PRESTWICK
 

Can anyone tell me how often you get AN12s at Prestwick... we have one booked to take some kit down to the Congo on Saturday, 04/02 and was curious.

I'm sure there are people far better qualified than me to answer this but as they haven't bitten yet, I'll give you the benefit of my dubious wisdom. The answer is 'not very often', which might be a bit vague but I present it to you with the best intentions.

We do see the AN124 fairly frequently, there was one here at the weekend. Which doesn't help you I'm afraid. I think there was an AN12 in a couple of weeks ago as I caught a glimpse of it as I drove past.

Ugly buggers, aren't they?

From what I know, I'd say 1-2 a month on average for an An-12s?
An-26s are a bit more common, maybe.

An-124s maybe up to 4-6 in a busy month?

Congo in an AN12, how long will that take?

Give Buster's wife a truck and I bet that she could get it into Africa quicker, just experience her driving!

2-3 AN-12s a month @ PIK , Vega Air and Heli Air being the visitors in January so far I gather.

Yeah 2-3 a month sounds about right although there were at least 5 during December with 2 at once on the 30th.Apart from the 2 operators mentioned by allanmack others are usually Bright aviation,Volare and ACI(UK),although I am led to believe that the one due on Sat is not operated by any of the usual suspects;)

It's Aerovis Airlines based in Kiev if that is of any interest to anyone.

PRESTWICK
 

Hey,

Does anyone know of anymore new routes out of PIK for the summer/autumn? Aer Arann? Romour mill from the FR crew room is that another couple of a/c are to be based there shortly..but to operate what routes?
Also Transavia seem to be here for the long haul as they have started a major marketing campaign, no matter where you drive in Glasgow the telephone boxes all have adverts on as do many billboards etc etc.
Did I read that WizzAir were to announce a 3rd route of PIK?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated
Cheers:8

FR are to replace Lubeck flights with a Wroclaw service
JER charter flights will return next summer operated by Loganair

Are Ryanair replacing all Lubeck flights or only on certain days?

On all days. It is only operating three times a week at the moment

This is what some chums of mine have sent to PIK's management. Are their views shared by others? Is this typical Infratil?

We flew back from Prestwick to Stansted (Ryanair) Monday (1740 flight) and were appalled at the state of the departure lounge:

1) The ladies' lavatories absolutely stank and were most unpleasant to use, with no alternative,
2) All the litter bins in the lounge were full and overflowing,
3) Nobody clearing the crockery in the seated area,
4) The floor needed the litter picking up followed by a good hoover and clean,
5) Coffee stall unmanned,
6) Over £3.00 for a sandwich - exploitation.

As a last memory of Scotland it hardly left the right impression. It reinforced much of the negative approach of your tourist industry that is reported in the English press.

In future we will use Air Berlin into/out of Glasgow City Airport.

Agree that PIK's departure lounge is desperate at present. I gather that there are major plans to completely revamp it but that does not make up for the fact that toilets are not cleaned regularly and that litter is left. (Having said that I am always amazed at the litter left by passengers at all the airports I regularly fly to). As for the catering (SSP) this franchise is a rip off whichever airport they are at and I think they are based in most major UK airports. Quality is crap also and I gather they pay their staff sweet FA - hence the service - it is not just PIK.

As regards flying into Glasgow 'city' airport don't expect anything drastically different if you park at T2 - it is as bad as PIK and needs a major clean up also. Both terminals are now showing their age quite markedly.

That's Infratil, no staff at Manston (mse) 2 ramp staff + fire crews on each shift to run an airport :uhoh:

To compare the 60s style facilities at PIK with the consistently upgraded facilities at GLA is nonsense , some of the worlds major airlines now op from GLA and they will have vetted the facilities before using the airport !:suspect:

Hi, just wondered where you got the info re Loganair, I've not heard anything and I work for them.

Taxiway Alpha Forums

More Prestwick
 

Any new airlines planning on starting up or any new ryanair routes planned?

