Cardiff: General Airport Discussion & Updates

[aviatorconcorde]

The pictures of WH Smith are of the new Rimmel of London stand and the Well beauty and health stand.
https://twitter.com/Cardiff_Airport/status/963362753632198657?ref_src=twcamp^copy|twsrc^android|twgr^copy|twcon^7090|twterm^2
Looking at the photos that looks like it's all to the left after you walk through duty free. I won't be able to see it myself till the end of March so I'll take some photos then. Looks smart and has an open feel to it as well from looking at the photos .
https://twitter.com/ILovesTheDiff/status/963346258474799104?ref_src=twcamp^copy|twsrc^android|twgr^copy|twcon^7090|twterm^2

My initial thoughts was the area where the executive lounge entrance is. Looks great anyway! I don’t think we would of seen this without Qatar. Onwards and upwards.

Sadly my only upcoming flight into Cardiff isn’t till May (Qatar) and that’s an arrival not a departure. So who knows when I’ll get to see it.

 

[Jerry]

According to this tweet there is more to come. Something about furniture.
https://twitter.com/powell_interior...y|twsrc^android|twgr^copy|twcon^7090|twterm^2

 

[Jerry]

Just for context i've marked on a screenshot the area that has been expanded into and was blocked off apparently for 20 years.
View attachment 7541

 

[aviatorconcorde]

Makes sense because the bit on the left of the red square is the executive lounge above arrivals. Great that that space has now been opened up and gives the feel of a much larger and pleasant airport.

My last departure from Cardiff there was 3 flybe departures and a thomson all going at once and the main departures area was getting a tad crowded.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Just for context i've marked on a screenshot the area that has been expanded into and was blocked off apparently for 20 years.
View attachment 7541

That's interesting. It means it was blocked off when the airport was handling over 2 mppa. It must have been a very crowded terminal at times then.

 

[Jerry]

Yes it must have been especially when it hit 2 million as CWL had more bigger based aircraft i believe with A321's, 757s and 733s all based and most of them departing first thing in the morning where now i'd say flights are more spread out. I think the earliest Vueling departure isn't until 9 am during the summer.
For summer 2018 CWL will have 3 based Flybe E jets, 1 overnight KLM E jet, 1 Eastern J41, 1 TCX A320 and 2 737 800s. Total of 959 seats for a first wave departure, compared to i think 1 TCX A321, 2 Thomsonfly 757s and 1 Thomsonfly 733, 3 BMI 733s and 1 KLM Fokker 70 and 1 Highland J31 which comes to 1341 seats in it's first wave of departures back in August 2008.
I've also just been told that the area expanded into hasn't actually been used before except as storage. So the area was there but this is the first time it will be used as part of the departure area.

 

[Jerry]

And of course this expansion and the new WH Smith and Costa Coffee is just in time for the big Irish and French airlifts of the Six Nations!

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Yes it must have been especially when it hit 2 million as CWL had more bigger based aircraft i believe with A321's, 757s and 733s all based and most of them departing first thing in the morning where now i'd say flights are more spread out. I think the earliest Vueling departure isn't until 9 am during the summer.
For summer 2018 CWL will have 3 based Flybe E jets, 1 overnight KLM E jet, 1 Eastern J41, 1 TCX A320 and 2 737 800s. Total of 959 seats for a first wave departure, compared to i think 1 TCX A321, 2 Thomsonfly 757s and 1 Thomsonfly 733, 3 BMI 733s and 1 KLM Fokker 70 and 1 Highland J31 which comes to 1341 seats in it's first wave of departures back in August 2008.
I've also just been told that the area expanded into hasn't actually been used before except as storage. So the area was there but this is the first time it will be used as part of the departure area.

I think you can add an FCA A320 to that list as well and on a Thursday there would've been Monarchs A330 checking in from 0400.
The Terminal was very busy but coped. A lot stayed landside, Duty Free was smaller so had the seating from security and the bar/café was open with tight seating. The feel of Departures should be a lot better and less cramped with the redesign hopefully. When I went through last year I was surprised at how small and cramped it felt in the main part of the lounge with the changes to duty free and the bar area.

 

[Jerry]

Nice little article in the Seattle Times about Cardiff.
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/t...rdiff-sheds-rust-belt-past-for-glossy-future/

 

[aviatorconcorde]

I think you can add an FCA A320 to that list as well and on a Thursday there would've been Monarchs A330 checking in from 0400.
The Terminal was very busy but coped. A lot stayed landside, Duty Free was smaller so had the seating from security and the bar/café was open with tight seating. The feel of Departures should be a lot better and less cramped with the redesign hopefully. When I went through last year I was surprised at how small and cramped it felt in the main part of the lounge with the changes to duty free and the bar area.

That sounds about right. I remember flying to LCA with FCA in 2007. Departed from the side of the terminal facing BAMC and haven’t been back there since that day. I Can’t even remember what that area looks like.

I’ll always remember the return flight, the American/Canadian Captain performed a really hard landing and I remember going up to the flight deck to meet him afterwards. C-GTDG was a shared FCA/Skyservice plane that swapped between that reg and G-OOPP, it later joined Monarch as G-OZBW. Not sure where it is now.

