GATWICK

[LN-KGL]

SandLat650 has indentified two common problems for larger UK airports - long waiting time at border control and poor performance from ground handlers with the result in late arrival of baggage. The airport company can't be blamed for these two problem areas provided UK Border Control has enough booths and the ground handler company have a fully functional baggage handling system to work with. SandLat650 also mentioned a third area that may more from airport to airport and also the season, and it's the poor on time performance one can experience at times. These delays tends to increase throughout the day and the last arrivals in the evening are the worst off. Sadly FlightStats has stopped publishing their monthly on time performance reports for airports in January this year. In these last reports UK airports showed a poor performance and could be found mainly in the bottom third. The delays can't solely be blamed on the airports, but also the carriers and ground handlers have to accept their fair share.

Since this was an arrival, it is totally natural that SandLat650 didn't mention two other common areas that create a lot of irritation, and that is long waiting time to check in baggage and ditto queuing to get though security control. The first is not under control of the airport, but the security control is one of the few areas the airport company has full control over. If a security company is hired to perform the security checks, the airport need to assume full responsibility for this service. My home airport is performing below my expectations if it takes more than 10 minutes to get through security. I have still not experienced so many minutes there, but at a few airports in the UK I have spent almost one hour in line to get through security (like on a hot summerday in August last year at MAN's Terminal 3).

[LNIDA]

The problem with arriving at most airports at a quiet time very late/very early is that there will be less resource available because they gear up for the number of flights expected and more importantly at the expected time, if your running late or early inbound v your expected time and you arrive with 3 other aircraft with minutes and only two ground crews on duty someone will have to wait, ditto there will be less border controls booths open.

LGW is much improved over the past few years and in a different league to say MAN or EMA the latter will have you standing outside in the rain if more than one 737 arrives at the same time.

The recent French strike causes huge problems for airports and airlines that are busy, we are still playing catch up with crew rostering due to people out of hours for the following days duty from last weeks strike, mainly because we didn't cancel flights just ran them late or very late.

LGW sees it first Norwegian Dreamliner flight to LAX tomorrow and JFK the day after, both flights show only a couple of seats unsold, lets hope the Dreamliner behaves its self, but with 7 in fleet and only 6 needed there is some wiggle room !!

[Heathrow Harry]

we could always employ more people on the grounds that the first impression of a country is important - Singapore seem to manage to clear everyone all the time in 10 minutes AND their baggage is ready to collect

[DaveReidUK]

we could always employ more people on the grounds that the first impression of a country is important

Or leave things as they are and give visitors a realistic taste of what to expect.

[Skipness One Echo]

The problem with arriving at most airports at a quiet time very late/very early is that there will be less resource available because they gear up for the number of flights expected and more importantly at the expected time,

LGW operates like MAN and GLA in waves of based aircraft. I try and avoid the waves as quieter times are when the airport works best IMHO. Out at 6am means a horde of shoppers getting in the way and landing in the last wave means immense queues at passport control. STN is similar. The bottlenecks are at the UK Border where the dynamic staffing is not a concept they like much, and why would they? I wouldn't but that's what we expect of others.

we could always employ more people on the grounds that the first impression of a country is important

Define "we". Gatwick Airport don't self handle and Swissport and Menzies are cut to the bone due to competitve pressues of consumers paying as little as possible. The UK Border is a victim of Gordon Brown's public sector spending orgy having to be reigned in.

[ATNotts]

The UK Border is a victim of Gordon Brown's public sector spending orgy having to be reigned in.

On the contrary, I would contend that the UK Border is the victim of the likes of the Daily Mail and their xenophobic readers whom HMG listen to, and as a result require all passports to be checked to the same degree, whether the holder has arrived from Lagos or Lisbon.

If we can't join Schengen, then at least a crumb of common sense would make a tremendous difference at all UK borders, not just LGW.

[Skipness One Echo]

If we can't join Schengen, then at least a crumb of common sense would make a tremendous difference at all UK borders, not just LGW.

