rdc1000I’m not sure I agree completely. Genuine near misses in the UK are investigated, and consequently the reports should be available online at the AAIB. Assuming that the Indian press has not exagerated the figures then I think the travelling public has a right to know about increases in such incidents, and general trends in safety. It is often public pressure and reaction to such incidents which actually prompts action.
Without wanting to cause offence or upset, India’s air transport infrastructure is bursting at the seams, at a time when demand is growing, along with deregulation stimulating demand still further. The fact that the press have highlighted that there are safety implications should not be covered up, because otherwise it will take an actual accident to highlight the problems…often referred to as the ‘Tombstone Imperitive’, i.e. things only get done once an accident has happened.
The aviation press regulalry seems to be discussing India, and the fact that the government is aware they need to spend money on infrastructure and improving ATC, so why should the travelling Indian population not also be made aware of the problems. If it does harm the industry financially then the airlines themselves are liekly to put pressure on the government to act, because at the end of the day money talks.
rdc1000Hello everyone,
I am flying with Ryanair to Girona in a couple of days and I have just noticed I have spelt my girlfriends name wrong on the booking, i.e. her surname is Williams and it is spelt Willaims on the confirmation. Do you t hink I should call up and pay the £45 name change fee?
Mark
Is the £45 just the name change fee, because if so then normally you’d also have to pay the difference in the ticket price between the time it was booked and the time of the name change.
Why don’t you just ring Ryanair anon and describe your problem without giving your booking reference etc. Just explain that you appear to have inputted two letters the wrong way round in a surname, if they kick up a fuss then hang up 😉
rdc1000I don’t normally think these threads are worth bothering with, but I’m bored of looking at passenger figures..so have taken a break to compile this…I have to admit, I was a late starter in life..
Deutsche BA, SAAB 2000, LGW–BRE 02/97
BRE – LGW 02/97
Gulf Air, Boeing-767-300ER LHR-DOH-MCT 06/98
MCT-NBO 06/98
NBO-MCT 07/98
MCT-AUH-BAH 07/98
Airbus A340-300 BAH-DOH-LHR 07/98
Britannia, B757-200, GLA-IBZ 09/01
IBZ-GLA 12/09/01
easyJet, B737-300 LTN-CDG 06/02
CDG-LTN 06/02
Bmi, Fokker F100 LHR-MME 12/02
MME-LHR 01/03
BA, B767-300ER LHR-LCA 04/03
LCA-LHR 05/03
Thomas Cook, B757-300 MAN-ACE 12/04
ACE-MAN 12/04
Air Southwest, Dash8-Q300 MAN-BRS 05/05
VLM, Fokker F50 MAN-LCY 08/05
LCY-MAN 08/05
Air Southwest, Dash8-Q300 MAN-PLH 08/05
Air Southwest, Dash8-Q300 MAN-PLH 09/05
PLH-MAN 09/05
Air Southwest, Dash8-Q300 MAN-PLH 09/05
PLH-MAN 09/05
Air Southwest, Dash8-Q300 MAN-PLH 09/05
PLH-MAN 09/05
Air Southwest, Dash8-Q300 MAN-BRS 10/05
BRS-MAN 10/05
Air Southwest, Dash8-Q300 MAN-PLH 11/05
Next Flights:
Flybe, Dash8-Q400 MAN-SOU 01/06
BAe-146 SOU-MAN 01/06
rdc1000I want another charter airline based at LBA, surely TCX or FCA.
It won’t happen. These airlines have left BHX because of runway constraints (and moved their aircraft to EMA), so are hardly likely to move into an airport such as LBA. They don’t just serve Orlando, and the charter market is trend based, which means the airlines need the flexibility to swap between short and longer long haul routes. If a runway cannot offer that flexibility then they won’t deliver services.
rdc1000There are multiple factors at play for long haul routes, not least the individual airlines’ own operating manuals, which are often more restrictive than the field lengths given by the manufacturer. This is why at some airports you can flights from neighbouring countries by their respective airlines, one with smaller aircraft even though both airlines operate similar equipment. The choice of one to use a runway does not guarantee that the second will do so.
In addition there are elements to consider such as load factors, potential yield and cultural differences. For example, many travellers flying between the UK and Pakistan have extremely heavy baggage, which must be accounted for when loking at the operating requirements. With respect to yield, this depends on whether the airline needs to carry cargo to make the route viable. If the local market is extremely strong and can support the service through higher fares then there may be no need to carry cargo, thus allowing the airline to operate from a shorter runway because the payload is lower. However, if (as is the case for most UK regional airports) the local market cannot support the route through higher fares then the airline will want to carry cargo, and this can often have a dramatic difference to the ability of a relatively short runway to support the route.
