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Techniquest

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Tokyo Haneda to London Heathrow was my particular favourite when it comes to 777 flights so far. Come to think of it, I've been around much of the world on a 777 now. London Gatwick-Toronto, Abu Dhabi-Manchester and of course as mentioned above Tokyo Haneda-London Heathrow.

Totally recommend that particular trip, in fact I would go as far as to say that anyone who likes travel and intends visiting the western US should have to go. There's a reason why the Grand Canyon is considered to be one of the world's natural wonders.

Oh I can imagine just how amazing it is, based solely on the few photos I've looked at I'm going to love it. Any particular advice? I'm *hoping* to book that trip after I return from Iceland in March.
 

Aictos

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Still looking at flights, has anyone had the joy of using Glasgow? Trying to tick off some new airports that I’ve never used either arriving or departing.

Interested to hear views of Glasgow Airport and how easy is it to get to Queen Street.

Also Vienna and Amsterdam please as like to hear views of the airports and connections to/from the airports.
 

Mojo

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I used Glasgow Airport after a forum meet a few years ago. Caught the bus from Gilmour Street station in Paisley as it was cheaper than the direct bus from the centre. You can also walk it from Paisley in halfhour.
 

Aictos

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I used Glasgow Airport after a forum meet a few years ago. Caught the bus from Gilmour Street station in Paisley as it was cheaper than the direct bus from the centre. You can also walk it from Paisley in halfhour.

I didn’t know about the Paisley bus, will have a look at that.
 

Bald Rick

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Still looking at flights, has anyone had the joy of using Glasgow? Trying to tick off some new airports that I’ve never used either arriving or departing.

Interested to hear views of Glasgow Airport and how easy is it to get to Queen Street.

Also Vienna and Amsterdam please as like to hear views of the airports and connections to/from the airports.

I’m a regular at GLA.

The bus to Paisley is possible, but it is a long way round from central Glasgow. Indeed with good traffic I think the bus is quicker to the city centre than Paisley.

The bus to the city centre is frequent, and outside peak times, quick (15 mins or so), and drops you off at a few places in the city centre, including near Central, and another stop right by Queen St.

The airport itself is pretty good. Plenty of choice for food and drink if departing - airside. The Beardmore has a good range, whilst the Caledonian has a great view of the runway. Or there’s the Sandpiper, but that’s Wethersp**ns so should be avoided (and no view).
 

Aictos

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Well seeing as you should by now be able to enjoy the same free coffee refills at the airport Spoons as you do at your average high street Spoons, that will probably be one stop I be using.

I probably look at doing a flight there sooner then later if just for a day trip.

One thing that I do need is ask is on one particular routing as well, I've been given 55 minutes to connect at Cologne - Is this actually feasible?

I've looked on both Google Flights and Eurowings which both give this as a connection. It's a internal German flight arriving at Cologne but a short haul to the UK leaving, it will be booked as a though ticket so just wondering if it's actually feasible or not?

Also another thing I learnt today and I don't know if it applies to just the London airports of Gatwick and Heathrow or all UK airports but I'm sure I saw today on a website advising on cheap fares somewhere that just landing at Heathrow activates the Airport Passenger Tax thing which adds £££ to the fare. No idea how correct it is though???
 

Bald Rick

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Well seeing as you should by now be able to enjoy the same free coffee refills at the airport Spoons as you do at your average high street Spoons, that will probably be one stop I be using.

I probably look at doing a flight there sooner then later if just for a day trip.

One thing that I do need is ask is on one particular routing as well, I've been given 55 minutes to connect at Cologne - Is this actually feasible?

I've looked on both Google Flights and Eurowings which both give this as a connection. It's a internal German flight arriving at Cologne but a short haul to the UK leaving, it will be booked as a though ticket so just wondering if it's actually feasible or not?

