Aviation Discussion

[fowler9]

Cheers for the tips there My hotel is close to Milan's central station, so I'll definitely be having a look. Much of interest to see in Milan?

The station alone is amazing, also the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Loads more in Milan, amazing places, I don't know where to start. I do prefer Torino though. Ha ha. I have to be awkward, and it is more awkward to get to. Torino is where the Italian Royal Family used to live when they had one. It is full of palaces and has amazing views of the alps. To me Milano is like the Manchester of Italy, a great city. Torino is like the Liverpool though, worse reputation but more beautiful and more to see. Ha ha.

 

[Techniquest]

The station alone is amazing, also the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Loads more in Milan, amazing places, I don't know where to start. I do prefer Torino though. Ha ha. I have to be awkward, and it is more awkward to get to. Torino is where the Italian Royal Family used to live when they had one. It is full of palaces and has amazing views of the alps. To me Milano is like the Manchester of Italy, a great city. Torino is like the Liverpool though, worse reputation but more beautiful and more to see. Ha ha.

See, I didn't find an awful lot that appealed to me on a quick look last night, although in all fairness I'm not into art. The cathedral looks incredible, better than the one in Vienna and will be thoroughly worth a look. I'm sure it was there that you can go to the roof of for amazing views of the city. I'll check before I get to Milan of course, but that's got to be done.

Generally speaking I've decided after a couple of hours of walking around I'll check out the trams and any Metro stuff, making sure I get a proper Italian pizza and some gelato too. Not to mention a proper Italian coffee when I get to Milan too for that matter, after all it's the food and drink I'm going there for more than anything else!

 

[StephenHunter]

Funny isn't it, the land of the free being a bit reticent at giving anything for free.

It's the "land of free to get very, very rich"...

****
I'm been doing some research into 1960s aviation for a role-playing game that I'm running and wonder if anyone here ever used the West London Air Terminal?

 

[AlterEgo]

It's the "land of free to get very, very rich"...

****
I'm been doing some research into 1960s aviation for a role-playing game that I'm running and wonder if anyone here ever used the West London Air Terminal?

You'll definitely get a response on BA Flyertalk, a huge forum with several old crusty posters: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club-446/

 

[atillathehunn]

What on Earth is this travelling lemon?!

I'm afraid you're going to have to listen to the show and find out...

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Generally speaking I've decided after a couple of hours of walking around I'll check out the trams and any Metro stuff, making sure I get a proper Italian pizza and some gelato too.

You'll need to go to Napoli for that...

 

[atillathehunn]

You'll need to go to Napoli for that...

But on the theme of food, take dinner in Navigili. Grom for gelato.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

I was flicking through FR24 to label some photos and didn't realise the Jet2 757s dated back to the late 1980s. These have to be some of the oldest airliners in current service that operate into the UK.

Does anyone know of any that are any older and still in active use?

 

[AlterEgo]

I was flicking through FR24 to label some photos and didn't realise the Jet2 757s dated back to the late 1980s. These have to be some of the oldest airliners in current service that operate into the UK.

Does anyone know of any that are any older and still in active use?

Some of their 737s date back to the late 80s as well!

EDIT: I flew on a Jota Aviation BAe146 last year which is older than I am...and I was 31 at the weekend...

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

I was flicking through FR24 to label some photos and didn't realise the Jet2 757s dated back to the late 1980s. These have to be some of the oldest airliners in current service that operate into the UK.

Does anyone know of any that are any older and still in active use?

Not quite on the scale of a 757 but Isle of Scilly Skybus have a DHC-6 aka Twin Otter (G-ISSG) that first flew in December 1977. And I suspect that some of the Soviet era freighters that make occasional appearances here are even older. Any offers?!

 

[fowler9]

See, I didn't find an awful lot that appealed to me on a quick look last night, although in all fairness I'm not into art. The cathedral looks incredible, better than the one in Vienna and will be thoroughly worth a look. I'm sure it was there that you can go to the roof of for amazing views of the city. I'll check before I get to Milan of course, but that's got to be done.