Don’t mean to bore everyone with my flight history, but thought I may as well share it!

 

[Jerry]

That sounds about right. I remember flying to LCA with FCA in 2007. Departed from the side of the terminal facing BAMC and haven’t been back there since that day. I Can’t even remember what that area looks like.

I've never used that pier as all my flights have been with KLM and Flybe and they don't seem to use that area. I'm told though the area is very poor and inadequate. Maybe a revamp or rebuild for that area is the airports next project?

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Its basically porta cabins put together with a few desks and barriers. Hardly any seating and no toilet facilities. Its adequate as a gate where waiting is minimal but certainly needs improving. Its likely it will need to be completely replaced rather than expanded. Many a water leak happened down there! If theres a new terminal planned or layout changes it may not be worth doing it just yet. With 7 based aircraft (not including the J41 on its own stand. Only 1, maybe 2 should really need to use the Eastern stands if stand 7 is used prior to QR arriving.

 

[Jerry]

From what I've seen that part tends to be used by TCX TUI and Vueling and various other charters. I suppose it depends on the masterplan and if the terminal will get knocked down or just revamped. If revamped then maybe they'll knock it down and build a new pier. I wonder if they'd consider going back to the old design and have a pier like before.

 

[CWL94]

IAG says Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester could get transatlantic links – if Air Passenger Duty is abolished

Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester could miss out on new transatlantic links unless Air Passenger Duty (APD) is eliminated, a leading airline group has said.

IAG has written to MPs to say “it’s not financially viable” for the group’s low-cost brand, Level, to fly from those cities with APD at current levels.

The group, which is British Airways’ parent company, says Level’s one-way fares start at £88. Air Passenger Duty for long-haul flights is currently £75, but will increase to £78 for flights from 1 April 2018.

For anything better than basic economy, this rate is doubled.

Willie Walsh, IAG’s chief executive, said: “British consumers are losing out because of APD. In Spain and France, Level can offer lower fares than it can in the UK – and that goes for other long-haul low-cost airlines too.

“MPs need to know that APD undermines our ability to introduce new low cost flights that would benefit their constituents. If APD was axed, IAG could open new routes and operate Level from regional airports.”

The letter from IAG says for a trading nation reliant on developing international connections post-Brexit to tax aviation so harshly is “foolhardy”.

After the April 2018 increase, basic APD is to be frozen up to 31 March 2020 – but in premium classes it will rise from £156 to £172.

https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...orts-iag-british-airways-brexit-a8212066.html

 

[Ray Finkle]

Does Cardiff currently have a Monarch Engineering line station? If not it could be a good bet to be one of those announced to support Qatar?


“Based on the implementation of our line maintenance growth plan, we are looking at increasing our UK footprint at a number of stations which will be announced shortly,” he tells MRO-Network.com. “Many of these stations are served by the large Middle East carriers so we would be looking to extend our current agreements with them.”

http://www.mro-network.com/maintena...m=email&elq2=7dfaac77388d4882a3339fe314eb8350

 

[Jerry]

Personally i'd be very surprised if Level ever flew routes from the UK.
As for IAG what is stopping BA from operating the regions now? Or at least in the future. If you look at Virgin Atlantic they have a fleet that serves Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Belfast and Glasgow and serves business and leisure destinations so why can't BA do that as well?
Though it would be great seeing an airline like Level serving Cardiff i don't see it happening but then i didn't see Qatar Airways coming so i stranger things have happended!

 

[Jerry]

Does Cardiff currently have a Monarch Engineering line station? If not it could be a good bet to be one of those announced to support Qatar?


“Based on the implementation of our line maintenance growth plan, we are looking at increasing our UK footprint at a number of stations which will be announced shortly,” he tells MRO-Network.com. “Many of these stations are served by the large Middle East carriers so we would be looking to extend our current agreements with them.”

http://www.mro-network.com/maintena...m=email&elq2=7dfaac77388d4882a3339fe314eb8350

No it doesn't. It has Flybe, Eastern and TUI engineers based so with the new Qatar service then it could be possible Monarch engineering might base at CWL if they have a contract with Qatar.

 

[superking]

No it doesn't. It has Flybe, Eastern and TUI engineers based so with the new Qatar service then it could be possible Monarch engineering might base at CWL if they have a contract with Qatar.

I did not know eastern had engineers in CWL,why I ask is they have sent aircraft to BRS for maintenance quite recently with the BRS engineers.

 

[Jerry]

I did not know eastern had engineers in CWL,why I ask is they have sent aircraft to BRS for maintenance quite recently with the BRS engineers.

I believe they have one for line maintenance same as any else is done elsewhere.

 

[mathers_wales_uk]

The reason for current situation at the western pier was due to the requirement to provide a low cost solution to additional boarding gates.

Unfortunately in reality they didn't seem to think what Airlines would require.

The gate ares itself is way too narrow and needs to be wider and provide holding areas where passengers can have their hand luggage checked and boarding passes pulled to speed up the boarding process.

I have seen Thomson, Vueling, bmibaby and Ryanair and many other airlines boarding from that gate and the gate area doesn't suit any aircraft above 50 seats. It is shame that they are not lik gate 11 as I would argue that's the best boarding gate at Cardiff Airport.