Aviation Discussion

[fowler9]

Still not posted beyond Day 4 of the Sydney report on my Wordpress, I had intended to do so this afternoon, on my way back from Luton. However a baggage handler had other ideas...

My case was significantly damaged somewhere between bag drop in Vilnius and arrivals at Luton, and I wasn't the only one who had that issue. I need to try and find the receipt when I get home, but that goes back to May 2017 and I seriously doubt I've kept it. Without it, it is incredibly unlikely I'll be able to claim compensation.

Who keeps receipts for cases for that long? Something electrical, yeah I could understand that, but a case?! Unsurprisingly this issue has been at the front of my mind all afternoon!

Talking of today's flight, I'll go into it in the trip report, but I didn't like the beef bolognese on Ryanair. For one, it took over 30 minutes to arrive (it's a warmed up ready meal!) and when it did the pasta was all stuck together and a challenge to break up so I could stir the sauce in. Add in a lack of any real flavour, and it not really being hot enough, and I didn't think it was good value after all. It was fairly filling, don't get me wrong, but I'm now rather dubious about trying the lasagne next time!

A shame as in general I like Ryanair's catering. My crew today was not brilliant either, so by some measure not my best Ryanair flight. Today marked my 25th Ryanair flight since I started logging aviation, so it should have been a landmark flight! The airline, for network size and their planes, is still in my Top 5 though.

Certainly I'll be shopping carefully for my next hold luggage, assuming I ever use it again!

No more trips booked as of today, the end of a 11 day adventure, but that will change soon enough. Of that I have zero doubt! On the horizon, now I have some Etihad Guest miles to redeem (only 6,011 as of 17th March), is a choice of all sorts. The land of the rising sun is on my list to look into, as is another Euro trip. My target for new countries this year was 5 and I currently am on 4. No the UAE is not included in that count!

4 new countries by the middle of March is good going! Ha ha.

Do you use hard or soft luggage? Just wondering what got damaged. I use an Osprey rucksack right on the edge of most airlines cabin luggage limit.

 

[Techniquest]

Hard luggage. It's not as awesome as my Tripp case was (the one I left behind on a 170 once) as that thing was super tough, but this did the job for 3 years (so the receipt tells me!) all over the world.

It survived trips across the Atlantic, much use all over Europe, all the way to Australia and back, only to be ruined a few hours from home

 

[rg177]

So having done solo flights exclusively on Flybe, easyJet and Ryanair, I've decided to dabble in something more adventurous.

I've booked flights from London Heathrow to Singapore to Osaka and return with Singapore Airlines in economy.

It's an A380 on the London legs, an A330 out to Osaka and a 787 on the return, so a nice mix!

Anyone experienced Singapore Airlines? All seem to give fairly glowing reviews in all classes.

 

[flymo]

Singapore Airlines is one of my favourite airlines, flown them quite a few times over the years, all in economy. Last time I flew them was HKG-SIN-PER and back. Great flights, great crews and Changi Airport has to go down as one of the top 3 in the world. Great place to spend a little time.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the SQ hospitality.

 

[Techniquest]

So having done solo flights exclusively on Flybe, easyJet and Ryanair, I've decided to dabble in something more adventurous.

I've booked flights from London Heathrow to Singapore to Osaka and return with Singapore Airlines in economy.

It's an A380 on the London legs, an A330 out to Osaka and a 787 on the return, so a nice mix!

Anyone experienced Singapore Airlines? All seem to give fairly glowing reviews in all classes.

I've not done Singapore Airlines, but I do have to say I'm jealous of your trip! The A380 is such a quiet craft, my takeoff video when I reviewed it the other day needed the volume at maximum in my earphones to hear much at all. Ideal mind if you're on an overnight flight, and the 787 I am rather green with envy of as I love the 787s. Not had an A330 so can't comment there.

How much did that set you back? I'm interested in going to Japan myself, and that's an interesting choice of route. Are you having a stopover in Singapore?

I too have never heard anything bad about Singapore, an airline I'd love to sample. Hmm I'm giving myself ideas here...

 

[rg177]

I've not done Singapore Airlines, but I do have to say I'm jealous of your trip! The A380 is such a quiet craft, my takeoff video when I reviewed it the other day needed the volume at maximum in my earphones to hear much at all. Ideal mind if you're on an overnight flight, and the 787 I am rather green with envy of as I love the 787s. Not had an A330 so can't comment there.

How much did that set you back? I'm interested in going to Japan myself, and that's an interesting choice of route. Are you having a stopover in Singapore?

I too have never heard anything bad about Singapore, an airline I'd love to sample. Hmm I'm giving myself ideas here...

Unfortunately no time to stop by in Singapore (although there were itineraries allowing up to 19 hours stopped off there)- on the outward I'm keen to get to Kansai Airport with ample time to get my JR Pass exchanged, Wi-Fi hotspot purchased and jump on the train into the city for some food and a wander.

I have 4hrs on the inward, so ample time to explore Changi Airport!

