(continued from above)
Not often that I find these landside at UK airports:
The gallery was sadly empty!
The view from the gallery. Only two Ryanair planes, and what looks like a cargo plane. I couldn't get on to the outside balcony, alas.
Through security, into the departure lounge. It's much smaller than the landside area, but plenty of seats, a bar, couple of cafes and another sizable WHSmiths. I fear some of these places with be forced to close in the coming months, unless Prestwick can attract more flights.
Unlike Glasgow International, passengers cannot access the pier and gates until their flight is called. They must stay in the lounge. The pier is just a long white corridor anyway, with no shops or seating. Passengers queue here until boarding begins, while staff go down the line and check boarding cards. Then it's out on to the tarmac to board. My flight was full to the brim.
All in all a very nice airport, but arguably far too big for the small number of passengers going through it at the moment, and I can't see those shops and cafes making enough money to justify their staying there. I just hope that a few airlines find Prestwick an attractive enough site to keep it going as it is at the moment.