You either have a real passport check or none at all I think. It's not xenophobic when you look at the population growth and the sheer amount of overstayers and illegals in London who disappear into their respective communities. It's not possible to do the same in say France or Germany as you'd be more visible, hence people crossing all of Europe to squat at Sangatte in the hope of heading to Britain. Last time I checked, Northern France was quite nice!!

We've tried open borders under Tony Bliar where Passport Control dressed down in casuals FFS! That's one part of the experience I don't mind too much. (If) your passport has a chip then use the e-gates, I was through in 90 seconds on Sunday.

[Akrotiri bad boy]

BA Ops at LGW

What on earth is going on with BA's operation at Gatwick? Last week on the final EDI flight of the day we boarded the aircraft and sat awaiting the baggage to be loaded. It's happening again as I type, I know this as Mrs Akro is caught up in this one.

Frequently on arrival at Gatwick pax disembark using a jetway only to be shown the stairs down to the apron and a waiting bus. What is the point of entering the terminal only to leave it by the closest door and be bussed around to another door.

The time it takes to clear the airport, even on a domestic flight, often exceeds the journey time from EDI.

I might be able to accept a LoCo carrier being fobbed off with such bizarre and unnecessary complications, but BA?

Now come on BA you're the flag carrier operating out of one of the capital's airports man up, grow a pair, and take control.

[Akrotiri bad boy]

It's getting worse, the flight's been cancelled. For a flag carrier that simply is not good enough.

[PAXboy]

Akrotiri bad boy

What is the point of entering the terminal only to leave it by the closest door and be bussed around to another door.

Yes it is annoying but the reason is often aircraft utilisation. Last Tuesday, we arrived at LGW as a domestic flight but the next rotation for the a/c was to BCN. So we docked at an international jetway.

We walked off at the front and down the steps to a bus for baggage recalim, as we could not enter a terminal with already checked international pax.

[ceimanfhiadh]

It's not possible to do the same in say France or Germany as you'd be more visible, hence people crossing all of Europe to squat at Sangatte in the hope of heading to Britain

Straying off topic here, but I really find this quite hard to believe!

I walked off a flight from Germany to Spain last week and I was shocked not to have my passport checked. Don't recall it ever happening before.

[Skipness One Echo]

We walked off at the front and down the steps to a bus for baggage recalim, as we could not enter a terminal with already checked international pax.

Only 551-554 and 54-57L (I think) have airbridge access to domestic arrivals. North Terminal was built with almost no thought to domestic services. There's physically no way of getting from an international stand to domestic arrivals, which is why they bus quite so much.

[strawberry Ribena]

I walked off a flight from Germany to Spain last week and I was shocked not to have my passport checked. Don't recall it ever happening before.

Because they are both schengen states which means open borders. You would have had to show your passport on entry into Germany because that's your first point of entry into a Schengen state. you will have also noticed that you had to show your passport and be segregated when leaving Spain or any other eea country for uk/Ireland because uk and Ireland are not schengen.

[PAXboy]

Friend collecting her daughter from the North late afternoon yesterday, with only a hand case. The delay was entirely down to passport control having more pax than they could handle. Just as well lots of people can't get passports, coz they'd want to travel too ...

[mikkie4]

strawberry ribena

Happens all the time at gran canaria,smile at the guard,wave your passport at him and walk thru to luggage reclaim

[ericlday]

mikkie4

Similar action at Tenerife !

[adfly]

Looks like the first Norwegian Long Haul flight has ran smoothly so far, departed ~20mins late at both ends but padding in the schedule means it still arrived/should arrive before its scheduled arrival time. Lets hope they can keep this up and that the airport in general won't be hindered too much by the increased security measures on transatlantic flights.

[adfly]

EZY New Route

EZY are to start KEF 3x weekly from 27th October. It shall be interesting to see how this fares with strong competition from WOW and Icelandair.

easyJet Adds New Routes for Winter 2014 Season | Airline Route

[vctenderness]

I was on M23 Northbound on Tuesday last around 15.30. I thought I saw a Norwegian 787 on finals but with my poor vision and the distance was not sure.

Would I be right?

[Charley B]

Yes that was a NAX 787..it was on the Stockholm flight