Bristol Airport - General Thread

[TheLocalYokel]

Given the complaints about long queues etc at times during busy periods I now occasionally dip into the BRS Twitter feed to see what is the latest moan and the airport's response.

Whilst some whinges seem justified I could not believe what some people moan about.

This week there is a complaint about the roadside grass verges being mown as this is 'cutting away valuable wildlife habitat and daisies'.

 

[ezy_brs]

*cue palm on face moment* I can understand the queues for immigration and security well the works are still going on but really? They moan about the grass but not the weeds and rubbish dotted accross the whole airport site.... The british public never fail to amaze me.....

 

[kraktoa]

Strangely Bristol Airport twitter account have responded to a tweet asking if the person arrested in Bristol last night for shooting a child with an air gun worked at the airport. They have responded to say that they dont employ him but another company does or words to that effect.

They could have ignored the question.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Strangely Bristol Airport twitter account have responded to a tweet asking if the person arrested in Bristol last night for shooting a child with an air gun worked at the airport. They have responded to say that they dont employ him but another company does or words to that effect.

They could have ignored the question.

Yes, I saw that too, and the tweet from the member of the public together with the airport's reply is still there. Given that the person mentioned in the tweet has appeared before a court today charged with a serious criminal offence I'm surprised that Twitter has allowed it to remain, especially having regard to how the original tweeter described the person in question. Not being a member of this social networking site I don't know how it is 'policed' by its owner.

 

[Seasider]

You don't want to know, TLY, social media is one place I do not want to visit.

 

[kraktoa]

Yes, I saw that too, and the tweet from the member of the public together with the airport's reply is still there. Given that the person mentioned in the tweet has appeared before a court today charged with a serious criminal offence I'm surprised that Twitter has allowed it to remain, especially having regard to how the original tweeter described the person in question. Not being a member of this social networking site I don't know how it is 'policed' by its owner.

The name of the culprit is in the public domain and extensively reported. I dont think twitter will delete it.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The name of the culprit is in the public domain and extensively reported. I dont think twitter will delete it.

It's not that. It's how the person was described on a public platform having been charged with a serious criminal offence. A responsible newspaper would not have permitted such a comment to remain although there can be no blame attached to Bristol Airport as they made no questionable comment and don't own the Twitter site. A judge might view the remark as contempt of court although in a case like this a mild rebuke might be the outcome if the judge ever became aware.

The Internet does not absolve a poster or in some circumstances the site owner from legal action, whether criminal or civil; it's something we have to be constantly aware of in Forums4Airports with regard to such things as libel.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Airport Cash Exchange rates

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/bristo...new-research/story-29506405-detail/story.html

A survey of the ten busiest UK airports reveals that BRS gives the worst cash exchange rates.

One example: A family of four exchanging £1,000 into dollars before flying to America from Heathrow would get $136 more dollars for their sterling than if they did it at Bristol's airport.

I can never remember exchanging money at an airport as I've always believed the rates are worse than in many other outlets. It would have to be an emergency for me to use an airport exchange.

 

[Ornsack]

I once had to do a last minute exchange at Bournemouth Airport and the guy in the bureau said people rarely change up in the airport and I was his first customer of the day (was early afternoon), haha!

 

[Sierra3]

Airport Cash Exchange rates

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/bristo...new-research/story-29506405-detail/story.html

A survey of the ten busiest UK airports reveals that BRS gives the worst cash exchange rates.

One example: A family of four exchanging £1,000 into dollars before flying to America from Heathrow would get $136 more dollars for their sterling than if they did it at Bristol's airport.

I can never remember exchanging money at an airport as I've always believed the rates are worse than in many other outlets. It would have to be an emergency for me to use an airport exchange.

 

[Seasider]

I once had to do a last minute exchange at Bournemouth Airport and the guy in the bureau said people rarely change up in the airport and I was his first customer of the day (was early afternoon), haha!

I have only once changed currency at the airport on a trip to Stockholm a few years ago. Never again, I was given nearly 20% less than the bank rate.

 

[Jerry]

Only use the airport ones in an emergency as you won't get a very good deal. I don't know why they just don't make themselves more competitive to encourage people to use the service more!

 

[tpm]

I wonder why they don't just replace them with machines tbh. They must serve a certain clientele who prefer to interact with people or something.

 

[Jono577]

You can get quite a respectable rate if you book it in advance on line to pick on the day of travel.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Looking ahead……………..

With BRS on course for 7.4 million passengers in 2016, meaning that the throughput will have increased by around 1.1 million in two years, and the CEO, Robert Sinclair, saying this week that despite Brexit fears he is confident of further growth in 2017 and 2018, thoughts turn to how an ever growing total can be handled.

We’ve been discussing recently in another BRS thread that overnight aircraft parking is beginning to become an issue with around 30 aircraft seeking a bed for the night. The expansion plans call for more stands on the east side of the current apron, linked by an eastern walkway, but that would go hand in hand with the demolition of the old terminal currently used as offices.

