Birmingham Airport - General Thread

[58terminus]

Look at the departure times. Not enough people would use them anyway. If it wasn't so close to the truth it would be funny.

 

[58terminus]

Just checked tonights arrivals on the BHX web site. The last arrival for Friday is showing scheduled at 0055!! followed by the first Sat scheduled arrival at 0115. Weird.
A one off or a symptom of a general complacency which which must spread from the top down?
.

 

[Matt995]

UK Airports - The best and the worst for delays

Worst performing airports:
London Stansted: Average delays of 25 minutes
London Luton: Average delays of 19 minutes
Birmingham: Average delays of 19 minutes
London Gatwick: Average delays of 18 minutes
Manchester: Average delays of16 minutes
Jersey: Average delays of16 minutes

Best performing airports:
Belfast City (George Best): Average delays of Eight minutes
Liverpool (John Lennon): Average delays of 10 minutes
Doncaster Sheffield: Average delays of 12 minutes
Exeter: Average delays of 12 minutes
Bournemouth: Average delays of 12 minutes
London Heathrow: Average delays of 13 minutes



Flights from British airports were delayed by an average of 16 minutes last year, with Stansted emerging as worst for punctuality, according to new analysis.

Departures from the Essex hub were an average of 25 minutes late in 2018, the poorest record of any of the country’s airports in recent years.

Birmingham and Luton, where flights typically took off 19 minutes behind schedule, recorded the joint second worst punctuality, analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data found.

Departures were late by an average of 16 minutes at all 24 of the country’s major airports in 2018, across scheduled and chartered departures.

Stansted’s performance was described as “completely unacceptable” by a consumer group, but the airport blamed the late takeoffs on “adverse weather and traffic control issues”.

It is the fourth busiest airport in the UK and the largest base for low-cost carriers such as Ryanair.

The 25-minute average delay at Stansted last year outstrips London Luton in 2017 - where flights were an average of 19.7 minutes late - while also beating Gatwick when it came bottom in the three preceding years, peaking at an average of 18 minutes.

Trade body the Airport Operators Association (AOA) said delays were caused by a "range of factors", including a blast of cold weather brought by the so-called Beast from the East and strikes by air traffic controllers in countries such as France and Belgium.

The AOA added that disruption was also caused by the capacity of UK airspace being constrained.

Cancelled flights were not included in the analysis, meaning Gatwick’s ranking remained unaffected by the three days of chaos caused by a drone persistently flying over the runway last Christmas.

Around 1,000 flights were cancelled or diverted between December 19 and December 21, inconveniencing an estimated 140,000 passengers.

Belfast City airport delayed travellers the least last year, the analysis found, with flights an average of eight minutes late, followed by Liverpool John Lennon airport where delays were an average of 10 minutes.

Doncaster, Sheffield, Exeter and Bournemouth delayed flights for an average of 12 minutes.

Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: "It's completely unacceptable for passengers to be regularly delayed by nearly half an hour.

"These delays aren't just an inconvenience but can leave holidaymakers hundreds of pounds out of pocket because of missed connections, transfers and fines for picking up their hire car late.

"While compensation is available for delays of over three hours, airlines should stop passing the buck and make it easier for their passengers by finally introducing automatic compensation."

A spokesman for London Stansted said: "Following a particularly challenging summer last year when adverse weather and air traffic control issues had a dramatic impact on airline on-time performance, Ryanair committed to a multimillion-pound investment in additional resourcing and equipment to support its ground operation at London Stansted.

"This investment has already helped deliver significant service improvements to flight punctuality."

The aviation industry is working with the Department for Transport to modernise the way flights are managed to improve their resilience to disruption and boost capacity.

Research from last year found around 1.3 million passenger journeys to or from UK airports were delayed by at least three hours in the 12 months to June 2018, amounting to 13,000 flights.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Departures were late by an average of 16 minutes at all 24 of the country’s major airports in 2018, across scheduled and chartered departures.

I read this list elsewhere and several airports are not included.

For example, BRS (the UK's ninth busiest) and London City (the 13th busiest) are not in the list, yet Durham Tees Valley (the UK's 33rd busiest) is included but busier airports than MME such as Inverness, Prestwick, Norwich and Newquay are not.

If the researchers were trying to make a point they should have done it properly. As it is, they merely show a list of selected airports and not the full picture.

