Airport Experience (Questions & Reviews)

[Ray Finkle]

For those that can face it I'll do a trip report soon.

For now it's adios Gran Canaria (not sure where all that cloud came from as we were on the south of the island and have barely seen one all week).

 

[JENNYJET]

I adore 4 engines but never again sadly. A340 and B747 both dying off, no trijets leaving boring twinjets. Aviation is losing something.....

 

[Ray Finkle]

For those who want something to help them nod off here is the trip report

We had received notification from TUi that some baggage testing work was being carried out at BHX and the advice was to get to the airport earlier than usual, which we did. We arrived to find not much more than a handful of people in the TUi check in area and proceeded directly to a self service bag machine. After weighing the first case the machine could not scan my boarding pass (I must buy a new printer) so we were directed to a desk where a very polite gentlemen processed the bags manually and issued us with new boarding cards. Even with the hiccup the whole thing took less than 10 mins.

Security was flowing well with only a short queue in front and we were through in no time at all. Unfortunately Mrs F's bag got rejected so after accusing her of packing liquids (which she hadn't) we had another 10-15 mins whilst they carried out a search. After reviewing the images it turns out that the handle from her hair brush was poking out from behind a book and the shape of it looked suspicious. The guy dealing with it was great and cracked a few jokes with the kids, personally I find it reassuring that the checks are that thorough and had no issue whatsoever with the extra wait.

After failing dismally to get the wife and kids through World Duty Free without spending we headed to our usual spot in Wetherspoons which was rather empty. Unfortunately some of the cooking equipment had suffered a breakdown so there was a limited menu but they still managed a decent risotto, lasagne and pizza for us all, with my usual Abbot Ale of course By about 12:15 the departure lounge was heaving and Wetherspoons packed with many families searching in vain for a seat. As we had finished eating we gave up our table to a very grateful family and the wife and daughter went off shopping whilst I finished my drink. Always such friendly and efficient service in Whetherspoons

As the lounge was now heaving (great to see even with no lunchtime Emirates that day) we headed up to the pier for a bit of calm and let the little one play in the Sky Zone. The TUi flight to Las Palmas was showing as gate 45 and as I already knew we had a slight delay I grabbed a beer from Costa and just admired the view. About a month before departure we had received an email from TUi advising us that we would be travelling on Olympus Airways so we scratched our heads a little when after arriving back from Alghero that aircraft taxied to what looked like stand 59, the opposite side of the airport. Mrs F then walking back down the pier said to me 'have you ever heard of
Hi Fly as their crew are at our gate'? Sure enough not much after saying it their A330 CS-TQW landed and taxied to 41C, this was our aircraft. It then became apparent that the delay was longer than expected (I think it ended up as 2 hours in the end), no issue for me as it offered time for another beer and some more plane watching

By now the screen had changed to 'boarding' so we scanned our passes and made our way into the holding lounge but we need not have bothered as it stayed like that for about 25 mins, which must have been a pain for the staff having to scan so many people out and then back in again so they could use the toilet. The Hi Fly A330 was in a 2-4-2 configuration and with us having two window seats it meant we didn't have the usual 'but you had it last time' from the kids The interior wasn't ultra modern and was probably showing it's age in certain areas but I found the legroom great and the seat very comfortable. The section where we were seated was full but when I took a walk to the rear of the aircraft there were a few pax with whole rows to themselves. We could have moved but I was more than comfortable where I was. The Hi Fly cabin crew were very polite and efficient and seemed to be helping out the three TUi cabin crew members on board. There were a couple of announcements from the flight deck and I think everyone appreciated the captain giving a 10 min warning for the seat belt signs to come on for landing as almost instantaneously there were queues for the toilets. I think the flight there was a shade under 4 hours which is great, there were some nice views of Tenerife and then over Gran Canaria as we made a left turn before landing from the south. After a short bus ride with what could have been Lewis Hamilton in the seat we were into the LPA baggage area in a couple of minutes and as soon as we got to the carousel it started moving with our two bags amongst the first to come off. I reckon plane to leaving the building must have been not much more than 15 minutes. Sadly that joy was short lived after being the first ones on the transfer coach we then sat there for just over an hour waiting for the other pax (I think some were from another flight)

Check in at Las Palmas yesterday had long queues for the TUi flights (BFS, CWL, LGW and BHX) but they were moving steadily so it only took 15 mins or so. Security was busy but also moving steadily although there were a few complaints from certain pax that the trays were being scanned much quicker than the pax (it's usually the opposite) and some were concerned about their valuables being left unattended. Departures was heaving so after trying a couple of samples of Single Malt Scotch we bought a sandwich and found a quiet spot by the kids play area. Departures was from C12 and after a delay of circa 40 minutes we were finally boarding the bus to be taken to a remote stand. I had received an email the day before advising us that our flight home would be with Wamos and after checking online I knew it was to be 747 EC-MDS. As the bus rounded the corner and the aircraft came in to view I had to smile to myself at the gasps and cries of 'wow', more from the adults than the kids. Looking back part of the delay may have been the amount of people rummaging for phones and cameras then posing in front of it

Similar to Hi Fly the aircraft wasn't the most modern and had signs of wear on the brown leather seats, personally it doesn't bother me and with probably the best legroom I have had and a fairly comfortable seat I was happy. The only annoyance was an unpleasant smell, almost urine like but it disappeared once the hot food started being served. It was my first flight on a 747 and it's something that I am glad that I got to do, the noise on departure was awesome and we were up in the air in no time at all. With only 189 passengers on board there were plenty of rows for passengers to spread out on, we had 7 seats in our row between the four of us. Unlike Hi Fly the Wamos cabin crew looked very disinterested and although I wasn't paying huge attention I didn't see much assistance given to the four TUi cabin crew on board. Even leaving the aircraft back at BHX people were saying thank you and goodbye to the Wamos crew with absolutely nothing back. The TUi guy in our section was great though. After a flight time of just under 3h 40m we were descending into Birmingham and with clear skies the views over the city were amazing, I just wish my phone camera could have captured it.