I use PIK now and again if it's drastically cheaper than EDI/GLA. It used to be much much worse than it is now and when compared to other FR airports, at leats there is the luxury of shops, padded seats and even a carpet (comparing to Lubeck) in Departures.

It would be interesting to see if this airport is majorly upgraded and how major an upgrade it does recieve. The Terminal as it stands is pretty, the only thing that makes it different from when i flew from there in the late 80's is a coat of paint and a WH Smith!

I hope they re-open the Spectators Gallery, it offered great views of the airport and the surrounding area, and it even had a cafe and an indoor area for when the weather was bad (never foggy though :cool: ).


As for the main Glasgow Airport, I like the main Terminal, it is much better than the one at Edinburgh. The T2 section for LOCO flights is a bit of a let down, but it's only for check in and the main terminal more than makes up for it.

FR have announced new routes to Eindhoven and Riga, at the expense of frequencies on other routes

Which routes except twice a week to GSE?

Nobody likes the current manning situation, but it has to be said. It is working.!

Marseilles and Rome (according to posts on Taxiway Alpha Forums)

ok, thanks!!

Fire Hazard At Glasgow Prestwick
 

Had a Hell of a time going flying through the flea pit that PIK has become at the weekend. The elderly security man insisted that I walk back like a naughty school boy to put my housekey that he had inspected closely through the xray machine!! They are sooo patronising. However here's the wierd bit. Smoking indoors is illegal in Scotland so they have opened the outdoor seating area from the departure lounge so that people can sit outside and smoke, under a sign that warns them that this is strictly prohibited.
This is because stands 1A, 1 and 2 are right behind you and aircraft are being fuelled, hence the obvious danger of a fuel spill and flying ash I presume?
Going on the hundreds of cigarette butts discarded and not swept up for god knows how long, the airport authority CANNOT be ignorant of the danger.
Perhaps the CAA needs to have a word.

And to the young man who yelled at me for snapping a shot of the Israel AF 707 on the ramp as I boarded on stand 1, I wasn't last in the queue, I didn't hold anyone up and in future, you remove the safety rope AFTER boarding, not in the middle of it!!! Kind of prevents the need to shout at the two elderly ladies, the woman and child etc who ended up walkin UNDER the wing of the B737-800.

So note to Infratil : Patronising and grumpy security men are NOT GOOD.
Allowing smoking that close to a fuel bowser is NOT GOOD.
Lippy school kids shouting at your customers for not being psychic are NOT GOOD.

However, thanks to the friendly and courteous staff at BAA Stansted who spotted before I went thorugh the machine that my belt would set it off and treated me like a human being as I was searched with GOOD HUMOUR and dignity. Contrast that with the PIK staff who treated me like an idiot for sleepily walking through with my keys in my pocket and shouted at me to keep my arms up as slid his thumbs inside the top off my trousers and did a circuit of my waist and wondered why I objected? Are they allowed to feel in your pants like that??? What the Hell?
Infratil if you are reading this, the flight was Sunday's FR422, your staff are rude and your procedures are scary.

Why dont you write in to the airport and express your concerns if you are that unhappy ? If no one from there reads this forum, its not going to get addressed is it ?
I dont work for/at Prestwick Airport, I fly out of there on a regular basis and I have never experienced any rudeness from the security or ramp staff, I tend to agree that the smoking issue is a concern though :uhoh:

I don't work at or for PIK, but have used Ryanair many times. Lets make the point that if PIK wasn't there and Ryanair didn't fly to two dozen destinations it would be a lot more difficult to come and go into and out of Scotland, the old standards being MAN or LHR.

You open your post going on about a 'flea pit' and that sets your tone. If you don't like it then use LHR/GLA on BA or BMI and see how you like that. You'll certainly need more time to spare.

As said, never had any trouble with the staff and don't recognise your problems. It often takes two to cause such problems, especially if one arrives at a 'flea pit' with attitude. I don't think others of us would describe it so.

