Infrastructure, Construction & Developments

[TheLocalYokel]

If the TOM 787-8s can get to Cancun from BRS non-stop, as seems will be the case, the Caribbean and Florida should not present a problem. The former First Choice B 767-300s used by TOM could reach Sanford non-stop although they had an en-route fuel stop at MAN for Cancun.

Why airlines and tour companies do certain things is often puzzling from the outside but there is invariably a sound commercial rationale for their actions. Having to fuel-stop with 767s to Mexico from BRS when they could have gone non-stop from CWL is one example of eyebrow-raising, but no doubt taking the operation as a whole TUI decided they were happy with their commercial decision.

Operational constraints aside, because BRS has a larger and generally more prosperous catchment, both business and leisure, airlines almost always tend to pick it if it's a case of it or CWL and all other considerations are equal. I suppose part of the reasoning is that if a service needs some topping up from outside the core catchment it will need less from BRS than from CWL because of the respective catchment sizes.

I'm very surprised that Thomas Cook hasn't expanded its Florida and Cancun programme from CWL apart from a small addition for next summer which still amounts only to a handful of flights. CWL has a history of strong support for such services. I can only assume that currently tour companies think they can make more money elsewhere.

 

[Jerry]

Yeah it now looks like as far as long haul charter is concerned then Bristol's shorter runway is no longer a handicap and maybe Thomsons thinking is they know the welsh customers will travel to BRS but aren't guarenteed to go to CWL. Guess they don't think they could make services work from both. I would have thought that Orlando could have been flown a couple of times during the summer especially during the school holidays.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Aircraft such as the B 777 and B 747 could not use BRS in any feasible way, and 767s are limited. I've not read anything re the A350 performance at BRS and it may be that only the 787-8 will be a serious contender at the airport with larger versions of the type possibly untenable.

So we are not likely to see an Emirates B 777 operating to Dubai for example.

If we were starting from scratch, with no financial or environmental constraints, the strong likelihood is that there would be one airport serving Severnside situated very close to if not actually on the estuary. Both BRS and CWL are in the wrong place and they both have negative factors (as well as some positive ones).

Of course, there would be a major argument about which side of the estuary it should be on..........................

 

[Jono577]

If the TOM 787-8s can get to Cancun from BRS non-stop, as seems will be the case, the Caribbean and Florida should not present a problem. The former First Choice B 767-300s used by TOM could reach Sanford non-stop although they had an en-route fuel stop at MAN for Cancun.

Why airlines and tour companies do certain things is often puzzling from the outside but there is invariably a sound commercial rationale for their actions. Having to fuel-stop with 767s to Mexico from BRS when they could have gone non-stop from CWL is one example of eyebrow-raising, but no doubt taking the operation as a whole TUI decided they were happy with their commercial decision.

Operational constraints aside, because BRS has a larger and generally more prosperous catchment, both business and leisure, airlines almost always tend to pick it if it's a case of it or CWL and all other considerations are equal. I suppose part of the reasoning is that if a service needs some topping up from outside the core catchment it will need less from BRS than from CWL because of the respective catchment sizes.

I'm very surprised that Thomas Cook hasn't expanded its Florida and Cancun programme from CWL apart from a small addition for next summer which still amounts only to a handful of flights. CWL has a history of strong support for such services. I can only assume that currently tour companies think they can make more money elsewhere.

Just as a point on this my son and friends went to TFS two weeks or so ago we were watching of FL24 as could not get up to airport, as you can see they went well out of the way, I asked a friend in the know and he replied with.

The route takes the aircraft into Oceanic airspace rather than the more direct option though French and Spanish airspace: there are generally 2 reasons for this as airlines either try to avoid ATC delays or because the Oceanic route charge structure is different thereby saving the airline money versus the more direct route.

It just go to show how they will look at costing etc.
View attachment 3465

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Was that one of the days when the French ATC people were taking industrial action?

 

[Jono577]

I think it was the day after action, my in the know info did make mention of not knowing of any flow restriction so it was more likely to be due to flight costs.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

OK. Thanks, Jono.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Airport Hotel

I passed along Downside Road today for the first time in a while and looking across towards the airport it seems that the hotel now has stone or brick cladding along the northern walls, meaning the 'shipping container' look has gone along that side, or it appears to have done from the distance that is Downside Road.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

West extension to terminal

I came in part way through a news item on the local ITV station earlier this evening that featured the partial opening of the west extension today. It will provide more security lanes although even more will be added when the extension is fully completed later this year.

Some passengers who were interviewed said that queues were very light today but I'm not sure these were people who were flying out in the morning rush, when most of the complaints occur. It's good news for all that.

The airport website does not yet contain news of today's partial opening although there is a mention in their Twitter feed.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

There is now a news item on the airport website re the partial opening of the western extension to the terminal:

First phase of Bristol Airport's major terminal extension opens to passengers
Created: 18th Jul 2016

New security facility goes live ahead of summer holiday season.

The first phase of Bristol Airport’s £24m terminal extension opened to passengers this morning ahead of what is expected to be its busiest ever summer holiday season.

The 9,000 square metre structure features state-of-the-art technology in a significantly enlarged security search area, the first phase of which includes five new lanes, with a further five coming on line at the end of the month. The terminal extension forms part of development plans which will enable 10 million passengers a year to use the Airport, the largest in the South West of the UK, and England’s third busiest outside London. Passenger numbers passed seven million for the first time in a rolling 12 month period, and traffic is up by more than 10 per cent for the first half of the year.

