I see the NOTAM has appeared for the runway closures for resurfacing, closed Mon-Fri 2330-0545 between 5th January and 9th April.

Does anyone know if the FR form DUB got in this morning ?

Cheers

ILS calibration today?
 

Saw a Beechcraft aircraft in the circuit for 25 today, was navy blue so I'm assuming it was a Flight Precision craft. Could anyone confirm this/what it was doing?

There is a thread regarding NCL handling in the Flight/Ground Ops, Crewing and Dispatch forum. Numerous posts have been moved to it.

http://www.pprune.org/flight-ground-...-handling.html

Car Park Conspiracy
 

Sorry it's time for my annual Car Park rant..................

Is it me or has anyone else noticed that all the perfectly useable car parks that are NEAR to the airport terminal are all closed ,forcing everyone to use the ones that back onto Ponteland??!! :ugh:

I suppose this encourages everone to use the busses which justifies their existance!!

Whatever the reply, lets try and avoid mentioning Airport Management before this thread gets closed by the Mr Mods too!! :oh:

HAs anybody has any involvement with the new policing team in the airport, seems to me to be a good idea to have them there 24hrs.

RUmour is that Thomas Cook are adding a new route summer 09.... will post when i find out more

According to the Chronicle

"They include the addition of three brand new routes to the Greek Islands of Kefalonia and mainland resorts of Santorini and Skiathos, where hit movie Mamma Mia was set."

The chronicle article states that a third 757-200 will be based at the airport and will be relocated from Canada. The destinations quoted above maybe new to TCX but are not new to NCL. Good news anyway and more holidays available as the aircraft has a full 7 programme.

When does the Summer timetable get published?

According to the Maltese government, Easyjet has confirmed its interest to operate a twice-weekly flight from Newcastle to MLA.

Spotted on: Times of Malta website

First edition of the summer timetable generally becomes available on the website around now, but I suspect lots of changes therefore could be a while. The winter one was never updated!!

Does anyone know when the new TCX flights will go on sale?

Tcx 757-200
 

Airport website is now also reporting Thomas Cooks decision to add an extra 757-200 to its base fleet. The report also shows the aircrafts daily schedule.

Monday
Dalaman

Tuesday
Reus and Santorini

Wednesday
Sharm el Sheikh

Thursday
Zante and Crete

Friday
Skiathos and Tenerife

Saturday
Paphos and Bodrum

Sunday
Kefalonia and Larnaca

It is said that the addition will make another 70,000 seats available for Summer 09 at Newcastle, definitley good news for the airport.

At least I won't have to trek to MAN to go to Santorini and Skiathos this coming summer. I think TC had a good share of the XL flights last summer, so they should be able to fill them this summer.

Excellant news about a 3rd based TCX. However I always remember previous operators getting big slot delays down in to the smaller airfields of the greek Isles.

Fingers crossed for EZY expansion - its about time. Hopefully more route development in the near future.

Good luck 10 DME :ok:

If you scan through the TCX programme, it is indeed fairly busy, using the 3 aircraft most of the time - with little down time. Some of the smaller greek islands do suffer from ATC delays, but I'd say no more than anywhere else. I always thought JSI couldn't accept a 75, learned something new there, but does anyone know if it is returning via another airport?

Anyone have an idea of the schedule on a monday for all 3 aircraft - appears to be a gap?!

I do think, EZY may be very gradual in introducing additional routes, MLA though I am not convinced on. Air Malta operate a service, some seats sold as scheduled and some sold onto tour operators and still the flight is rarely full. NCL has been crying out for a low cost service to Cyprus - could that be possible with EZY?

TCX
 

This is good news. Keeping those routes we all thought we had lost from ncl after xl went.

hope the malta route comes from easyjet also

:ok::ok::ok:

Chaps,

I'd like to take my young nephew away for the day as he loves flying but can anyone tell me of any day return flights from Newcastle to foreign climes where you can get a few hours in at the destination city before flying back?

Many thanks.

Depending on the age of your nephew ..... Amsterdam :O

Ops Guy,

Good suggestion, maybe in another 10 years.......I was really thinking of budget airline destinations, oh and maybe with a bit of sun!!!!

Dusseldorf? May not be that cheap though!
Otherwise try any of the Spanish destinations in the summer season as most of the really popular ones can be had for day returns some days. Places like Palma and Malaga. :ok:

mmeteesside,

I used to work for Easyjet/LWT filming the 'Airline' programme and quite often would fly outwards and return on the same aircraft but found that usually there was no more than half an hour, usually less inbetween flights and usually just one a day to any of the given destinations.!

