Is anything happening at the airport at the moment?

Well, the only thing I can report is that from March, NCL-DXB goes from an A332 to a B772.
The B772 will come off the ZRH route when that gets a B773.
Not reflected in the booking engine yet, but there are still a lot of changes to be made to the EK summer 11 timetable.

Emirates
 

Should be good if Emirates use the 777's from March, fingers crossed !!

Wannabe - what is the basis of this knowledge?

Reliable source but not official:
FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Emirates new routes (and changes) for 2011

Good news for NCL. That'll be almost a 20% increase in capacity.

Does anyone know if the 772 has the lie flat seats with ICE AVOD in J?

I see NCL has been voted the Best UK Airport (under 6m pax) for 2010 at an awards ceremony in London. Congratulations :D

fozi, I believe the two class 772s of EK are similar to the A332s with regards entertainment...

Hard to believe.
ash,
Heathrow.

Second year running
 

From the Journal:

Understand that the airport continue to celebrate the 75th Anniversary and have started knocking down the Aero Club building

GrahamK
I don't believe this is necessarily true Graham. Insofar as I know the 777's all have various versions of the AVOD systems i.e. you watch / listen to what you want when you want. I presume we are discussing coach here (other classes offer more comprehensive products).
The A330's have the more basic system where there are a small number of films that go around in a loop. The films in the loop change over monthly, there are about 6 loops containing different films but you only get the choice from two loops on any particular flight hence they are able to separate West / Eastbound & remove content that may be sensitive to particular routes. Similarly with the audio, you can't construct your own library on the A330's. As for the 777's then there are various versions of the AVOD basically depending upon the age of the aircraft, but all I believe offer some choice to watch what one wants stop/start to allow for meals etc. The most modern 777's in the fleet the 772LR's have possibly the best ICE of any ecconomy offering & with the newer style seats then you also get a larger screen thrown in.
Now interestingly the 772's that have been recently mentioned are the oldeset models in the fleet (even older than the A330's!), and at >14 years then possibly there may be some upgrading due to bring up to latest versions. There are actually only 9 772's in any event of which 4 are the higher powered ER versions. How this fits into the matrix as to the cabin configs of 2 / 3 class then who knows?
Anyhow the Flyertalk argument is completely flawed as ZRH currently has 773's on the DXB ! Is likely for NCL to get any 772 version? then IF it does then it can only be the 772ER which has the enhanced engines and better airfield performance. Now how many of the 4 of these machines are 2 class ? Note all other UK provincials now have 773ER's which also have enhanced airfied performance.
Interestingly when I first posted that I'd heard that EK were serious as to introducing the 777 to NCL, then the source at EK which has proved reliable so far intimated that a significant issue was the availability of the only ONE specific version of the 777 that was considered suitable to NCL's runway restrictions. So then perhaps we are to see a max of 4 772ER's operating the route.

There's also another reason why the UK provincials have 77Ws and why going to 772 is logical for NCL; that GLA went A330 to 77W was more down to the cargo being carried than passenger loadings at the time. However, passenger loadings have increased quite substantially.

FLYBE WINTER 2010/11

JERSEY not now operating over the winter period. Re-starts 30th March 2011

E K
 

From the E K website all the 772 aircraft have recently been re fitted. The 3 class ones have flat beds in First, sleeper seats in business.


777LR all 3 class with private suites, lay flat beds and economy. All 772 have the ICE entertainment system.

Would it be a leap to far for the NCL flights to go 773, as per other UK airports ???.

BE. Not surprised re the Jersey winter service. The same happened last year.

Am I dreaming re the Hanover service, could have sworn that they put winter seats on sale when winter seats originally released then withdrew them.

Sunday 31st October
 

Arrivals

CB901 11:45 LONDON LUTON


Anybody know what this Scot Airways was doing coming in then?, Obviously not taking Newcastle anywhere

Suggest an executive charter for the Newcastle v Sunderland game for the well healed north-easterners living in London - back in Luton about 6 pm.

If they are Sunderland fans they will be regretting it.

Nice to see an old DC-10 in this morning. Anyone know when she's due back in next week? PM me if need be. Sorry about the spotter-ish question!

Brussels Airlines
 

Looks like its going to opperate with Brussels Airlines own RJ85 from start of summer 2011 schedules. Still 3 daily.

I'm not really surprised...pax figures have rocketed since three flights daily were introduced and the new increased tax on long haul flights will surely encourage traffic via BRU/AMS/CDG and DUS, this leg just having a £1 increase.

Not sure what effect this will have on Dubai connections.

I find it difficult to grasp the thought processes in the Treasury which managed to arrive at a policy likely to inflict such damage to the UK aviation industry. Maybe they have never heard of the law of diminishing returns.

Unless they have a lot of bookings from a corporate customer like Proctor and Gamble I would be very surprised if 3 return flights a day on a much bigger aircraft than at present is sustainable.

getonittt
 

Absolutely spot on. A lot of people think that they can avoid the higher duty on long haul flights by going via a European outside the UK.