Also another thing I learnt today and I don't know if it applies to just the London airports of Gatwick and Heathrow or all UK airports but I'm sure I saw today on a website advising on cheap fares somewhere that just landing at Heathrow activates the Airport Passenger Tax thing which adds £££ to the fare. No idea how correct it is though???

U.K. Air Passenger Duty (APD) is levied only on flights departing U.K. airports, with certain exceptions for airports in Northern Ireland and the Scotland Highlands & Island Region.

If you are arriving at a U.K. airport from ‘abroad’, and connecting domestically (ie on one booking), you will not be charged APD for the domestic leg unless the gap between scheduled arrival and departure is more than 6 hours (for arrivals between 0400-1700) or for arrivals between 1700-0400 the connecting departure must be scheduled before 1000 the next / same day.
 

Aictos

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U.K. Air Passenger Duty (APD) is levied only on flights departing U.K. airports, with certain exceptions for airports in Northern Ireland and the Scotland Highlands & Island Region.

If you are arriving at a U.K. airport from ‘abroad’, and connecting domestically (ie on one booking), you will not be charged APD for the domestic leg unless the gap between scheduled arrival and departure is more than 6 hours (for arrivals between 0400-1700) or for arrivals between 1700-0400 the connecting departure must be scheduled before 1000 the next / same day.

So for example if you flew Glasgow to Luton then Luton to Tel Aviv then you would be charged the APD but not in the other direction?
 

Royston Vasey

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One thing that I do need is ask is on one particular routing as well, I've been given 55 minutes to connect at Cologne - Is this actually feasible?

I've looked on both Google Flights and Eurowings which both give this as a connection. It's a internal German flight arriving at Cologne but a short haul to the UK leaving, it will be booked as a though ticket so just wondering if it's actually feasible or not
You'll be fine. You'll alight straight into departures which (like at Stuttgart which I use a lot more) is not segregated between Schengen and non-Schengen. There will then be no security, just a small passport control booth almost at the gate which won't have a large queue as people arriving at the gate are staggered and the checks are cursory. I'd be surprised if you really needed more than 25 minutes from doors open to departure.

See particularly question 2 below:
https://www.eurowings.com/en/information/news-help/faq/one-stop-flights.html
 

Bald Rick

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So for example if you flew Glasgow to Luton then Luton to Tel Aviv then you would be charged the APD but not in the other direction?

If the flight is connecting (as deemed in the APD regulations) then on the way out you would pay one batch of APD, which in this case is £80 economy (for flights from 1/4/20) as Israel is, just, a Band B destination and attracts the ‘long haul’ rate. On the return you would pay nothing.

However GLA-LTN-TLV would be either with Easyjet or an Easyjet / EL AL combo. Through Easyjet Worldwide you can book the connection on one itinerary, which counts as ‘connecting’ in APD terms. However if you made separate bookings, or used EL AL for the long haul leg, you would pay the £80 plus 2 x £13 for each of the domestic legs.
 

Shaw S Hunter

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Oh I can imagine just how amazing it is, based solely on the few photos I've looked at I'm going to love it. Any particular advice? I'm *hoping* to book that trip after I return from Iceland in March.

Visiting "the big hole" from any distance inevitably means going via Las Vegas which means needing to be aware of hotel pricing there. In short LV hotels charge a much higher daily rate around the weekends with Friday/Saturday nights attracting rates 2x/3x the Mon-Wed rate with big fights, of whatever discipline, being the most obvious triggers for maximum weekend rates. Assuming a Monday arrival you should be able to book a day-trip package from your hotel for the Wednesday without any problem. Of course this is based on my experience of a good few years ago and doubtless you can book on-line much further in advance if you prefer. Whichever way you go about it the price will look expensive (£150-200) but the only other realistic way to visit is by road and there is almost no accommodation within the designated National Park area so those Americans who drive either plan their roadtrip to account for this or use an RV for which there are some facilities not too far away. I suspect that public holidays are worth avoiding!
 

Aictos

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Sorry for asking again but anyone here used KLM and Amsterdam Schiphol before?

