Aviation Discussion

[ModernRailways]

Fully agree with this. On a recent flight to Malaga, some of these so called laptop cases were nothing short of suitcases.Wouldnt mind like, but one is supposed to go under the seat in front of you and some people were just putting them both in OH lockers.

This really irritates me, I was on a transatlantic flight and there was a row of businessmen who managed to fill two overhead bins before the crew removed some of it and told them it had to go under the seat. They had put their coats, 2 backpacks and their laptop bags and then their wheel on carry ons in a bin each. And there was me with just a backpack with everything in and putting it under the seat and keeping my coat on my lap as a blanket.

If everyone who could, put their stuff under the seat then I'm sure there would be more space in the overhead bins on the whole and as such you'd get more into them.

I have one big Arcido backpack, and my normal North Face backpack. My North Face fits under the seat and the Arcido has to go into the bins. I can easily go with just my North Face for a week depending on where I'm travelling too and the climate. Or I take the Arcido if it's me and a friend or more going and we can just throw everything into the one bag and then they have their own carry ons for any extras they need (usually a backpack for a laptop and maybe some cosmetic stuff, then to bring gifts etc. home we have space). The Arcido is just over carry on size for some airlines and I have been stopped with it once, after some sweet talking with the gate agent we were told because it was for three people 'as long as all your other bags (we had two other backpacks) go under the seats, I'll let you off this once.'

The rules for carry ons really need sorted out and in my view it should be a standard carry on limit across all airlines. I shouldn't have to need to check before every flight what size my carry on limit is. I also think the accessory bag/laptop bag should be changed. The accessory bag/laptop bag should be a bag that must go under the seat. On board crew could also be more strict with enforcement, making sure things that can go under the seat actually go under the seat and not just thrown into the overhead bins. Things like coats/backpacks could all be put under seats and save space.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

The rules for carry ons really need sorted out and in my view it should be a standard carry on limit across all airlines. I shouldn't have to need to check before every flight what size my carry on limit is.

While that would be very convenient for travellers it's something that seems to have been deliberately avoided in the international treaties and other arrangements that cover air travel. References are made to "personal items" without actually stipulating what that does or does not cover. Likewise "coat or jacket", "camera" and there are others. The reality is that airlines are free to decide on whatever rules they like and there is no chance of that changing as long as so many travellers are governed primarily by price in making their air travel choices. One thing too often forgotten is the need for travel insurance to cover various eventualities and to also abide by the terms of that insurance to guarantee on-going cover. This is particularly relevant when considering what sort of items might end up being assigned to the bagage hold at the gate and whether they will be fully secure.

 

[Crawley Ben]

Greetings from Nice (South of France)

I arrived here earlier this morning after travelling on a BA Airbus 319 ex Gatwick.

If you like plane spotting then Nice is a decent place to come to I reckon. Have been watching numerous aircraft from Delta to Emirates to Easyjet taking off all in front of the seafront. Beautiful blue skies and not a cloud in sight.

Cheers

Ben

 

[GB]

Ive been to the states probably 12 times in the last 10 years or so and not once was carry on luggage either weighed or measured. You can't blame the passengers if the airline isn't bothered over it.

 

[gsnedders]

Ive been to the states probably 12 times in the last 10 years or so and not once was carry on luggage either weighed or measured. You can't blame the passengers if the airline isn't bothered over it.

I think I've almost never cabin baggage weighed: once at STN, once at EDI, and the majority of times (probably half a dozen) I've flown from NYO (Nyköping Stockholm-Skavsta), done before security.

 

[Richard_B]

Ive been to the states probably 12 times in the last 10 years or so and not once was carry on luggage either weighed or measured. You can't blame the passengers if the airline isn't bothered over it.

Ryanair will always have to be sharper on carry on luggage than a transatlantic airline who give you a hold bag as part of the ticket.

 

[ld0595]

United are launching a seasonal daily service from Edinburgh to Washington next summer using a 757 starting May 23. Press release can be seen here. Great to see the transatlantic options from Edinburgh expanding!

 

[stut]

Wow, they're really pushing every bit of life possible out of those ex-Conti 757s, aren't they? What are they, 30 years old now?

Much as I love the 757 (and I have a rare flight in one coming up in October) and much as I love to see Scotland getting decent flight options, you have to wonder how the economics of this will stack up against the likes of Norwegian and their new 737MAX transatlantic services.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ryanair will always have to be sharper on carry on luggage than a transatlantic airline who give you a hold bag as part of the ticket.

And yet they have just come up with, err, a very convoluted way of giving people, err, a hold bag (small) as part of the ticket. Bizarre.

 

[atillathehunn]

Wow, they're really pushing every bit of life possible out of those ex-Conti 757s, aren't they? What are they, 30 years old now?

Much as I love the 757 (and I have a rare flight in one coming up in October) and much as I love to see Scotland getting decent flight options, you have to wonder how the economics of this will stack up against the likes of Norwegian and their new 737MAX transatlantic services.

