Archive for the ‘Bristol airport’ CategoryThe UK Border Agency is warning that travellers passing through UK ports could face possible delays and disruption due to strike action by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). The strike action is taking place on Monday 8 March and Tuesday 9 March. Lin Homer, the Border Agency’s Chief Executive, said: ‘We are disappointed that PCS members have voted in favour of industrial action. It means that the travelling public are likely to suffer disruption and delays at border control as a result of this two-day action. ‘We have robust plans in place to ensure that the essential work of the UK Border Agency is maintained and the border remains secure. UK border security will not be compromised by this industrial action. ‘We expect that people travelling into the country may experience some delays at border control, but we will work hard to keep these to a minimum and hope that passengers will welcome the commitment of those staff who will be working despite the strike action to ensure they are seen as quickly as possible. BAA is advising passengers to have their travel documents, including passports, ready and to use automatic e-passport gates where available. Bristol Airport’s Flyer Service is set for a £2 million makeover which will see the introduction of 12 new buses and increased frequency. From Sunday 4 April a new timetable will be introduced – during peak times the bus service will operate every 10 minutes from key locations including Bristol Airport, Temple Meads and the Bus Station. Twelve new buses are on order to replace the current nine coaches. At a cost of £180,000 each, the new buses will be wheelchair accessible and will also enable passengers to take their luggage on board speeding up the boarding process. Buses will have leather seats, wood effect flooring, and offer free Wi-Fi access and power points to charge phones and laptops. The first six buses are due for delivery in the spring with the completion of the order due in 2011. The name of the Flyer services will also change from the 330 and 331 to A1 and A2. For more information check out the Bristol Flyer website flyer.bristolairport.co.uk/ For those passnegers wishing to drive to Bristol airport check out the instant, online parking price checker and book your Bristol airport parking and Bristol airport hotels online. Passenger numbers at Bristol International Airport rose in January, albeit by only 0.2%, but it is being viewed as a sign that things might be on the way up. The airport saw 322,108 passengers pass through the airport last month, an increase of 542 when compared with January 2009, despite the impact of the severe weather on flights. With the introduction of new services by Ryanair, easyJet and Flybe plus the increase in flights to Belgium, the airport expects to see continued growth through 2010. For an instant, online parking price checker and to book Bristol airport parking and Bristol airport hotels click on the links. Ryanair is launching two new services from Bristol Airport to Poland and Lithuania. From 1 May 2010, twice-weekly flights will operate to Bydgoszcz in Poland (Wednesdays and Saturdays), and from 3 May, the airline will launch its twice-weekly service to Kaunas (Mondays and Thursdays). With the introduction of these new routes, Ryanair now offers 5 Polish destinations and one Lithuanian service from Bristol Airport. For an instant, online parking price checker and to book Bristol airport parking and Bristol airport hotels click on the links. Disruption is expected to flights to and from Ireland today due to industrial action by air traffic controllers in Ireland. Affected airports are Dublin and Shannon, which will see industrial action between the hours of 14:00 and 18:00, and Cork Airport where industrial action is expected to take place between the hours of 16:00 and 18:00. Ryanair has cancelled 52 flights due to the industrial action – check here for details of cancellations To check the status of your Aer Lingus flight click here For Aer Arann disruptions click here Snow is causing disruption to flights and there are several cancellations today. The below list is not comprehensive list but does offer information on some cancelled flights.
 Gatwick bound BA flight de-iced at Stansted What a nightmare for air travellers it has been recently. The snow has caused total chaos and the uncertainty of not knowing whether you could get to the airport, and once there, would you plane be able to take off, has been really stressful. I know from the emails I have received, and the comments made on this blog, that passengers have also been hampered by the lack of information coming from some airports and some airlines. Passengers making their way home to Britain also faced problems not knowing if their flights would land at their intended destination. There were quite a few diversions last week, even Glasgow Prestwick Airport took in 24 diversions from flights destined for Heathrow, Gatwick, Dublin, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. The photo above shows a British Airways 747 being de-iced at Stansted on Friday. Bad weather forced the Gatwick bound jet to divert into Stansted after its long haul flight from Lagos, Nigeria. Flight update Although flights do appear to be getting back to normal, with the threat of more snow looming, we could still see more problems ahead. Anyone concerned about the status of their flight is advised to contact their airline and to monitor the flight departures boards on their airport website. Stories and suggestions If you have any stories about your travel experiences in the recent bad weather, or have any suggestions (polite ones!) that could help improve communications from the airports and airlines I love to hear them. Feel free to add them in the comments below or email me, thanks, Paula. Changes have been made to Bristol Airport’s short stay and pick up charges. Free parking is still available for up to 10 minutes for drop off and pick up in the Drop off/Pick up and Short Stay car park, however, the airport has introduced Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to enforce the no return within 15 minutes policy. Drivers wishing to park for between 10 and 60 minutes in the Drop off / Pick up zone will be charged £4. Cheaper Bristol airport parking is available in the Short Stay car park, charged at £2.50 for 30 minutes and £3 for between 30 and 60 minutes. Due to the snow there have been several flight cancellations today. The following airlines have published details of their cancelled flights: Eastern Airways check here for details http://www.easternairways.com/latest-news/weather-disruption-6-january-2010.html easyJet flight cancellations can been seen here http://easyjet.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/easyjet.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=3708 Ryanair flight cancellations are available here http://www.ryanair.com/en/notices/gops/100105-SNOW_UK_05JAN10-GB British Airways – to check the status of your flight click here http://www.britishairways.com/travel/globalgateway.jsp/global/public/en_ For more information on flight status and lists of cancelled flights check the following links: British Airways – check flight status here Flybe cancellations listed here: Eastern Airways cancellations check here Virgin Atlantic check flight status here easyJet cancellations check here Ryanair – a list of cancelled flights can be found here |
