You Essex guys are obviously desperately craving some positive news, so here it is:

Iceland Express will be returning to STN this summer, operating to Reykjavik on Tue & Fri from 22nd June. That route will be crowded with WOW on Wed/Fri/Sun and EZY from Luton on Tue/Thu/Sun.

Offsets all the bad news for STN like EZY going to Southend, Air Asia X and Air Berlin to Gatwick, etc.

Will pax numbers drop below 15 million this year?

Hi all,

Just had a 5min bit on local itv about BAWC moving to Manston. Any truth in this? sounded like pie in the sky to me!

someone said manston was up for sale

Ad on TV looks impressive enough

Ad on TV looks impressive enough - what ad are you talking about Racedo ?

Eric

Wrong airport :O

FEBRUARY PASSENGER FIGURES
 

Down 4.9 per cent on Feb 2011 and with an extra day. The only BAA airport to show a decrease. Full details on the BAA website.

Less passengers means a better airport experience for the remaining Stansted passengers which should create demand from them to use Stansted again.

MOD CHARTER EX STN
 

Hi just a long shot but doe's anybody know who the carrier was for the mod on trouper flights to germany, stn to hannover around 2000/2002 (i remember red and white livery) and if they still fly out of stn these days. Thanks

I've no idea but perhaps Air Berlin? They still operate out of STN today to Dusseldorf.

MoD Trooper
 

European B737-200 I'd have thought.

Rowly:

I believe it may have been British World (known as British Air Ferries in their earlier life) with their 146's and 1-11's.

I remember taking one, on a 1-11, from Stansted to RAF Bruggen a few years prior to the timeframe you mention.

Thanks guys, i do remember European in the name but can't remember the 3 letters on the tail

Crikey, those flights are a blast from the past!

Yes, British World operated them for some time but I'm sure I recall European taking over Hanover for a year or two until Air Berlin started up and of course Bruggen closed down as a base.

Thats got me reminiscing. STN also had the oil flights to Hassi Massaoud for a few years, again British World. There was also a private oil charter to Uralsk, I think with Eurofly and Malev. Anyone remember them? Both went off to Gatwick I think. There were often very few pax on the flights so on a per person basis tickets must have cost the charterers a bomb! I recall being parked next to the A310 of the Algerian airline taking Hassi on at LGW who's name escapes me and no more than 20 got off!

Timely comment from LTNman, earlier in this thread.

We have just had notification today from STN OPS that the transit system that connects the main terminal to satelites 1 + 2 is being closed for 12 weeks major maintenance from next Monday.
Wonderful timing, a quiet airport all winter, numbers down, starts to get busy again, and the great brains at the BAA close down a vital part of their passenger delivery system.
Why wasn't this work done in the quiet period ?
This will bring chaos to Stansted and its few remaining 'good' clients.
What a shambles !:mad:

Transit system closure
 

Another nail in STN's coffin, just at SEN is opening up.
How many busses are going to be needed for the transit to the satelites ? The answer is twice as many as BAA will hire!

As per Thomas Cook thread, Stansted getting an A321 for this coming summer so an increase in seats from the usual A320 based unit. :ok:

My understanding is that the transit system is only being withdrawn after the morning departures each day to minimise disruption. I agree timing isn't great but I believe the issue has only just come to light & it was not felt appropriate to leave it until next winter.

Hong Kong Airlines
 

Saw Hong Kong Airlines plane at the airport this morning. Is this just due to a divert as I thought this went into Gatwick?

A fog diversion from Gatwick

Aero Toy Store
 

Any more news on Aero Toy Store taking over the Diamond hanger?

Poss Aero Toy Reply
 

In one of the local newspapers last week, there is a news article talking about a new VIP flight centre and helicopter showroom that could be arriving before the Olympics, Eighteen Aviation Limited, which owns a vacant hanger and offices on the southern side of the airport, have submitted planning application to Uttlesford District Council in the hope of transforming their buildings to offer services to the rich and famous.
Previously a European aircraft maintenance centre, Diamond Hanger would not only offer hospitality for VIP's arriving and departing in helicoptors and private jets, it would provide sales space for visitors to buy their own private aircraft and vehicles, as well as rent them for the day.
A spokesman for Eighteen Aviation said the plan would create up to 50 jobs, potentially growing to 100.

