London Stansted - General Thread

[Aviador]

Re: 20 Years Anniversary Of Stansted Terminal

I can't believe it's twenty years since they built the terminal. I remember watching the programme on TV with Sir Norman Foster explaining why it is designed in the way it is. I wonder if he feels the same about the building now as he was then. I open think Stansted was built with the same methodology as the Spanish use for building their terminals. Everything is in the right place with no bottlenecks.

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Stansted Airport offer job skills training for teens

Stansted Airport’s Employment and Skills Academy is offering free places on a vocational training programme for young people aged 16-18 who are not in employment, education or training. The students will study for The Award in Retail Knowledge, which covers a range of subjects including retail, customer service and sales.

The course will also involve modules on preparing for employment, working as part of a team, CV writing and interview techniques. Students from Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire will also receive a free £50 travel card for travel to and from the airport to attend the course.

Manager of the Stansted Employment and Skills Academy Anita Garrard said: ‘This is one of the only courses of its kind in the area, and is a brilliant opportunity for young people wishing to gain a qualification and then maybe embark on a career within the airport retail industry or find work in their local area.'

‘Stansted Airport is the biggest single site employer in the East of England, with around 11,000 people working here. It is a wonderful place to work and has many opportunities for young people looking for a rewarding career.’

Places on the four week courses, which run from Monday to Thursday throughout the summer, are limited. For more details, or to book a place, call 01279 661007, or e-mail [email protected]

Source[/textarea]

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]New commercial director at Stansted

Stansted Airport has announced the appointment of Jonathan Crick as its new commercial director. Mr Crick joins from easyBus, the airport bus transfer service owned by easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, where he was chief executive. His previous roles include 15 years’ at Monarch Airlines, where he was commercial director and sales and marketing director.

Mr Crick said: ‘I am delighted to be joining Stansted Airport at what is a very exciting as well as challenging time [the airport is set to be sold by BAA on the orders of the Competition Commission, although BAA is likely to appeal this order]. I am particularly looking forward to helping Stansted take commercial advantage of its position as London’s third largest airport, with significant capacity to grow its business.'

‘These priorities include growing the number of airlines and passengers; ensuring we have the very best retail facilities; and maximising the commercial opportunities of the on-airport property portfolio, including car parks and other travel services.’

Stansted’s managing director Nick Barton said: ‘Jonathan brings with him a wealth of experience of working in commercial environments in the transport sector, particularly aviation, and I have no doubt he will be a major asset to the team. He will take up his appointment in October.'

Source[/textarea]

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]BAA ‘moves to sell Stansted’

BAA has started sounding out bankers about a sale of Stansted Airport for more than £1bn, the Telegraph reports. The newspaper's 'sources' said BAA is preparing to carry out a beauty parade of investment banks at the end of the month, with a view to appointing one to carry out a sale of the airport next year.

The move comes as BAA weighs up whether it should seek a judicial review of the Competition Commissions's decision to force the company to sell Stansted and one of Scotland's two main airports, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In July, the Commission confirmed the decision, arguing ‘that passengers and airlines would benefit from greater competition with the airports under separate ownership’.

Previous reports suggested Stansted may sell for £1.2bn but BAA's regulated asset base is now £1.35bn. Gatwick sold for a discount on its regulated asset base, but its acquisition debt has since been refinanced to release a premium to its buyers.

Source[/textarea]

 

[Jordan-34092]

WOW announce Stansted – Reykjavik flights


New Icelandic airline WOW Air is to launch flights between Reykjavik and Stansted next summer. It will operate a three flights a week service from June 1 with fares starting at £53 one way.

WOW Air is Iceland’s newest airline and focuses on flexible travel within Europe at competitive prices. There are currently flights to Iceland from Heathrow with Icelandair and from Gatwick with Iceland Express. easyJet will launch flights from Luton next summer

Source

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Hey, I thought for a second that Air Southwest had reincarnated.

Dash it.

 

[Aviador]

Hey, I thought for a second that Air Southwest had reincarnated.

Dash it.

WOW that's just what I thought when I read that headline.

 

[Jordan-34092]

lol, i don't know why you thought that.

 

[Jordan-34092]

Stansted falls behind Manchester as passengers decline



Stansted, previously the UK's number 3 airport by passenger numbers after Heathrow and Gatwick, slipped to fourth in 2011 following a 2.8 percent decline in passenger numbers to 18 million and growth at rival Manchester Airport.

Manchester saw passengers increase by 6.5 percent in 2011 to 18.8 million. The number of passengers using scheduled airlines at the regional airport increased by almost 14 percent, with further rises expected this year as Ryanair increases its presence following an announcement last year that it would reopen a base at the airport.

Source

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Stansted baggage handlers Easter strike threat

Baggage handlers at Stansted Airport are threatening to go on strike over the Easter weekend after management announced changes to their shift patterns, travelmole reports. The GMB union is balloting 150 members who are employed by Swissport as baggage handlers at the airport to see if they are prepared to strike over the changes.

GMB says the changes imposed by Swissport to shift patterns will cost each of its members up to £1000 a year. The changes will also require baggage handlers to travel to work an additional 13 times a year, leading to increased transport and childcare costs, it says.

Swissport handles 11 airlines at Stansted, including Monarch, Ryanair and Thomson Airways. The result of the ballot will be announced on March 29 an,d if members vote for industrial action, the union says this could result in disruption over the Easter weekend.

