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Plane Bashing

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SwindonPkwy

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I have never flown on a BAe 146 (RJ85 etc.) Can anybody recommend any airlines/routes from or within the UK that still use them?
 
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Skymonster

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Just booked United Airlines Dreamliner flight Houston-Los Angeles early November as part of a trip to the USA! :)

Other types on the trip are 777-200, CRJ200, EMB145, 757-200, 767-300... All been done before so only the 787-800 will be new, but might do a Grand Canyon trip (Beech 1900 and Eurocopter) whilst I'm there as both of those would be new...
 

route101

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Flew a Twotter last tuesday and was certainly a scary flight , never made it to destination due to a tech issue .
And a routine GLA - LGW ezy A319.
 

Techniquest

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Successfully reached Knock yesterday,another Ryanair B738 in the book with EI-DPV :)

Bring on Cork to Stansted tomorrow,hopefully another B738 I need!
 

Techniquest

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Including winner EI-DLN this morning,7 out of 300.That fleet size is from the inflight magazine.Sighted 43 of them so far too.

Already looking forward to the next flight!
 

starrymarkb

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Alitalia recently had a mistake fare....

For €68 euros you could do a day trip from Milano to Tokyo!

Pity I missed that one ;)
 

SwindonPkwy

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starrymarkb said:
Alitalia recently had a mistake fare....

For €68 euros you could do a day trip from Milano to Tokyo!

Pity I missed that one ;)

I'm sure a few A.netters would still turn their noses up if it meant flying on a ten abreast 777!!
 

Matt Taylor

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starrymarkb

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Second day trip to Glasgow of the year. G-EZAM did the honours in both directions (Though according to Flightradar it also did Barcelona and Edinburgh as well as the Early and Late Glasgows)
 

WestCoast

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Just returned from a LHR - FRA - BHX trip, outbound with BA, returning with Lufthansa. Got a surprisingly good deal on Opodo booking a few weeks in advance. The purpose of the trip was to attend a university talk and also to visit a friend, so not just a plane bashing trip per se.

BA A319 outbound was about 90% full, traditional friendly 'BA-style' crew. Slightly delayed due to Heathrow issues. Usual midday snack (bag of pretzels or something more sweet) on BA.

The Lufthansa flight coming home was scheduled to be an A319, but due to operational reasons, it was upgraded to a A321 on the day. It turned out that the flight was barely 40% full on the larger aircraft and I ended up surrounded by no less than 5 empty rows (14 free seats) towards the back. Interestingly an all-female cabin and flight deck crew, never had that before. Kudos to Lufthansa for the lovely wrap and salad, also a very cheery crew.
 

Butts

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Last weekend flew from Edinburgh-Southampton out on the Saturday and back on the Sunday.

Embraer 175 both ways - how I hate these "fun sized" Embraers (no exit rows in the middle and cramped seating compared to the 190's)

Almost makes me nostalgic for the turboprops
 

giblets

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Ha, just back from Berlin with LH, had a newish A320 on the way out, nice LED reading lights and yellow glow line below the lockers, older one on the way back with the LH 'packed lunch' bag.
On the way back was an orange ( not the easiest/ cleanest to eat) and a... Think they called it a 'mette' sandwich, which appeared to be a steak tartare sandwhich, raw mince! I was fine, but imagine a lot were left uneaten!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

LE Greys

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Not sure if this is the right thread, but does anyone know why a 747 might have been lining up for Luton at about 16:30 today, then suddenly turn south-east when down to about 3,000 ft?
 

stuartmoss

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Manchester Airport Terminal 1: 10th December, 2012
[youtube]hvMfhE6m7NY[/youtube]

Cologne Bonn Airport: 10th December, 2012
[youtube]dmGfUfU2jBs[/youtube]

Time-Lapse Germanwings Turnaround at Cologne Bonn Airport: 10th December, 2012
[youtube]rq9tZMvizuY[/youtube]
 

stuartmoss

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Yes, that was I believe the Palma flight. They have several other flights to bucket and spade destinations starting next year. Wish they had some UK ones too!
 

stuartmoss

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Here are the flights I took in 2012, with a few short words beneath each one of abiding memories related to them. Most of the videos I took in 2012 on my YouTube site www.mosstravel.tv are as a result of these trips.

January

Leeds Bradford Airport – Krakow
Krakow – Leeds Bradford Airport
Airline: Ryanair
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

A short 2 night break in Krakow, good flight there, but delayed flight back, Krakow Airport pretty grotty and uncomfortable. Great city though, just wish the return flight was a bit later in the day.


