soon we will be as bad as LTN !!!
 

News from Dunmow and Stansted and across Uttlesford including Stansted Airport. | New "kiss and fly" charges for Stansted Airport passengers

another stupid money grabbing idea copied from our neighbours disguised as an enviromental initiative.

If this must go ahead, I really hope the new area set aside for this is well planned, and doesn't end up with huge queues of cars stopping about 5 or 10 mins walk away from the terminal instead

everyone will pay the £2 except the locals like me who will wait by the car park barrier for their lift's :)

Luton makes £80 out of those drivers when they get a little penalty charge through the post togther with a free photo of their car.

I read that this charge is unenforceable and you should refuse to pay ..... it seems a risky strategy to me

Spot on Rat........the airport has to prove who was driving the car not who owns it.......

Sale
 

Now that the supreme court have confirmed Stansted must be sold (even though BAA are considering a further appeal), when does the sale have to be completed by? Has the clock been ticking during all the appeals and eating into the 2 year period to be sold? :confused:

when did they confirm this, I cant find it on the internet anywhere

In late July, the Court of Appeal turned BAA down. BAA responded by saying they would seek a Supreme Court hearing.

Have the Supreme Court already heard the case ? Can't see anything at The Supreme Court
The court is in any case in recess until the start of October, so naff all is likely to happen until then

Agree, it was not the supreme court but court of appeal. However is the clock still ticking on the sale or does it start once all proceedings have been exhausted.

Latest departure to Gatwick is Wow Air. Last flight 3rd September.

Its bookable until the 17th Sept from STN?

Odd considering that Iceland Express (and also Icelandair as of winter 2012) are already serving LGW - REK.

And if we take into account what has happened at Gatwick of late... It won't be long before we say "Wow who?"

Did I not question WOW lasting back in June???

Regardless if they last or not. Gatwick is not the 'Emerald City' airlines that leave Stansted are lead to believe.

Not for everyone I agree, but Iceland Express and Norwegian seem very happy there, and the latter have expanded significantly. Even Air Berlin seem to be doing alright on Nuremburg. Also some airlines have dropped out of both airports simply because of the recession and huge increases in the price of fuel along with the wonderful APD (Air Asia X in particular):E

Qantas 744
 

Has anyone got firm date and time for the arrival of the Qantas 747 into Stansted I am hearing so many random dates...

Would love to see this Arrive at STN.

http://www.ausbt.com.au/photos/view/...47-flight.jpeg

I believe it MIGHT BE ferrying in from JFK and daystopping so flightaware might have your answers on Sunday night

Thanks for the reply ...

Heard the routing is BRN-LAX-JFK then ferry JFK-STN as QF6008 ...
But nothing on flightaware as yet.

Qantas
 

The Greek, Lithuanian, Serbian and Australian teams have all chosen to fly out from Stansted. This means around 700 additional passengers. Culminating with the Australians team departing on a Quantas 747 at 22:40hrs approx monday.

Do you know when Qantas 747 will arrive at STN ?

On approach now.

Do you think the QF 747 might be able to route direct to SYD - there won't be many heavy medals aboard!

It would not have the range. The only one that ever flew LHR-SYD was towed to the runway and departed with only a handful of crew. That was a delivery to QANTAS back in the late 80s or early 90s.

Absolutely correct. I travelled on the delivery flight of the 2nd Qantas B744 from LHR to SYD in Oct 89 and that flight had a tech stop in Singapore despite there being not much more than two dozen people on board including crew.

I think you will find that Roverman was being ironic!

BAA have given up the flight to keep Stansted

BBC News - Stansted Airport to be sold by BAA

Hooray !
Who's bidding and can find a spare £1bn ?

were all going to have to learn chinese


now heathrow will be worried

It's disappointing that the Competition Commission couldn't see that Stansted serves quite a different market to Heathrow, and in fact seems to have been in decline for some years now (the pax numbers certainly have), whereas Heathrow keeps squeezing upwards. Mainstream carriers, as opposed to low costs, have made many attempts to operate their services out of Stansted, and every single one has been a commercial disaster and ended up being binned. Even Easyjet are in retreat here.