Hope this helps,

the Olympics are 110 days away and these people have "put in for planning permission" - they have obviously never dealt with a Planning Authority before

might have approval in time for the next Londoin Olympics in 2200

Only writing what is written in paper - if it is Aero Toy Store, i would have thought they would have researched the time scale in this country for planning permission - but you never know ..

Wow looking woozy?
 

Icelandic airline Wow are discounting all their STN flights by 40%. Makes you wonder whether they will be able to compete against EZY at Luton and Icelandair, starting at Gatters.

And Iceland Express returning to STN in June

Same could also be said about easy being able to ward off the competition down the road from London's 3rd airport or will the likes of WOW and Iceland Express dilute traffic at London's 4th bus shelter... Sorry I meant airport of course! Works both ways... Time will tell of course. :O

Apparently the bookings on easy are very good and the company have announced that the service will operate year round, but as you say only time will tell. At least it seems to be a rather busy bus shelter!

I arrived at Stansted this afternoon and now have firsthand experience of the TTS bus replacement service. It all seems to work well BUT instead of dropping you at the normal coaching point you are driven halfway down the Ryanair pier and dropped at a vacant gate. This means you have to walk all the way back into the terminal as if you had just arrived on a Ryanair flight. It also means that all arriving passengers now have to pass by the off duty Ryanair crew flogging “cheap” stansted express tickets.... they must be loving it, I wonder if MoL set the entire thing up so he can sell to the every arriving passenger and not just his own :ok:

More trouble in Essex
 

Strike
 

According to Simon Calder [!!!!] on the BBC News [surely there must be another travel journalist in the UK] Ryanair have said that they will not carry ANY hold baggage in or out of STN whilst the dispute is on, so as to minimise disruption.
Can anyone clarify if this is the case?

And who's going to push the aircraft back from the gate ?

So if you have paid RYR £X to have your hold baggage to go from A to B, aren't they liable if to doesn't?

pabely - could you imagine Ryanair making passengers jump through a series of hoops to get the money paid as baggage charges refunded ?
Send a letter off to Dublin to get a special form which must be filled in, along with a special stamped piece of paper that you were given at checkin to confirm baggage wasn't being accepted, to a premium rate fax number. Then wait for an email to which you must reply within 48 hours. Once this is done, money will be refunded to your payment card within 8 weeks.
The result being that only 1% of baggage charges actually end up being refunded, and FR get to keep the rest..... :yuk:

DJ

Wouldn't be so sure on that one as the luggage wasn't carried and think FR would refund quite easily.

Bearing in mind that numbers carrying luggage is only 10-15% then its really not that many involved.

that is what most low cost carriers do in these circumstances

Swissport will have management teams in from around the country and possibly from Europe, unfortunately the strike will fail as there will be no delays. The Media will be on the side of the passenger and I am sure that Ryanair are very supportive of Swissport trying to keep their costs under control so the GMB can’t even reply on pressure from them.

I know the ramp staff have to work hard, often in very unpleasant conditions, for a wage many would not consider worth getting out of bed for.

That said, the GMB should, perhaps, look back to LHR in 2004, where Swissport closed down their operation overnight, when they could not get an agreement with the unions (OK - I know there were other factors as well, and I have not got time to go into detail now, but that is the short version).

The ramp staff turned up for the early shift, only to find their passes had been cancelled, and they were out of a job. The handling contracts were shared around the remaning handlers. I`m not saying Swissport STN are in the same position, but the GMB need to be sure their members will still have a job at the finish of this dispute.

MARCH PASSENGER FIGURES
 

According to the BAA website Stansted passengers were down 4.7 per cent in March and that is before the three easyJet 319s were moved to operate from Southend.

I don't think the situation at STN will improve under BAA ownership - like many others they only care about LHR. Maybe if/when MAG buy it things will get better as they'll make a big push to impact on the London market.

Stansted calls upon Government to slash rail journey times to 30mins and boost economy

Stansted: Stansted calls upon Government to slash rail journey times to 30mins and boost economy