Buses to terminal on arrival
Thread Starter
Buses to terminal on arrival
Sometimes when arriving at an airport, the aircraft has parked at a remote stand, and there has been a need for buses to transfer passengers to the terminal. For an A320/B737 sized aircraft, typically there will be 2 buses, with passengers able to choose which bus they board, and someone marshalling passengers onto a bus to ensure they don't go wandering off.
For some reason, it seems to be necessary to wait for all passengers to come off the aircraft before either bus can depart for the terminal. Why is it not possible to let the first approx 90 or 100 passengers onto the 1st bus, send the 1st bus to the terminal, and then let the remaining passengers, who need more time to transfer from aircraft seat to bus, board onto the remaining 2nd bus ?
For the passengers who are more mobile, there would be less waiting around, immigration staff can begin processing passengers a few minutes earlier instead of looking at a non-existent queue, the airport can reuse a bus slightly earlier (or be ready to collect the passengers at the terminal waiting to board the aircraft a little earlier which would reduce aircraft turnaround time), and the driver may get to go back to chat to his/her colleagues slightly earlier.
For some reason, it seems to be necessary to wait for all passengers to come off the aircraft before either bus can depart for the terminal. Why is it not possible to let the first approx 90 or 100 passengers onto the 1st bus, send the 1st bus to the terminal, and then let the remaining passengers, who need more time to transfer from aircraft seat to bus, board onto the remaining 2nd bus ?
For the passengers who are more mobile, there would be less waiting around, immigration staff can begin processing passengers a few minutes earlier instead of looking at a non-existent queue, the airport can reuse a bus slightly earlier (or be ready to collect the passengers at the terminal waiting to board the aircraft a little earlier which would reduce aircraft turnaround time), and the driver may get to go back to chat to his/her colleagues slightly earlier.
Last edited by davidjohnson6; 15th Jul 2013 at 11:25.
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Is this a common experience? At one particular airport? I haven't found this to be the case in my experience (non UK airports). It may well be an SOP at particular airports (perhaps as a safety issue - due to pax/kids walking around on the ramp).
Thread Starter
Have seen the "no bus leaves the aircraft until all passengers are off the aircraft" approach happen at airports both in the UK and also other EU countries.
Would have thought as well that airlines would prefer a "send 1st bus when full and put stragglers in the 2nd bus" approach, not only because
- it improves turnaround times
but also...
- passengers who pay to reserve a seat near the front exit have greater confidence that the money they pay will lead to their being at the head of the immigration queue and, if without hold baggage, exiting the airport more quickly.
Would have thought as well that airlines would prefer a "send 1st bus when full and put stragglers in the 2nd bus" approach, not only because
- it improves turnaround times
but also...
- passengers who pay to reserve a seat near the front exit have greater confidence that the money they pay will lead to their being at the head of the immigration queue and, if without hold baggage, exiting the airport more quickly.
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Singapore Airlines had it sorted at Paya Lebar in the 70's & early 80's
Big wide buses, lots of them and a very quick trip - and NO Stairs at the arrivals hall- all on the flat
personally I think these days having to use a bus shows appalling planning by the airline - I gave up on BMidland whose last flight from AMS or ABZ always parked off stand at LHR to make their lives (but not mine) easier
Big wide buses, lots of them and a very quick trip - and NO Stairs at the arrivals hall- all on the flat
personally I think these days having to use a bus shows appalling planning by the airline - I gave up on BMidland whose last flight from AMS or ABZ always parked off stand at LHR to make their lives (but not mine) easier
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Before Switzerland joined Schengen I flew often (3-4 flights/month) to Brussels. Flight in always went to T-A (Schengen) where we were loaded onto a bus (just one as only 90 of us or so on an Avro and we waited for stragglers), given a grande tour of the Airport and dumped half way along T-B. off the plane, up two flights of stairs, and proceed 4 or 500m to passport control. There was a door into T-B much closer to passport control but the couldn't use it for security reasons.
Of course they were doing for their own convenience and not the punters. But there was no competition then.
Really, how difficult would it to park at T-B, offload us and to tow the aircraft to T-A?
Of course they were doing for their own convenience and not the punters. But there was no competition then.
Really, how difficult would it to park at T-B, offload us and to tow the aircraft to T-A?
At LHR T5, I've had the experience on a C stand without an airbridge where Club Class pax get off and onto a more than half empty waiting bus which then departs, while economy class wait for the following buses. But it does vary......
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It's called Experience!
Many Passengers, enter the bus and try and stand in the doorway so as to be able to be first off the bus when it arrives at the terminal. Thus obstructing others trying to get on.
First bus then pulls away not quite full and 2nd bus gets filled to capacity with still a few stragglers unable to fit on the 2nd bus. Therefore a 3rd bus must be called with crew and staff tied up waiting for this bus with stragglers causing a longer delay.
By waiting until both buses have the complete passenger load on board a 3rd bus is not required.
Many Passengers, enter the bus and try and stand in the doorway so as to be able to be first off the bus when it arrives at the terminal. Thus obstructing others trying to get on.
First bus then pulls away not quite full and 2nd bus gets filled to capacity with still a few stragglers unable to fit on the 2nd bus. Therefore a 3rd bus must be called with crew and staff tied up waiting for this bus with stragglers causing a longer delay.
By waiting until both buses have the complete passenger load on board a 3rd bus is not required.
personally I think these days having to use a bus shows appalling planning by the airline
Such as managing the demand for transportation by providing remote positions for those unfortunates who can't find an unoccupied airbridge at peak periods.