Specifically for Euro flights I hasten to add!

I’ve only used BA for the Avios before so Skyteam and Star Alliance is new to me.
 

stut

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Sorry for asking again but anyone here used KLM and Amsterdam Schiphol before?

Specifically for Euro flights I hasten to add!

I’ve only used BA for the Avios before so Skyteam and Star Alliance is new to me.

Yes, roughly weekly for about 4 years! My knowledge may be slightly outdated now, though, but happy to help if I can.
 

Aictos

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Yes, roughly weekly for about 4 years! My knowledge may be slightly outdated now, though, but happy to help if I can.

Just the flights I’m looking at say the aircraft type are Boeing 737s (What type I don’t know) and they say they have USB points, is that available at every seat or are the points shared between seats?

Also do you get any complementary meals like BA used to serve before they stopped it.

And as I’m looking at connecting between KLM flights, can all the info you need be available on the app?

Finally is there anywhere I can go for a cheap coffee on the airport that’s not overpriced?
 

stut

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Just the flights I’m looking at say the aircraft type are Boeing 737s (What type I don’t know) and they say they have USB points, is that available at every seat or are the points shared between seats?

IIRC, it depends on the aircraft. The new ones that have them throughout, have them at every seat. The older ones only have them at front, in the section usually reserved for Business and Economy Comfort. The refurb may be further on these days, though.

Also do you get any complementary meals like BA used to serve before they stopped it.

You get a (basic) drink and a sandwich, usually. If it's the longer edge of short-haul, that may be a hot meal instead.

And as I’m looking at connecting between KLM flights, can all the info you need be available on the app?

In terms of making the connection in AMS? It can be, but it always pays to look at the monitors. It's a simple airport to use, the only think you need to be prepared for is a Schengen to non-Schengen (or v/v) transfer.

Finally is there anywhere I can go for a cheap coffee on the airport that’s not overpriced?

The airside prices aren't the worst out there. There's a Starbucks if you want your big cup of milky coffee, or any number of cafes where you can get a Dutch-style koffie verkeerd. I think it's about €3-4. See the Schiphol website for options - there's no shortage of choice.
 

Techniquest

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Still looking at flights, has anyone had the joy of using Glasgow? Trying to tick off some new airports that I’ve never used either arriving or departing.

I've not used GLA for over 6 years (can't believe it was that long ago!) but as others have commented it is easily accessible from Paiseley Gilmour Street. It's a slow, mind-numbing bus route from there be warned. I've not used the bus to/from the city centre, so no comment there. If you're only doing a day trip I'd probably suggest the walk to/from Paiseley if, as someone mentioned, it's only a short walk away. I would and I didn't know it was that close, mental note made!

When I went I'm sure there was a viewing terrace available too, but I didn't visit it. My memory of GLA is too vague to comment on what's there, I'd probably describe it as similar to BHX but smaller.

Also Vienna and Amsterdam please as like to hear views of the airports and connections to/from the airports.

Can't help on AMS as I only did a one-way flight into it more than a few years back, as part of a positioning move for a Benelux InterRail. I need to go back and explore Amsterdam properly one day...

VIE, I went there in November 2016 and I'll be honest I don't recall it being a great airport. I was still a novice traveller at the time, and I found it to be a confusing place. The rail link from the city centre was reasonably priced and not a bad ride. It's a very popular route, since it's FAR cheaper than the dedicated airport express service, but still a good link. Vienna itself, lovely city and if you get to do the Christmas Markets there I strongly recommend it. I do have a trip report somewhere for Vienna on here and at techsworldfrenzy.wordpress.com for ideas.

Whatever you choose to do, have a great trip!