 

[GliderPilot]

In terms of the average's there really isn't that much in it either, apart from Stansted, not sure whats going on there lol

 

[JENNYJET]

As the report says, air space capacity restraints etc., for me and my doubtful opinion, there are too many flights to the same destination on small aircraft. Besides, what is 19 minutes in the scheme of things? I once traveled from Birmingham New Street to Rotterdam via Sealink Harwich, taking 24 hours. The sea crossing was cancelled meaning a diversion to London to Folkstone Ostend and by train to Antwerp and a 90 minutes customs stop before onward crossing into the Netherlands.

The good old days when traveling was an experience unlike today. 19 minutes?

 

[Ray Finkle]

We have another BHX press release this time telling us that the airport has taken part in World Environment Day, it was complete with a nice photograph of some staff members concocting their own drink on a smoothie making cycle.

Whilst this is an admirable event to be part of and I am all for the airport taking steps to reduce it's environmental impact, where are the press releases telling us about new routes? I do realise that new destinations have been a little thin on the ground in recent years but I can find no press release on the BHX website regarding the new Jet2 routes to Murcia, Budapest and Nice (a destination unserved post Monarch), there is also no mention of Jet2's other new route to Preveza (which is another route unserved post Monarch). I saw no press release shouting about new TUi routes to Goa and Phuket either, maybe it made no difference but both of these have now gone.

I have noticed a trend of press releases being issued on the day of a new route launch with lots of nice photo's taken of the cakes, I have no problem with this but would it not serve better as a second reminder of the new route having already told people of it's availability before they book their holidays? I am not a marketing professional so may be way off the mark but to me it seems a little pointless for the airport to wait until May 24th to do a nice article about the new route to Preveza when some of those who may have been interested could well have already booked elsewhere?

Or are those in the press office just bored?

 

[jfy1999]

the airport taking steps to reduce it's environmental impact

where are the press releases telling us about new routes?

Could the above two things be connected? I hope not

 

[Ray Finkle]

Another day, another press release.

https://www.birminghamairport.co.uk...ngham-airport-s-commitment-to-sustainability/

This time we have a nice video of a gentleman walking around a noise bund, a young lady examining a cup of water and another gentleman diligently sorting his recycling.

It's so much more important that the airport tells the travelling public about these events rather than the new routes starting next year that keep them coming through the door.

STILL no mention of Jet2's new routes to Budapest, Murcia, Nice and Preveza!

Can't wait for Monday's instalment

 

[Brum X]

It all just bores me to death BHX.

 

[58terminus]

This time we have a nice video of a gentleman walking around a noise bund, a young lady examining a cup of water and another gentleman diligently sorting his recycling.

It's so much more important that the airport tells the travelling public about these events rather than the new routes starting next year that keep them coming through the door.

I have the impression of a dept.of people fresh out of college practising what they have been taught with nobody of any experience telling them to mix it with telling people why they should use the company they work for.
It smacks of lack of leadership from the top.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Still relatively early days for the new boss and he will need time to make his mark.

In the short term maybe we could do with a Paul Kehoe kick up the rump

 

[Matt995]

so is PK going to bring his Gulf Air to BHX then??? mmmm

 

[thunderchild]

so is PK going to bring his Gulf Air to BHX then??? mmmm

Well it nearly happened back in 2005!

 

[58terminus]

Still relatively early days for the new boss and he will need time to make his mark.

Lets hope the content of recent press releases are not him making his mark.

 

[58terminus]

Well it nearly happened back in 2005!

Did the rumours back then say it could happen soon? In which case it is still a running rumour and a definite possibility..

 

[Ray Finkle]

Did the rumours back then say it could happen soon?

It was announced, daily Gulf Air 767 (I think?).

Almost immediately after that Emirates announced their second daily service and Gulf Air kind of vanished.......

 

[58terminus]

It was announced, daily Gulf Air 767

You may need to explain what "route announcement" means to the younger members of the forum Ray.

 

[Ray Finkle]

You may need to explain what "route announcement" means to the younger members of the forum Ray.

Even if I tried I'm not sure that they'd believe me

 

[58terminus]

Even if I tried I'm not sure that they'd believe me

How about. A press release issued by an airline normally succeeded 6 to 12 months later by an announcement of a route cut.?