It cost me £697 return including seat selection from Heathrow. £661 if you're not bothered where you sit. Direct flights with Al Nippon were about £1,200 return!

Emirates seem to be cheaper if you want Tokyo, but the sheer cost of accommodation in Tokyo on the first half of my trip (it seems to drop in time for the second week) meant that flying to and from Kansai was more economical. The arrivals and departure times into Dubai were also somewhat more cruel, being something like 00:15 to 02:40!

On the contrary for cost, I've managed 5 nights in the Ibis Styles by Kyoto station with breakfast for £250!

 

[Techniquest]

£50 a night is not bad! Very reasonably priced fares there, for the distance involved. I trust you're going to take advantage of any loyalty programme Singapore use to claim the miles? Might as well, even if it only means a small-ish discount on a future trip, as long as the loyalty scheme is free to join that is!

 

[Khxds]

Just returned from a trip to Japan - Outboud flight was on Japan Airlines' 787-8 in the types intended economy configuration (2-4-2) bags of space for me, even being 6'5 and all. Crew were amazing.
Flight home was BA's 777, surprised by how comfortable it was , however the service was extremly lacking. What I found especially strange was the something like 9 hour gap in meal service, considering we left Tokyo at 09:45.

@rg177 you'll get great use out the JR pass, we used ours for day trips between Osaka & Kyoto, Nara & Hiroshima, as well as generally getting around Osaka using the loop line.
The shinkansens were a great experience, greatest 3+2 seats ever lol. Used the N700 series I believe.

 

[RichJF]

I've noticed recently that unless you're a business or first class passenger then BA is the pits. Only one free acoholic drink, economy sections are datd & starting to show their age.

It's not just to Asia but to N America as well & I always fly with someone else now.

Hoping their new A350s with be nice for a change!

 

[fowler9]

Anyone else see about that BA London City to Dusseldorf flight today? Flew to Edinburgh as the wrong flight plan had been filed. It was funny (Unless you were on the flight) but how did it happen? Apparently the flight crew didn't have a clue it was meant to go to Dusseldorf, I don't know about the cabin crew. Surely announcements were made by the captain which should have raised questions? Kind of surprised ATC didn't raise any questions. Wouldn't the controllers at Edinburgh have been surprised even though the flight plan must have been filed. Apparently on arrival the flight crew did a hands up with the passengers to see who thought they should be going to Germany, the result was everyone. Anyway, hilarious. Ha ha.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

You mean this one?

I imagine the biscuits will be staying firmly locked away during the meeting at WDL Aviation...

Does anyone know if WDL do the work themselves or if they have sub-contracted out their administrative functions to a third party business?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47691478

A British Airways flight destined for Düsseldorf in Germany has landed in Edinburgh by mistake, after the flight paperwork was submitted incorrectly.

The passengers only realised the error when the plane landed and the "welcome to Edinburgh" announcement was made.

The plane, which started at London's City Airport, was then redirected and landed in Düsseldorf. WDL Aviation ran the BA flight through a leasing deal.

BA said it was working with WDL to find out why it filed the wrong flight plan.

"We have apologised to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually," BA said in a statement.

On its final flight on Sunday, the plane flew to Edinburgh and back so it seems that someone at WDL mistakenly repeated the same flight plan for the next day, according to BA.

When the crew arrived at London City airport on Monday it is thought that they saw Edinburgh on the flight plan from the day before and followed the old flight route.

 

[fowler9]

You mean this one?

I imagine the biscuits will be staying firmly locked away during the meeting at WDL Aviation...

Does anyone know if WDL do the work themselves or if they have sub-contracted out their administrative functions to a third party business?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47691478

Yeah that one. Mad.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You mean this one?

I imagine the biscuits will be staying firmly locked away during the meeting at WDL Aviation...

Does anyone know if WDL do the work themselves or if they have sub-contracted out their administrative functions to a third party business?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47691478

This one even beats the misloading of the Gatwick passengers onto a Luton flight at Geneva (and vice versa) that I experienced once. It took as far as me (10 passengers or so in on the queue) for the cabin crew to notice. Now Sleasy no longer check boarding cards at the aircraft door, there is more than a passing chance that the passengers may all have taken off for the wrong destination and only noticed on landing.

 

[OwlMan]

Wow Air has ceased operations

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47731043
Iceland's Wow Air has stopped flights, stranding thousands of passengers.
Its website says Wow Air has ceased operations and cancelled all flights. Wow says passengers needing to travel should book with other airlines.
The carrier, which had been in funding talks with investors, flew from London Stansted and Gatwick in the UK.
It said some airlines may offer flights at a reduced rate, so-called rescue fares, and it would publish information on those when it becomes available.
Wow said passengers covered by various protected booking methods, including booking by credit card or through a European travel agent, should try to get their money back from them.
Otherwise it says they could be entitled to some compensation from Wow, "including in accordance with European regulation on Air Passenger Rights", or, in case of a bankruptcy, claims should be filed to the administrator or liquidator.
Wow was founded in 2011 by its chief executive, Skuli Mogensen. It started flights in 2012 and grew to employ 1,000 people, carrying 3.5 million passengers last year in its 11 aircraft.
It operated both short and long haul routes, flying to Copenhagen and Alicante in Europe and Washington and Boston in the US.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Don't think that has come as a shock to anyone, i know a few people predicted it a while back.