Generally speaking I've decided after a couple of hours of walking around I'll check out the trams and any Metro stuff, making sure I get a proper Italian pizza and some gelato too. Not to mention a proper Italian coffee when I get to Milan too for that matter, after all it's the food and drink I'm going there for more than anything else!

If you do go to Torino there is a building called the Mole. It is the national museum of cinema but the building wasn't designed for that purpose. I has a glass elevator which goes up the centre of the building up to the tower at the top and is pretty cool. You can travel on it using local travel passes. The view from the top looks out over the entire city and the Alps. The city also has a really good tram network.

 

[atillathehunn]

Not quite on the scale of a 757 but Isle of Scilly Skybus have a DHC-6 aka Twin Otter (G-ISSG) that first flew in December 1977. And I suspect that some of the Soviet era freighters that make occasional appearances here are even older. Any offers?!

Antonovs which put in appearances at UK airports are 1980s builds, so in which a shout, but looks like the Twotter takes the crown

 

[Crawley Ben]

For anyone interested - British Airways are to launch non stop flights from Heathrow to Nashville from May 2018 on 787 Dreamliners 5x weekly)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iag-britishairways-nashville-idUSKBN1AO1QD

Cheers

Ben

 

[Crawley Ben]

I believe a C17 aircraft was at London Gatwick today having been flown up from Cardiff Airport. I'm told by a fellow Gatwick colleague that the aircraft was being used for some sort of training exercise? Not sure if this is 'newsworthy' etc. Thought I would mention anyhow in case anyone is interested.

Cheers

Ben

 

[fowler9]

I believe a C17 aircraft was at London Gatwick today having been flown up from Cardiff Airport. I'm told by a fellow Gatwick colleague that the aircraft was being used for some sort of training exercise? Not sure if this is 'newsworthy' etc. Thought I would mention anyhow in case anyone is interested.

Cheers

Ben

Always appreciated. The RAF do all kinds of training flights. We probably get them more often in Liverpool because it is far less busy than Gatwick. Ha ha. We often get C17's, A400's, Tornados etc. at JLA. Normally practicing approaches but occasionally landing. The most frequent ones we get are Hawks from RAF Valley flying down the river.

 

[Butts]

TPX use those filter cups too? Oh now I really do need a proper full day of travelling with them!

Agreed that Ryanair rule the skies when it comes to that filter coffee, it's excellent stuff and well worth the extra compared to the rubbish you get on BA, Flybe and the others!

Well I experienced the Ryanair Coffee on my Lux Fag Run (both flights late but at £20 for front row seats I won't grumble to much )

FYI BA have the same filter type coffee and it is 70p cheaper and just as good !!

Also £2 for a Kit Kat on Ryanair - are they having a giraffe ?

Only £1 on Flybe (and thats bad enough)

By the way am I the only one who hates Stansted Airport ?

It seems so cramped and busy compared to say Birmingham - perhaps it's because in and out are combined in one area.

However to be fair they have loads of E-Gates so I was out in less than 10 mins. Also Customs was unmanned so no one to ask unseemly questions about the 2800 Benson's I was legally conveying in my hand luggage !!

 

[AlterEgo]

By the way am I the only one who hates Stansted Airport ?

It seems so cramped and busy compared to say Birmingham - perhaps it's because in and out are combined in one area.

Stansted is appallingly designed so that people congregate in what is now a fairly small atrium just after security, with gates being announced fairly late. I really hate it, and was grateful that the last time I visited I could go to the Escape Lounge - never a lounge more aptly named.

 

[theageofthetra]

Stansted is appallingly designed so that people congregate in what is now a fairly small atrium just after security, with gates being announced fairly late. I really hate it, and was grateful that the last time I visited I could go to the Escape Lounge - never a lounge more .

Appalling airport since the changes. Where are the water fountains?- I am sure that there has been a legal challenge over this as when my Mrs was forced to use the dump to fly at short notice to Edinburgh- they had water bottles with an honesty box (which I hope no one paid into)

 

[Bletchleyite]

By the way am I the only one who hates Stansted Airport ?

