Luton-10
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LBC don't have the money to keep the library theatre going so are closing it. Funny how they find cash for other things but not for a bit of culture in the town.
Perhaps they could offer the DART station as a new venue? Not like much else is happening in there anytime soon.
Perhaps they could offer the DART station as a new venue? Not like much else is happening in there anytime soon.
Last edited by LTNman; 22nd Jan 2023 at 17:37.
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At least somebody else is interested in what is going on operationally at Luton while others are rambling on and moaning about sodding local politics. If you are not comfortable where you reside move.
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On topic due to the ownership of the airport and comments about the concessionaire who is holding money back with the agreement of LRT to the detriment of those who are the true owners or do we just talk about the latest diversion and football charter, which should probably be on the spotters forum.
Last edited by LTNman; 22nd Jan 2023 at 20:17.
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Residents own the airport, so 'sodding politics' and the debt LBC are in due their 'dream of being a Gatwick' are affecting investment in their town.
Why should residents move, when 'they' have not mortgaged their airport on a train set!
Sadly whoever advised LBC, will be long gone with a fat cheque to cash, once the roosting chickens arrive and find have no home.
Anyway, the cash must be there to start building T2? After all, why waste residents cash on planning applications.......
Cannot wait to get on the DART and arrive at T2 (assuming the line is ready to be extended.....)
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It's a good point. Does the DART contractor just move the windie things to a new T2 site and superglue more cable together so it goes through another 90 degree turn over a weekend without H&S testing taking another year!
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And who pays for it, LRT/LBC or the new concessionaire seeing the existing concessionaire refused to even chip in? As much as the Dart is a game changer it was never needed for the existing terminal, which had no problems reaching capacity in 2019 using the shuttle bus.
If extended it would be via another cut and cover tunnel that would close taxiway Delta and Foxtrot one at a time. It would then have to cut though an unstable waste tip turning 90 degrees, which would need removing first. As for the additional cost it is anyone’s guess but the £9.80 return fare at todays price would surely have to increase to pay for it.
Another thought regarding the £9.80 return fare. How much of that £9.80 goes to LRT and who gets the rest regarding the sale of an integrated combined railway ticket?
Also seeing there are no ticket offices at the Dart stations how will a Luton pensioner get hold of a concessionary ticket using their bus pass, as they have been told they can travel free?
If extended it would be via another cut and cover tunnel that would close taxiway Delta and Foxtrot one at a time. It would then have to cut though an unstable waste tip turning 90 degrees, which would need removing first. As for the additional cost it is anyone’s guess but the £9.80 return fare at todays price would surely have to increase to pay for it.
Another thought regarding the £9.80 return fare. How much of that £9.80 goes to LRT and who gets the rest regarding the sale of an integrated combined railway ticket?
Also seeing there are no ticket offices at the Dart stations how will a Luton pensioner get hold of a concessionary ticket using their bus pass, as they have been told they can travel free?
Last edited by LTNman; 23rd Jan 2023 at 06:22.
It seems Marseille airport wants to have something similiar to the DART, with cable cars running from Vitrolles train station, and concern that it won't be commercially viable unless Vitrolles station is much more heavily used. Perhaps LTNman should tell them to cancel their plans now ?
https://www.air-journal.fr/2023-01-2...7-5245893.html
https://www.air-journal.fr/2023-01-2...7-5245893.html
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Seems it is not only me that is complaining about how the Dart project has been run.
Report from the BBC who have not provided a link to this article so is a cut and paste job.
Last night, item 11 on the agenda of full council was a discussion regarding some aspect of Luton Rising (Temperature) and the airport. I have no idea what it was about as the Council went into yet another secret session as the public must not know. So much for the democratic process where incompetence results in a fear of the truth.
Report from the BBC who have not provided a link to this article so is a cut and paste job.
Investigate airport shuttle delay, councillor says
An investigation into how a new airport shuttle service has increased in costs by £90m and is more than two years late has been called for by a councillor.
The Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (DART) system was due to open at the end of 2020. Its cost have risen from £200m to about £290m.
David Franks, from the Liberal Democrats, said taxpayers were "entitled to a serious, professional and independent investigation into why all the details weren’t properly planned into the project in the first place".
Luton Rising, which owns the airport, said a "detailed [DART] project program is in place... and we continue to work towards opening by Easter."
"We’ve been given so many start dates, but none of them has happened and the cost just keeps going up all the time", the Liberal Democrat group leader and Barnfield councillor said.
Luton Rising, previously said no precise date could be given but hoped it would be operational in April.
"At the last update, we were told the ticketing system is yet to be sorted," Mr Franks said.
"Didn’t the project managers know when they started work five years ago that they would need a ticketing system?"
A report at Luton Borough Council's overview and scrutiny board heard it was due to construction delays and the "preparation of the operating contractors", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
The DART will be a cable-drawn, driverless railway running on a 1.4-mile (2.2km) line connecting the mainline railway station to the airport terminal in just over three minutes, 24 hours a day.
Luton Rising said the system was a "game-changing project for Luton to deliver a world-class, sustainable and seamless transfer for rail passengers..."
