Ryanair - 8
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Yes an airbridge is used now days in airports like AGP, but we dont know the price FR is paying for them, maybe free use, we dont know.
Even in TFS we dont always use them, many of the flights are now using the new bit (no airbridge, no shops, no vending machines), where pax walk down to the a/c.
Demand for ALC in the winter is limited, the pax are almost made up of second home owners, who go boots for the meal deal, dont checkin a 15/20kg bag, and tend not to buy anything onboard.
fr-
Even in TFS we dont always use them, many of the flights are now using the new bit (no airbridge, no shops, no vending machines), where pax walk down to the a/c.
Demand for ALC in the winter is limited, the pax are almost made up of second home owners, who go boots for the meal deal, dont checkin a 15/20kg bag, and tend not to buy anything onboard.
fr-
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The air-birdge use in Malaga was part of the deal and FR are paying next to nothing for them. In Malaga you can only use airbridges or remote stands and bus passengers. There is no walking on/off at all.
The problem in ALC is that Ryanair never used them until the new Terminal opened and its not part of the deal and FR shouldn't have to use them and pay the extra costs when ALC is breaking the contract by making them.
And Ryanair complain about charges in Dublin.
The problem in ALC is that Ryanair never used them until the new Terminal opened and its not part of the deal and FR shouldn't have to use them and pay the extra costs when ALC is breaking the contract by making them.
ALC was €97.62 per hour
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BA have got this whole thing covered, flew MAN-LGW on Sunday, we got off the plane on to the airbridge, walked the length of the airbridge. Then down some stairs and walked outside back along the side of the full length of the airbridge to get on a coach parked alongside the aircraft.
Classic covers all the scenarios for me.
sorry if this is offtrack but couldnt resist.
Classic covers all the scenarios for me.
sorry if this is offtrack but couldnt resist.
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Some ground staff "do not think"
Recently at LPL I was queuing at the bag drop for FR3801 LPL-LPA. They now have a common bag drop for all flights. Due to computer problems everything was running late. I was well back in the queue when Serviceair decided that they needed to ensure that all the bags for my flight had been checked in (very commendable). Their rep. came down the queue shouting "Any more for Las Palmas? Any more for Las Palmas?" - I know that several people missed that flight. A friend who was also on it said it was 23 PAX.
In case you don't get my point, it is this. The airport in Gran Canaria is called "Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria" translated to English, "Gran Canaria Airport". IATA describe airport code "LPA" as being "Gran Canaria". FR's website refers to it as "Gran Canaria" and "Gran Canaria" is what is printed on the confirmation email and boarding cards. The majority of FR PAX who are going on holiday to "Gran Canaria", have booked a flight to "Gran Canaria" and have all their documentation stating "Gran Canaria", will have no idea that the major city on Gran Canaria happens to be called "Las Palmas". Las Palmas is in the North of the island (well away from the main tourist areas).
So here's what happened. 23 people standing in the bag drop queue did not realise they were being called to the front because Serviceair were incapable of announcing the correct destination.
Everyone on this forum will know that I am a huge supporter of FR, but I really do think that 23 PAX missing their flight because of this sloppiness is ridiculous.
In case you don't get my point, it is this. The airport in Gran Canaria is called "Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria" translated to English, "Gran Canaria Airport". IATA describe airport code "LPA" as being "Gran Canaria". FR's website refers to it as "Gran Canaria" and "Gran Canaria" is what is printed on the confirmation email and boarding cards. The majority of FR PAX who are going on holiday to "Gran Canaria", have booked a flight to "Gran Canaria" and have all their documentation stating "Gran Canaria", will have no idea that the major city on Gran Canaria happens to be called "Las Palmas". Las Palmas is in the North of the island (well away from the main tourist areas).
So here's what happened. 23 people standing in the bag drop queue did not realise they were being called to the front because Serviceair were incapable of announcing the correct destination.
Everyone on this forum will know that I am a huge supporter of FR, but I really do think that 23 PAX missing their flight because of this sloppiness is ridiculous.
Last edited by blueplatinum; 29th Jul 2011 at 21:51.
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So here's what happened. 23 people standing in the bag drop queue did not realise they were being called to the front because ServiceAir were incapable of announcing the correct destination.
