GA to Southend

[HeliAl]

Be aware GA traffic to Southend (EGMC)
Crew and Passenger are required to have a Passport to leave the aircraft airside to go to the ground side and visa versa.
Some of the security staff (jobs worths) will not accept other photo id's. Children under 16 must be manifested.

Another nail in the coffin!!!

[Talkdownman]

There's nothing in the AIP about it. Is Southend Stobart International degenerating into the shoddy 'local knowledge/scrappy note/unpublished local rules' regime?

[Jonzarno]

required to have a Passport to leave the aircraft airside to go to the ground side and visa versa.

Why? Is Essex a foreign country now? :p

[welkyboy]

That wasn't the case when I visited two weeks ago, the chap who took the landing fee (£22 for a PA28) then escorted me past security(without going thru metal arch or hand baggage thru X-ray) and took me in a minibus to aircraft on North apron. Tho I did tell him that I worked in ATC there about 50 years ago!!

[HeliAl]

Yesterday at the Flight centre. Passenger left in the Aircraft (no Passport!!). Whilst Pilot had to wait 40mins to be allowed entry.

[Vlad the Imbiber]

I flew in a week ago and was asked to complete a 'manifest' of crew and pax names before I could leave. Flights both in and out were domestic. I doubt there is any legal basis for this.

I agree it looks like they are trying to get rid of GA.

[ChickenHouse]

If you have been pressed a manifest, will you get a bill for handling as well? This is the only reason I can imagine for such a behavior.

[A and C]

This will just be another numpty who is clueless as to the rules for GA aircraft.

They know very little and that is only about airline rules, so they try to apply those rules.

[thing]

Well unless you have to go there then don't go. There are a handful of airfields in this fair isle that will not hear the opening of my wallet again. We are the end users, the airfield (or any airfield) and the jobs that go with them wouldn't exist without us. I don't expect people to go on bended knee but if there's any indication at all that I am not welcome with a smile then I don't go again.

You wouldn't tolerate the same service in a hotel so why should airfields be any different?

[Phororhacos]

I went a couple of days ago (28th) and they were helpful and friendly and seemed happy with photocard driving licences for ID, and we got a 100 yard ride in a posh mercedes all the way to the shareoplane.

[Bealeyman]

I have been to Southend twice recently in a PA28, once 22 sept and lastly 31 Dec, both times very enjoyable. I have not been asked for a passport and there was complete politeness from the handling staff. On the 22 sep only I was asked for ID and my picture driving licence worked ok. My passenger was not asked for ID, the name only being required. The cost for landing both times was £24+vat so I suspect the earlier info about landing fee needs checking. There is a decent restaurant in the Hilton next door with a great view over the airport. If you keep your lunch down to less than two hours parking is free. Air traffic are first class. and there is no suggestion of an unfriendly attitude to GA. By the way I pay approx the same to land at EGKA which I do think is excessive.

[Charles Sierra]

My landing was £24 plus vat for a PA 28. I was also informed of an add on cost if I exceeded 3 hours stay. That was 2 years ago . All fairly painless and time for a quick stroll to the adjacent watering hole for a quick orange juice.

[taxistaxing]

I completely agree with the OP with regards to Southend.

I visited last year in a 172. I spoke to one of the security guards upon entering the terminal building to say I had arrived in a private aircraft and just needed to pay a landing fee. I wasn't asked for a passport (which is lucky because I had no ID on me!) but nonetheless had to queue for twenty minutes with a load of EZY passengers and surrender my half-drunk bottle of water even though I had brought it with me in the aircraft! :ugh:

The "computer says no" jobs-worth approach and surly attitude displayed by the staff means I won't be returning in a hurry. As others have commented I suspect they don't really want any GA visitors at all, so perhaps this is their intended outcome.

Such a sad contrast with their ATC who are always a pleasure to deal with - a real pity they are so badly let down by their ground colleagues.

[A and C]

Quite a mix of opinions above, I would hazard to guess that it is due to a lack of clear guide lines for the staff, there is probably a "system" for the GA sector but some of the staff have failed to understand or have not been told about the procedures and just decide to make up the "rules" as they go along and to avoid any chance of getting a bollocking from above they build in all sorts of extra "rules & restrictions".

Regonal airports could do with an attitude change to GA, too often they get a few loco airlines landing and see this as their only business, get the idea that they are some sort of intergalactic space port and reject GA as not being worth dealing with.

Airfield like Southend do need to build their business plan around commercial aviation, but having paid the bills with the revinue from the airlines the cost of fitting GA in should be minimal and yeald a higher % Proffit than the airlines. To be blunt if the airfield is paid for by the airlines GA should almost be money for nothing.

The other part of the issue is that a businessman using an airport is far more likely to bring money into the local economy that the loco passenger who arrives by train and gets on a flight, this is not such an issue for the airport as for the local politicians who should insist that the planing permission for airfield development includes GA friendly facility's to encourage easy access for business to the area.

[welkyboy]

"I visited last year in a 172. I spoke to one of the security guards upon entering the terminal building to say I had arrived in a private aircraft and just needed to pay a landing fee. I wasn't asked for a passport (which is lucky because I had no ID on me!) but nonetheless had to queue for twenty minutes with a load of EZY passengers and surrender my half-drunk bottle of water even though I had brought it with me in the aircraft"

The above is rubbish as light aircraft are parked away from the main pax terminal and you enter/exit through the old terminal which is now the executive terminal, no way would Easyjet pax be in there!!!

[Talkdownman]

Whatever, once you get 'landside' make sure that you remove and hide any hi-viz clothing, or passes on lanyards, otherwise all and sundry from Essex will be asking you for directions and the time of the next bus etc…probably best to change into beachwear and light a fag etc...

[Redbird72]

Not for one moment suggesting that Southend are particularly GA friendly these days, but to put the current crackdown in context - their security arrangements were allegedly heavily criticized by the CAA after a recent inspection and the management are in a bit of a panic.

[taxistaxing]

[/QUOTE]The above is rubbish as light aircraft are parked away from the main pax terminal and you enter/exit through the old terminal which is now the executive terminal, no way would Easyjet pax be in there!!![QUOTE]

Well I can assure you I was directed back out to my aircraft through the same door as a load of passengers who then boarded an orange and white airbus with "Easyjet" written on the side. So who is talking rubbish?!

In any case the fact remains I had a bad experience of this airport, and have no particular axe to grind. I presume you have vested interest? Not sure what else would prompt such a rude reply.

EDIT: I see I actually visited in the summer of 2013 so perhaps the terminal layout has changed since then? T.

[ChickenHouse]

Quite some airports are rubbish with respect to security and GA compatibility. A while ago I started to always take the route to the information counter, identify myself as a pilot wanting to get back to my machine and let them handle all the odds and whistles of that particular airport. I am sick of managing these things myself and don't care any longer for them, they have to provide that.

[Jan Olieslagers]

<sarcasm>

The above is rubbish

That is the right tone for a die hard aviator especially on the www. On some of them sissie places you would have to say "things must have changed a lot over just one year" or "my experience is different", but on here a man can be a man, not hindered by any politically correct authorities.

</sarcasm>

[Red Four]

Sounds like taxistaxing may have mis-identified the old-terminal building for the new passenger terminal.

The people he was queuing up with were no doubt not EZY passengers but airport/airline staff that are checked at the same security point to go airside.

As welkyboy said in fact.