Airlines, Airports & Routes Topics about airports, routes and airline business.

LUTON -8

Old 18th Apr 2017, 00:12
  #6021 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Oh Cavey
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by port_94
Its so much better
Touch wood there hasn't been any delay in pax disembarking because of steps with the new pooled equipment
Pax waiting for border force is a different issue though haha

All the new equipment runs on a telematics system, you have to swipe your ID pass for anything to start up.
Everything is recorded now, last user, speed, braking action or if you make contact with the aircraft and it all gets logged in the airports system. They really are splashing the cash out on ramp. It's long overdue
No more cases such as re-instate the chip shop five then !
Captain_Caveman is offline  
Old 18th Apr 2017, 05:27
  #6022 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: In the sticks
Posts: 9,805
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
One of the biggest complaints from passengers is the length of time it takes to get luggage to the belts. Is that just down to a lack of staff or a lack of belts to put the cases on?

One of the last tasks, as part of the increase in capacity of the terminal, is the increase in size of the baggage hall. That can't take place until the temporary arrivals waiting area is moved from the original 1960's terminal into the new build. Seeing that half the new build in the former bus station area still hasn't seen a single piece of steelwork installed yet after 16 months of site clearance it is going to be a long wait.
LTNman is online now  
Old 18th Apr 2017, 07:49
  #6023 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Luton
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by LTNman
One of the biggest complaints from passengers is the length of time it takes to get luggage to the belts. Is that just down to a lack of staff or a lack of belts to put the cases on?
It's not a lack of staff it's the way the airport organise it.
Both handerling agents have about 10-12 trucks each and if we have all these planes hit the ground at the same time it's just too much for us to handle in such a small space of time. Your average wizz and easyJet flights have 60-70 bags (1 truck)
Whereas Ryanair's are touching the 100 mark and Thomson are well over 180 (2 trucks)

Most of the baggage delays come from first wave. We only have 4 inbound belts which are not big enough to take 2 flights and belt 1 can only take one small flight so most of the time we are waiting for space on the belts

Only exception to all this is the nights
Come 1-3am they run the operation with a "skeleton" crew, basically the bare minimum amount of loaders and sometimes there are delays there
port_94 is offline  
Old 18th Apr 2017, 07:56
  #6024 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: In the sticks
Posts: 9,805
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The airport always blames the handling agents and tells the passengers to complain direct to them when passengers kick off on the airports Facebook page. I always had a suspicion that a lack of belts was one of the reasons which is down to the airports own infrastructure limitations. Hopefully during 2018 this will be sorted out when the new belts come on line
LTNman is online now  
Old 18th Apr 2017, 08:32
  #6025 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Luton
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by LTNman
The airport always blames the handling agents and tells the passengers to complain direct to them when passengers kick off on the airports Facebook page. I always had a suspicion that a lack of belts was one of the reasons which is down to the airports own infrastructure limitations. Hopefully during 2018 this will be sorted out when the new belts come on line
The belts in operation now are still attached to the old terminal that's how you know they're old and outdated
I think the airport misjudged the amount of baggage passengers would carry and decided to just test the limits of their old systems
port_94 is offline  
Old 18th Apr 2017, 08:56
  #6026 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Luton
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Changes to Stands 16-19



FYI guys, I wonder how many A321 the airport are expecting
port_94 is offline  
Old 18th Apr 2017, 14:47
  #6027 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Between the check-in desks
Posts: 443
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It has already been mentioned that these stands will only be used by the airport for night stoppers which will allow Signature to use the stands during the day.

Great post by the way!
Spanish eyes is offline  
Old 18th Apr 2017, 20:18
  #6028 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: UK
Posts: 956
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
What was happening around stands 2-3 a couple of hours ago? Lots of fire engines it seemed surrounding an aircraft?
Dannyboy39 is online now  
Old 19th Apr 2017, 11:54
  #6029 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Top 30 Routes for 2017 (Jan to Mar)

Some interesting figures with some Eastern European routes down

Amsterdam – 173,771 (+42%)
Copenhagen – 172,294 (-4%)
Bucharest – 128,630 (+22%)
Geneva – 127,171 (+92%)
Budapest – 126,297 (0)
Barcelona – 109,283 (+143%)
Warsaw – 98,941 (+18%)
Dublin – 82,832 (+2%)
Paris – 76,080 (+19%)
Belfast – 72,276 (0)
Edinburgh – 70,712 (+21%)
Tel Aviv – 68,193 (+14%)
Katowice – 66,537 (-7%)
Vilnius – 64,660 (+8%)
Cluj-Napoca – 64,063 (+19%)
Sofia – 59,802 (0)
Glasgow – 56,874 (+7%)
Kaunas – 52,102 (+158%)
Gdansk – 51,852 (-6%)
Tenerife – 50,210 (+61%)
Reykjavik – 46,182 (+27%)
Alicante – 41,956 (+14%)
Malaga – 41,257 (+18%)
Zurich – 40,564 (+93%)
Riga – 39,144 (-1%)
Berlin – 39,062 (+5%)
Poznan – 36,815 (+1%)
Iasi – 34,595 (+64%)
Lisbon – 33,503 (+38%)
Lanzarote – 29,989 (+19%)
AvGeek1 is offline  
Old 20th Apr 2017, 07:35
  #6030 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Essex
Posts: 1,464
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thomson

