No, there’s feck all LCC wise in Switzerland (at the main airports, anyway…) apart from easyjet.

However…

the first LCC service started operations from BSL at the start of June, unfortunately, it’s a once-a-week service to Ibiza, so it’s not much use for people wanting weekends away or anything (it’s operated by Germania Express, with a F100).
But there has been increased speculation about easyjet at BSL, particularly with Swiss almost giving up on the place (apart from the London City/Hamburg/Milan flights being suspended that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, several other destinations are to be reduced, including Manchester, meaning that LX will only have about half as many movements at BSL as they did this time last year)

I was reading an article in the Business section of the Basler Zeitung last Thursday, where they speculated about easyjet moving it’s northern Swiss operations from ZRH to BSL, as

a) BSL have a landing fee half that of ZRH’s for European flights
b) what with the no fly zone for landing aircraft at ZRH over Southern Germany, ZRH is turning into a bottle neck
c) turnaround times at ZRH are becoming increasingly difficult to guarantee, mainly because of b)
d) BSL, just 100km from ZRH would still have a similar catchment area
e) easyjet have just signed a contract with a Basel based coach company.

Re: Pic of the morning

Originally posted by greekdude1
Here’s the 1000th Jumbo parked at the gate adjacent to my SN flight from SIN to LHR. Too bad I didn’t get to ride on this one. Pic taken from the upper deck of the 744 I was on.

Have SQ (Singapore Airlines) bought up the remains of Sabena, then? :confused:

Originally posted by greekdude1
How could Star not be quality? Singapore, Thai, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, Austrian, United….. That’s some pretty damn good quality to me! I echo everything Mongu says, and will throw in some examples. I’ve flown on several Star members and always get the FF mileage automatically put into my account. If I had to fax a copy of boarding pass, ticket, etc, every time I took a partner flight, that would really suck! I flew from Australia to Europe and back on Singapore airlines business class on an award ticket, and had never before purchased a ticket on Singapore Airlines. How could that not be quality? Lastly, I’m flying United in and out of Heathrow in a week. I purchased that ticket separately because I had a special companion coupon. Then I purchased a rountrip ticket on BMi from LHR to AMS. on the return, I have a 3 hour layover in Heathrow, then continue on back home. Even though I have 2 separte tickets/itineraries, I’m going to be able to check my bags all the way through to my final destination when I check in with BMi in Amsterdam. I won’t have to re-check in with UA in Heathrow. How is that not quality?

See, I never quite get this whole problem with through check in…

The last time I flew Swissair, in August 01, I had an eticket for my BSL-ZRH-LHR-ZRH SR flights (it was a reward ticket), and was connecting at LHR to a BA flight to GLA, for which I had a paper ticket.

I didn’t have any problems checking in at BSL through to GLA (Swissport at BSL also handle BA, after all), although my bags didn’t arrive till following day, after they got lost at ZRH… one came from LHR on BA, the other from LHR on bmi :confused:.

Coming back, I was more surprised that I could check my bags through at GLA on SR despite only having an eticket, although I needed to get my boarding pass at the SR transfer desk at LHR.

gd, there are shuttle busses, but I’ve only used them once, after missing a connection and being stranded overnight… I think they’re free, but can’t absolutely confirm so.

They’ll be calling me Pictish Hibernian next ! (lol)

The sun shines on Leith…

Admittedly, I haven’t got hold of the new issue yet, but having a look at the picture robc posted, I can’t see AirCalin or MEA. And aren’t Northwest/NWA due to receive one shortly, too?

ok, none of the three may yet have received an A330, but at least the first two have a/c painted up at Toulouse.

:confused:

I saw both BBC programmes last night, first off, the Money Programme programme about Ryanair.

It followed a reporter flying from London to Brussels (in his words), showing where Ryanair were saving along the way (booking, fares, aircraft price, using Stansted, check-in, turn around time, arriving), interspersed with interviews with Michael O’Leary, and highlighting some of the key differences to BA (travel agents/seat allocation/catering), who also had a Marketing guy Interviewed, followed by someone from the EC who was talking about some of Ryanair’s more dubious policies (eg the small print for their baggae insurance if damaged doesn’t cover any bags with protruding parts (eg handles, wheels)).

All in all, it was a pretty interesting programme, offering a balanced view of the pro’s and con’s of flying low cost.

Then, Airport USA was certainly an insightful look into operations at Miami, but there was a certain obsession with the DEA. Also, does an airport programme really have to follow some guy around the Harbour trying to slow boats down because of Sea Cows? (Sure, interesting to mention in passing, but we cut back to him at least once more later in the programme for an update on speeding.)