Dusseldorf? Lufthansa? Megabucks!!!!!

You could try Dublin, its usually fairly cheap with Ryanair, but you probably won't get very much sun!

Possibley a Spanish destination out with Jet 2 back with Easyjet.

If you and your nephew can manage a Tuesday or Wednesday in January or most of February you can fly to Dublin for a couple of pence providing you've got a Visa Electron card and book today or tomorrow. Ryanair are so desperate to keep load figures up I expect they'll keep bringing back these offers even though the company is effectively donating money to the government for you to fly.

For a foreign trip AMS and DUB look the most likely candidates (DUB especially if price is important!), with CDG about the only other possible candidate (and last time I looked AF were cheaper than EZY). Domestically BRS (EZY), BFS/BHD (EZY/BE), SOU(BE) and LHR(BA)/STN(EZY)/LGW(BE) worth a look

That would be a good idea, make sure you've got plenty of time between flights as check in will close around 30 mins before STD.

If you mention to the crew your reason for travelling I'm sure if they had the time, the flight deck crew would grant a visit and a look around of the flightg deck - on the ground only now-a-days though :(

Alternatively, Jet2 operate 'Fear of Flying' flights on behalf of Virgin at Newcastle. I'm not saying your Nephew is afriad of flying but it could be an easier and cheaper option. :ok:

A Captain from Virgin will do a Theory of Flight talk for about an hour before the flight and is constantly making PA's thoughout the flight about what the aeroplane and crew are doing (whilst being flown by the Jet2 flight deck). There are also Virgin cabin crew on board to give advice and help to passengers, and to wind the Jet2 girls up about their up coming trip to St. Lucia!!

BMI Bases A320 Summer 2009
 

Looks like BMI have a A320 base as well as TCX 3rd aircraft

Summer 2009 timetable now on website


:ok::ok::):):)

BMI and EI
 

looks like based from monday teatime until thursday morning


EI adds second daily flight to dublin on sunday late nights during feb.
:):)

bmi is School Summer Holidays only, all flights seem to be for Olympic

Not getting too carried away here, but it only looks like 3 flights a week for 8 weeks to me! all with long 'W' patterns away.

Olympic Holidays will be chartering BMI for some extra high season flights, but overall the programme looks fairly healthy, considering the loss of XL. I would still presume that Thomas Cook will not be the only tour company using the JSI/JTR flights - Olympic and Libra are big operators to Greece, so I would imagine they will shre the new TCX flights. Teleticket seem to be using the LS scheduled loco services alot too. Turkey seems popular again with a mix of TOM/TCX/FHY/OHY and XQ services.

One thing that I am curious about, is the TCX charter to SFB - does it really only for 2 weeks?

SFB Summer 2009
 

Thomas Cook/ Airtours Florida programme is now departing Sundays and I think they are using the TOM flight.
So it looks like the Monarch has gone !

EDIT could I be wrong?. They are also booking for Sats as well as Sun !


Yes I am wrong Monarch and Thomson flights still bookable all season.

So the TCX A330 SFB flight in the summer programme on the airports website only operates for 2 weeks with TCX sharing the TOM charter the rest of the season? Big reduction in capacity from operators to SFB this year then, as the MON operated weekly with 350+ seats! Strange that TCX holidays are still selling the saturday departure!

apaul,

Thanks for the tip off regarding the Ryanair Dublin flights but how on earth can they offer flights at just 1p each way with no tax????

K77.

SFB
 

Airport website updated already and shows Monarch Sats, TOM Suns ALL SEASON. With an ADDITIONAL 2 x TCX departures on a couple of Fridays in August. So slight increase in capacity

Well those of you who know me will already realise that I am about to leave Newcastle after 18 years in ATC. I am off for an adventure in the sand, in fact any one travelling Emirates over the next few months may be un-lucky enough to end their flight with me training so beware!
I will still be returning to the North East and checking prune so not totally gone. Thanks to all the contributors over the years keep up the news/gossip and have a happy new year.

10D

Good luck in your your position - hope you enjoy it - you have served us well -

Birmex & Bluestar

It's been a pleasure working with you 10 D.

Good luck :ok:

Farewell.....
 

10 DME ARC who?

Get the BBQ lit for March!!

Good luck and Bon voyage its been your great pleasure working with me!!!!

P.