February

Manchester – Berlin Schönefeld
Berlin Schönefeld – Manchester
Airline: EasyJet
Purpose of Trip: Business

5 days of work in Dresden along with a couple of days working in Berlin, flight there was fine, flight back was delayed by snow. I hate Schönefeld Airport with a passion, gortty, too busy, and too much up and down stairs to get from departure lounge to gates. The melee from the gate to the plane was a disgrace, no control at all and a lot of pushing and shoving. This put me right off EasyJet.


March

Leeds Bradford Airport – Dusseldorf
Dusseldorf – Leeds Bradford Airport
Airline: Jet2.com
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

Boys weekend and football in Cologne – enough said! No gripes or problems with the flights or airports, but the S-Bahn from Cologne to the airport took 2 hours! Yes I got the wrong one that stopped everywhere – never again. I made my flight with 10 minutes to spare!


April

Leeds Bradford Airport – Dalaman
Dalaman – Leeds Bradford Airport
Airline: Thomson (I think!)
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

A week’s bucket and spade holiday at Marmaris with the wife and kids. I have no grumbles about the flight there, but the flight back was at some ungodly hour, and we all said ‘never again’. Not keen on Dalaman Airport either, very expensive – apart from the Cigars! I bought enough to last all year.


May

Leeds Bradford Airport – Gdansk
Airline: Ryanair
Train to Warsaw
Warsaw – Doncaster
Airline: Wizz Air
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

Another boys long weekend to celebrate one of them turning 40. Great fun, good flight there, fastracked the queue at LBA as it was miles long.

Lots of queuing at Warsaw Airport, but it all went smoothly enough. Upon arrival at Doncaster we were subjected to a 40 minute wait to leave the immigration area, as everyone was questioned by immigration officers and many people had their bags searched. Doncaster Airport bus connection to station was slow, and took ages to arrive – DSA looks good, but I wont use it again unless I have to.


July

Leeds Bradford Airport – Berlin Schönefeld
Berlin Schönefeld – Leeds Bradford Airport
Airline: Jet2
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

A severely delayed flight there saw the wife and I take advantage of the newly refurbed Premier Lounge, where many drinks were consumed and nibbles nibbled. Unfortunately the TVs in the Premier Lounge did not have the correct info on, and it was only by the chance of a toilet visit that I heard Jet2 staff shouting down the corridor that the flight was boarding. The PA system wasn’t fully working as it turned out. A close call, but we made it.

I still hate Schönefeld, and the walk from the terminal to the train station is too far, coupled with poor signage at the station and a lack of lifts resulting in long walk arounds with wheeled cases. Rant Over. We had a lovely 5 day break, three in Berlin and 2 in Dresden.


August

Manchester – Venice
Venice – Manchester
Airline: Monarch
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

Large queues at Manchester that went down very quickly, and a good efficient service from Monarch. This flight was for a 2 week Med Cruise. Getting from the Airport to the cruise terminal and back was painless with a pre-booked taxi, and we were very glad we did pre-book as the queues at both ends were ENORMOUS.

Venice Airport on the way back was dangerously overcrowded, and to compound problems we had a 2 hour flight delay, so we went out and sunbathed in front of the airport. The next time I fly to or from Venice, I will make sure that it’s not a Saturday in August!


Leeds Bradford Airport – Dusseldorf
Dusseldorf – Leeds Bradford Airport
Airline: Jet2.com
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

A long weekend break to Cologne over the August bank holiday weekend for the Mrs and me – lovely. No problems or issues with flights or airports.


October

Leeds Bradford Airport – Dublin
Airline: Ryanair
Train to Belfast
Belfast City - Leeds Bradford Airport
Airline: FlyBe
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

Me and my mate went on a plane and train bash for the day, the whole journey done in around 13 hours for less than £70!


Leeds Bradford Airport – Ibiza
Airline:Jet2
Ibiza – Leeds Bradford Airport
Airline: Ryanair
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

The combo of Jet2 and Ryanair worked well here, to get us to the white isle early on Saturday, with a late return flight on Tuesday, maximising our time on the island. This was a family long weekend for the Wife’s birthday. No issue with flight there, or the airports, but the return flight was delayed an hour, and we had to put up with an extremely drunk swearing passenger for the whole flight back. The male cabin stewards did nothing to stop him other than flirt with him. Not the best experience.