Re smoking, the airport declared itself 'smoke free' before the recent law change in Scotland. So write in and complain. Re the rope barrier, Ryanair often shut the rear door before boarding is complete and PIK remove the rear steps - removing the barrier may come first. And you can expect to get shouted at anywhere you digress airside to take photos in this day and age. Stick to around the perimeter where PIK is one of the most photo friendly airports to be had.

So write to PIK, or use GLA, and those of us who appreciate having the airport and its services will get on with continuining to do so.

You misunderstand, the rope barrier was removed with the back door open, boarding half way done and steps in place. I felt sorry for the passengers who got the brunt of it for not realising you were not permitted to walk under the wing. (It might fall off and land on their heads after all). They were not to know. Perhaps I wa simply tired. Perhaps there was something in my keys that neede to be x-rayed. I'm willing to entertain serious suggestions on that one.
And my parents live in Ayrshire and so PIK was closer. Of course the flip side is that with the new M77 GLA ain't that far away either and next time I shall use them.

In fairness the inside of the terminal is fine, the departure lounge as has been mentioned by others is far from what you need. The apron layout and equipment is still from another time but good luck to them.
But there is no excuse not to have the savvy to cover your tracks by sweeping up if you are letting people smoke on the fly.

Moscow - Prestwick
 

Does anyone know anything about flight SDM9069 from Moscow to Prestwick due tomorrow morning at 1050? Is this a one off or will it be a regular occurrence?

Wont be regular- if EDI cant make a Moscow route work- cant see PIK having a regular one

It a one off, Rossia TU154, out Sunday.

SDM=Russian State Transport
Some top Russian politicians comming over to see what a great job South Ayrshire Council has done of collecting this years council tax:D or maybe something else :}
Should be a Tu154 staying till Sunday evening.

Latest passenger figures
 

Does anybody know how PIK passenger numbers have been over the summer? They used to be posted in the website every month but haven't seen any there since june. Also any rumours on new routes and also there were plans a while back for new terminal?

You will get monthly details on the Infratil website under announcements http://www.infratil.com/announcements.htm
I havn't heard anything about new routes other than the Ryanair Riga and Grenoble service due to start soon.
I believe there are plans in the pipeline to increase passenger capacity to 5 million by summer 2007.

PRESTWICK
 

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is delighted to announce today (Thursday May 31) that Wizz Air will operate a three times weekly service to the Polish city of Katowice from Monday September 3.

The announcement follows sustained growth in the airport’s Polish market, with recent strong inbound and outbound performance on the existing four routes.

Glasgow Prestwick’s management team were keen to keep up the focus on the Polish sector during its current position of strength.

Following negotiations which led to the announcement of the Katowice service, both parties were keen to emphasise the merits of working together and echoed each other’s hopes of success.

Wizz will now serve three Polish destinations from Glasgow Prestwick after launching flights to the capital city Warsaw and the fashionable coastal spa resort of Gdansk in 2006.

Obviously written by someone who has never been to Gdansk :)

WHBM, the post was copied from the email I received from Gillian McPherson of Prestwick Airport so you can blame her :) . When I think of Gdansk I think of shipyards and an industrial city. However, I believe there is a coastal spa resort relatively near Gdansk. By the way, I have never been to Poland!

Katowice is only 45 minutes from Krakow which puts this service in direct competition with Ryanair. It will be interesting to see who wins! Perhaps the expanding Polish population can fill flights to both.

This is good news for Prestwick its about time we had a new route,theyve had funding for it scince they launched Gdansk and Warsaw, i think the 2 of them can operate together scince the polish market is big now

I agree, this is excellent news for Prestwick Airport. However, when I flew from Prestwick to Charleroi in March I noticed that a new bar had been built in the departure lounge and was taking up space that would have been occupied by seats. The few seats that were there were far too close together and as a result the departure lounge was very overcrowded and at least two hundred people had to stand. Has anyone noticed any changes at Prestwick since March? My next flight from there will be to Stansted in July so I'm hoping that changes will have been made.