No, it's a mucky and badly-laid out shed in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Is it worse than middle of upgrade Luton? I'm looking at a very early morning Ryanair flight from Stansted in December at the moment. I'd prefer to avoid both, but there are not enough direct flights to the Balkans.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is it worse than middle of upgrade Luton? I'm looking at a very early morning Ryanair flight from Stansted in December at the moment. I'd prefer to avoid both, but there are not enough direct flights to the Balkans.

Luton isn't that bad, just busy.

 

[atillathehunn]

For anyone interested - British Airways are to launch non stop flights from Heathrow to Nashville from May 2018 on 787 Dreamliners 5x weekly)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iag-britishairways-nashville-idUSKBN1AO1QD

Cheers

Ben

And in other British Airways news, they're starting the A380 onto the Chicago O'Hare route.

 

[StephenHunter]

Luton isn't that bad, just busy.

Apart from catering provision, Southend's quite good actually.

 

[theageofthetra]

Ok what is the worst airline/aircraft you have ever flown on? Being 46 I remember the ancient rubbish foiseted on us before 9-11.

Got to be a DC8 run by a Belgian operator Gatwick-Lester B Pearson in 1988 for me. Combined stale fags, fuel and dried vommit in one 'enjoyable' 10hr experience

 

[Techniquest]

FYI BA have the same filter type coffee and it is 70p cheaper and just as good !!

Oh really? I will get to find out on Friday if this is the case. It cannot be as bad as the complimentary coffee I had with BA on my trip to Vienna in November 2016! I must make sure I carry some cash on me for that actually, will be particularly useful on Saturday morning...

As for the KitKat issue you discussed, I can't eat them these days. A KitKat Chunky (OK not the same thing but still) destroyed one of my teeth earlier this year, to the point it took three separate dental appointments to get it repaired!

I don't buy food on Ryanair, mostly because I'm never on the plane long enough to need to. Also because I'm not paying that much for the stuff they do sell, and because the burger when I once had it was not enjoyable.

By the way am I the only one who hates Stansted Airport ?

It seems so cramped and busy compared to say Birmingham - perhaps it's because in and out are combined in one area.

However to be fair they have loads of E-Gates so I was out in less than 10 mins. Also Customs was unmanned so no one to ask unseemly questions about the 2800 Benson's I was legally conveying in my hand luggage !!

Good grief those Bensons will hopefully last you a while!

Stansted, when it was still being refurbished, was a pain to get around but it is still preferable to Gatwick personally. I've used Stansted a few times now and I actually don't mind it. OK so there's some long walks to some gates, but I've only ever done that once. The last time I had a fair walk to the AirTrain back to the terminal, but it wasn't too bad.

They did get that right with the e-gates, putting lots of those in was very sensible considering just how busy it can get there. We need more of them in other airports too, Gatwick definitely doesn't have enough of them for the numbers of passengers using it.

Tomorrow morning I'll be on the way to Manchester Airport for my first Jet2 flight. Thursday morning I fly back to Southend with Flybe, and if that wasn't enough I've got my first BA Cityflyer flights, taking in my first visit to London City Airport and flying out to Milan Linate on Friday morning. Saturday morning I fly back with BA Cityflyer, so 4 flights in 6 days which for me is unheard of. Not complaining of course, and I'm already looking up where I can go next!

 

[Techniquest]

Ok what is the worst airline/aircraft you have ever flown on? Being 46 I remember the ancient rubbish foiseted on us before 9-11.

Got to be a DC8 run by a Belgian operator Gatwick-Lester B Pearson in 1988 for me. Combined stale fags, fuel and dried vommit in one 'enjoyable' 10hr experience

Not had a worst craft yet, each flight has been enjoyable in those terms.