November

Manchester – Berlin Tegel
Airline: Lufthansa
Train to Erfurt and then Dusseldorf
Dusseldorf – Leeds Bradford Airport
Airline: Jet2
Purpose of Trip: Business

Working for a few days in the foggy Thuringian countryside. Lovely place, for a few isolated days. No issues with flights or airports, got a bargain £20 flight from Lufty! I do like how Lufthansa text the gate number before it shows on the screen. First on the plane again : )


December

Manchester – Cologne Bonn
Cologne Bonn – Dresden
Airline: GermanWings
Train to Prague
Prague – Leeds
Airline: Jet2
Purpose of Trip: Business

Dresden is my favourite city in Germany, so working there really shouldn’t be considered business as it is a pleasure! The route via Cologne is the most direct there and usually the cheapest / fastest option. The only issue with this is a 4 hour wait at Cologne. It’s not as bad as it sounds as it is an interesting airport with a good mix of aircraft to watch, and it has free Wi-Fi and reasonably priced beer at the bar.

Dresden Airport is a fantastic airport with good rail connections to the centre, I only wish there were more direct flights from the UK.

Train to Prague is a delight along the snow covered Elbe Valley, and Prague airport always easy to negotiate and efficient. Queues beaten by keeping an eye on the staff rather than the check-in boards! The flight was on time and I had a full row to myself.

A bit of footage from Prague Vaclav Havel airport, including a Polish Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner

[youtube]dqXz_3Zkxa8[/youtube]


Leeds Bradford Airport – Amsterdam Schipol
Amsterdam Schipol – Leeds Bradford Airport
Airline: KLM
Purpose of Trip: Leisure

KLM undercut Jet2 pricewise on this route, and coupled with free luggage with a beer and a sarnie thrown in for good measure it would have been rude not to. This made a nice break between Christmas and New Year for the Mrs and me. We had good short flights, efficient and polite service, both airports good, no gripes either way. Great rail connections from Schipol to our hotel at Sloterdijk (11 mins). Great automation at Schipol, but unfortunately bashed luggage which we are now claiming for, not sure which end it was done at, but KLM are paying.


So in summary, during 2012 I took 27 flights for 13 return journeys or round trips.

77% of my flights were for Leisure and 23% for Business.

69% of my UK outbound flights originated from Leeds Bradford Airport and 31% of my UK outbound flights were from Manchester.

77% of my UK inbound flights were to Leeds Bradford Airport.

My most visited non-UK airport was Dusseldorf International (2 flights to DUS and 3 flights from DUS) on my most flown route which was the Jet2 service between LBA and DUS (or vice versa).

33% of my flights were with Jet2, 19% of my flights were with Ryanair and 48% of my flights were with other airlines.

All of my flights were short haul.

We must be out of recession as my flights in 2012 are up in total by 15% on 2011!

So over to you lot – what was 2012 like in flights for you?
 
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Butts

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I am going from Edinburgh to Luxembourg on Tuesday via LHR returning the following day.

BA in their infinite wisdom have switched LUX flights from T5 to T1 which is most inconvenient as I will have to switch Terminals where previously it was all T5 !!!
 

starrymarkb

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I managed 8 flights in the year (double my Previous)
(all from Bristol)

May saw me fly to Berlin with friends for a music festival in Leipzig with Easyjet, Schönefeld was looking really run down, but then again it was due to close the following weekend (until the SNAFU that is Willy Brant airport failed the fire test, to now open in 2014!)

In June and October I took day trips to Glasgow (again with EZY), both were pretty good and the June one I paid for in Nectar points!

Finally in July I took KLM to Amsterdam (cheaper then EZY too) to catch the rare F70 (49 built), really was an enjoyable trip :)
 

WestCoast

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It was a good flying year for me with a total of 24 sectors:

Airlines and Aircraft: Aer Lingus (A320, A333), Aer Arann operating as Aer Lingus Regional (ATR42), Air China (A332), British Airways (A319, A320, A321), bmi Regional (ER4), easyJet (A319), Flybe (DH4), Jet2 (B733), Lufthansa (A321), Lufthansa CityLine (CRJ700)' Monarch (A321), Singapore Airlines (B773ER), Sun Air of Scandinavia operating as British Airways (DO328).

Highlights for me were two European fifth freedom sectors with Air China and Singapore and flying with Sun Air Manchester - Gothenburg with just 8 people including myself where we were served a full three course meal!

Targets for this year are a SAS MD and a Monarch A300.
 

