First Choice
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Dublin
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FCA Longhaul From DUB
With FCA now aiming to operate more longhaul flights from regional basis, would it not be worth considering flights from DUB?
MON and TOM are now starting flights to SFB & CUN from DUB surely we'll be missing out on a great opportunity?
Does anyone know if longhaul from DUB could be a possibility in the next couple of years?
MON and TOM are now starting flights to SFB & CUN from DUB surely we'll be missing out on a great opportunity?
Does anyone know if longhaul from DUB could be a possibility in the next couple of years?
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Gloucestershire
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FCA LGW- Varadero
I have just returned from a great two week holiday in Varadero with First Choice. I have to say the new star class cabin is superb, the legroom couldn't be better, the AVOD IFE excellent and the seats themselves very comfortable, but were quite hard to sleep in on the way back. The food was decent and some very good and not so good cabin crew. On the way back we had a Delta F/O who is on loan to FCA and he was brilliant, his announcements really made all the passengers chuckle and he kept us entertained; if only a few more pilots could be like him ;-)
One of the best flights I have had, the only thing was thst the cabin crew were not very consistent in the service they provided.....
When are the new 767s due to be delivered and also why does the next one have such a strange reg, you would have thought it be G-OOBN but it is G-DBLA.
One thing I don't understand is how the crewing works. If FCA (or any airline for that matter) have a L/H flight to a particular destination, only once per week (I know Varadero doesn't count as there is a LGW and MAN flight so the crew stay in VRA for 3/4 nights) what does the airline do, do they keep the crew in hotels for a week (surely very expensive) or carry two crews (in the crew rest area or in the passenger cabin) which would be surely very tiring for the crew? How long are crew allowed to work for a particular day?
Sorry for my ignorance but what is a bullet flight and is a rotation there and back or just one-way?
Thanks
One of the best flights I have had, the only thing was thst the cabin crew were not very consistent in the service they provided.....
When are the new 767s due to be delivered and also why does the next one have such a strange reg, you would have thought it be G-OOBN but it is G-DBLA.
One thing I don't understand is how the crewing works. If FCA (or any airline for that matter) have a L/H flight to a particular destination, only once per week (I know Varadero doesn't count as there is a LGW and MAN flight so the crew stay in VRA for 3/4 nights) what does the airline do, do they keep the crew in hotels for a week (surely very expensive) or carry two crews (in the crew rest area or in the passenger cabin) which would be surely very tiring for the crew? How long are crew allowed to work for a particular day?
Sorry for my ignorance but what is a bullet flight and is a rotation there and back or just one-way?
Thanks
On arrival in Aruba our crew made their way to Margarita I believe and operated the return from there. Our crew from Aruba back to the UK had operated an outbound to Antigua then crossed on an internal to Aruba to operate the inbound to LGW.
Apologies to FCA if I've got the islands wrong but the principle is correct.
Apologies to FCA if I've got the islands wrong but the principle is correct.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Cheshire
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Just for the record - the crew from Aruba back to LGW fly out to Margarita from Manchester and do some lovely positioning across to operate the flight back. Crew sometimes spend up to a week in resorts (sometimes, not all the time!) depending on the operational requirements - every other week, a Manchester crew spend a week in the Bahamas operating the flight out on the Sunday and the flight back the following Sunday, however on the odd weeks the crew get one night in the bahamas and position elsewhere to operate home (poss. Antigua). Also in response, most of the cabin crew are great, BUT, unfortunately some are less so... I'm sure it's the same in any job...
Join Date: Jul 2001
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freddie
A bullet is airline guk speak for a 24hr layover. Out today, back on tommorrows service, which normally departs late afternoon / evening UK time. A rotation is (in my view) is there and back so LGW-Aruba-LGW, a sector would be LGW-Aruba.
Quiet often the Charter Companies don't go to the same place every day and this can be complicated as sometimes passengers are going on cruises when they get to destination so the schedules are driven by Boat schedules. This often results in all the long haul aircraft going to the same place on the same day, not good for crew patterns. A common schedule would possibly see an aircraft go to Orlando on Friday and Saturday (so crews would operate a "bullet") then on Sunday to Barbados, Monday Jamaica, Tuesday Orlando, then Wednsday Dominican Republic, Thursday Cancun. The decison then is to leave the crews in place for a week, or shuttle them around. If shuttling this is is down by two methods, scheduled airlines so crews could fly example from Orlando to Jamaica normally via Maimi which takes time and is fairly tiring, or sometimes then airlines hire small commuter aircraft to pick the crews up as soon as they arrive, Dom Rep to Jamiaca is a common schedule. This is more expensive but a lot easier, particularly when there are no scheduled flights.
