PRESTWICK

[32SQDN]

Anyone know what the RJ was doing at PIK on Saturday. Looked like it was doing some circuits testing something out.

[Skipness One Echo]

Simple circuit training from EDI. PIK is often used to train pilots.

[32SQDN]

Simple circuit training from EDI.

Ah -cheers!

[PIK3141]

S. O. E.

Your posting re Police reads as a complete OTT exaggeration. Local enthusiasts are not being hastled in any way. Police have approached people to introduce themselves and spent time with the spotters chatting and watching aeroplanes. The local dog handler comes to the mound....to walk his dog. And yes, there are real police with real guns.

[Skipness One Echo]

Local enthusiasts are not being hastled in any way. Police have approached people to introduce themselves and spent time with the spotters chatting and watching aeroplanes

Must just have been me that got the third degree then. He had three pages of copious notes at the end of it and never even bothered his arse to have a look in my rucksack or accepted my offer of checking my passport. ( I was flying Ryanair so was fully documented. )

I gave him my home address in London and when further questioned I told him I was visiting family. When he insisted that I supply THOSE details, he got quite hacked off. I told him that was completely irrelevant and I wouldn't be giving out that data. as I have lived away for years. He eventually drove off and came back ten minutes later with a very bored colleague, beckoned me over and had another go at finding out where my parents live. After ten minutes of me digging in my heels, he buggered off defeated.

I was baffled though becasue if he thought there was anything dubious about me, he didn't search me, check my passport or even check to see if I was wanted which are the standard checks. ( I used to date someone who was in the Police )
I however was a little annoyed that I had managed to fill several pages in a Policeman's book. Being harangued by a large man dressed in black armed with an array of cuffs, sprays and a large stick is not the best way to spend an afternoon.

As to the armed Police, if the Terminal was being patrolled I managed to miss them in the three hours I was there on Sunday waiting to fly. It may be the case they are out of sight which is fine. Just on past experience with quieter places like SOU and LCY, the Police get VERY bored and a stop and check is still a tick in the box.

The local dog handler comes to the mound....to walk his dog.

Has done for years, used to do this behind PAAG until that was car parked over. The gentlemen who I came across are the dedicated airport unit and their remit is to investigate anyone taking an interest in aircraft.

[firstchoice7e7]

Being harangued by a large man dressed in black armed with an array of cuffs, sprays and a large stick is not the best way to spend an afternoon

oh i dont know, each to their own

[kpiko3]

The police at PIK are a good and very friendly bunch of guys, like another post has stated they usually come up have a chat and watch the planes. Strange to find this sort of treatment if so.

[FDMS]

From the Herald

"Budget airline Ryanair has threatened to cut routes at Prestwick amid a
sharp downturn in aviation. The Irish no-frills operator said all 28 routes from
the Ayrshire airport were "under review" following talks held yesterday with
management to discuss performance. Maria Macken, Ryanair's UK marketing
executive said that relocating routes to other airports in Europe was a likelihood
unless further support could be offered to the airline. She blamed passenger
taxies levied by the Government for putting pressure on Ryanair's operating
costs, claiming the airline was subsidising the price of the tickets.

"We're having to lower our fares in order to get people flying. But that's
not sustainable," she said.

"If we feel we can better value elsewhere, we will do that. If we can
operate for less, we will do that. That's why we are calling for the airport and
Government to get rid of costs."

Prestwick, which along with Edinburgh is one of two Scottish bases used by
Ryanair, saw a 9.6% reduction in passenger numbers in January, compared with
the same month last year, amid a steep downturn in aviation.

While this has affected airports across the UK, Ryanair's position at
Prestwick contrasts with Edinburgh, where it last week announced the addition of 10
further European routes.

The airline has carried out a campaign against the Airport Passenger Duty
tax in the UK, which is due to increase from
£10 to £11 per flight in November."

I would have thought that PIK's charges to RYR are already a low as they can viably be!

[nef]

It's rather difficult to see how FR can justify their claims that APD is the main reason causing them to make losses at PIK when they are expanding at EDI, but then yoou don't really expect anything else from FR!

[4567]

Have a funny feeling this is a scare tactic to try and get PIK to drop even further, as we know PIK is struggling already if FR were to leave they may aswell shut down passenger services. I doubt FR would allow EZY to become more dominant at their GLA base and give the west of scotland to them on a plate. Though thats just my opinion, who knows!!!!!

[smith]

I told you a few pages ago that FR would seriously think about a move, since they already fly from Glasgow Edinburgh airport (its only 35miles away same as Prestwick) I think they will continue to expand that base at Prestwick's expense.

[BALLSOUT]

smith, I am sure you are correct!

[ara01jbb]

None of my recent flights from PIK to BHD have cost me more than £5; although that said cutting frequency from three flights to one has, in my experience filled the midday flight quite well throughout the week.

