Just racking my brains for an earlier announcement and came across this:
AMBITIOUS proposals which will see Durham Tees Valley Airport move to a unique ‘twin terminal’ operation have been revealed today. The plans — which will see the terminal building divided in a ‘premium’ area targeted at scheduled services and business travellers and another area which will handle holiday charter and ‘low cost’ services — are part of a wholesale business review designed to ensure that the airport is able to respond to the current economic situation and be in a position to secure its long-term future.
Airport Director Kerry Quinn stressed that the new-look airport had been developed following detailed discussions with airlines and was already delivering results—highlighted by Eastern Airways’ recently-introduced service to Southampton.
"The good news is expected to continue in the near future, with talks ongoing with other airlines about new business opportunities at the airport," a spokesman said.
Airport chiefs believe that the changes will help deliver a significant increase in passenger numbers in the coming year.
As well as the new scheduled services it has already been announced that next summer will see new flights to Jersey and additional flights to Turkey.
Ms Quinn said: “All the feedback we have received on the plans from our airline partners and customers has been resoundingly positive. There is a clear need for a local, convenient and passenger-friendly airport serving the Tees Valley, Durham and North Yorkshire. That has always been the philosophy at Durham Tees Valley — and it will be strengthened by the changes we are making as a result of this major business review. We will be able to offer a year-round service in our ‘premium’ area, providing the quality of service which scheduled service passengers—especially business travellers—now expect, such as dedicated lounge facilities, speedy security lanes and wi-fi internet access. The other ‘leisure’ area will be brought into operation to meet the peak holiday periods, again with the right range of services for that market, aimed at making people’s experience as stress-free and relaxed as possible. We have also decided that it makes economic and operational sense to reduce our normal operating hours from 4am to 10pm, whilst retaining the flexibility to handle aircraft outside those hours if required.”
The proposals by the Peel Airports Group announced today also involves changes in workforce levels, working arrangements and terms and conditions and the airport has begun consultations with staff and trade unions.
This was from 4 years ago during another announcement phase. Here the article talks about a split terminal. What ever happened to that plan? Was it ever followed through?
P330 - you mentioned that airport management consider this forum a bane of their lives. Is this really the case, and if so why ? From what I can tell, the only info on here has been either info readily available in the public domain, or from intelligent guesswork, piecing together various other public domain info.
The feeling at the time was the airport were struggling to deal with comments on forums that were feeding into the general public or the wider media which simply weren't true and it was a recurring battle having to respond to such comments when forced publicly. I think they felt they were doing the best they could with the resources they had but had to spend unecessary time fighting media fires that had been inflamed from here.
I also
"sensed" that whilst we talk about Peel creating a downward spiral of their own making, their was a retort that the constant negativity back (much of which they believed was untrue) would create a self ful-filling prophecy. In other words, the more the media knocked, nibbled and talked things down, the more difficult it is for Peel to do their jobs and therefore the very actions of those knocking cause the outcome they fear.