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It was clear to me that they were doing it for their convenience, but to travelers (especially us frequent travelers) it added 15-45 minutes to the journey time into the centre of Brussels. If they still did this today (CH is now in Schengen, so they don't) I would choose Squeezy over them.
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At LHR T1 bmi had a pretty wide range of routes. They flew Domestic, Irish, Northern Irish and International.
Each of them requires different parts of the terminal for arrivals and departures. If your aircraft came in from ABZ and was going to AMS next then it may park at a stand for international flights, so domestic pax would need to be bused round to domestic arrivals. If it came in from HAJ and was going to DUB it will arrive at an Irish gate and all passengers would be bused around to immigration. That way the outbound passengers can go straight to a gate suitable for them. It's quite common at T1 to see an AC arrive at a stand with a jetty, however stairs are waiting for the inbound pax, allowing them to be bused off and then the jetty put on for the departing passengers.
It's entirely down to the design of LHR and bmi having to follow their procedures.
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Er, just curious but why would Domestic and N. Irish require different handling? Security (???) perhaps but that could be done at the gate. Also isn't Irish the same as Domestic (in this context, I don't mean to imply ... )
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Well, Irish arrivals (as in SNN, ORK and DUB) at LHR (and EDI and probably most other UK airports) still require the passengers to pass through customs but not immigration, so any flights from the ROI to UK (again, I can only verify this for EDI and LHR) need to collect their bags from a different baggage belt and then proceed through a customs check point before leaving the airport. At EDI this means passengers arriving from the ROI come through a door which bring them out after passport control, but directly in to the international arrivals baggage hall.
At EDI, arrivals from BHD and BFS were taken through a separate door from other UK arrivals. This was due there being a police check point as there is still a certain level of extra security for NI flights. Bags from NI flights arrive on the same belts as domestic bags, it is literally just an extra little corridor the arriving pax have to walk through.
At LHR I've never flown to or from NI, so I can't verify if the same set up exists, although all flights to the Island of Ireland depart from a different area to GB flights, so I am guessing that a similar set up exists.
For departing passengers to GB, NI and ROI, there is the extra check point in place at T1 (it's done at the gate in T5) which shows that those passengers have met the required immigration standards to proceed to the gates. If you arrive from an international flight and are connecting to a GB/NI/ROI flight you get your picture taken to show you've gone through immigration. When you check in for a domestic flight, you get your picture taken at the main security check point, or at the check in desk (depending if you go to a desk which does this). When you get to the second check point (which you must go through to get to the GB/NI/ROI gates) they simply match the picture associated with your boarding pass and if all is well they let you proceed.
At EDI, arrivals from BHD and BFS were taken through a separate door from other UK arrivals. This was due there being a police check point as there is still a certain level of extra security for NI flights. Bags from NI flights arrive on the same belts as domestic bags, it is literally just an extra little corridor the arriving pax have to walk through.
At LHR I've never flown to or from NI, so I can't verify if the same set up exists, although all flights to the Island of Ireland depart from a different area to GB flights, so I am guessing that a similar set up exists.
For departing passengers to GB, NI and ROI, there is the extra check point in place at T1 (it's done at the gate in T5) which shows that those passengers have met the required immigration standards to proceed to the gates. If you arrive from an international flight and are connecting to a GB/NI/ROI flight you get your picture taken to show you've gone through immigration. When you check in for a domestic flight, you get your picture taken at the main security check point, or at the check in desk (depending if you go to a desk which does this). When you get to the second check point (which you must go through to get to the GB/NI/ROI gates) they simply match the picture associated with your boarding pass and if all is well they let you proceed.
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Slightly off topic but I assume the airline has to pay for each bus? Do gates with an airbridge have a higher landing fee than off stand gates? I notice lo co’s (RYR @ MLA and EZY @ BRU at least) always seem to go for off stand gates that you can walk to. Presumably that’s the cheapest because no air bridge and no bus to pay for? Or do they not get a choice and get stuck where they’re put?
P.S. Flying into FRA yesterday I was on the first bus and it left as soon as it was full leaving the other one still loading up.
P.S. Flying into FRA yesterday I was on the first bus and it left as soon as it was full leaving the other one still loading up.
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LOCO's prefer to go off jetty as they can empty and board a plane much faster with 2 exits than with one.
EasyJet use contact stands now and again, usually at the bigger airports (I have used air bridges with EZY at EDI, LGW, HAM, BFS and STN), but in all my FR flights I don't think I have ever seen them using one. Most of the airports they fly to don't have jetties anyway, but the ones that do they never use them. I don't know if they are charged more, but they are certainly charged for the time they take up a stand, so anything which minimises that will win.
EasyJet use contact stands now and again, usually at the bigger airports (I have used air bridges with EZY at EDI, LGW, HAM, BFS and STN), but in all my FR flights I don't think I have ever seen them using one. Most of the airports they fly to don't have jetties anyway, but the ones that do they never use them. I don't know if they are charged more, but they are certainly charged for the time they take up a stand, so anything which minimises that will win.
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At GVA Squeezy uses air bridges for all flights, except some to France (similar customs but not immigration status as mentioned above UK/IE) where gate/bridge space limited.
But they have to, as the most frequent operator there isn't enough remote space for them.
But they have to, as the most frequent operator there isn't enough remote space for them.
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RYR use air bridges at Birmingham for some of their flights. I always thought that at some airports airlines are charged less for using remote stands which is why some choose to do so - as well as for a quicker turnaround for the LCs, as already mentioned.
Last edited by Hotel Tango; 16th Jul 2013 at 18:27.
