CORK - 3

[buzzmebaby]

Originally Posted by fanatic1

I edited wikipedia last night and got rid of all that stuff about 19 airbridges and ADDED a thing in about handling agents.

Good stuff. Unfortunately what makes wikipedia great is also it's biggest flaw. The muppet who put it up in the first place will just go in and change it back to 19 or 94 airbridges or whatever they want!

[Tom the Tenor]

Am open to correction on this but I think the Irish government is planning on delaying Romanian and Bulgarian people's eligibility from immediately being allowed to work in Ireland for a few years after both countries join up to the EU next year in the same way the likes of Germany and the Netherlands have prevented the newer Eastern European countries' citizens from working in their countries over the last two years.

So, we will probably have to hold off on the Tarom 737s for a while more at Cork!

Anyone have any news on Glasgow? Is it dead to the world after Loganair pull the plug in a few weeks time? Very big piping competition in Glasgow this coming weekend. LOG must be full as many of the Carrigaline Pipe Band are outbound later this morning on the RE to Edinburgh much to the annoyance of the Glasgow loyalists amongst the band!

And as for this Gibraltar rumor! Whilst I was pleasantly surprised by my one previous visit to Gibraltar I just cannot see this one coming to fruition and at one weekly it would be tought to make work and will not even qualify for any incentives with just the one sole flight per week and even that that is assuming you can surmount the Spanish government's insistence that only UK bound flights can operate from Gibraltar. Still quite a bit of needle about The Rock in some Spanish circles.

[Charlie Roy]

Originally Posted by Tom the Tenor

Am open to correction on this but I think the Irish government is planning on delaying Romanian and Bulgarian people's eligibility from immediately being allowed to work in Ireland for a few years after both countries join up to the EU next year in the same way the likes of Germany and the Netherlands have prevented the newer Eastern European countries' citizens from working in their countries over the last two years.

The enlargement of the EU to include Romania and Bulgaria is considered to be part of the same enlargement as in 2004. It is not a new enlargement, rather the final step of the current/2004 enlargement. Officially Ireland cannot apply different work permit rules to new members within the same enlargement group. Thus legally Ireland cannot (as it stands) refuse work permits to Romanians and Bulgarians once they become member states. They will have to do a lot of bending over backwards, jumping through loops and endure a lot of legal wrangling if they try any delay regarding Bulgarian and Romanian workers.

PS: I can't imagine a Gibraltar service working either unfortunately

[lm06]

so there might be 1960 vintage ilyushins and the like in from bucharest international earlier than we thought !

[EI-MICK]

anyone read O' learys interview when announcing the new dublin routes?? he called the governments and DAA idiots and also he couldn't understand why the DAA owns 40% of birmingham airport and 50% of dusseldorf (also the great southern hotels) and the DAA still wan't cork to foot the bill of the new terminal even though they took the assets at the break up.He wreckons by selling interests abroad up to 800M can be made.That would pay for a new terminal at dublin as well as cork.
Government are a joke if they pull this one off or maybe theyl wait and clear the debt come election time,it wouldnt suprise me,it would be some stunt.Billy Kelleher can go screw himself come election time.

[EI896]

EI-MICK

In fairness to Michael he can see routes/ things happening etc. in the future but half the time cause of his behaviour he just calls everybody names.

[EI896]

Originally Posted by Tom the Tenor

News tonight is that there was an accident on the ramp at Cork on Friday when a long serving EI despatcher was badly injured in a 16 ft fall as a set of steps were being pushed away from an A320. Have since heard that the injuries are not life threatening but that is hardly much comfort if you have had a big wallop in a fall. Hope the poor despatcher has a speedy recovery.

What this accident does is to highlight the whole airbridge question again at Cork. Come off it, if EI are happy to use airbridges at LHR, AMS, BCN etc, why the hell not at Cork and save pax and staff alike from possible long tumbles down steps not to mention the possiblility of it in the wind and rain of winter. One airbridge at Cork - what a joke! It would almost make you feel like chipping in €5 a man in order to make up the difference to put in a few more extra airbridges in the new terminal. We could call them something like "The People's Airbridges!"

The All Ireland Hurling Final on Sunday, 3rd September now has no less than six Ryanair return flights from Cork to Dublin for the big match to bring fans to the game at Croke Park. Saucy enough prices too to be sure! All going well should be one hell of a busy day at Cork and should break all daily records for passenger numbers at the airport.

