OLYMPICS 2012

[compton3bravo]

According to an article in today´s Daily Telegraph (19 January) the number of flights at Heathrow are to be cut by 20 per cent during the Olympic period. The reason being they do not want overcrowding and long delays (bad publicity old boy!). No charter, executive or heads of state flights will be allowed so b****r off to Stansted, Luton, Cardiff or anywhere else you can get a slot to land and then try and get to the event by road or rail.
Oh dear what a farce - typical UK in 2012 I´m afraid.

[Skipness One Echo]

Scheduled flights will operate as normal, nothing is being canceled, however ad-hoc and biz flights that may have expected to operate into LHR will not be doing so. This is not 20% of the daily operation so the story is not accurate or missing some important detail.

Flights out of Heathrow to be cut by a fifth during London 2012 Olympics - Telegraph

Normal scheduled services will continue to operate but unscheduled flights carrying the rich and famous will be banned. Private jets and charter flights, normally able to land at Heathrow, will be told to go to Stansted or other airports outside London

The airport will be allowed a maximum of 36 take-offs and landings an hour, compared with around 43 or 44 during peak hours in summer 2011.

LHR does rather more than 44 takes off and landings per hour on a usual day. Even LGW can get it to 50 an hour. Lazy journos yet again?

[Groundloop]

LHR does rather more than 44 takes off and landings per hour on a usual day.

LHR's record hourly rate was 99 movements an hour - so that's about 45 take offs and 45 landings. The normal maximum is 84 an hour - 42 of each. It is bad wording in the article that does not make clear that it is 36 of EACH type of movement ie 72 total movements an hour. LHR has reduced movement rates in the middle of the day (firebreaks) to allow for clearing accumulated delays. Therefore an average rate of 72 seems reasonable if unscheduled movements are removed.

Even LGW can get it to 50 an hour.

LGW's normally operates up to 56 an hour (28 of each type). Record was 62 movements in one hour.

[pottwiddler]

So what we have here is typically shoddy journalism, and a possibly ex-pat Daily Telegraph reader, (sorry can't resist a jibe, nothing personal.)

Farnborough,Southend and Bournemouth (for the boaty bits) are already 'bracing' themselves for the Olympic traffic as are other airports i'm told. Preparations had started last year if not 2010.

[pabely]

Very much so, if you have not booked your slot already........

Just ask Signature, Harrods or TAG. As the bouncer said, 'if your names not on the list, you ain't getting in'. Subject to block bookings by agents of course......

[paully]

And I suspect there are many of us who find the whole the whole running and jumping fest a completely boring waste of money and cant wait for it to be over

[nigel osborne]

Paully.

Oh come on.. get that union jack out and don't be so miserable lol


Nigel

[pabely]

Paully

Don't you think it will be a great boost for UK Plc along with the Royal Occation in the summer? Doesn't the UK need millions of visitors spending all their dosh - God it will be a bun fest for most airlines & airports?

[MidlandDeltic]

Don't you think it will be a great boost for UK Plc along with the Royal Occation in the summer? Doesn't the UK need millions of visitors spending all their dosh - God it will be a bun fest for most airlines & airports?

Ah, the same arguments we hear last year supporting the royal and presidential visits to Ireland - €30m + spent and no tangible gain, but five days lost trade to many Dublin businesses. The only "boost" will be for the "financial institutions" who lent the money for the sites to be built. The only jobs created will be temporary in consturction, or minimum wage in the hospitality and retail sectors. However, the costs to other businesses in increased security and disruption and travel / accomodation costs due to "demand" which will occur in their normal operatons will more than balance any gains.

But hey, enjoy the flag waving.

[Guest 112233]

Re those Ecomomic Benefits

First; the Telegraph story was just plain poor reporting by a Journo(s) who did not have any real comprehension of the situation, which they were wtrinting about. For those ppruners who are foreign, the "Newspaper" from which the article is taken; is one of our "quality !" newspapers -Enough said.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here; but I think that in recent Olympic Games - Tourism from abroad has actually fallen in the year of the games in the host country, because of the expectation of increased accomadation and travel sosts.

Please note;Barcelona may have been an exeption.

Peeople who come for the games as part of a package are inevitably tied to stadium unlike "ordinary" Tourists. - A possible loss there.

There's likely to be road transport disruption - Another ecomomic loss. Same for rail and even ferries. Lets see if there is an ecomomic boost ?

Personally speaking; i hope it all goes well - but I'm not a fan of the whole scheme, political hubris.

As for the Jublie - Well its the first since Queen Victoria - And given the royal families longjevity - It will be a very long time untill the next. Horay !

CAT III

(School Athete (Always last) and viva republica )

[pabely]

Lets forget the whole thing then! I know in the Luton area you can’t get a hotel room anywhere and that's miles from any Olympic site.

As for the aviation sector things like this are waste of time for the operators? I know Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick will be maxed out.

Will Super Bowl XLVI Set the Private Jet Record? - The Wealth Report - WSJ

Long term growth for UK Plc, maybe not, but short term, a hell of welcome income where the Eurozones problems are killing UK Plc at the moment - sorry don't want to push this thread into politics.

[LGS6753]

The Olympics will adversely affect many parts of the economy. For example, London theatres are finding bookings very low in July/August. Tourism elsewhere in the UK is suffering a lack of inbound bookings for fear of congestion/high costs. Those who work in London are likely to suffer crowded trains/tubes/buses, making life difficult, to say nothing of the loopy decision to close traffic lanes in London to allow "VIPs" easy access to Stratford.
Congestion costs UK plc big time!

[PAXboy]

Some London West End theatres have simply scheduled a shut down for maintenance. Unheard of in their history.

The politicians who supported this (Blair etc.) are already mostly gone and, by the time the full cost has been counted in ten years time?

This was one thing we should have ENSURED that the French got.