I sincerely hope it survives too Silverstreak. Not only is Prestwick convenient for me but if it ever closed (and I don't think it will) then it would do away with competition in the central belt which could only be bad for passengers.
Does anyone think that a new owner would make a better job of running Prestwick than Infratil? The hoaching purple decor and THAT pure dead embarassing slogan doesn't do the airport any favours in my opinion.

Sorry guys, bt I´ve really had it with PIK security. Flew this avo and must have queued for over an hour to get through, my flight had been called already and "last call" was going out when I eventually. Thing was there was about ten operators there using only one belt, and they made EVERYONE take off thier bloody shoes. They could easily have opened another belt up with the number of staff they had. They are all just miserable little hitlers so they are. PIK are shooting themselve in the foot and yet again the management really sucks. I was there in plenty of time and usually have a couple of pints airside before boarding but had to rush straight onto the aircraft. Do management not realise that when hundreds of people are standing in the queue for over an hour they are not spending money? Especially as the airport is experincing financial troubles at the moment every penny spent in the airport is a godsend to them!!!

Smith, I can understand how po'd you felt. I flew in from Charleroi over a year ago. The flight was full and there was another flight that had landed at the same time which I think was also full. There were at least 350 passengers in total and I was at the very back of the queue waiting to get through passport control. With only one person checking passports it took nearly 40 minutes just to get my passport checked. There was one young female "upstart" who I complained to because she was just standing about doing absolutely nothing and was told that it was passengers like me who make life difficult for them. Have you tried emailing the mismanagement at Prestwick to complain?

I had an incident a year or so ago when I was wearing my prescripiton sunglasses as I had broken my specs and being late on the STN-PIK I wanted to sleep. Hence contacts out and sunglasses on in the dark. Now in London no one looks twice at things out of the ordainary but on arrival at PIK, I had one of the staff in the dayglo yellow announce loudly to his mates at the gate "Here, luk at that daftie wie the sunglasses on." What he did not expect was me to turn on my heal and yell back at him but before I could retrace my steps he was off.
I asked to see the Duty Manager at the Information Desk but the disinterested woman couldn't understand why I needed to see someone and said "She was airside and might be back in a few hours" They're crap at customer service really...

Long story, short story, I emailed some people and made it damned clear that as a paying customer I expected a minimum degree of service and not some muppet having a go. The gentlemen was identified on CCTV, questioned, and since he was already on a warning, dismissed.

Never be afraid to check the name badge, ensure they see you do it, write it down, and walk away without ever swearing.

Sorry guys, but what you have here is not limited to PIK. I have experienced the same scenario at GLA, EDI, LHR and STN where 'tin pot hitlers' who suddenly have a uniform,and a control and power over normal human beings, take the opportunity to utilise their 'chip on the shoulder' and show what impact they can have on life. Having said that the vast majority of security folk in my experience are good at what they do and they do have a vital role to play.

If we do experience the 'tin pots' then report them as advised earlier.

james170969

Had a similar problem myself not too long ago but I don't think you can lay blame at PIK's door as passport control is down to UK Border Agency, they do need to kick their arses though as it makes a bad first impression of the airport.

The decline has started for good now, Fire category is being reduced over night, then it'll be reduced opening hours, more lay offs..........will the last one out please turn off the lights :}

I sincerely hope that Prestwick Airport survives the current recession (a lot of which I believe is media hype) and goes from strength to strength. As I have said before, if the airport was to close it would take away choice for the consumer and possibly increase the cost of flying although I notice that Ryanair's "taxes and charges" for Prestwick Airport are quite high. I would really like to see another major airline at Prestwick but I wonder what are the chances of that happening.

There is a lot of media hype as well,it was obvious when seguro collapsed there would be long term trouble i dont know what the set up is with the ex Polar hanger but i feel somebody should be in there

I read on one of the movements pages that Ryanair were using the Polar hangar as and when required.

Just back from AGP-PIK, despite all the rumours I was able to carry on my handbaggage AND a yellow plassy bag full of duty free fags.

Well I'II take a turn.... No good complaining on here about PIK security. Firstly I've never had a problem, but the place for compliant is an e-mail direct to the boss, Rodwell. If I remember, I'll try to get his e-mail address. Also, write a letter to the Ayrshire Post, embarrass them.

Re immigration on arrival, I've had the queue of hundreds, one immigration officer doing EU, one standing doing nothing waiting for non EU, and 4, yes 4, Special Branch suits standing behind them, doing whatever us tax payers pay them to do !!!!

Nightime closure seems to have been averted, instead reduced fire cover, increased with prior notice.

Once heard that although Polar vacated the hangar they are contract bound to pay the lease for another two years, unless they can sub lease, or PIK gets a new tenant.

And with Ryanair dominant, other UK airlines are too scared to consider PIK in case Ryanair notices them !