On another note, who is it that foots the bill for the half-price / free train tickets that Ryanair passengers can claim to and from Prestwick? Is that a PIK or FR promotion?

[james170969]

Asset sales likely as Infratil posts loss

Asset sales likely as Infratil posts loss | Stuff.co.nz

Would this be good or bad for Prestwick Airport if it was sold? Maybe any new owners would get rid of that out of date, embarrassing, childish slogan not to mention the awful purple decor.

[honest man]

My own personal thoughts are it could be a good thing

[4567]

I too would see it as a good thing. The possibility of a new owner with fresh ideas for the aiport.
Though in these economic times i doubt Infratil could get a price theyd be looking for.
Cargo dropping and heavily reliant on one of europes largest but strongly willed low cost carriers : Ryanair who are now turning attentions to East Scotland

[Skipness One Echo]

It makes little difference tbh.
The list of people desperate to buy into a business that has had
1) minimal capital investment
2) with a railway station built from papier mache
3) with the cargo terminal built in the place they were told was the worst possible place
4) with cargo revenue plummeting
5) Ryanair having them by the balls....

What's in it for any business buying into PIK? Seriously?

[james170969]

I have to agree with you about the train station but this recession won't last forever and things will start to pick up eventually. What was in it for Infratil and Stagecoach when they bought PIK? They obviously saw that the airport had some potential for profit otherwise why would they buy it?

[allanmack]

1) minimal capital investment - true but what does that really mean? Doesn't it mean that if someone were to put in some capital investment things might look up? Many organisations buy into businesses despite there having been minimal investment in the past. It's about potential and PIK still has potential in various areas including maintenance.

2) with a railway station built from papier mache - Bit of an exaggeration as the railway station is solid enough - just needs a major makeover and made watertight!

3) with the cargo terminal built in the place they were told was the worst possible place - Easy enough to knock it down and rebuild elsewhere on the airfield. The development plan has highlighted this.

4) with cargo revenue plummeting - It seems to have been 'plummeting' for ages now in the minds of some but it will pick back up again. The next set of quarterly figures will give an indication of whether the plummeting has levelled out.

5) Ryanair having them by the balls....At least the airport still has balls.

A new operator might bring some fresh ideas but I don't expect anyone to take the plunge until the BAA sell off fiasco has been concluded. PIK will be here for a long time to come.

[Skipness One Echo]

1) minimal capital investment - true but what does that really mean? Doesn't it mean that if someone were to put in some capital investment things might look up? Many organisations buy into businesses despite there having been minimal investment in the past. It's about potential and PIK still has potential in various areas including maintenance.

** The main maintenance operator was Polar who were paid a lot of money to come and left when the bribes ran out. At the moment we have a large and empty B747 hangar, as does MAN oddly enough. This potential has been spoken about for years....

2) with a railway station built from papier mache - Bit of an exaggeration as the railway station is solid enough - just needs a major makeover and made watertight!

**There is NO money to do this, like the Terminal, the 1994 built railway staton will remain falling down until it actually does fall down. Utterly deplorable welcome to Scotland.

3) with the cargo terminal built in the place they were told was the worst possible place - Easy enough to knock it down and rebuild elsewhere on the airfield. The development plan has highlighted this.

**With the loss of the main US cargo carrier ( Polar )and the continuing fall in revenues there is no capital investment here in the medium term IMHO.

4) with cargo revenue plummeting - It seems to have been 'plummeting' for ages now in the minds of some but it will pick back up again. The next set of quarterly figures will give an indication of whether the plummeting has levelled out.

** agreed but with Air France losing a small fortune from cargo operations that leaves Cargolux, who loyal as they are are unlikely to pay for a new cargo apron and warehouses.

5) Ryanair having them by the balls....At least the airport still has balls.

All of the above points about "potential" were true until the market changed entirely with Ryanair. Hence the airport cannot expect to levy traditional airport charges / passenger fees and has to cross subsidise the operation from other areas like cargo and transit stops. This is partly why Atlas and Evergreen are at Hahn now. There is no scope to raise fees from passenger operations, hence revenue falls cannot be made up as the cargo market is fluid and they'd just lose the rest.

A new operator might bring some fresh ideas but I don't expect anyone to take the plunge until the BAA sell off fiasco has been concluded. PIK will be here for a long time to come.

I agree completely however the level of service is, in my experience pretty crap. PIK is the only airport where I have been called childish names by someone on the ramp, needless to say he is no longer employed as I made sure I made my feelings plain to management. The Terminal building itself is in a poor state of repair. The large space on the second floor on the East side has been vacant for TWENTY NINE YEARS. I kid you not, it used to be the canteen to watch the apron and eat at, it remains empty......PIK will always be a good DIV field or general aviation field but that's as far as I'm going to go. Wizz will be gone soon as the mass influx of cheap Polish labour is no longer in such demand, they are cutting back already.