It costs a lot to leave 11 crew in Barbados for a week, but sometimes this is the best and cheapest option it really depends on the schedules.
In terms of Crew hours, longer flights such as Cancun will often see the need for an extra Pilot but thats about it. Maximum hours around 14 + discretion of the Captain. If the crew are going to Barbados for a week, up to 3 hrs can be used, if going to Dom Rep for 24 hrs, between 0-2 hrs!.
Sometimes a crew will operate two sectors such as LGW-BGI-ANU but only within the limits set by the CAA. Rest assured they then get off and take rest (although they may then position somewhere as above)
Lastly rest assured that for every week in Barbados, the most common trips are bullets normally returning into a Airport not the crew base, followed by a coach home. Its not all that glamorous!
A bullet is airline guk speak for a 24hr layover. Out today, back on tommorrows service, which normally departs late afternoon / evening UK time. A rotation is (in my view) is there and back so LGW-Aruba-LGW, a sector would be LGW-Aruba.
Quiet often the Charter Companies don't go to the same place every day and this can be complicated as sometimes passengers are going on cruises when they get to destination so the schedules are driven by Boat schedules. This often results in all the long haul aircraft going to the same place on the same day, not good for crew patterns. A common schedule would possibly see an aircraft go to Orlando on Friday and Saturday (so crews would operate a "bullet") then on Sunday to Barbados, Monday Jamaica, Tuesday Orlando, then Wednsday Dominican Republic, Thursday Cancun. The decison then is to leave the crews in place for a week, or shuttle them around. If shuttling this is is down by two methods, scheduled airlines so crews could fly example from Orlando to Jamaica normally via Maimi which takes time and is fairly tiring, or sometimes then airlines hire small commuter aircraft to pick the crews up as soon as they arrive, Dom Rep to Jamiaca is a common schedule. This is more expensive but a lot easier, particularly when there are no scheduled flights.
It costs a lot to leave 11 crew in Barbados for a week, but sometimes this is the best and cheapest option it really depends on the schedules.
In terms of Crew hours, longer flights such as Cancun will often see the need for an extra Pilot but thats about it. Maximum hours around 14 + discretion of the Captain. If the crew are going to Barbados for a week, up to 3 hrs can be used, if going to Dom Rep for 24 hrs, between 0-2 hrs!.
Sometimes a crew will operate two sectors such as LGW-BGI-ANU but only within the limits set by the CAA. Rest assured they then get off and take rest (although they may then position somewhere as above)
Lastly rest assured that for every week in Barbados, the most common trips are bullets normally returning into a Airport not the crew base, followed by a coach home. Its not all that glamorous!
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Originally Posted by Mr @ Spotty M
freddiebroders
To my knowledge they do charge extra for an out of sequence registration.
To my knowledge they do charge extra for an out of sequence registration.
take jmc/ Thomas Cook for example.
PP
Join Date: Apr 2006
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Just out of interest, why did we have a Delta pilot on our flight on Thursday, are FCA low on pilots for the summer? Was it a one off or is he (and others?) there for the summer period?
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Although the Manchester - Male flights do mean the cabin crew stay 7 nights in the Maldives and fly back to Gatwick.
30W
Join Date: May 2002
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Originally Posted by NEastMidlands
all of MyTravels registrations are not in sequence so this either cost them a lot of money or there was no other charge
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2005
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I was talking to some members of the cabin crew a couple of weeks ago and they seemed to think G-OOAN was on its way out next year, either because of the configuration issues or cost
Does anyone know if thats the case or not?
Does anyone know if thats the case or not?
Join Date: Jun 2005
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FCA Short Haul Premium cabin, where is it?
I've tried to book a holiday to Madeira flying from BRS on the Premium service. Apparently according to the helpful lady on the phone, FCA are withdrawing their short haul premium cabin from virtually all services. She was surprised herself saying it was always very popular, so what have they withdrawn it for, does anyone know?