Bear in mind also that for many years transatlantic charter services have stopped to refuel on route when operating from short regional runways, although to most people this is never obvious as it is purely a tech-stop and rarely publicly discussed. In addition there are a number of scheduled airlines that have shown they may be willing to provide a stop in Europe to go long haul from regional UK airports, although the trend is moving away from this as it makes route marketing difficult.
My experience recently would suggest that with current runway lengths the major airlines of Pakista and India would not be keen on direct services, and whoever said NCL could handle such non-stops made me laugh so much I’m sat in a puddle of tears (of laughter) :diablo: There is a reason that LBA has safeguarded land for runway extensions in their masterplan ;). From what I know though the market should not be written off completely, but may need a different airline to fly it.
rdc1000I won’t say too much, but will tell you that my understanding is that ASW is NOT neglecting PLH at all, there are a number of reasons for changes to services recently.
rdc1000No, but I hate low fare carriers and all that they have done to ruin the airline business for both regular travellers
What? You mean the fact that the industry has been revolutionsed by these carriers, who in turn have prompted major beneficial changes at the incumbent carriers. Many business travellers continue to fly BA and the likes, but they’re not complaining about the better fare structures etc which have been generated by the competition (and threat of importantly) of the LCCs. There are also PLENTY of business travellers using these airlines you must remeber that!
The fact is simple, you pay your money and take your choice….BUT, the effect of these carriers entering the industry has been hugely beneficial, and actually for the fisrt time since deregulation in Europe has generated REAL competition, thereby offering consumer benefits. If you look at free market structures and the debates which took place prior to deregulation you will realise that it is the LCCs that have stimulated markets in Europe. WHY should the ordinary traveller not be free to travel??? Its a general effect of increasing wealth that people want to travel.
rdc1000So i did’nt know Manchester was in Scotland! Did You? Well it must be now cause Air Scotland servers it.
So on that basis, bmi British Midland should not operate any services from Heathrow or Manchester, because neither is techincally in the Midlands. British Caledonian should not have been based at LGW and what Air Wales is doing operating Norwich to Dublin is BEYOND comprehension. Calm down..its only a name…..did you notice that Ryanair is the largest operator from STN, well I have a surprise for you…they’re Irish, based in Ireland, and with Irish registerd aircraft :diablo: Welcome to the world of liberalised markets in Europe 😉
rdc1000sorry but its spelled as QANTAS! Just thought would point it out.
Indeed…one of my little bug-bears in life is the use of a ‘u’ in QANTAS, which is an acronym, and so doesn’t need the ‘u’. Queensland And Northern Terrotories Air Service.
rdc1000Any guesses on which engine it will choose?
my money will be on Rolls Royce
Lets hope so!
rdc1000I thought it was pretty obvious that Qantas would go with B787s but what about the announcement over the biiger sort of aircraft
Why? They’ve expressed how happy they are with the A330’s they operate.
It turns out the actual order is only for 45, with 20 options, and then ‘rights’ for a further 50.
rdc1000Zoom is a good example of such a carrier, and Air Transat is part of the way there, although not as good as Zoom. I think my understanding is that you get food and entertainment aboard Zoom, but I haven’t looked into this.
With regards to whether we will ever see seats at that price again…I highly doubt it, due to 25 years of inflation since that time, but I think in principle we could see lower fares than anybody is currently offering. There are other issues to overcome though, primarily the bilateral agreements between many countries. Due to liberalisation we have LCCs in Europe (and the US), but some of the highly lucrative long haul routes which could be prime targets for some form of LCC service are heavily restricted by the bilaterals already in place.
rdc1000Make the most of these pics……A380 in Emirates colours powered by RR, won’t be around for much longer 😡
rdc1000T’is a nice one, and that runway is incredibly flat 😀
Thats the benefit of making your own land out of the sea, you can decide on the shape LOL.
rdc1000I’m sure the passengers of the Air New Zealand flight 901 thought the same when they set off on just such a sightseeing tour in 1979, unfortunately flying at low altitude led to a collision with Mount Eribus during a ‘white-out’, and there were no surivors. The problem occured because the pilots at ANZ often dropped below permitted flight levels to give their passengers a better view, and on this occasion it started snowing heavily which disorientated the crew, and due to the mountain being covered in snow it was not visible.
I did a google trawl for a link to give you the history…..
http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Childrens/NZDisasters/Erebus.asp
Sign In