Yes that is an extremely good point if they use them every where except EICK what is the story there some people that I know have even said that sponsership wouldn't be a bad thing for the Airbridges to keep the costs down for the DAA or CAA who ever is going to pay for it. As I said aboutthe sponsership HSBC nearly sponser every major airport I have flown into and a few others have told me they sponser alot of major airports.

About the Ryanair flights I hope we see an unusual A320 or something like we did for the Heinekan Cup Semi-Final thanks to Monarch.

[Tom the Tenor]

Oops, I had wanted to edit my post above and ended up deleting it all together! There had been a rumor going around that if EI had said they were up to using airbridges at the new terminal in Cork they would have been put in double quick time. Whilst EI are happy to use 'em at Dublin and Shannon there just has to be the usual discrimination against Cork which is typical. Even more reason for Cork to hold the line on the debt issue and not to yield an inch to the multinationals at the Dublin Airport Authority!

[Tom the Tenor]

More interesting reading to be found in today's Irish Examiner with Cork Airport saying there are no plans in the short term to turn the old terminal into a low cost terminal much to the disappointment of that other great Corkman, Mr Michael Cawley, whom is number two to Michael O'Leary at Ryanair.

Cork are saying that only informal approaches have been made by Ryanair but Mr Cawley says he wrote to the airport a year ago on the subject of using the old terminal to bring more business to Cork and that if higher charges are introduced at the new terminal Ryanair will have to consider reducing flights from Cork.

That is the problem with Ryanair though. As long as they get everything for free like they do at Shannon they will be all over you and at the same time compromise a lot of your other hard fought for business and you will end with up with something like a Ryanport with all other biz beaten off just like what happened over the loss of easyJet.

Nah, caution is needed before any arrangments are made before getting into bed with Ryanair. You might not catch anything but you might just lose a hell of a lot!

[840]

I finally got to arrive into the new terminal last night although as a hand-baggage only passenger I didn't do much waiting round there.

The area where you actually disembark reminds me of pier C in Dublin. The area round the baggage belts is roomier and better lit than the old terminal. The arrivals hall itself is great and the high ceiling gives it a much nicer atmosphere.

The one slightly irritating point was that none of the ATMs have been moved up yet, so I had to walk over to the old terminal to be able to get money for a taxi.

[ryan2000]

Aerlingus v Ryanair

Ryanair appear to have delivered for Shannon but does Cork really need them?


Those clamouring for Cork to do a cut price deal with Ryanair would want to take note of the fact that Aerlingus have already built up a base at Cork with 4 A320's.

In addition WIZZ, Centralwings, BMI Baby, Jet 2, Malev and CSA operate to Cork and Aer Arann have a significant regional network there.


There is simply no point in giving incentives to Ryanair if its going to undermine the Aerlingus and Aer Arann routes and the position of the overseas carriers

Better to hold tough and let Ryanair come in if they want to on the same terms as everyone else.

[MarkD]

The difference is that with transverse parking at ORK you can use both doors. Doubt BAA would like that at T1 LHR!

[EI896]

That's fine and dandy for Ryanair but to be honest we'd be better in EICK without them, If Lufthansa came there would be a route to Hahn, if SAS started from Stockholm there would be a route from Skavsta the only airline they won't compete with is Aer Lingus cause they know that they are here to stay, easyJet start to LGW and then Ryanair do. And while I'm at it, I don't see why they didn't start a route from EICK to Cherolei when SN Brussles started up to Brussles.

There's a rumour going around about Ryanair going to build a new terminal in Midleton after they didn't get their way with the DAA with the old terminal. Saying they could bring 1.2 million passengers annually and passengers wouldn't care about it's state. Ryanair get their way in EINN, Stansted and alot of low cost airports in Europe but thankfully they haven't in EICK.

[westcorkman]

Assets and the Debt

Originally Posted by EI-MICK

anyone read O' learys interview when announcing the new dublin routes?? he called the governments and DAA idiots and also he couldn't understand why the DAA owns 40% of birmingham airport and 50% of dusseldorf (also the great southern hotels) and the DAA still wan't cork to foot the bill of the new terminal even though they took the assets at the break up.He wreckons by selling interests abroad up to 800M can be made.That would pay for a new terminal at dublin as well as cork.
Government are a joke if they pull this one off or maybe theyl wait and clear the debt come election time,it wouldnt suprise me,it would be some stunt.Billy Kelleher can go screw himself come election time.