It added: "None of the issues which have already been fully reported threaten the success of the project."
An investigation into how a new airport shuttle service has increased in costs by £90m and is more than two years late has been called for by a councillor.
The Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (DART) system was due to open at the end of 2020. Its cost have risen from £200m to about £290m.
David Franks, from the Liberal Democrats, said taxpayers were "entitled to a serious, professional and independent investigation into why all the details weren’t properly planned into the project in the first place".
Luton Rising, which owns the airport, said a "detailed [DART] project program is in place... and we continue to work towards opening by Easter."
"We’ve been given so many start dates, but none of them has happened and the cost just keeps going up all the time", the Liberal Democrat group leader and Barnfield councillor said.
Luton Rising, previously said no precise date could be given but hoped it would be operational in April.
"At the last update, we were told the ticketing system is yet to be sorted," Mr Franks said.
"Didn’t the project managers know when they started work five years ago that they would need a ticketing system?"
A report at Luton Borough Council's overview and scrutiny board heard it was due to construction delays and the "preparation of the operating contractors", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
The DART will be a cable-drawn, driverless railway running on a 1.4-mile (2.2km) line connecting the mainline railway station to the airport terminal in just over three minutes, 24 hours a day.
Luton Rising said the system was a "game-changing project for Luton to deliver a world-class, sustainable and seamless transfer for rail passengers..."
It added: "None of the issues which have already been fully reported threaten the success of the project."
Last edited by LTNman; 25th Jan 2023 at 08:08.
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I wonder how much Aena will pay for the airport when LBC is forced to sell via a 'fire sale'?
No ticketing system in place - you really could not make it up if you tried! LTNman, how much will you be charged to have your wheelie bins emptied?
No ticketing system in place - you really could not make it up if you tried! LTNman, how much will you be charged to have your wheelie bins emptied?
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There is a list of issues including CCTV being installed in the wrong locations on the route requiring a two week shut down. Problems with the roof and floor. Also lifts don’t have any telephone lines installed for breakdowns and a fire hydrant got forgotten although I think that has been installed.
As for bin charges? I refused to pay the Council Dart tax two years ago, when it was first introduced and I don’t intend to pay it this year either.
As for bin charges? I refused to pay the Council Dart tax two years ago, when it was first introduced and I don’t intend to pay it this year either.
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https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-e...rport-workers/
Some might say the pay rises have happened due to Brexit and the pre Brexit limitless access to cheap labour although the airport has been struggling for years when it comes to recruiting.
That is now two out of three handling agents announcing big pay rises. Are Swissport about to lose all of their staff?
Unite, the UK’s leading union, has secured Luton airport staff employed by Menzies a pay rise worth more than 28 per cent.
That is now two out of three handling agents announcing big pay rises. Are Swissport about to lose all of their staff?
Last edited by LTNman; 26th Jan 2023 at 07:41.
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https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-e...rport-workers/
Some might say the pay rises have happened due to Brexit and its limitless access to cheap labour although the airport has been struggling for years when it comes to recruiting.
That is now two out of three handling agents announcing big pay rises. Are Swissport about to lose all of their staff?
Some might say the pay rises have happened due to Brexit and its limitless access to cheap labour although the airport has been struggling for years when it comes to recruiting.
That is now two out of three handling agents announcing big pay rises. Are Swissport about to lose all of their staff?
As with any Industry, if the competition pay better rates doing similar work then they are likely to loose staff.
Wizz appear to be cutting Olsztyn-Mazury, Palanga and Reykjavik-Keflavik from the end of March and Malaga from mid June
Luton-Ohrid seems to have disappeared from their website for all dates - possibly a summer seasonal which won't return
It should be noted that Ryanair and Wizzair are flying between London (STN/LTN) and Olsztyn-Mazury during the winter on the same days at almost identical times. Very much a head-to-head fight - and one airline has vastly deeper pockets than the other.
TUI will open Gatwick-Ohrid in the spring... perhaps a factor in Wizz dropping Luton-Ohrid
I'm finding it more difficult to understand Wizz's decision to drop specifically Luton to Palanga, Reykjavik and Malaga beyond the generic "poor profitability"
Luton-Ohrid seems to have disappeared from their website for all dates - possibly a summer seasonal which won't return
It should be noted that Ryanair and Wizzair are flying between London (STN/LTN) and Olsztyn-Mazury during the winter on the same days at almost identical times. Very much a head-to-head fight - and one airline has vastly deeper pockets than the other.
TUI will open Gatwick-Ohrid in the spring... perhaps a factor in Wizz dropping Luton-Ohrid
I'm finding it more difficult to understand Wizz's decision to drop specifically Luton to Palanga, Reykjavik and Malaga beyond the generic "poor profitability"
Last edited by davidjohnson6; 26th Jan 2023 at 19:10.
https://www.irishnews.com/news/repub...trips-3003911/
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/easyjet-se...s-2023-1711836
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The Wizz flight to Amman in Jordan is boarding... don't think I've ever seen Border Force and police so interested in chatting to people getting on a departing flight... does this always happen ?
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Flights to TLV operate from all over the world and it’s not been reported that police are having to intervene anywhere.