I would imagine the economics stack up quite well. As you say, the 757s are capital expired. While Norwegian's operating costs are low, they have high capital costs on their newer planes.

United also can benefit from a bit of feeder traffic from their network which will help. Reduced marketing costs as they are already an established TATL player from Edinburgh.


On the baggage front: makes perfect sense and I and others on here have been saying a policy somewhat like this should be brought in for a while now. With the laptop bag still a possibility, bunging my roll a board full of clothes in the hold will improve the embarking and disembarking process no end. They clearly are confident that the baggage handlers can deal with the process at the destination, with a promise I found somewhere on their website that 90% of these bags will be on the baggage belt by the time passengers have cleared customs.

 

[atillathehunn]

Flights now on sale from Cardiff to Doha (and it's many connections).

2 class B787.

Cardiff 08.10 - Doha 17:05
Doha 01:15 - Cardiff 06:40

Edit: on some days only. Fares aren't loaded into the ITA matrix yet so hard to get a good overview. Some days the flight leaves Doha at 07.50 rather than the overnight flight.

 

[telstarbox]

EasyJet will provide feeder traffic to long-haul carriers for the first time, the budget airline has said.

Passengers taking connecting flights through London Gatwick, such as those travelling from Aberdeen to New York, will be able to book the entire trip on easyJet’s website.

The airline has formed a partnership with Norwegian and WestJet, offering flights to North and South America and the far east. Under the Worldwide scheme, passengers will also be able to connect with other easyJet flights.

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...her-airlines-long-haul-flights-for-first-time

 

[atillathehunn]

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...her-airlines-long-haul-flights-for-first-time

Absolute game changer. Credit to them. Not just on the international low cost long haul, but also the intra Europe sewing together of the network.

As they are price as individual fares, it allows you to benefit from cheaper fares from Europe and bolt the connection on at the low cost price rather than a changing a point to point to a through fare which can do funny thing to the price. Great news all round.

 

[dcsprior]

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...her-airlines-long-haul-flights-for-first-time

I've read a few articles on this today, they all talk about the convenience of being able to do it in a single transaction, but this is the first which states that if a flight on your itinerary is delayed or cancelled causing you to miss subsequent flights, they let you on a later flight for free, and presumably EC261 compensation would apply to the journey as a whole - so thanks for the link.

This does mean that a connection from easyJet to another airline is more secure than a "connection" from one easyJet flight to another (unless anything has changed in respect of the latter) which is decidedly odd!

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

 

[atillathehunn]

The article appears to state that easyjet will now offer connections on easy-easy journeys too

 

[Butts]

The article appears to state that easyjet will now offer connections on easy-easy journeys too

Does this mean that your bag is checked through to the final destination if taking more than one Easyjet Flight to get there ? (As it would be with BA et al)

 

[WestCoast]

Just flew Ryanair on their new Frankfurt (Main) to Manchester service, which is not a route I ever imagined would be on their network. They are parking their aircraft half way to Austria though (next to all the long-haul aircraft taking a rest), the bus ride from Frankfurt T2 was literally 20 minutes long , plus we were delayed a further 50 minutes due to slot control.

 

[AlterEgo]

Does this mean that your bag is checked through to the final destination if taking more than one Easyjet Flight to get there ? (As it would be with BA et al)

Yes, and also that the journey is made on one ticket and therefore your connection is protected (though not guaranteed).

 

[Butts]

Just flew Ryanair on their new Frankfurt (Main) to Manchester service, which is not a route I ever imagined would be on their network. They are parking their aircraft half way to Austria though (next to all the long-haul aircraft taking a rest), the bus ride from Frankfurt T2 was literally 20 minutes long , plus we were delayed a further 50 minutes due to slot control.

Are you off to the Motorshow ?

I'm going with my Son next week, but on Lufthansa from Birmingham , so hopefully will be parked a little closer

 

[Bald Rick]

Yes, and also that the journey is made on one ticket and therefore your connection is protected (though not guaranteed).

Depends on the definition of 'checked'.

It's pretty clear that you will have to pick up any hold bags at Gatwick reclaim and then drop them at the connections transfer point.

However I assume the passenger will stay airside (unless they choose not to). Not sure if they will have to check in separately for each flight - possibly not.

 

[gsnedders]

Depends on the definition of 'checked'.

It's pretty clear that you will have to pick up any hold bags at Gatwick reclaim and then drop them at the connections transfer point.

However I assume the passenger will stay airside (unless they choose not to). Not sure if they will have to check in separately for each flight - possibly not.

Can you even pick baggage up and remain airside at Gatwick?

 

[FQTV]

Can you even pick baggage up and remain airside at Gatwick?

No; there is no airside connections route at Gatwick.

The easyJet system will be to (continue) to make use of the Gatwick Connect facility, which is effectively an airline-agnostic check-in desk in the baggage hall.