Visiting "the big hole" from any distance inevitably means going via Las Vegas which means needing to be aware of hotel pricing there. In short LV hotels charge a much higher daily rate around the weekends with Friday/Saturday nights attracting rates 2x/3x the Mon-Wed rate with big fights, of whatever discipline, being the most obvious triggers for maximum weekend rates. Assuming a Monday arrival you should be able to book a day-trip package from your hotel for the Wednesday without any problem. Of course this is based on my experience of a good few years ago and doubtless you can book on-line much further in advance if you prefer. Whichever way you go about it the price will look expensive (£150-200) but the only other realistic way to visit is by road and there is almost no accommodation within the designated National Park area so those Americans who drive either plan their roadtrip to account for this or use an RV for which there are some facilities not too far away. I suspect that public holidays are worth avoiding!

Agreed public holidays will be worth avoiding, and thanks for the advice. I've finally got confirmation of the holiday dates, weirdly I've not booked a full week off for October but I'll figure that out. Weekends being more expensive makes sense, and guess when my time off starts...Yep, a weekend!

The prices have already looked crazy, that's for sure, but you are of course correct. Based on what I've looked at on my own already, the options are extremely limited. Not really surprising, considering the location!

Hopefully once I return from Iceland, I'll have some financial improvements made. I've launched a new scheme to do just that today, although equally the long-overdue dental work begins in 2 weeks. So yeah, who knows! As is usual, too much to do and too little money to do it all!

Thanks again for the advice though!
 

stut

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Still looking at flights, has anyone had the joy of using Glasgow? Trying to tick off some new airports that I’ve never used either arriving or departing.

Interested to hear views of Glasgow Airport and how easy is it to get to Queen Street.

Also Vienna and Amsterdam please as like to hear views of the airports and connections to/from the airports.

Easy journey by bus, or you can do the route via Gilmour Street. The walk from Gilmour Street to the airport has little to recommend it, to be honest, it's not the best part of town, and there's little of note for the visitor. I do like the station and County Square though - much smartened up since my childhood (even if the town centre has falled on some seriously hard times).

(If you've time on your hands, there's also the slow 77 bus, which takes from from Buchanan Bus Station - or Partick - through the Clyde Tunnel and Renfrew...)

The airport is pleasant enough, though has a slightly odd configuration. If you look inside past the check-ins, you'll see a couple of bridges (where you go over upstairs) and some arches above you. These arches are the old front of the building - it was extended by simply putting the current structure in front (rather like a less extreme version of Lisbon Airport, which seems to be a Russian doll of terminals). Airside is a typical regional airport "exit through the gift shot" structure, and then there's the "green triangle" pier, plus the older international pier and the budgie/cheap flights one. Some new shops recently, ISTR.

There is/was a controversial Greggs at the top of the escalator. And the Tesco Express has some troublingly cheap ready meals.

Vienna - it means nothing to me. Sorry. It's another airport with multiple extensions on the airside. It was one of the first airports to get fully passenger-led baggage check, and it always worked quite well. It's been a few years since I've been there, but it had a really good barber, that I used to make a point to visit. It then had a slightly odd arrangement airside. Typical Schengen/non-Schengen split, with at-gate security for non-Schengen (not sure if this is still the case). However, in the Schengen side, there were also some gates which could host a passport control to handle non-Schengen short-haul flights (often London). This was problematic for non-Schengen to non-Schengen transit passengers, however...

...this was solved by the airport's greatest strength, which was direct airside transfer for short connections. A few German airports do this too. Basically, if you're on a short connection - whether intentional or due to a delay - you get picked up by a minibus at the aeroplane door, and driven to your connecting aircraft. If your connection required you to go through immigration, the bus would stop at an immigration point for this. I used to frequently travel to small Eastern European airports via Vienna (some EU, some non-EU) and, in the winter, it could get a bit snowy. But you could make some impossible connections at Vienna - 10 minutes from landing to take-off. I used to specifically choose Vienna for this.

As it sees a lot of propeller flights, there's quite an efficient little regional gate area. Was quite impressed, particularly after the joys of A10 at Heathrow, or D8 at Schiphol.