For more information on this airport news story visit: http://www.travelmole.com/news[/textarea]

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]New Stansted – Istanbul flights announced

Atlasjet will launch flights from Stansted to Istanbul and Antalya in Turkey on May 5, travelmole reports. The private Turkish airline will fly to Istanbul daily from Sunday to Friday, and to Antalya on Saturdays.

Flights will offer EkonomiPlus and Business class services with fares from £138 return, including taxes and charges. Atlasjet operates a network of domestic and international flights, with connections via Istanbul to Ercan in North Cyprus, Bodrum, Dalaman, Adana and Izmir in Turkey, as well as to Tehran in Iran.

For more information on this airport news story visit: http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?[/textarea]

 

[Aviador]

The previously reported strike action by baggage handlers at Stansted airport has been called off. The strikes were due to take place over the busy Easter period.

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Stansted could double passenger numbers if deregulated

Stansted Airport could double its passengers to 36 million a year if it was exempt from Civil Aviation Authority regulation, the Times reports Nick Barton, the airport’s managing director has said.

He added that growing to take that many passengers would help alleviate congestion at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, and that ‘Stansted should be competing on a level playing field.' The number of passengers passing through Stansted fell 25 percent between 2007 and 2011, and has continued to fall in the early part of 2012.

For more information on this airport news story visit: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/ ... 377298.ece[/textarea]

 

[Aviador]

[textarea]BAA loses appeal against Stansted sell-off

Airports operator BAA has lost its appeal against a Competition Commission ruling that it must sell Stansted Airport in Essex.

Three judges at the Court of Appeal in London today upheld the 2009 ruling that Spanish-owned BAA must sell Stansted and two of its other UK airports. BAA has already sold Gatwick and Edinburgh airports.

Full story: http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature. ... id=2002441[/textarea]

I didn't realise they could appeal twice. I think the fact that BAA intend to appeal for a second time shows how important Stansted is in the future of London airports.

 

[Aviador]

[textarea]BAA told it must sell Stansted airport

A Court in London has upheld a decision that airports operator BAA must sell Stansted

BAA has been told it has to sell off Stansted after losing the final stage in a three-year battle to keep hold of the Essex airport.

The Court of Appeal in London upheld a regulatory decision dating back to 2009 which requires BAA to offload the asset.

The hearing was BAA’s last hope of holding on to Stansted after it was told in 2009 by the Competition Commission that it must reduce its stranglehold on the UK aviation market.

Full Story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... rport.html[/textarea]

Stansted up for sale?

Well it looks like BAA are going to be unable to appeal again against the high court ruling. So ir looks like Stansted airport will have to be sold.

The Manchester Airport Group MAG have been hotly tipped to be the lead bidder for the airport. At what point is the Manchester Airport Group considered as too big?

 

[Aviador]

[textarea]Ryanair Seeking 25% Stake in London Stansted Airport Bid Group

Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYA), Europe’s biggest discount carrier, said it’s keen to take a 25 percent equity stake in London’s Stansted airport by participating in one of a number of groups that may bid for the BAA Ltd. (FER) asset.

Ryanair, Stansted’s biggest customer, is prepared to make “a modest commitment” as “anchor tenant” at the airport and has been examining proposals from five or six groups, from which one or two serious bids are likely to emerge, Chief Financial Officer Howard Millar said at a press conference in London.

“Stansted is the only place in London where another runway can be built,” Millar said, “It makes more sense to have it at Heathrow, but Stansted is the only place with capacity and we want a 25 percent stake.”

Full story: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-0 ... -bid-group[/textarea]

Are Ryanair serious or is this another PR stunt? I wouldn't have thought it would be a good thing letting one of the airports major carriers have such a large stake in the airport. I thought the purpose of selling the airport was to stop monopolies not to create them?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Are Ryanair serious or is this another PR stunt? I wouldn't have thought it would be a good thing letting one of the airports major carriers have such a large stake in the airport. I thought the purpose of selling the airport was to stop monopolies not to create them?

Would any group intending to purchase Stansted want Ryanair as part of its membership? It could put all sorts of commercial pressures on the airport that might be good for Ryanair but not so good for the airport owners as a whole.

STN is supposedly one of London's major airports but it has become mainly a low-cost airport whose dominant player there is Ryanair.

It may be that in the future that STN will become more rounded in terms of its carriers and services; of necessity if LHR and LGW are not allowed to grow by the government.

I believe that the Manchester Airports Group is reportedly interested in buying STN, something that has caused puzzlement in some quarters that have MAN close to their hearts.

 

[Seasider]

Eastern A/W have just bought Humberside Airport, "lock, stock and barrel". How is that going to affect them.
The other owners of Stansted, if they want to, can buy the shares Ryanair want, therefore preventing them from getting them.

 

[Aviador]

After months of disputes with the Competition Commission BAA have decided to sell Stansted airport. Earlier this year the High Court upheld the Competition Commission's ruling and said BAA must sell Stansted airport. The Manchester Airport Group has been hotly tipped as a potential bidder for the London airport.

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Stansted airport owner admits it could be run for £5m less

BAA, the owners of Stansted, have made the unusual admission that anyone else could run the airport for at least £5m a year less.

The figure is disclosed in the “information memorandum” sent to bidders for the Essex airport, which was put on the block for around £1bn in August after BAA lost a three-year legal fight with the Competition Commission over a forced disposal. The sale process is being led by BAA’s major shareholder, Ferrovial, with advice from Deutsche Bank and ING. First-round bids are due next week.

Full Story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... -less.html[/textarea]