Large parts of SE Asia and the sub continent is Muslim as well. Ramadan is probably just a coincidence after thinking about it and it's more likely to do with the holiday season starting in earnest mid June.

If that's the case then I'd be erring on the "glass half empty" side, since the route can't be sustained by family holidaymakers alone. It will need some support from business passengers making use of the front-end seats to be viable.

Just seen that TUI have holiday packages to New York onsale for Summer 18 from Cardiff Airport with the flights provided by KLM and Delta Airlines to JFK via Amsterdam.

Ah, I suppose that's New York now ticked off as another long haul destination from Cardiff then?

Nope as it' not a direct destination like Jamaica or Barbados.

Agree here, both Bridgetown and Montego Bay have been served for many years DIRECT from CWL, yes they are connected with the Caribbean Cruises of P&O and TUI but still served “direct” and that is the key word.

A holidaymaker has been jailed for 4 years after attempting to bring 38 prohibited weapons into the country after a returning to Cardiff Airport from a 2 week family holiday in Bulgaria. The defendant claimed they were holiday souvenirs. The items include 7 stun guns disguised as mobile phones and torches, 13 CS gas canisters, 9 knuckle dusters, 6 metal batons, a set of nunchucks and a butterfly knife.
How the hell did he expect to get that lot through security?
://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/holidaymaker-caught-stun-guns-knuckle-14248298#ICID=FB-Wales-main

It begs the question, what sort of security checks are carried out at the departure airport ?

The article said that in Bulgaria those items are all legal so I doubt they were bothered by it. And the departure airport would have been Burgas as that is the only Bulgarian route from Cardiff Airport.

Where I live I can, and do, often carry a police baton and/or pepper spray with me, when passing thru security at the shopping mall they normally don't search me because I am an honest looking foreigner, the one time I joked with them showing to them my baton they laughed thanking me for my honesty taking it from me and issuing me with a receipt, but I know that I would NEVER get thru this tin pot country's airport security with any such device, hell even an electrical cable here is illegal to take on to an aircraft.

Maybe Bulgaria is different i don't know plus it may well have been hold luggage not carry on.

I don't think I would want to live in a city where malls insist you pass through security let alone people carrying pepper spray and a police batton to go shopping Harry.

Anyone who travels with the items confiscated at Cardiff deserves jail time.

The airport security get my praise for their arrivals luggage screening.

Airport security are doing arrivals luggage screening? What?

I'd have thought that was standard for non domestic and cta flights?

Customs and Immigration are certainly security in most airports I frequent.
The word is used in the story below...


Man had 38 weapons at Cardiff Airport as 'souvenirs' - BBC News

I can't understand the mentality whereby someone would even want to purchase such items as "souvenirs".

A job well done by those who caught this criminal.

As there was more than one of each item I suspect he was going to sell them on to finance the trip.

The UK Border Force (ie Customs and Immigration) is mentioned and they will do random stop and searches on inbound baggage and passengers as well as intelligence led searches. I wonder if there was some intelligence leading to the seizure in this case.

Outbound hold and hand baggage checks are done in the UK by the airport operator which may be using internal staff or approved contractors.

Bourgas is high risk flight so Border Force routinely check. I’m not sure if Cardiff has a overhead x-Ray machine but Border Force usually screen the bags airside. If they suspect something they may have a look inside and then put it back on the belt. So when he walked into the Green Channel the Officers will be there to say a polite hello “do you have anything to declare?” Also they can screen bags in the green channel with a x-Ray machine. They’d arrest and prosecute with the aid of the NCA Border Crime teams. The only airport screening will be done at departure airport and if it’s hold luggage then as long as it doesn’t go bang at 40,000ft then they’ll be no reason the bag won’t travel i.e. firearms are routinely carried in the hold. The Bulgarian Customs wouldn’t have stopped the bag as all the stuff would be lawful there. No CWL airport security staff involved as they don’t have any power to open bags without the consent of the owner. If owner isn’t there they’ll contact Border Force or the Police. For international stuff Border Force has primacy for a few reasons but mainly they don’t require a warrant or permission from the owner to open the bag. Hence if your bag is delayed and you submit a declaration that you have nothing to declare, you’ll find a nice letter from Border Force saying your 1000 fags have been seized as you’re over your 200 Allowance when it’s delivered to your house by the airline.

Skipness one echo - Inbound luggage @ CWL is screened on arrival, and has for a number of years.