So just 2 aircraft it seems from TOM next year, down to 26 weekly departures

Cancelled Routes
Antalya
Bourgas
Heraklion
Skiathos

Frequency Cuts
Corfu
Faro
Ibiza
Malaga
Menorca
Palma Mallorca
Paphos
Tenerife-South
FRatSTN is offline  
Old 20th Apr 2017, 08:17
  #6031 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Milton Keynes
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Anyone know why Thomson are cutting back so much next year- is this a capacity cut or are they placing more PAX on other airlines? Are bookings down for this year or yields lower?
22/04 is online now  
Old 20th Apr 2017, 08:31
  #6032 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: 35,000ft
Posts: 981
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by 22/04
Anyone know why Thomson are cutting back so much next year- is this a capacity cut or are they placing more PAX on other airlines? Are bookings down for this year or yields lower?
Perhaps Jet2 setting up shop up the road with 7 aircraft this summer has stole a few customers?
pamann is offline  
Old 20th Apr 2017, 09:22
  #6033 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: In the sticks
Posts: 9,805
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
When one thinks that Luton in years gone by was known as a charter airport with over 3 million charter passengers in the days of Court Line and around 2 million passengers up until 1995 has seen that part of the business has all but disappear.

Luton's bottom of the table customer reviews and customer experience won't have helped matters either when families decide where to fly from.
LTNman is online now  
Old 20th Apr 2017, 17:28
  #6034 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Hitchin
Posts: 1,405
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Looks like Transavia flights to Paris Orly, might be coming to an end from October. Nothing bookable from November onwards from Luton, but flights from other destinations to Orly, are all available.
Powerjet1 is offline  
Old 20th Apr 2017, 17:52
  #6035 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Between the check-in desks
Posts: 443
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Seems that Luton's lost Thomson 737 is being transferred to Gatwick next year. Passengers voting with their feet? Can't say I would want to use Luton if I was living in North London if there was an alternative airport. Last years shenanigans could well have affected this years bookings which is reflected in next years cutback.

Anyone arriving by car last year could well have faced massive delays to travel the last mile. The shuttle bus from the station remains a nightmare with even the bendy buses now filled to capacity with two smaller standard single decker buses seemingly permanently replacing two of the larger capacity buses. Who in there right mind would want to use that mode of transport with a load of suitcases for a 2 week holiday with kids? Once inside the terminal it was standing room only last year and this year it will be little better.

Add to that Thomson flights from Gatwick are usually cheaper means that Luton has very little appeal.
Spanish eyes is offline  
Old 21st Apr 2017, 11:12
  #6036 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: In the sticks
Posts: 9,805
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
While I agree with much of the above post it is somewhat spoiled by the last paragraph.

The problem with the development is that it is in the passengers faces rather than hidden away but for Luton it can't be any other way due to constants on the land available and ever rising passenger numbers. Also work can only be done in a set order rather than the most urgent issues being tackled first with at least another years worth of work on the terminal before it is finished.


I totally agree that someone has cocked up big time with the drop off zone which just adds to the long list of bad designs. In recent years we have seen arriving cars having to cross the path of cars trying to leave. A set of traffic lights on the CTA roundabout that only lasted a matter of days and pay barriers on the exist lanes to the drop off zone which would bring traffic to a standstill. I think all of the above has happened in the last 5 years and now we have a single lane with 4 planned pedestrian crossings.

If Luton was flattened it would take longer than 6 months to rebuild it, more like 2 or 3 years and what would happen to the existing traffic? I don't see the other London airports absorbing 15 million passengers.

With work starting on the new station and cut and cover tunnel out of the CTA around the end of the year there is a few more years of work until 2021 before it is all finished.
LTNman is online now  
Old 21st Apr 2017, 11:39
  #6037 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Hyperspace
Posts: 721
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
The reduction of TOM capacity next Summer is part of a bigger picture to relocate various aircraft across bases (STN is loosing its long-haul operation)

TOM loads from LTN are historically very good, but obviously its been decided that the 737 can be better deployed elsewhere. There are other issues such as crewing that also can come into play here (and the need to protect the valuable LGW slots).......but the chaos in the terminal area of the last few years will certainly not have helped!

Last edited by boeing_eng; 21st Apr 2017 at 11:58.
boeing_eng is offline  
Old 21st Apr 2017, 11:45
  #6038 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Powerjet1
Looks like Transavia flights to Paris Orly, might be coming to an end from October. Nothing bookable from November onwards from Luton, but flights from other destinations to Orly, are all available.
Maybe we will see Vueling pick up the route either from Orly or Charles de Gaulle.
AvGeek1 is offline  
Old 21st Apr 2017, 12:37
  #6039 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: A place you do not know
Posts: 512
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Surely the airport is actually happier that Thomson have released a plane from LTN. One plane on some days would do one flight a day and that was it. Now Thomson will use both planes to the maximum with less sitting around. Also the space has left it for someone else to base the plane here and make more of the based plane. Thomson are only there for peak season and the airport will surely benefit from them reducing and someone else having it for the whole summer. Also heard that it could be 2 757's with the other 737-8 switching with an 757 from LGW.

Last edited by Boeing737-8; 22nd Apr 2017 at 11:20. Reason: BOEING ENG
Boeing737-8 is offline  
Old 21st Apr 2017, 12:47
  #6040 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Milton Keynes
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Boeing 737-8 makes a good point. LTN never was a three aircraft base in the strict sense of the word, with w-patterns and days when not all aircraft were used- it was said this allowed for maintenance. There are few routes actually being lost and I am not sure if Thomson book pax on to other services all destinations except possibly Anatalya and Skiathos are served by other operators from LTN so this is theoretically possible. When making comparisons with charter in days of yore the frequency of flights to most IT destinations is far higher these days with many making their own arrangements -I know a family of four going to PMI with EASY with self booked apratment and diving.

Deployment to ABZ for Thomson makes sense - self arranging is less possible from there.

Last edited by 22/04; 21st Apr 2017 at 14:29.
22/04 is online now  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.