 

[Crawley Ben]

Don't think that has come as a shock to anyone, i know a few people predicted it a while back.

Yep, spot on. I've dealt with the airline on numerous occasions through my job at Gatwick, and they had some of the most helpful staff you could come across, so I do feel sorry for them after this.

I'm sure the like of Norwegian will probably put on some sort of 'rescue fair' to help those stranded in destinations that both carriers serve (d) Gatwick being one such airport.

Cheers

Ben

 

[Bletchleyite]

Norwegian Air Shuttle themselves are a bit vulnerable, of course.

I do wonder if the Government (UK or EU) should consider applying an ATOL style system to flights alone rather than just package holidays. Most travel insurers won't cover airline failure, and that means that once rumours start spreading an airline is near guaranteed to fail because people will stop booking with them. If there was ATOL style cover, that might not be as pronounced, and so they may well have more luck in staying afloat and keeping people in jobs.

Arguably, this would have far more benefit than giving people EUR250 if they're delayed when they've paid 50p for the ticket. (Really that was intended to rein in the practice of overbooking and has become much more).

 

[cactustwirly]

Norwegian Air Shuttle themselves are a bit vulnerable, of course.

I do wonder if the Government (UK or EU) should consider applying an ATOL style system to flights alone rather than just package holidays. Most travel insurers won't cover airline failure, and that means that once rumours start spreading an airline is near guaranteed to fail because people will stop booking with them. If there was ATOL style cover, that might not be as pronounced, and so they may well have more luck in staying afloat and keeping people in jobs.

Arguably, this would have far more benefit than giving people EUR250 if they're delayed when they've paid 50p for the ticket. (Really that was intended to rein in the practice of overbooking and has become much more).

Most insurers do cover Airline failure, all the policies I've bought covered it

 

[Bletchleyite]

Most insurers do cover Airline failure, all the policies I've bought covered it

That's a shift, then, a lot didn't used to. But I do still think wider ATOL style protection for airline failure for flights starting/ending in the UK would be a good law, including arrangement of repatriation flights etc.

 

[cjp]

Naive perhaps but what went wrong at Wow. You know your overheads and your running costs and set your fares up to recover these and make a profit. Did they get their sums wrong, their routes wrong or what?
. It seems that their service was good so was it simply lack of demand for their offerings caused by poor market research?

 

[freetoview33]

Naive perhaps but what went wrong at Wow. You know your overheads and your running costs and set your fares up to recover these and make a profit. Did they get their sums wrong, their routes wrong or what?
. It seems that their service was good so was it simply lack of demand for their offerings caused by poor market research?

There was only 1 route of Wows left that isn't directly covered or easily covered by another airline and that is to Detroit.

 

[theageofthetra]

Most insurers do cover Airline failure, all the policies I've bought covered it

Just pay on a credit card. Not your problem if the airline goes bust. Same with any goods or service paid for in advance of delivery.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Just pay on a credit card. Not your problem if the airline goes bust. Same with any goods or service paid for in advance of delivery.

Only if it's more than £100.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Only if it's more than £100.

Though you can still try a chargeback for a smaller amount, which sometimes works.

 

[frodshamfella]

Lauda are going to launch new services from Liverpool, Birmingham and Edinburgh to Vienna this winter.

 

[radamfi]

When passing through security at Schiphol today, I was surprised when the staff told me to leave the laptop and liquids inside my rucksack. Have they implemented new technology that means you don't need to display them separately?

 

[Bald Rick]

When passing through security at Schiphol today, I was surprised when the staff told me to leave the laptop and liquids inside my rucksack. Have they implemented new technology that means you don't need to display them separately?

Perhaps it was one of the benefits of Br**it, but no one told Schipol it hasn’t happened on the scheduled date.

 

[theageofthetra]

When passing through security at Schiphol today, I was surprised when the staff told me to leave the laptop and liquids inside my rucksack. Have they implemented new technology that means you don't need to display them separately?

Had this at a few airports now.

 

[ModernRailways]

When passing through security at Schiphol today, I was surprised when the staff told me to leave the laptop and liquids inside my rucksack. Have they implemented new technology that means you don't need to display them separately?

I think it depends on the airport. I've always found Schipol to be one of the best for security and it's ease of passing through. Absolutely nothing like the states where you have to pretty much empty your bag, take your shoes off etc.

 

[Bletchleyite]

When passing through security at Schiphol today, I was surprised when the staff told me to leave the laptop and liquids inside my rucksack. Have they implemented new technology that means you don't need to display them separately?

Yes, new technology is being introduced progressively that can see through a PCB (the issue with laptops) and can detect if a liquid poses a possible threat. The latter may allow the limits to be relaxed or removed over time.