In terms of airlines, Norwegian and their horrifically rubbish service on the ground and on the plane. It comes to something when even Ryanair, notorious for not being overly customer-focused, is far superior to a long-distance operator. Still, we've been there and covered all that, but I still refuse to fly Norwegian, even if it's on a European flight. I will pay more to fly with another airline!

 

[atillathehunn]

Not had a worst craft yet, each flight has been enjoyable in those terms.

In terms of airlines, Norwegian and their horrifically rubbish service on the ground and on the plane. It comes to something when even Ryanair, notorious for not being overly customer-focused, is far superior to a long-distance operator. Still, we've been there and covered all that, but I still refuse to fly Norwegian, even if it's on a European flight. I will pay more to fly with another airline!

What did Norwegian do that was so egregious?

Worst airline is hard, all of them have their high moments and low moments.

Worst combination of the two was a flight on a small (possibly ATR) prop plane through Kenya in a thunderstorm. Plane rocking around all over the place plummeting, when our Latin American pilot wanders into the cabin, shirt half open, gold medallion visible, and says "I am Manuel. I am your pilot. We are having a rough flight. Maybe we'll get to Nairobi. Maybe we won't." Dead silence in the cabin, until he corrected that maybe we'll make it Nairobi or maybe we'll divert to Eldoret. A lot less apocalyptic than the first.

 

[Butts]

Oh really? I will get to find out on Friday if this is the case. It cannot be as bad as the complimentary coffee I had with BA on my trip to Vienna in November 2016! I must make sure I carry some cash on me for that actually, will be particularly useful on Saturday morning...

As for the KitKat issue you discussed, I can't eat them these days. A KitKat Chunky (OK not the same thing but still) destroyed one of my teeth earlier this year, to the point it took three separate dental appointments to get it repaired!


They did get that right with the e-gates, putting lots of those in was very sensible considering just how busy it can get there. We need more of them in other airports too, Gatwick definitely doesn't have enough of them for the numbers of passengers using it.

Just a warning they don't take cash on BA but you can use a card at no extra cost for you coffee. As you are on Cityflyer I'm not sure if they have switched to buy on board yet - their freebies were supposed to continue until the summer.

With regard to Kit Kat's to add insult to injury the £2 one was a normal one not even it's bigger chunkier cousin.

Arriving at Stansted the only options I saw were for E-Gates or ID cards - do they not have a normal manual Passport Check ?

Enjoy your flights

 

[Crawley Ben]

Ok what is the worst airline/aircraft you have ever flown on? Being 46 I remember the ancient rubbish foiseted on us before 9-11.

Got to be a DC8 run by a Belgian operator Gatwick-Lester B Pearson in 1988 for me. Combined stale fags, fuel and dried vommit in one 'enjoyable' 10hr experience

Worst aircraft for me was a Boeing 767 from Toronto to Heathrow with Air Canada. Airline itself was fine, and the crew were brilliant, but I just didn't like the plane at all & felt at the time it was so small for a long haul flight.

A close second is the clapped out BA 747 we flew to Philadelphia on in May of this year (I've made reference to that earlier in the thread)

It makes me wonder how people poke up with flying long haul on 737's etc!

Best airline and plane by a long shot is Emirates and their A380's. Superb aircraft to fly on, and lovely and quiet. I wouldn't think twice about flying win the airline again and would defo recommend if any asked me about them

 

[Techniquest]

Just a warning they don't take cash on BA but you can use a card at no extra cost for you coffee. As you are on Cityflyer I'm not sure if they have switched to buy on board yet - their freebies were supposed to continue until the summer.

With regard to Kit Kat's to add insult to injury the £2 one was a normal one not even it's bigger chunkier cousin.

Arriving at Stansted the only options I saw were for E-Gates or ID cards - do they not have a normal manual Passport Check ?

Enjoy your flights

There are definitely manual gates, but they prefer e-passport holders to use the e-gates, leaving the manual gates for non-EU/UK passport holders.

Interesting that refreshments may still be complimentary on Cityflyer, I will of course be letting you all know in approximately 168 hours! I'll also review the experience in my trip report thread.