But the bottom line remains, for me at least, no matter what the criticism, the combination of PIK and Ryanair provides a service that wouldn't exist without them wrt price, convenience and speed. I have no love of Easyjet or Flymaybe at GLA, who can't tell the time anytime I fly with them, nor of having to go through MAN or LHR when I can go direct out of PIK. If in the meantime EDI is getting the new routes then it's their turn. We had our turn last autumn, and on past experience, will get our turn again.

Ryanair have flown 28 seperate routes from PIK, most are now no longer daily. However only Lubeck, Kaunas and Cork have been dropped which is a good steady growth in comparison with some other bases.

The recent routes like AGP, FAO and TFS are adding nothing new to the market alas. I wonder where future growth will come from. We shall see....

PIK3141

Yes the two plain clothes were standing there doing whatever they were doing today, I don't know what they were doing but whatever it was it was a sterling job.

I can't believe however, that you have never had to queue at security. On Saturday afternoon there were only two flights leaving and we were queued back to WHSmiths and moving at a snails pace, quite literally it was an hour+ before I got through.

I, like you, am a great fan of PIK mostly due to the convenience and varied routes they provide, in all honestly though who in their right mind would want to transit through LHR or MAN when they can go direct from Prestwick? Maybe if you collect FF miles you would choose BA from GLA with all the hassles of a layover in LHR.

As I say I am a great fan of PIK, its just the management I have a problem with, they just seem to shoot themselves in the foot at every available chance they have.

I remember before the "pure dead brilliant" days, the slogan was "Fly Prestwick, Scotland's Airport", Scotland's airport indeed, they did not even have a saltire flying on any of the flagpoles outside, now go to any airport in the US and there are Star spangled banners flying everywhere. Needless to say a letter to Rodwell or his predecessor (I cant remember now) had the St Andrew's flag flying proudly on the main flag pole within a week. Now this is a minor example but in general management seem to discourage business in the terminal than do anything to encourage it. I'd like to see catering airside opened up to a free market and get McDonald's, Pizza hut etc in instead of that horrible place that has a monopoly on catering airside.

So PIK3141 I am not really that bad a person really and as I repeat am a great supporter of the old lady, we just need some decent management in to promote and exploit as many business opportunities as possible and do things that will make the experience at Prestwick far mor enjoyable than it is now.

signing off now, it was good debating with you all, think its time now for me to stop wasting band width on the old lady, I've said everything about her now that I wanted to say.

Take care all

Smithy

And I noticed driving by after the recent period of high winds (2 or 3 weeks ago if memory serves me right) the saltire outside the terminal is in tatters. Maybe another email is in the pipeline?

"we just need some decent management in to promote and exploit as many business opportunities as possible and do things that will make the experience at Prestwick far mor enjoyable than it is now."
Well said Smith! I totally agree. Maybe new management would get rid of the hoaching purple decor and that embarassing and outdated slogan once and for all!

SHOES - less than impressed
 

I have to object to one person at security - PIK. Yesterday I went straight to security where I was welcomed with 'Good Morning' as was every passenger. Lovely - 100 %. Everyone in the queue was warned to take off belts, all 100 ml in a clear bag and to take off coats. Excellent - top marks.

We walked to the scanning machine and emptied pockets, bag, walet and anything else and walked towards the scanner only to be shouted at with the word:

'SHOES'

by a female who was taking the above items from us at security. Personally I wondered what she ment (I had been to the bar)

Did she mean ......?

YOUR SHOES ARE LOVELY - WHERE DID YOU GET THEM?

OR

I WANT TO SHINE YOUR SHOES BEFORE YOU FLY

OR

YOU STOLE MY SHOES, GIVE THEM BACK

OR

PLEASE CAN YOU PUT YOUR SHOES IN THE SCANNER, SORRY I FORGOT TO ASK YOU TO TAKE THEM OFF

If anyone here works as PIK Please tell this person that she shoud be working in a prison not an airport. If the concept of service does not enter her mind she needs to consider her position.

Flying from PIK next week so will look out for this wummin. I have found the security staff pretty good to be fair; firm but polite. If I encounter this wummin and her apparent dictatorial attitude then she will get some polite feedback from me - contstructive, of course.

Personally as a Prestwick enthusiast i would like to see more aircraft there than anything else

honest man
 

Sorry folks but I have to break my self imposed silence on this.

OMG HM have you been living in a cave? Do you not realise that to get more planes you need to have more passengers, which means you have to have a comfortable building, good service, clean toilets, clean train station, efficient security etc.

Personally I would like to see more aircraft too, but use your pearls of wisdom and tell us all how YOU would go about it. :ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh:

There are alternatives to passengers! In the current economic situation I would hope that PIK management are looking at increasing the number of fuel stops, both civil and military. With many aircraft routing to Central Asia to service the Afghan conflict Prestwick is well placed but does face competition from Shannon, Liege, Leipzig and Frankfurt Hahn.