Odds n Sods

[S.o.S.]

Airport drop-off charges for drivers have increased by almost a third at UK airports over the past year, according to the RAC.
BBC web
Stansted airport remains the most expensive place to drop off at £7 for 15 minutes.

However, six of the busiest UK airports have frozen drop-off charges since last summer. Alongside Stansted:

• London's Heathrow charges a flat £5 with no time limit
• London's Gatwick charges £5 for 10 minutes
• Manchester airport costs £5 for 5 minutes
• London Luton charges £5 for 10 minutes
• Edinburgh costs £4 for 10 minutes.

Three airports offer free-drop off outside the departure terminal. These are Cardiff, London City and Inverness.

[PAXboy]

Not to mention that hotels close to airports have racked up their charges! Also found that Premier Inn next to LPL now charges for their car park, even for those that have paid to stay there. The usual threats on the signboard if you don't pay as the ANPR sees all. We booked there when visiting my Niece in Liverpool as it was cheaper than staying closer into town, Whilst the car park charges did not swing the balance they were unwelcome.

[PAXboy]

I saw this and thought it interesting. An American Airlines Captain drawing a line. Scroll down to find the audio, although some excerpts are in the text:
An American Airlines Captain

[S.o.S.]

British Airways to require photo ID for domestic flights in policy change

Airline falls into line with major competitors and requires one form of identification from 1st September.

Independent

[Asturias56]

I have a grudging memory of having to show ID on some internal BA flights for years - Always carry my passport as you never know whee you might be diverted to...............

[PAXboy]

Princess Juliana International Airport - St. Maarten


SXM car park

[Helol]

Originally Posted by PAXboy

Princess Juliana International Airport - St. Maarten
SXM car park

Luxembourg, my home for 11+ years has a 'kiss and fly' car park, whereby 15 minutes of free parking is provided directly in front of the terminal. For those of you familiar with Findel know it really is in front of the terminal, ideal for dropping off pax etc.

[PAXboy]

Here is a very misleading headline, even though the correct information is given in the article.

No passport required as departures from Singapore airport set for 'seamless' travel from 2024

Biometric data, taken from fingerprint scans and facial recognition technology, will replace travel documents and other physical items, such as passports.
Wednesday 20 September 2023 14:50, UK

Sky News article

They key part is:-

The changes will allow people to depart the airport without needing to "repeatedly present their travel documents".

Which is 100% different but the modern media just can't seem to get even the basics right. I suspect they did not read the PR release before publishing.

[Helol]

Hubby paid the £5 when he dropped me off at the Virgin UC entrance, which is just prior to the slip road into T3 departures. I am not sure if the charge actually applied - can anyone confirm?

[PAXboy]

As far as I know, the ANPR cameras are on the 'set down' lanes only. This means that the fee will not have been deducted and your Hubby's account will be in credit. The credit is valid for 365 days but will then expire. If you check the account, I think that, if you booked for T3 then the credit is only valid at T3.

[PAXboy]

This is a Rumour network so ...
SAS Will Join SkyTeam Alliance in Ownership Shakeup

No time set for leaving ...

After filing for bankruptcy last year, the Copenhagen-based airline announced it found some new owners: A U.S. investment firm, the Danish government, and … Air France-KLM. In doing so, it'll pull SAS into the SkyTeam alliance along with Delta, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, and other carriers, the airline confirmed.

There's no clear timeline for SAS's exit from the massive Star Alliance, though it won't happen immediately – the airline's news release says only that it will “eventually join” SkyTeam. Plus, the entire deal is contingent on a slew of regulatory approvals to move ahead.

[PAXboy]

From Sky News website

Air fares are set to increase further as the UK aviation authority has upped the costs airline pay to fund air traffic control.

Each plane will have to pay an additional £17 a journey after the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) increased the contribution from £47 to £64 per aircraft.

It follows hundreds of flight cancellations and long delays in August as the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) reported a "technical issue" which affected its flight planning system. An independent review into the events is taking place.

Another chicken comes home to roost. If you consistently underfund a critical computer system, failing to take the plunge to upgrade to new software - it will fail and (usually) horribly.

What is irritating about this is - it appears - that the fee increase is just to pay off the airlines. At some ppoint they are going to have to fix the problem...

[S.o.S.]

We have had several discussions about Passports and automatic gates. This programme told me some things about passports and the process that I did not know. An enjoyable hour.
BBC 1
The Secret Genius of Modern Life
Series 2
Episode 1. Passport