If you hadn´t noticed already LN-IDA welcome to rip-off Britain. One of the many reasons I spend as little time as possible in dear old Blighty!

I completely disagree with the short term drop-off/pick-up fees at BHX (and other UK airports. However, as far as BHX is concerned, there are two ways you can drop off/pick up for free. The first, although perhaps not the most convenient, is the long stay car park which allows 15 mins free access and provides a free bus service to the terminal. Not particularly handy in the Winter though. The second, which is the option I use, is to use the International station and then the Air-rail system to the airport. It only takes a few minutes more and there's no exposure to the weather.

I just can`t see why they have to do that, we are lucky here at Manchester as we still have a free drop of zone but pick up is not as easy as flights can be delayed so passengers can take while to get through
so cars cannot be abandoned while driver goes to find them so I can understand going into short stay

Ian

I mentioned a few months back that it cost me £7.40 to briefly see no 1 son off to Singapore (via DXB), having been redirected to the furthest reaches of Long Stay 1 because the short / medium stay car parks were full (I'll use the station next time).

Flying from a very pleasant LGW at the weekend to VCE, I couldn't help but notice their FREE 2 hour pick up / drop off...as well as free plastic bags at security!

LNIDA has a point.

It's also cheaper to park there for the day if you're flying out and back on the same day. £9 a day in the week I believe.

Flights JAF9102 BHX-SVQ (EMB90) on 9 June and return SVQ-BHX on 12 June have been scheduled... Someone know why? :)

Why not? :)

FR8364

To help people out... think SVQ is Saville and JAF Jet AirFly !

Nigel

Saville??? Thought we weren't mentioning him any more! Try Seville … that place with the nice marmalade oranges! :-)

Seville
 

FR8364

BHX in the past (pre-recession) used to get 20 to 30 outbound one-off charters a year (not inbound for the NEC) and these used to range from the Motor Industry, Banks or Travel Agent jollies but as far as this one goes I haven't found any obvious clues.

The motor industry ones usually have flights from other UK airports at the same time if it involves Car Dealers for a new launch.

Pete

My view on the decline of Swiss is that the flight timings just do not work for using ZRH as a long-haul hub from BHX. When there was a lunchtime flight to ZRH then you had a 6 hour wait in ZRH before the late evening long-hauls - just about bearable. The timing of the evening flight leaves only about 1 hr to get from Gruezi D to the E gates - always assuming the inbound from BHX is on-time, not something Helvetic are renowned for achieving. Last time I used the evening flight to connect it was late into BHX, even later out and I only just made the flight to SIN.

Seville
 

I've seen special departures with (I think) VW or M-B logos splashed on the screens above check-in, and F-I-L worked for a number of major manufacturers and went on these sorts of days out.

Southern Spain and France are very popular place to launch cars due good food and nice weather for the jolly; coupled with relatively empty and twisty yet well-surfaced roads that flatter both the drivers' skill and the vehicle's suspension.

Germanwings
 

4/7 HAM confirmed for winter 2014/15. TXL also continues to be 4/7. BHX-DUS will switch to 4U on 18th September. Schedule remains as is. Saturday flight will drop out end of October.

Thomson Summer 2015
 

Early days but Birmingham seems to have some new destinations and increases with Thomson for Summer 2015. Agadir, Chania and Djerba are new. Cancun, Dubrovnik and Kefalonia get extra flights. Marrakech isn't bookable for Summer 2015. :ok:
Daza

Daza,

Orlando plods on still an embarrassing 1 a week next summer..still. They sold this summers programme within weeks of it being released ,just insane.

Nigel

I stand to be corrected on this but AFAIK, TOM L/H flights from BHX are crewed by MAN crews, with all the additional costs that this brings in HOTAC and surface coach transport - in the W13/14, on arrival into BHX from CUN, BGI etc, crews were put up in day rooms at the Novotel before coaching back to MAN in the evening. The aircraft also have to position in from MAN and/or LGW to operate BHX flights.


This could be a suggestion as to why the TOM L/H programme at BHX stays relatively static? If BHX based crew were 787 trained then we would see a based 787 and therefore more routes? TOM however seem happy at the moment to pay positioning crew and aircraft costs over the cost of training up crew and having a L/H aircraft permanently based at BHX.


Even discounting this suggestion, I agree with Nigel, a 1 X weekly SFB is a bit of an embarrassment.


Has anyone heard anything else about the 777 Turkmen rumour to operate ASB-BHX-YYZ?


Looking at the BE online timetable these seems to be a second M-F Inverness rotation operating from 14th July as an INV based aircraft but obviously operating other flights from BHX in between.


INV 06.20 BHX 07.50 BE830
BHX 19.25 INV 21.00 BE833

Thomson Summer 2015
 

To add to the list of new short-haul services from Birmingham is Porto Santo near Madeira, afternoon flight commencing late May 2015 :ok:
Daza

Thomson summer long haul
 

Thomson has apparently decided that the combined market in South Wales/South West England is not sufficient to warrant a dedicated service from either BRS or CWL this summer or, according to next summer's programme that was published yesterday, in summer 2015.

LGW and BHX seem to be the airports that TOM wants Welsh/West Country passengers to use so if BHX has only one Florida departure per week it's perhaps not surprising that it's full.

If this policy persists beyond 2015 it's not unreasonable to believe that Thomson will increase its BHX offering to Florida (am I right in saying that Cancun, Mexico has been increased for summer 2015?) if BHX is expected to help take the load from South West Britain.

Tom long haul at BHX.
 

Birmingham Thomson crews are trained and do fly long haul on the 767 from bhx. The way it works is generally the bhx crews operate the outbound sector to where ever and operate the return sector to another uk airport, stay in a hotel and travel back later that night. Conversely , a Manchester crew for example , operate the outbound from Man to xyz and then fly the return sector to BHX, stay in the hotel and travel back to Man later that night. This is common practice in Thomson for long haul, with other permutations ,as is positioning aircraft around the country.
If the South West is missing out on Thomson long haul, I would say it is purely down to yield. Some 767 s are staying in the fleet until 2018, so they will need to find work for them .

I've booked for Summer 2015 TOM flight to Montego Bay, this is listed as a 787 flight.