In total, the completed extension will comprise 12 security lanes, including a dedicated Fast Track zone which will go live later this year. A pre-boarding preparation area provides a new space for passengers to get their belongings ready for screening, and an automated tray return system with extended conveyor belts will streamline the process through metal detectors, x-rays and security scanners where required. All of this will take place against the backdrop of Europe’s largest digital wall, measuring 14 metres in length and displaying a mix of information on overseas destinations and short films featuring inspirational journeys made by local people.

While the priority of this first phase of development is to address bottlenecks for departing passengers, an enlarged baggage reclaim area, customs facilities, and meet and greet area will be completed by the end of the year, also enhancing the arrivals experience. Completion of the current extension will then enable the immigration hall to be developed in 2017, with plans including the installation of up to 10 of the latest ePassport gates.

Robert Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer at Bristol Airport, said:

“We want to make Bristol Airport the first choice for passengers across the South West of the UK by combining world class facilities with West Country hospitality. This terminal extension raises the bar for regional airports by combining a spacious feel with the latest technology and a real sense of place.

“Seven million passengers use Bristol Airport every year, but the same number again travel to airports in the South East in order to fly. By providing an even better local alternative we can generate time and cost savings for travellers while freeing up capacity in the congested London airport system.”

The route network available from Bristol Airport is also growing, with direct services to 117 destinations and frequent daily services to major hubs including Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin and Frankfurt, as well as a recently launched WOW air service to Reykjavik offering onward connections to North America. From May 2017, Thomson Airways will operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Florida and Mexico, highlighting the scope for more direct long-haul destinations in future.

BRS press release at: http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/abo...-media-centre/2016/07/west-terminal-extension

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Airport Hotel

I passed along Downside Road today for the first time in a while and looking across towards the airport it seems that the hotel now has stone or brick cladding along the northern walls, meaning the 'shipping container' look has gone along that side, or it appears to have done from the distance that is Downside Road.

I've now had a closer look and the 'cladding' is actually a grey-coloured plastic? covering placed outside the 'shipping container'.

I posted the other day that the BRS Twitter feed received a complaint from someone that the grass was being cut on the airport road edges to the detriment of wildlife and daisies.

How about this one at the below link? A tweeter has posted, 'this is getting stupid do something about it before someone gets killed. It ridiculous and dangerous'. The complaint appears to relate to someone walking along the A38 outside the airport where the local authority has not provided a pavement (a short video clip is embedded).

What this is to do with the airport I fail to understand. I do a lot of walking and at times I use the A 38 along the grass verges. Long stretches have no pavement and North Somerset Council has recently banned the use of pensioners bus passes on the one stopping bus service that does use the A 38. So there might be a few more people walking along the edge of the A 38 in future.
https://twitter.com/OfficialBRS/status/755510319552888833

 

[Seasider]

I'm not coming to North Somerset if they will not let me use my Bus Pass!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I'm not coming to North Somerset if they will not let me use my Bus Pass!

North Somerset have stopped pensioners bus passes being used in their area on the A4 Air Decker that operates between Bath and the airport (the one bus that has several stops along the A38 between the Bristol boundary and the airport) and on the A1 Flyer from Bristol bus and railway stations to the airport. However, both Bristol City and Bath & North East Somerset Councils allow pensioners bus passes on these buses in their areas (the buses pass through multiple local authority areas).

North Somerset allow pensioners bus passes on all other services in their area, including the A2 between Weston-super-Mare and the airport. Confused? Many people around here are.

Until 1st July North Somerset had permitted bus passes on the A1 for many years and on the A4 since its inception 3-4 years ago.

I suspect that they class the airport buses as 'special services' (so why not the A2 in that case?) which are one of the services for which the DfT bus pass guidance states local authorities don't have to fund bus passes. The fact that neighbouring councils allow bus passes on these services suggests that a judicial review application might be successful if anyone had the time, money and inclination to mount one.

 

[Seasider]

Sorry, I was a little confused, it's not too bad then.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I wasn't suggesting you were confused per se. It was the fact that the edict of North Somerset seems confusing as it is contradictory in parts.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Security Search Area

The old security search area is now closed and the new one fully open.

https://twitter.com/OfficialBRS/status/759096707321921539

 

[TheLocalYokel]

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/bristo...ity-scanners/story-29572471-detail/story.html

BRS is the latest airport to have the full body scanners.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Take a look at the biggest digital screen in the country stunning Bristol Airport travellers

• The clearest television screen in the country has been installed at Bristol Airport to showcase the wonders of Bristol.
  
  As part of a £24 million redevelopment, the airport has incorporated the enormous new digital wall, using innovative technology to deliver something truly unique to passengers travelling through the airport.
  
  Measuring an unmissable 14m x 2.5m, the display has been integrated into an entire wall to create a digital platform to engage passengers as they go through the terminal - and reminding them that Bristol is a leader in digital technologies.

• 
  
  Full article at
  
  http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/take-a...t-travellers/story-29579771-detail/story.html

• 
  

 

[kraktoa]

The massive screen looks impressive. But there is a problem.

As they are moving pictures, the security personnel closest to the screen are complaining of headaches and soreness in eyes. Imagine having a giant TV screen so close to your eyes especially when you are examining bags and people and the moving images in the corner of your eyes are super bright.

The DoT may intervene. It is a security issue in my opinion as it jeopardises the functioning of the search area.

 

[ezy_brs]

funny thing is, it is broken already. With all the rain we have had recently the roof has leaked and water has got into it. So that was a waste of time and effort!