If the connection time at the European city is less than 24 hours, the flights are considered 'connected' and therefore the APD is charged at the higher long haul rate.

Anyone know the plans for the site of the original terminal building/Aero Club/ Wings Bar, which when I drove past today was half demolished?

Air Southwest has published its Summer 11 Timetable today

It looks like NCL loses its Plymouth connection and the Newquay flight is 5 x weekly but part of a new route from Cardiff to Newquay, although offered on the ASW site it seems to be part of the Eastern operation becoming NCL - CDF - NQY

With all this talk and speculation about Emirates potentially upgrading to a 777, will runway shoulders become an issue in the near future?

TSR2,

Is this true if you are using different carriers?
For example if you fly UK/AMS on a loco and then long haul on KLM on two separate bookings.

I can't see how the UK HMR&C could levy taxes ex AMS?

GH

B777 & Runway shoulders
 

Ops Guy....

B777 is an ICAO 'Code E' type for airfield infrastructure, but so is the A330. According to ICAO Annex 14 and the UK's CAP 168, a Code E runway of 45m width should have 7.5 metres paved shoulders. The A330 has been using this runway for some time, presumably on a safety case type approval from the CAA. FOD due to blast or erosion of the grass shoulder should not be any greater an issue with the B777, being a twin. Ultimately it will be a matter for NCL to agree with the CAA, having looked at any other safety issues which may arise from the absence of paved shoulders.

Groundhand
 

Yes, the APD applies irrespective of the airlines involved, providing the flights are considered connected and shown on the same ticket.

As far as I understand, if you book individual flights then they are not connected and therefore APD is payable on the first flight only.

Cheers
TSR2

EASTERN

Cardiff - NCL - ABZ route to start 4th January 2011 one flight Mon-Fri plus Sun.

No difference on the Northbound flights* but additional Mon - Fri rotation on NCL - Cardiff...dep. Ncl 1725 arr. Cardiff 1840 giving three daily NCL - Cardiff flights

* 2 x M - F... Cardiff - NCL plus 4x M - F... NCL - ABZ
4 x M - F....ABZ - NCL plus 3 x M -F...NCL - Cardiff
The Sunday flights route Cardiff - NCL - ABZ and vv.

In the summer NQY enters the NCL - Cardiff equasion.

could I invite all staff at NCL to go to LHR and learn how to run an airport. I arrived back yesterday evening and immigration took seconds. No queues and only a second or two to pass through, none of this endless scanning the passport through readers, staring at the screen, back to the passenger, back to the screen etc that we get at NCL. Got to the luggage carousel very quickly and there was my bag. Plane landed 6.45pm and I was driving away at 7.15pm.
What a different experience to NCL.

NCL is a regional airport ash666. In other words it is backward. Look

1. Litter pinned to wire fence going to the terminal.

2. Rotating doors normally unserviceable.

3. Slowest lift in western Hemisphere.

4. Airconditioning constantly broken on floor 3.

5. Smell of piss from filthy carpets near stand 2 waiting area.

6. Escalator to arrivals off more often than not.

7. Grey grubby fat people smoking outside terminal ( not in smoking area ) binning fag ends all over the place.

8. Shed like sliding doors leaving the arrivals hall.

Anyone think of any more?

st nicholas
 

Why do you not move bases then if the situation is that grim at Newcastle?

St Nic,

Another 1 to add to your list, No staff channel, ensuring that we are subject to abuse when we have to ask passengers to let us pass.

BRUSSELS AIRLINES

I read on another thread that the use of RJ85 aircraft may not be the final story on this route for next summer.

JET2 SUMMER 2011

Since I originally looked at the summer schedules there have been some changes/increases in frequency.

Heraklion changed from Th to Tu
Ibiza Th added
Malaga F added
Murcia Tu added, now daily
Mahon M added
Pisa W added
Monastir W added

Have the Eastern Airways Bergen flights quietly been axed?

They appear to be dropped for the winter, but can be booked for the summer.

October provisional figures
 

Main one's:

Brussels: 3658 +131%
Copenhagen: 2114 +20%
Paris CDG 15202 -7%
Dusseldorf: 3487 +64%
Dublin 12317 +8%
Amsterdam: 22588 +4%
Dubai: 14293 (82% loads based on 278HD A332 being used every day)

Heathrow: 43784 +3%
Gatwick: 9116 -11%
Stansted: 11722 +1%

Overall YTD: 4.3m -5.6%

Ryanair
 

Note that Ryanair have Oslo and Dublin on sale for Summer 2011.
No sign yet of Girona.

Re CAA stats the Sept 2010 vs Sept 2009 pax numbers down by just 1%. The -5.6% YTD numbers will include the Ash cloud and BA strike so I suppose that would have been better if it was not for those factors.

Positive signs ??.

Any news of Stansted after this winter ??.

Both routes confirmed as being axed and based aircraft is down to three.

EasyJet axes two of its city flights - Business News - News - nebusiness.co.uk

Could we see Jet2 or Ryanair step onto CIA? Jet2 will be loving the fact that EZY are pulling MJV, perhaps extra capacity for them to put on that route?