Bristol Airport - General Thread

[TheLocalYokel]

[textarea]Bristol 'opportunity not threat' to Cardiff Airport

The chief executive of Bristol Airport has called on the Welsh government to view his expanding business as an "opportunity not a threat".

Robert Sinclair said he was keen to work closely with Wales' tourism bodies to improve the services "we [Bristol] provide for Welsh passengers".

He said about 700,000 of Bristol's 5.7m passengers come from Wales. Cardiff saw just over 1.2m passengers last year.[/textarea]

Full report at this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17571727

This BBC report relates to a programme brodcast on Radio Wales today that explored the current problems facing CWL.

The BRS CEO went on to say that South Wales is "very much part of our core catchment area".

He told the programme that his airport doesn't 'focus on national borders' and pointed out how close it was to parts of South Wales.

He also said he had written to Wales's First Minister suggesting that his government co-operates with BRS to promote Wales tourism and to provide connections and air services through BRS for the people of Wales.

If you don't ask you don't get. Full marks for initiative though I doubt that it will find much favour in the corridors of the Senedd.

 

[alphagolf]

Cannot access the apron website again, so don't know if its a technical issue or what! Think I may email them to see what's happening!

alphagolf

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I've been unable to access the apron website over the past few days. I would appreciate your emailing them.

 

[alphagolf]

Have emailed them this morning 02/05/2012, so will update you when I have a reply!

alphagolf

 

[alphagolf]

Received an email from Alan Davies this afternoon reference the apron website, please see below:-

Apologies for the inconvenience. Our IT people have identified some vulnerabilities to our IT security through the website and they have taken it offline whilst they transfer it to a new server. They hope to have it back online within a few days.

Regards,

Alan Davies

Planning & Environment Director
Bristol Airport
Bristol, BS48 3DY
www.bristolairport.co.uk

I will give them til Monday 14th May and if not back online will contact again!

alphagolf

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Apron website back up and running this evening.

Many thanks again, alphagolf.

 

[Aviador]

Is there nowhere around the airport suitable for public viewing? We were passing the airport whilst on our travels today and decided to call in but we couldn't find anywhere to stop to view the aircraft? Whether we get chance to call again will depend on our itinerary.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Is there nowhere around the airport suitable for public viewing? We were passing the airport whilst on our travels today and decided to call in but we couldn't find anywhere to stop to view the aircraft? Whether we get chance to call again will depend on our itinerary.

Hello Aviador

I've been away from the message board for a few days as you know so, unfortunately, couldn't respond in time - I think you may have left the area by now.

The short answer is that there is nowhere on the airport suitable for viewing aircraft except airside where a limited view of the eastern apron is possible.

There is an area at the far end (western end or the end furthest away from the A38) where people park up at the side of a lane next to the perimeter fence - this site often features in pics of landings and take-offs at that end of the airfield as the background on a clear day is spectacular with the Severn estuary several hundred feet below and Wales beyond.

It's easy to reach when you know how but does mean knowing the way from the A38 all around the exterior of the airport.

 

[Aviador]

Thanks for the tips TheLocalYokel. Unfortunately we didn't have time to return to the airport again. We originally passed the airport on Tuesday at around 6'o'clock in the evening. The airport looked busy with numerous Ryanair and Easyjet aircraft arriving so it's a shame we couldn't find anywhere to park up for half an hour. Similarly to what I've already said in the Birmingham forum here on Forums4airports, it's a shame airports don't look at spotters and enthusiasts in a different light with a view to improving customer and local relations.

We set off home yesterday routing from Coleford across towards Bristol to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge before reaching the M5 to head North back to Leeds with a brief stop at Birmingham airport on the way. I have to say, the windings roads of Somerset are just crazy and they make our local A roads in Leeds seem like motorways!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I have to say, the windings roads of Somerset are just crazy and they make our local A roads in Leeds seem like motorways!