It’s not likely that all this could be achieved at the drop of a hat.

Another major problem that looms ever closer is the planning consents cap of 10 mppa. With the airport owners already spending over £100 million on infrastructure developments in the past five or six years, and more before that, is it conceivable that they will lie back and not try to have the annual passenger cap lifted? If they do they will know that their asset will not be able to grow its value.

Getting an increase will not be easy. The major expansion plans, eventually given consent by the local authority with no subsequent ministerial calling-in, were delayed several years by one of the best organised, funded and connected anti-airport expansion groups in the country, possibly in Europe.

Bristol City Council (former owner of the airport) and the then South West Regional Development Agency also formally objected to the expansion plans, as did local parish councils and many individuals. Despite all this the tiny North Somerset Council unitary authority in whose area the airport lies approved them.

There is every reason to believe that an attempt to have the passenger cap raised will meet huge resistance from many quarters.

In the past it’s been suggested that anything above 12 mppa would require a second terminal on the south side, but the airport never seemed keen on the idea.

Perhaps circa 12 mppa would be the limit above which BRS could not rise.

 

[Jerry]

Looking ahead……………..

With BRS on course for 7.4 million passengers in 2016, meaning that the throughput will have increased by around 1.1 million in two years, and the CEO, Robert Sinclair, saying this week that despite Brexit fears he is confident of further growth in 2017 and 2018, thoughts turn to how an ever growing total can be handled.

We’ve been discussing recently in another BRS thread that overnight aircraft parking is beginning to become an issue with around 30 aircraft seeking a bed for the night. The expansion plans call for more stands on the east side of the current apron, linked by an eastern walkway, but that would go hand in hand with the demolition of the old terminal currently used as offices.

It’s not likely that all this could be achieved at the drop of a hat.

Another major problem that looms ever closer is the planning consents cap of 10 mppa. With the airport owners already spending over £100 million on infrastructure developments in the past five or six years, and more before that, is it conceivable that they will lie back and not try to have the annual passenger cap lifted? If they do they will know that their asset will not be able to grow its value.

Getting an increase will not be easy. The major expansion plans, eventually given consent by the local authority with no subsequent ministerial calling-in, were delayed several years by one of the best organised, funded and connected anti-airport expansion groups in the country, possibly in Europe.

Bristol City Council (former owner of the airport) and the then South West Regional Development Agency also formally objected to the expansion plans, as did local parish councils and many individuals. Despite all this the tiny North Somerset Council unitary authority in whose area the airport lies approved them.

There is every reason to believe that an attempt to have the passenger cap raised will meet huge resistance from many quarters.

In the past it’s been suggested that anything above 12 mppa would require a second terminal on the south side, but the airport never seemed keen on the idea.

Perhaps circa 12 mppa would be the limit above which BRS could not rise.

I would have thought that any exapnsion over 12 million would require a new terminal? What is the current terminal rated to? Plus to expand beyond that and say get to Manchester proportions then surely a runway extension and a second runway may be required? Have Bristol ever done a plan for that to show what the airport could possibly become? I would assume cargo would be included? Could that ever happen at Bristol?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I would imagine with the eastern terminal extension of last year, the central pier of the year before and the western extension that opened partially this week that 10-12 mppa could be accommodated.

BRS will never be another MAN, or BHX for that matter. The site is too small, as is the catchment for that matter. The master plan of a decade ago (still the master plan with a few tweaks in the meantime) visualises up to 12 mppa, probably by around 2030, although the current 10 mppa limit would have to be lifted.

The master plan seems to recognise that BRS's strength is in what it is doing now - the European market. There is not thought to be scope for many scheduled long haul routes (four routes were suggested - ME and three in the USA) although long haul charter is a different matter.

There is no cargo to speak of as the airport in a green belt, hence no warehousing or distribution centres normally associated with significant cargo operations could be built.

A second runway is a non-starter. There is nowhere to put one. There is no thought at present to lengthen the existing one. The various scenarios are discussed at length in the master plan and the conclusion was to do nothing, although the situation is kept under regular review.

BRS is really like a football stadium that's too small to accommodate all the fans that want to come to watch matches. There was a possible alternative once but that's another F-word that no-one now mentions.

 

[kraktoa]

They have built houses on that F word runway i believe.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

They have built houses on that F word runway i believe.

I'm not sure if the main runway is yet the location of the new houses. Certainly part of the site is now a housing estate and I believe the eventual plan is to build something resembling a small town - hope it's not another Sadly Broke although that seems to be doing much better these days.

Fortunately, the site still has a major aviation presence with many thousands employed there even if there is no runway any more.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It must be quiet..........

Very little news out of BRS at the moment. The airport has resorted to putting a news item on its website about a bee 'bread and breakfast' site on the airfield to enhance biodiversity.

http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/about-us/news-and-media/news-and-media-centre/2016/07/bees