NEWCASTLE - 8
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: southern spain
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Of course we travel ''overseas'' Skyman (started in 1958) and I must say I have never experienced any difficulties at any airports or sea ports worldwide. I thankfully live overseas and like a lot of other ex-pats we only go back to dear old blighty when we really have to. You only realise how unwelcoming and bad it is (cannot go there, can't park there, signs everywhere telling what you can and cannot do) when you are away for say three months and not on a two week holiday. Sorry to be so negative but that is how I and many others see it unfortunately.
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Durham
Age: 77
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Don't you guys travel overseas ?? as you will find that arrivals halls, and the areas approaching them frequently ban mobiles. You try and use your mobile in a US customs arrivals hall & see what happens if you are caught. You may find that "being barked at" is not the worst experience that one can have.
As it happens I too have been "barked at" by security at NCL whilst innocently trying to rearrange a taxi due to incompetence elsewhere. I certainly didn't take kindly to it, but had to accept that someone somewhere must have worked out some contrived reason why this is a security risk, though I have to presume that this reason must be so obscure and contrived that to publish it would in itself be rendered an act of treason!!
As it happens I too have been "barked at" by security at NCL whilst innocently trying to rearrange a taxi due to incompetence elsewhere. I certainly didn't take kindly to it, but had to accept that someone somewhere must have worked out some contrived reason why this is a security risk, though I have to presume that this reason must be so obscure and contrived that to publish it would in itself be rendered an act of treason!!
The UKBA personnel at the other regional airports have been upwardly professional and engaging. Newcastle's simply are not. Even the BAA outposts offer a better level. Maybe its the management of the UKBA at Newcastle that encourages such miserableness.
Since the vast majority of Newcastle's flights are leisure the over zealousness of the UKBA as they check a plane load of Mr and Mrs Smith from a week in Benidorm really rings home.
Join Date: May 2011
Location: IOM
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JKKne, it makes no difference. Allow me to inform you that many illegal drugs, tobacco and money smuggling etc etc are not on suspicious routes. Thy are often people who take routes which mean their inbound would be less suspicious to travelling to Benidorm to then fly in to the UK as a leisure tourist is a perfect route.
But understand that also.
But understand that also.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: up north
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As ash66 said, it's not HMRC (Customs) at NCL - they seem very adept at spotting the cigarette smugglers, etc., without disturbing everybody else, it's the UKBA. The set up is constrained by funnelling all arrivals through those corrals (which are actually designed to be adapted to straight-through when it's quiet, if somebody had the initiative) to just 3 UKBA desks, one of which is for nominally non-eu. I have some sympathy for the people manning those desks. They process most Eu/uk passport holders as fast as possible, given the constraints of the equipment they are using, and they must put up with some grief from very frustrated passengers. but do the maths - say 30 secs avge per pax allowing for any extended questioning, etc., equals 6 pax processed per minute, so get the EK plus a coupla 737's/A320's arriving together, and it could take 2 hours to clear them all through that funnel. In reality, they get them processed a lot faster than that, so they must be pushing people through at quite a rate - there's just not enough of them.
nb. There's enough signs now at every UKBA airport area explicitly telling you not to use a mobile.
nb.nb. If you think that Mr and Mrs J.Public are smuggling innocents, try and be around when HMRC decides to have a good go at an inbound Tenerife (which bizarrely is duty free), and see all the jolly holiday makers from yoofs through frail oldies having their thousands of fags being confiscated.
nb. There's enough signs now at every UKBA airport area explicitly telling you not to use a mobile.
nb.nb. If you think that Mr and Mrs J.Public are smuggling innocents, try and be around when HMRC decides to have a good go at an inbound Tenerife (which bizarrely is duty free), and see all the jolly holiday makers from yoofs through frail oldies having their thousands of fags being confiscated.
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: UK
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But it still takes them longer than any other airport to process someone who is quite obviously local.
Maybe we should all be chipped like animals' pet passports so we can walk straight through a barrier.
Maybe we should all be chipped like animals' pet passports so we can walk straight through a barrier.
Join Date: May 2011
Location: IOM
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I like the idea of chips, but more like a chip card (chip and pin) - like at a tube station put it in and enter your pin (in case of theft) and then walk right through or get bagged by UKBA if there's issues flagged and it almost happened with the ID cards, but alas it didn't go forward.
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Newcastle
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FRA Route
I do believe that in the Airport Birthday press release Management stated that FRA was high on the list of routes that the airport wished to secure. However given the airports stagnation I am not suprised that Lufthansa has chosen ABZ over NCL. I really fear that in his current role Mr Laws is way in over his head and the management have no idea how to take Newcastle forward. As a airport we failed to maintain current or attract key business routes essential for the regions future economy. In particular Germany and France is poorly served from Newcastle including key business areas and we no longer have any scheduled services to Italy. Almost every press release that Newcastle releases regarding routes they wish to secure you will find New York gets a mention, the birthday press release been a prime example. They need to ditch this idea completely as it aint going to happen and concentrate on trying to secure key business routes within Europe to destinations such as FRA.
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Netherlands
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BE BA Codeshare
I see there is now a codeshare with BA on the FlyBe LGW service. If your flying BA then this connects with quite a number of BA routes that are no longer available via LHR as BA have moved them to LGW.
I would immagine you will earn BA miles and Tier points now on this route. Should give it a bit of a boost perhaps.
I would immagine you will earn BA miles and Tier points now on this route. Should give it a bit of a boost perhaps.