Re the above just in case there is any doubt - there were advance discussions as to how best to share out the Aer Rianta International assets. - such as those mentioned by EI Mick. It wasnt that the DAA took them all, NO they were given them as the quid pro quo for taking the Cork Debt. Hence the crazyness of whats going on. Maybe someone should take the DAA to the High Court. They are simply welching on the deal and the Gov has not got the guts to take them on because there is a strong political lobby in Dublin in favour of the DAA and that Political Lobby extends across Fine Gael and also Labour. Thats why none of them down here want to get embroiled- they know that there is no party support at the central (Dublin ) level of any of the Parties. THats why every opportunity must be continuously taken to keep the debt alive as a political issue, no one of the parties will make an issue of it so the public of Cork must keep it on the agenda.

[Tom the Tenor]

Westcorkman, the interesting but sad thing is that the general body of people in Cork know fairly well now that there are issues about the new terminal's debt and to have even arrived at this point has been an achievement. The sad part of it from my own observations is that a lot of people look on the subject as being a mild sort of joke and have not quite grasped the point how the airport will be stitched up for a long time to come if the cost is not taken up by the crowd at the DAA bearing in mind the now infamous committement given by Minister Seamus Brennan on the matter.

What Cork folk see now is a smart, bright new terminal open and working and as the new terminal settles in for the locals with departures starting from next Tuesday my fear is that the topic may go cold. However, all is by no means lost, the question of the airbridges remains and may yet be taken up as a topic again keeping the airport as a lively subject for social and political debate!

I am not overly surprised by the Fine Gael and Labour Party disinterest in Cork Airport at their Dublin HQs. You just have to note the waffle from Fine Gael's Bernard Allen the other day in the local press looking for a grand, big Ryanair presence at Cork like there is a Shannon quickly forgetting the substantial operation Cork has all ready from EI, RE and from the European alrlines with significant services to Cork. Maybe, well intentioned by Bernie Allen and others, yes but ultimately cluess on the airport as they just don't get it unless votes at next year's General Election can be directly linked to what happens at the airport.

The lack of strong local political suport has been a weakness at Cork Airport for a long, long time more so when you compare it to the popular and political support so enjoyed by Shannon for decades and now to be up against it too from the ex Aer Rianta DAA mandarins in Dublin whom have never taken Cork seriously may just be too much for even the strongest Cork Airport supporters to deal with and overcome? To be sure it is not easy.

[brian_dromey]

Who needs FR?

Its been really interesting to see the local press get all fussed over FRs threats about how charges at ORK and FR services are inversly proportional. Load of rubbish, I say.

FR will NEVER pull out of Cork-Dublin or Cork-STN. I guarantee it. Ireland-UK services are the mainstay of FRs profits, look what FR did to GO and Easyjet when they dared to 'invade' ryanair turf. OK we may not have a huge FR network at ORK, but so much the better, I say. Variety is the spice of life, and actually benifits an airport like ORK. Imaging if ORK was just carved up betwenn FR and EI, no-one would dream of comming anywhere near the place. And God knows we need new airlines&routes at ORK.

Come on FRA/CPH/MXP(or LIN)/etc!!!

[lm06]

anyone know conclusively if anyone from CAA ranks reads this thread ?


as of this evening what's it like check-in wise at ORK ? am i safe rolling up an hour or less before departure like usual or is it 90-120mins

[Tom the Tenor]

I should say that you should give it an hour anyway. However, with departures from the new place beginning on Tuesday morning it might be a good idea to extend that a bit more just in case! Anyone know if the CAA types are gettin' disturbance money for moving to the new place? Afterall, something like that would be right up Public Service Street or are those days now gone?

The more I come to think about it my idea of starting a campaign to fund The People's Airbridges at Cork Airport the more I am beginning to like it! Say, €5 or even €1 per person depending on one's ability and sending off a cheque to the powers that be in support of extra airbridges for deserving Cork passengers! A functional manifestation of People Power in support of our local airport. At the very least it might shame those multinationals in the DAA so what about something like - Dear DAA, Please find enclosed my contribution of €5 cheque in support of The People's Airbridges for Cork Airport! Your faithfully, etc!

Does anyone know conclusively if Santy Claus visits us every year on 25th December!?

[jongeman]

Originally Posted by Tom the Tenor

Does anyone know conclusively if Santy Claus visits us every year on 25th December!?

Sorry to disappoint, but the Ireland slot is usually on the 24th December between 2330 and 2345, before moving onto the UK which takes at least half an hour.

[ryan2000]

Brian Dromey

Brian , your latest post is spot on ! Up Cork.