The passenger still has to collect and recheck their bag(s), deposit them with Gatwick Connect and then proceed through Arrivals as if they were terminating at Gatwick.

They then walk to Departures (potentially changing terminals landside if necessary), and follow the route as if they were originating at Gatwick - ie through Security and on to lounges and gates.

My understanding is that the key changes involved in the new announcement are the ability to book connecting flights on the easyJet website, and protection in case of delay and misconnection.

However, the minimum connection time (MCT) is, as I understand it, 2h30m for easyJet to easyJet, which is fairly significant in comparison to the average sector length of an easyJet flight. I suspect that it needs to be, though, to cope with the lack of defined/airside route for connecting passengers, and the potential for folks getting lost/stuck in main Security.

 

[Bald Rick]

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Butts]

No; there is no airside connections route at Gatwick.

The easyJet system will be to (continue) to make use of the Gatwick Connect facility, which is effectively an airline-agnostic check-in desk in the baggage hall.

The passenger still has to collect and recheck their bag(s), deposit them with Gatwick Connect and then proceed through Arrivals as if they were terminating at Gatwick.

They then walk to Departures (potentially changing terminals landside if necessary), and follow the route as if they were originating at Gatwick - ie through Security and on to lounges and gates.

My understanding is that the key changes involved in the new announcement are the ability to book connecting flights on the easyJet website, and protection in case of delay and misconnection.

However, the minimum connection time (MCT) is, as I understand it, 2h30m for easyJet to easyJet, which is fairly significant in comparison to the average sector length of an easyJet flight. I suspect that it needs to be, though, to cope with the lack of defined/airside route for connecting passengers, and the potential for folks getting lost/stuck in main Security.

So it's not really a proper through ticket as with BA. For example going from Edinburgh to Luxembourg via Heathrow you drop your bag in Edinburgh and don't see it again until Luxembourg.

Have Easyjet not got the infrastructure to operate in this manner which is a lot more convenient for the passenger ?

 

[FQTV]

So it's not really a proper through ticket as with BA. For example going from Edinburgh to Luxembourg via Heathrow you drop your bag in Edinburgh and don't see it again until Luxembourg.

Have Easyjet not got the infrastructure to operate in this manner which is a lot more convenient for the passenger ?

It is a through-ticket in that you can buy it in one transaction, are bound by minimum connection times and have both connection protection and EU261 cover, including duty of care, which didn't hitherto exist.

What it doesn't permit is 'interlined' baggage at Gatwick. Having said that, Gatwick is the only major European airport that has a facility such as a Gatwick Connect.

Since I understand that the airport funds that, wholly or in part, you can see why easyJet would default to trying to use it first, rather than taking on full interlined baggage transfer costs and liabilities itself.

 

[Jetlagged]

We usually fly into LGW from Lisbon or Porto one day, have an overnight in a hotel and then continue with our long haul the next morning. I'm guessing that this new facility will not work for us? Any thoughts?

 

[WestCoast]

Are you off to the Motorshow ?

I'm going with my Son next week, but on Lufthansa from Birmingham , so hopefully will be parked a little closer

No, a work trip sadly*. Can't complain too much, I was at the Italian Grand Prix the week before though!

*Work has a cheapest only option, so we default to Ryanair on both Hamburg and now Frankfurt from Manchester. You can book a bag and front row seating though which is nice.

A lot of planes do use remote stands at Frankfurt including loads of Lufthansa aircraft, but there is remote and then there is remote...

 

[Tim R-T-C]

We usually fly into LGW from Lisbon or Porto one day, have an overnight in a hotel and then continue with our long haul the next morning. I'm guessing that this new facility will not work for us? Any thoughts?

Depends how they work it, it is not uncommon for Skyscanner to produce a legal itinerary where you end up with a 9 hour wait between flights, enough time to take a hotel in the middle.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

No, a work trip sadly*. Can't complain too much, I was at the Italian Grand Prix the week before though!

*Work has a cheapest only option, so we default to Ryanair on both Hamburg and now Frankfurt from Manchester. You can book a bag and front row seating though which is nice.

A lot of planes do use remote stands at Frankfurt including loads of Lufthansa aircraft, but there is remote and then there is remote...

From what I understand the stand you were at is where the new terminal is proposed to be at, effectively you are at the new terminal but it's not there yet so you have to be bussed over, though the skytrain will be extended once built. It's a bit like the old Heathrow Express preview. You got dumped off somewhere nearby then bussed the rest!

When I spent 4 days there a couple of months ago, I didn't see a Ryanair go into there so not sure if your case was a one off or if they do go there now. I have seen TUI, Air Moldova and Gulf Air use this far away stands at the invisible new terminal regularly though

 

[Richard_B]

We usually fly into LGW from Lisbon or Porto one day, have an overnight in a hotel and then continue with our long haul the next morning. I'm guessing that this new facility will not work for us? Any thoughts?

No idea if it is too long - but remember the onward flight can only be on Norweigan or Westjet currently.