Techniquest

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2012 was an excellent year for flights in my book! 12 flights, 10 more than my previous best which was many years before I got an interest in aviation. Considering prior to my first solo passenger flight on 29th March 2012, a Bristol to Dublin flight, that I didn't know how I'd find flying that wasn't bad. Let's see what I did in the end...

29/03/12 EI-DPW BRS > DUB
02/04/12 EI-DPD DUB > BHX (reason why I didn't fly to and from Bristol or Birmingham was because this way worked out a bit cheaper on the flights. It also made for a more interesting experience!)
22/04/12 EI-EBC MAN > DUB
23/04/12 EI-EFC DUB > MAN (having looked at the list, I've noticed I put the entry in for the wrong date on Flightdiary! Oops, better fix that!)
28/05/12 G-TOYH BHX > BHD (first bmibaby flight)
29/05/12 G-TOYG BHD > BHX (second and last bmibaby flight :()
29/07/12 EI-EFI BHX > DUB
30/07/12 EI-EDP DUB > BHX (first Aer Lingus flight and first Airbus craft)
19/08/12 G-EZDA LPL > IOM (first trip to the Isle of Man and the last bit of the UK to conquer!)
21/08/12 OK-ASA IOM > BLK (first Manx2 flight and first craft with propellers I've been on. Such a different world compared to the Boeing and Airbus jets I've done!)
05/10/12 EI-DPV BRS > NOC
07/10/12 EI-DLN ORK > STN (flying home from my last Irish Rail bash, on which I've finally conquered all of the regular network :D)

Just noticed it's just short of 3 months since my last flight! Think that's gotta change ASAP, preferably this month but certainly when I've got time off in February and March! Time to spread my wings further still into Europe, Amsterdam, Germany and Spain come to mind...
 

ATW Alex 101

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Went to Manchester Airport the other day to pick somebody up and while my mum waited in the arrivals area I went upstairs to the top of the multi-story and took a few snaps.

12573_4232117730380_1235116225_n.jpg

The lineup of planes at Terminal-2 at Manchester

734324_4232116690354_2055879963_n.jpg

A TCX 321 (I think)

59938_4232116170341_1102325347_n.jpg

A Lufthansa MD-11 Cargo with 2 757's and an Emberer in the shot

735145_4232115250318_1971943093_n.jpg

An Eithiad 330 and a TCX 757, I took many shots of this and the camera wouldnt focus on any of them for some reason. (The person I was waiting for was on the Eithiad)

406025_4232114970311_939002545_n.jpg

Just a general panoramic view of the apron

64536_4232114610302_766085259_n.jpg

A BA 320 taking off for Heathrow

14804_4232113810282_746973572_n.jpg

An Air contractors ATR-42

9501_4232113450273_704047960_n.jpg

A Thompson 767

734262_4232112290244_1876444396_n.jpg

A Thompson 737 showing off it's wingspan

541690_4232111410222_1944606288_n.jpg

The Thompson 737 again

397601_4232110570201_1537631511_n.jpg

An Aircraft tug by the looks of it
 

stuartmoss

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Here's a couple of snowy airport videos taken over the last week:

Vilnius
[youtube]R9-wkcPDJj8[/youtube]

Leeds Bradford Airport
[youtube]h5p-SO0-Y8s[/youtube]
 

Techniquest

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Not watched these videos yet, curious with the Lithuanian one though purely because I work with someone from Lithuania. Couldn't believe the temperature on average drops as low as -20 at this time of year, definitely won't be going there to do those railways for a while! Looks like it was cold in the thumbnail mind!
 

stuartmoss

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Not watched these videos yet, curious with the Lithuanian one though purely because I work with someone from Lithuania. Couldn't believe the temperature on average drops as low as -20 at this time of year, definitely won't be going there to do those railways for a while! Looks like it was cold in the thumbnail mind!

The coldest it dropped to was -15, despite this, most footpaths and roads were clear and even ice free. I layered (long johns, shorts and trousers + T-shirt, jumper and coat, plus hat and gloves) and was totally fine. Would do it again, in fact I am doing - next week in Krakow! :D
 

Crossover

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Well, I'm away with family in the next few days, so just been looking up what I'll be on this time (I have only ever been on small planes before now)

Flight from UK, Airbus A319-100 (much bigger than what I have been on before)
Internal flight mid way through, Boeing 737-700 with winglets
Flight back to UK Embraer CRJ900 (which I have been on before)

Should be interesting :)
 
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