Could a designated plane spotting site benefit Stansted?
No news, no rumours, no mention of it in fact, but just an idea that popped into my head during this spell of warm spring weather we're all enjoying.
I know this is not a spotters thread but I'm trying to see the benefit to MAG by providing such a facility since they offer similar facilities at East Midlands and Manchester Airports. There are a few locations they could have an official spotting area. I'd say between Apron Z (cargo apron) and the Ryanair hangar is best.
Whilst I would never expect it to be much, MAG could benefit from a bit of extra cash each year by opening an official spotting site at Stansted and charging a small entry or car parking fee.
A small car park (which there seems to be a few isolated ones already around that area if you look on Google Maps), perhaps a few picnic benches, ice cream van in the summer... nothing too fancy, and I think MAG could get themselves an extra source of income.
If people pay £2 to drop someone off at various airports across the UK, I'm sure they would be happy to pay at least that to spend a day out with family/friends at their local airport, and it's a small price for enthusiasts to pay. You only have to look at the Aero Park at East Midlands Airport to see how busy that gets in the summer!
Plane spotting is quite big in Britain and the airports should use that to their advantage, rather than telling them to p*** off as it can often be. Providing an official area also makes the airport more community friendly, which is always a good bonus to have.
Last edited by FRatSTN; 2nd May 2013 at 17:08.