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Newcastle
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I'm fairly sure management are doing their best to attract new business in to Newcastle in these difficult times. It is their job after all.
The role that he has been doing for years now, what do you base this on? Do you work for NIAL and understand what's actually going on?
As for new routes, well times couldn't be harder for an airline to take risks on new routes. The price of fuel, APD and the decline in passenger numbers are just a few.
I really fear that in his current role Mr Laws is way in over his head and the management have no idea how to take Newcastle forward
As for new routes, well times couldn't be harder for an airline to take risks on new routes. The price of fuel, APD and the decline in passenger numbers are just a few.
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Newcastle
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Ops Guy - I am well aware of what is going on at Newcastle - the answer is nothing. Your right the management are doing their best the problem is their best is not good enough. Yes it is their job but I am afraid one that they are not up to and should be removed from as soon as possible.
Yes Mr Laws has been doing the job for years and since taking over the role the airport has been in a steady decline. I appreciate your defence of the airport management team but it is not based on any fact, do you have any evidence of what they have achieved?
I get tired of airport management using the old argument of APD and the price of fuel. That same price of fuel and APD (which is totally unacceptable) affects other medium sized regional airports such as NCL but we are not seeing the same level of decline affecting Edinburgh, Bristol, Liverpool or East Midlands. Why? If all regional airports have the same problems to deal with and they deal with them better and continue to attract new business then the assumption can only be that they are managed better than NCL.
Yes Mr Laws has been doing the job for years and since taking over the role the airport has been in a steady decline. I appreciate your defence of the airport management team but it is not based on any fact, do you have any evidence of what they have achieved?
I get tired of airport management using the old argument of APD and the price of fuel. That same price of fuel and APD (which is totally unacceptable) affects other medium sized regional airports such as NCL but we are not seeing the same level of decline affecting Edinburgh, Bristol, Liverpool or East Midlands. Why? If all regional airports have the same problems to deal with and they deal with them better and continue to attract new business then the assumption can only be that they are managed better than NCL.
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Durham
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That's a pretty simplistic assumption. Traffic at Manchester and Glasgow has declined at an even faster rate than Newcastle. Are you claiming that these airports are even more badly run? The performance of the airport is reasonable given the size of the population and the strength or otherwise of the North East economy.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Scotland
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Edinburgh, Bristol, Liverpool and East Midlands all have larger catchment areas than NCL, which is probably why they're doing a bit better through the mean times. However, which of those airports have a fairly successful Dubai route, or long haul in general (apart from the EDI-EWR route)? 
Things will get better, it'll just take time.
Things will get better, it'll just take time.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: up north
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NCL Management
As has been pointed out elsewhere on Pprune, a successful airport is not just about new scheduled routes. Is it seriously been suggested that current management is not as good as the previous regime ? - yes there was growth in routes, but a slight economic downturn, and they are pulled, which rather suggests that the underlying yield and profitability profile out of NCL is not as good as elsewhere. That is hardly the airport management's fault.
It would also appear that the previous regime has saddled the airport with a massive debt burden (justified on a business plan forecasts focussed on volume growth) that will have to be paid for somehow (probably by cost-cutting, and which also restricts the cash available for any short term operational improvements).
What is needed now for Newcastle is to re-build a sustainable financial structure, based on a rock solid stable core of business, with a proportionate mix of Sched, loco, and charter, and it seems to me that this is excatly what is going on.
It would also appear that the previous regime has saddled the airport with a massive debt burden (justified on a business plan forecasts focussed on volume growth) that will have to be paid for somehow (probably by cost-cutting, and which also restricts the cash available for any short term operational improvements).
What is needed now for Newcastle is to re-build a sustainable financial structure, based on a rock solid stable core of business, with a proportionate mix of Sched, loco, and charter, and it seems to me that this is excatly what is going on.
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dubai and Sunderland
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Nclflts
When it boils down to it you cannot make an airline fly any where and you cannot make people fly to these destinations. The NE has a limited demo graphical destination list! Look at the routes that have been and gone; MUC, SXF, HAM, CGN, CPH, BGY, CIA, BUD those just off top of my head and not including the charter routes lost to increase in low cost! Plus with a limited number of paxs in catchment area new routes impact on existing routes both low cost and charter. Business routes again limited need for direct flights better to feed hubs! FRA will come LH has been promising it for years, but just remember with the limited catchment FRA will effect AMS, LHR, DXB etc etc
Better to have a well balanced number of destinations which all do well rather than a boom and bust approach i.e. new route booms whilst other bust and disappear. As for NYC well I think it will eventually happen and would be a perfect fitting hub to add to NCL's destination list.
When it boils down to it you cannot make an airline fly any where and you cannot make people fly to these destinations. The NE has a limited demo graphical destination list! Look at the routes that have been and gone; MUC, SXF, HAM, CGN, CPH, BGY, CIA, BUD those just off top of my head and not including the charter routes lost to increase in low cost! Plus with a limited number of paxs in catchment area new routes impact on existing routes both low cost and charter. Business routes again limited need for direct flights better to feed hubs! FRA will come LH has been promising it for years, but just remember with the limited catchment FRA will effect AMS, LHR, DXB etc etc
Better to have a well balanced number of destinations which all do well rather than a boom and bust approach i.e. new route booms whilst other bust and disappear. As for NYC well I think it will eventually happen and would be a perfect fitting hub to add to NCL's destination list.