean the new food retailer thats starting to come over here http://www.subway.co.uk/
James
By: T5 - 4th May 2006 at 22:05
Well yeah LCY does rock but that because its in the heart off the city
Being in the heart of the city is an advantage? London is a dump.
By: G-ZAPW - 4th May 2006 at 18:56
BHX rubbish for spotting now
NCL’s probably better than BHX for spotting.
By: lukeylad - 4th May 2006 at 12:57
Well yeah LCY does rock but that because its in the heart off the city so there will be lots of snack shops or cafe’s.
Is there any subways in newcastle?
James
yeah mate there are at least five subways in the city.
By: Manston Airport - 4th May 2006 at 11:23
Please mate – we’re talking a snack -not some heavily overpriced fine cuisine three course meal that costs in the region £80-110s.
I’m not gonna add my twopeneth to the NCL rant mind – sure it probably should have a nice simple cheapy food shop, but I never been so I cant comment really.
Glad to see that i’m not the only one who reckons LCY rocks!
Well yeah LCY does rock but that because its in the heart off the city so there will be lots of snack shops or cafe’s.
Is there any subways in newcastle?
James
By: wozza - 4th May 2006 at 07:52
…frankie and bennies…
Please mate – we’re talking a snack -not some heavily overpriced fine cuisine three course meal that costs in the region £80-110s.
I’m not gonna add my twopeneth to the NCL rant mind – sure it probably should have a nice simple cheapy food shop, but I never been so I cant comment really.
Glad to see that i’m not the only one who reckons LCY rocks!
By: concordesst - 29th April 2006 at 11:04
Thread looks dead now, looks like all us NCHellers are correct in what we are saying!
Newcastle is a brilliant airport, and as Speedbird says, it doesn’t have to cater for pax before departures, and it doesn’t! Deal with it!
Ben
By: Grey Area - 27th April 2006 at 23:02
Come on now, chaps.
This isn’t a football forum.
Try to keep on-topic.
GA
By: lukeylad - 27th April 2006 at 14:23
What about KFC,burger king ,pizza hut or any kerbab shops 😀
James
True mate forgot about them, and less we forget shearers bar.
By: Manston Airport - 27th April 2006 at 14:15
QUOTE: It was raining when we got to Newcastle, and after looking round the city centre and not finding any good eating places.
You have got to be joking here, there is plenty of places in the city to eat: at the train station there is the centurion, in the city centre its self there are sandwich shops all over the place, there are at least 2 weatherspoons in the city centre, at the gate, you can eat in loyds, frankie and bennies, weatherspoons upstairs and tiger tiger. Plus if you look properly near the haymarket metro you have the goose, luckies.
What about KFC,burger king ,pizza hut or any kerbab shops 😀
James
By: lukeylad - 27th April 2006 at 13:48
QUOTE: It was raining when we got to Newcastle, and after looking round the city centre and not finding any good eating places.
You have got to be joking here, there is plenty of places in the city to eat: at the train station there is the centurion, in the city centre its self there are sandwich shops all over the place, there are at least 2 weatherspoons in the city centre, at the gate, you can eat in loyds, frankie and bennies, weatherspoons upstairs and tiger tiger. Plus if you look properly near the haymarket metro you have the goose, luckies.
By: Manston Airport - 27th April 2006 at 13:20
We filled in a comment card at NCL just before we got on the plane, and gave it a real panning.
Last week we got a pre-worded reply saying that they hoped we would not be put off using Newcastle International in future.
We have to use it in September, unfortunately, but after that we will not be going anywhere near the place.
Even small London City has better facilities than Newcastle does. You should be able to get some proper food in the landside area like you can in other UK airports.
I think in September you should take sum food with you or just wait till you get on the plane.
Stop moaning about NCL
Do you travel alone or with someone.
James
By: Speedbird 12T - 26th April 2006 at 18:33
Helloo, i’ll first agree with Britannia it’s a big shame that you didn’t enjoy this beautiful airport! However, what you wont know from experience is that you obviously caught them on a bad day.
But to correct a few of your very nice points:
1. Meals – the multimillion pound redevelopment of the airport (which is still a building site) has created a foundation for what will come next. And like Chris says if you had of got off your lazy backside and went across the road you would have seen the wheatsheaf, with its glorius sunday lunches. Even Greggs, it that not good enough for you?