You did well to find your way out and back to Leeds.

There are people wandering around down here who've been trying for years to get out and back to their civilisation. :whiteflag:

Bristol Airport once had a viewing area on a first-floor open terrace outside its only bar of those days - I'm talking about the 1980s and the old terminal. I used to enjoy it there because I always thought Croydon Aerodrome must have been something like that pre-WW 2.

You could stand on the terrace and wave and chat to friends/relatives as they walked across the apron to board the aircraft. The Croydon allusion was furthered by the fact that there would be only four or five departures all afternoon (on a busy day!), much the same as I imagined it to be at Croydon in those early days of civil aviation.

The viewing area was closed, probably in the early 1990s, long before the new terminal was opened in 2000.

In fact, it was also possible to gain a view of sorts from first-floor landside in the new terminal until a few years ago before much of landside became airside following a refurbishment.

 

[Aviador]

Thanks for the tips TheLocalYokel. I don't know when we might next be around the Bristol area. We are planning to make a trip to Cornwall over the next couple of years so we might do that as a pit-stop for an hour or so to break the journey.

 

[alphagolf]

Hello All,

I have sent another email to Alan Davies at Bristol Airport, please see below:-

Good morning to you Alan,

Hope you are well and have enjoyed the Diamond Jubilee celebrations!

Just wanted to touch base with you about the apron website, working again as you advised but seems to have several glitches/errors now so wondered if there was any further news about upgrading it to reflect the actual stand layout now the 3 additional stands have been constructed!

On the eastern apron, there are errors on the following stands: 8, 9, 11 & 15L (Also has Stand 6 been re-instated as the NATS – AIS Aircraft Parking/Docking Chart shows this stand, dated June 2011).

On the Western Apron, there are errors on Stands 29R & 32

Any update would be much appreciated!

Kindest regards,

Andrew Griffin

http://www.forums4airports.com

Will update you further when I have had a reply!

alphagolf

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Thank you for that, alphagolf.

Apart from the inconsistencies with the stands I find that the actual information is increasingly less than full, with one or more of type, reg no, flight no, from/to sometimes missing in respect of individual movements.

 

[Aviador]

Good work alphagolf - plugging the site name as well, good man.

I have to say though, you Bristolians are very lucky to have such a plan on the airport's website. I don't know any other airport that has this kind of thing.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The apron website is still showing next week's Mayfly as commencing 4 June, ie this week's.

 

[alphagolf]

TheLocalYokel

Yes I have noticed the same, its been updated quite slow over the past couple of weeks, to the extent its only changed on the Monday for the same week!

I will ask Alan Davies if there is an ongoing issue with the whole apron website, I know when the site was down previously he mentioned this was due to some security issues identified by the airport's IT dept!

alphagolf

 

[alphagolf]

Apron Website

Just took another look, if you click on tomorrow it shows Monday 11th June, but the next week tab still shows this week, I have a vague recollection that it was the same last Sunday and then on the Monday the This Week and Next Week tabs showed the same week!

Not had any response from Alan Davies at present, but I do know that he has the read my email on the 6th June as I put a "Read Request" notification on it!

A bit sneaky I know , but to be honest Alan is pretty good at getting back to me, and if not I drop a line to Robert Sinclair and a reply soon follows!

Will update you accordingly!

alphagolf

 

[Aviador]

Can somebody post a direct link to this apron site please? :smile:

 

[tleeds]

Can somebody post a direct link to this apron site please? :smile:

http://apron.bristolairport.com/ < That is the "Main Menu" if you like for the Apron website.

The Apron page can be seen here: http://apron.bristolairport.com/apronStands/
- and Western and Eastern aprons can be toggled between each other through the links just under neath the main logo.

 

[alphagolf]

Seems like the MayFly issue has been resolved as clicking on the Next Week tab displays Week Commencing Monday 18th June!

Still no response from Alan Davies, I give him a few more days to reply!

alphagolf