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Originally Posted by Cazza_fly
At the end of the day Servisair and all other agents/airlines will normally only go by airport names/areas rather than actual destinations. Other examples will include Arrecife for Lanzarote, Palma for Majorca, Mahon for Menorca... etc etc... It really wouldn't have been something the agent will have been thinking at the time, though I can understand your frustrations perhaps when you have time to think into it... However quickly looking around various airline sites it seems Ryanair is pretty much in the minority for calling such airports more by the destination/island name than the airport/area name. So if you really look into it Servisair were not incapable of announcing the correct destination at all really were they? I suppose they could have called everyone for Girona then that would have been the incorrect destination called
Many holiday makers will not know what the local town happens to be called. I am amazed you think you can justify this ridiculous situation
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Liverpool, in common with all other UK airports, display "Las Palmas". This is not correct and is equally misleading.
As I mentioned, the bag drop is a common one for all FR flights so there is no reason why any PAX would have noticed at that point that the wrong name was being used in the airport to describe their destination.
To give some background:
In fact our airport has had three different names in total. Originally it was named after the area in which it was built and was called "Aeropuerto de Gando", however several years later the name was changed to reflect the main Spanish city it serves and it became “Aeropuerto de Las Palmas” (or as we would say "Las Palmas Airport"). At some time after that IATA introduced their system of airport codes and the code "LPA" was allocated. In 1986 the name was again changed, this time to "Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria" (or as we would say "Gran Canaria Airport"), this was primarily to reflect the appeal of the whole island to international tourism but also helped resolve confusion between "Las Palmas", "La Palma" and "Palma de Mallorca" airports. Despite the 1986 name change, the airport's IATA code has remained “LPA” (as far as I know IATA's policy is NOT to change airport codes in line with name changes) although it is widely thought here that a change to code “GCX” would be more appropriate. (Another example is that Mumbai still has code BOM).
The correct descriptions for the other airports you mention are:
- ACE Lanzarote
- PMI Palma de Mallorca
- MAH Menorca
FR are one of the few airlines that correctly describe LPA as "Gran Canaria" in their written communications.
As I mentioned, the bag drop is a common one for all FR flights so there is no reason why any PAX would have noticed at that point that the wrong name was being used in the airport to describe their destination.
To give some background:
In fact our airport has had three different names in total. Originally it was named after the area in which it was built and was called "Aeropuerto de Gando", however several years later the name was changed to reflect the main Spanish city it serves and it became “Aeropuerto de Las Palmas” (or as we would say "Las Palmas Airport"). At some time after that IATA introduced their system of airport codes and the code "LPA" was allocated. In 1986 the name was again changed, this time to "Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria" (or as we would say "Gran Canaria Airport"), this was primarily to reflect the appeal of the whole island to international tourism but also helped resolve confusion between "Las Palmas", "La Palma" and "Palma de Mallorca" airports. Despite the 1986 name change, the airport's IATA code has remained “LPA” (as far as I know IATA's policy is NOT to change airport codes in line with name changes) although it is widely thought here that a change to code “GCX” would be more appropriate. (Another example is that Mumbai still has code BOM).
The correct descriptions for the other airports you mention are:
- ACE Lanzarote
- PMI Palma de Mallorca
- MAH Menorca
FR are one of the few airlines that correctly describe LPA as "Gran Canaria" in their written communications.
Last edited by blueplatinum; 29th Jul 2011 at 22:56.
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Sorry Blueplatinum but the clue is in the code 'LPA' - the flight was going to Las Palmas....
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Originally Posted by FR-
All boarding cards must have the airport code on them.
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^^
Ha. This island has a great deal to offer, but in all honesty most of the holidaymakers just come for the sun and booze and will never go anywhere near Las Palmas. BTW - the airport is not in Las Palmas.
Ha. This island has a great deal to offer, but in all honesty most of the holidaymakers just come for the sun and booze and will never go anywhere near Las Palmas. BTW - the airport is not in Las Palmas.
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Some longstanding marketing lore Ryanair afficionados may care to reflect on:
"A disgruntled customer is a terrorist"
Another way of saying this is "bad news goes 10 times further than good news"
Just trying to be helpful Mr MOL
"A disgruntled customer is a terrorist"
Another way of saying this is "bad news goes 10 times further than good news"
Just trying to be helpful Mr MOL
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Well I flew the same route today and, looking at my boarding card, the only place the airport codes appear is buried in the very small text that appears to be the human readable version of the bar code on the section that is retained by the ground staff.
I wonder what the flight information screens were showing Las Palmas or Gran Canaria, Servisair were using the correct name at the end of the day.
Liverpool, in common with all other UK airports, display "Las Palmas". This is not correct and is equally misleading
Whether Las Palmas is the official name for the airport or not, it seems all the other passengers made the flight. If the name is that misleading, everyone would miss it!
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Let us approach this from the opposite angle 23 people stood in a queue knowing their flight closing time was approaching and said nothing. Works both ways. More fool them.