I seem to remember, also, a particularly odd little business lounge pavilion for non-Star Alliance airlines (they could use the Austrian lounge, which was nice but had a really jarring colour scheme). It was one lounge, but with sub-areas for particular airlines. You were kind of supposed to stay in your sub-lounge, but that never quite worked. You never quite heard the announcements (I nearly missed more than one flight that way) but on the side, they served a good pancake soup.

Amsterdam is practically a thread in its own right. Huge airport, long walks, but well arranged, and with lots of facilities. Definitely a rodent problem. Great fun watching airside crew pottering about on bikes to get from one end to the next. Frustratingly long taxis from a two of the runways (the Polderbaan needs you to cross two motorways and another runway). Famous for having flies painted on urinals at the optimum angle to minimise splashback. Impressive train and busway connections.
 

herb21

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Still looking at flights, has anyone had the joy of using Glasgow? Trying to tick off some new airports that I’ve never used either arriving or departing.

Interested to hear views of Glasgow Airport and how easy is it to get to Queen Street.

I flew out of Glasgow twice before Emirates started flying from EDI, the city centre bus was really easy. It picked up on George Square or Queen Street (presumably also Buchanan and Central, but I haven't used those), think a return is £14. It's a first service, with nice modern buses.
 

Bald Rick

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I flew out of Glasgow twice before Emirates started flying from EDI, the city centre bus was really easy. It picked up on George Square or Queen Street (presumably also Buchanan and Central, but I haven't used those), think a return is £14. It's a first service, with nice modern buses.

£14.40 return, £9 single, on board... cheaper through the app (but not much).

But, much much easier and quicker than bus / walk to Paisley and train from there.
 

Iskra

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Two flights with BA yesterday:

Manchester-Heathrow on an A321 Neo. Nice interior and a very smooth flight. Landing excellent in some tricky winds.

Heathrow-Miami on a 747. 747 interior is merely adequate, but the entertainment was good. Service and food were excellent and the crew gave me a bottle of Prosecco and card for my birthday. Much better than my last transatlantic with VA.

Also, Miami is amazing. The Miami South Beach hotel lost my reservation and it is fully booked due to the superbowl so they had to give me the Ocean view Penthouse Suite :D
 

Techniquest

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Happy Birthday!

I do like the Neos, really nice craft to fly on. Glad to hear Miami's excellent, and assuming there's a trip report coming in due course I'm sure others will agree with me, that suite sounds good and I'm expecting photos!
 

telstarbox

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In the brave new post-Brexit world, is there anything to stop the government nationalising Flybe if they wanted to keep the regional connections going?
 

Iskra

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Ye
Happy Birthday!

I do like the Neos, really nice craft to fly on. Glad to hear Miami's excellent, and assuming there's a trip report coming in due course I'm sure others will agree with me, that suite sounds good and I'm expecting photos!

Yeah I was impressed, very quiet too. There will be a trip report but sadly I only have one train journey planned!
 

Techniquest

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Ye


Yeah I was impressed, very quiet too. There will be a trip report but sadly I only have one train journey planned!

Maybe a quick highlight of Miami in the report then? Give the rest of us an idea of why we should go there? I must admit whenever I hear/read the name Miami I think of Will Smith's Miami song :lol:
 

Iskra

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Maybe a quick highlight of Miami in the report then? Give the rest of us an idea of why we should go there? I must admit whenever I hear/read the name Miami I think of Will Smith's Miami song :lol:

I will do a report as there are some other interesting modes of transport that I will be using. I’ve just been playing that song on the balcony as we sailed back past Miami from Fort Lauderdale towards the Caribbean (not many railways there to report on)! :)

I don’t know if you ever played GTA Vice City, but if you did- that is exactly what Miami is like!
 

Aictos

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Just reading up on connections at Gatwick now if you’ve got a Easyjet flight from Aberdeen to Gatwick then a Easyjet flight to Prague for example, can you stay airside to make the connection without having to clear security again?

As Easyjet only use one terminal as I understand it?
 
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