2. Viewing spots – well.. you made a big mistake the day you came to newcastle, they were on 07, and the best views you could ever get were just a few yards away. Ok it was raining, but an aiport is an airport its not a viewing gallery.
3. The airwalks – well, BA know how to treat their customers – point over!
4. Information flow – the boards at the airport are controlled by both air traffic control and customer services, and they can only put on the boards what they are told by the airlines. I’ve sat on an air traffic shift at NCL before and i know that would not have been an airport error.
5. Slow motion check-in – Well these slow motion assistants (who are employed by the AIRLINE) were obviously not in a very nice mood, but yer thats the airports fault aint it?
6. Departure gate – claustrophobic?? have you ever walked around London Heathrow, thats claustrophobic, the seats are comfy, you get to see your pilot park beautifully and precisly on the stand line, what more can you ask for? With regard to the stand error, its called Flight operations.
I strongly disagree with what you say about our ugly terminal. Its sloped to prevent rain build up, its got a lovely spinning radar to entertain the kids, and off to the right, an antique air traffic control tower! But again i’d like to drop in the multimillion pound ONGOING redevelopment.
Finally, I think the rain got you down, but again that is the airports fault! I suggest you come back another day, fly the “estail” and take a walk a few yards past the scary “Newcastle” and “Ponteland” signs etc.
1 question – Why should an airport provide facilities for passengers who are not flying, and who therefore are not passengers and who therefore should not be there very long? You can go through to security as soon as you get boarding card, and from then on “It’s a brand new world.”
Jon and Ben
By: T5 - 26th April 2006 at 15:42
I’ve only just taken the time to read this review, but it’s quite an interesting one. When I’m visiting an airport to catch a flight, I couldn’t care less about the views over the apron and I very rarely bother purchasing snacks at the airport anyway. I’m happy if I can get a seat (in pleasant surroundings) before catching my flight.
And no matter how much I hate an airport, it would take a lot to put me off. I’ve whined about the state of Heathrow terminal 3 so many times in the past. There are no windows to look out of, the eateries are appalling (very overpriced and serving up very ‘different’ cusine) and there always seems to be construction work going on which inconveniences everybody to an extent. But even though I hate the airport and this terminal especially, there’s no chance I would ever stop using it.
And to be fair, your check-in opened 2 hours before departure and the flight was little over an hour. Was it essential that you had something to eat at the airport? I’m sure that a sandwich before leaving for the airport and then your apple pie on the way would have been sufficient. Maybe a bag of crisps at the airport would have sorted you out, which I’m certain would have been available. If it were a long-haul flight and you had checked in much further in advance, I could understand your point.
By: Comet - 25th April 2006 at 11:29
We filled in a comment card at NCL just before we got on the plane, and gave it a real panning.
Last week we got a pre-worded reply saying that they hoped we would not be put off using Newcastle International in future.
We have to use it in September, unfortunately, but after that we will not be going anywhere near the place.
Even small London City has better facilities than Newcastle does. You should be able to get some proper food in the landside area like you can in other UK airports.
By: Manston Airport - 12th April 2006 at 23:10
and after looking round the city centre and not finding any good eating places,
Was there not a KFC Burger King or a Pizza hut?
Nice repot there bit hard on NCL
Why don’t you take snacks with you next time.?
James
By: OneLeft - 11th April 2006 at 21:30
Just an extra quick point.
When I was at NCL the other day I asked the aircraft dispatcher if it was possible to find out about stand allocations, changes, etc. for a given flight. She said that as long as the flight was still showing on the computer system it should be, so I asked her to have a look for me.
Turns out the sudden change of stand was caused by the flight crew parking the aircraft on the wrong stand. Hardly the fault of the airport I think even you’ll agree Comet!
1L.
By: G-CDFF - 10th April 2006 at 11:20
Great report Louise! 😀
By: heslop01 - 8th April 2006 at 11:09
Ok, so I admit Newcastle isn’t LAX or LHR or CDG, but it is a bloody good airport. I have flown from there 16 times, and compared with 10 years ago, Newcastle has come a long way, and it is certainly not NCLHELL because to us people from Newcastle, it is a local landmark of which we are all very proud of.
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April 3, 2006 at 3:25 pm