I'm no supporter of BAA, but somw ill-informed government quango has caused yet more investment money from the aviation industry to be poured down the drain in now having to sell the place (you never get anything like the money in an enforced sale as you do when you sell at your own choosing). I really doubt they'll get much for it.

Is Stansted worth that much, didn't Gatwick go for £1.5B?

This is brilliant news. Hopefully will happen sooner rather than later before any more airlines are lost - not that there are many left now to lose. Will be an interesting few months.

So what are everyone's predictions? These are a few scenarios I could foresee -

Bought by Ryanair, used exclusively by Ryanair with a doubling of based aircraft and the long haul division finally launched?

Bought by someone else to operate the place as a diverse low-cost stronghold with a push to get back lost business from LTN/LGW/SEN ie Norwegian and attempt to get Wizz to move over so theres greater footfall but less reliance on FR?

Bought by someone with a lot of money and good industry connections, with a push for more full service carriers and a little bit of long haul. Possibly target LGW operators such as Aerosvit, Meridiana, Korean, Air China?

Bought by someone happy to leave pax ops as they are, but grow other areas of the business (freight, bizjets), again possibly to the detriment of LTN?

"you never get anything like the money in an enforced sale as you do when you sell at your own choosing"

yeah but it was a COMPETITION issue

and they've dragged the whole process out by nearly 4 years

I'm sure a new owner will be good for Stansted - BAA always thought it was the pimple on the a*** of LHR and do nothing to affect their returns there

WHBM - Its wrong to say every single full-service has been a commercial disaster.

There are success stories that have operated only until LHR/LCY slots have become available - such as Aegean, Luxair - or that operated for many years until wider financial issues within the company took hold - such as CSA (who are gone from LHR now also), Cyprus Airways.

American Airlines achieved excellent loads (apprecianting yields are the important bit) but would never have lasted as they were there only until Maxjet/Eos were killed off, and El Al would probably still be at STN now were it not for the better offer that enticed them to LTN at the 11th hour.

I'm not saying there have been no disasters, but some airlines have made a success of the place. Full-service carriers coming and going is not a phenomenon unique to STN.

Think you will be joining the ranks of Manchester Airport Group MAG very soon.
MAG has been raising a fighting fund from investors willing to buy upto 49% of MAG so that they can buy Stansted. After the disappointment of not getting LGW a few years ago{rumour was they couldnt raise the capital}they have come prepared for this.

zfw;)

BAA had great hopes for STN and taxes the a*** off LHR airlines to rebuild Stansted. Result? A white elephant giving Air UK a hub to compete with BA on facilities but not routes. The reason STN became a loco backwater was because everything else was tried and failed. Long haul? Gone. Legacy European network carriers? Gone.
The fan boys are mistaking market behaviour as sins of the owner. BAAA were massively pro Stansted for years and when things did not work out, had little option but to lube up for the full Ryanair.

No new operator is going to change that. Comparing with LGW, please remember BAA held LGW back at the expense of LHR, they PROMOTED STN on the back of LHR fees. Only one of the three London airports was unloved.

In my view, it's the Luton operator/owners that should be worried. A more competitive STN seeking to make a decent return could cannibalise Luton's charter, lo-co and executive business on price, even though STN is far less well connected and geographically placed than LTN.

MAG leads early Stansted airport bid battle | Reuters

In my opinion what happened at Gatwick is pretty much a blueprint for what the successful bidder for stansted will be looking to do. They will want some early wins and Luton customers will be an early target and I would expect Wizz to be the biggest target of them all. Ryanair and Easyjet will be playing the new owners looking for the best deal although neither Stansted nor Luton has the crucial first wave departure slots to incentivise new nightstopping carriers.

I have long believed that Stansted has a market for a “full service” carrier to operate to the main European cities with smaller aircraft such as the EM170 / DHC8. Manchester Airport has a good deal with Flybe feeding to the long haul maybe if they win they can build on that.

Then finally they need the long haul carriers and that is a harder ask, but Gatwick has managed to be successful in this regard against the odds so maybe Stansted can as well. Then the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle is Cargo and Stansted is well placed to do well in that area.

RYR is so crucial to the whole future of STN that it is difficult to imagine how anyone can put together a credible bid without first having reached an accomodation with RYR over pricing and volumes. Without that a five year business plan which will be essential for any money raising exercise will, be completely meaningless.