We landed on RWY15 and were soon parked on stand 86C where steps were attached within minutes. After a bus ride back to the terminal we joined the back of a fairly lengthy queue but once the e gate pax were separated it wasn't too bad and we were through in less than 10-15 mins. The bags were on carousel number 4 which was moving by the time we got in to the baggage hall and our cases were there in less than 10 minutes. I think from the aircraft touching down to us getting in a taxi must have been around 50 minutes which is excellent. Swissport do get quite a bit of stick but on this occasion credit where it is due

One thing I would like to say (and it will go in my feedback) is a massive thank you to TUi. It's no secret that the issues with the MAX have been a major headache for them and we've all seen reports of the potential cost. Once this had come to light they could quite easily have contacted me to cancel the holiday and either offered a refund or an alternative trip, if that had happened I would have been disappointed but would have understood. Instead they did what they had to do to minimise disruption and ensured that my family and I had a wonderful holiday. All the way through the process I was kept informed about changes to the airline and what would happen about our pre-booked seats, I had an email about the outbound delay and another advising us that our return trip would be with Wamos. They even got me a ride in a 747

Absolutely first class, thanks again TUi

 

[Jerry]

Sounds like you had a great holiday! With a lovely bonus at the end!

 

[Silvercity]

My partner just got back from BKK using Turkish into BHX, said got through airport and on his way to Birmingham International very fast, caught an earlier train.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Great report, Ray, as always.

 

[rollo]

We have just returned from Malta after flights on Avion Express leased in A320 for Thomas Cook, the aircraft and flight were fine and branded as Cooks with the cabin Crew all Thomas Cook staff not sure about the flight crew though as outbound the pilot had a heavy East European accent and inbound spoke in a cut glass English.

Arriving at BHX check in was fine and there were P&O staff at the desk to assist those passengers like us who were on a cruise I estimate more than 50% of the passenger were crusers (more of that later). Security was fine and we were airside in about 15 minutes from entering the terminal. I counted about 35 aircraft on the apron at about 5am before the early morning rush its great to see it so full pity its not like it all day.The flight was uneventful and the interior was branded in Cooks livery so I suspect most passengers were oblivious to the fact we were on a Avion Express aircraft. We hadn't pre booked seats and were allocated 3e and 3f so great for us (are you watching Ryanair? ) the return even better 13e and 13f which was the emergency exit row a first for me.

Malta airport was rammed the apron was full and we ended up parked away from the terminal at what i think must have been the old RAF part of the airport and bussed over. Despite being really busy we were through passport control in a jiffy and again loads of P&Ostaff to direct us to the coaches and a 15 minute ride to the ship, no baggage to claim is it transported from the aircraft direct to your cabin or as they like to call them state rooms either way it makes for dead easy traveling. The reverse happens on departure bags are collected from your room and you don't see them until you arrive at BHX

Malta airport was even busier on the return but coped extremely well despite the fact they strangely have some arriving passengers pass through the departures on there way to customs etc although we didn't on arrival i don't understand that but I watched passengers leave an Alitalia flight do just that, anyway as I say the airport wsa excellent which unfortunately I can't say about BHX on our return.

Flight was fine and on arrival no steps a 10/15 minute wait this seems to happen quite regularly to us at BHX then straight through passport controlled which was great but in the end pointless as a 50 minutes wait for luggage which is frustrating as none of the other carasoles were in operation while we waited so frustrating but never mind.

Going off at a tangent seeing the amount of aircraft needed to feed these cruise ships made me wonder just how important this work is to the airlines. On the P&O departure list they had 15 flights listed for Thursday arriving and departing Malta in a five or six hour window using TUI, Thomas Cook, Jet2 and Easyjet but not Ryanair presumably because of actual or perceived service levels and I can't see Ryanair particularly wanting to meet the baggage handling required.

The ship we were on holds approximately 2300 passengers and cruise lines operate on Ryanair type load factors but not service levels so most passengers on the above flights must be cruise passengers our return flight had three coaches.

Also while on the ship i went to a presentation of the ships winter program and in October it will be based in Dubai to do14 day cruises and they stated all flights will be on Emirates from Birmingham, Glasgow London and Manchester. this will take the equivalent of five two
Class A380s every two weeks. If BHX can get say 20% of this that's the equivalent of two full return flights per month so potentially significant business on the Dubai route next winter

 

[TheLocalYokel]

First-class report, rollo. Many thanks. Overall your holiday sounds like an excellent experience despite the hiccup at BHX on return.

 

[rollo]

First-class report, rollo. Many thanks. Overall your holiday sounds like an excellent experience despite the hiccup at BHX on return.
[/QUOTE]

Thank you, yes it was a lovely trip and a superb ship we are now discussing whether to go to the caribean or return to do the other side of Italy along with and Croatia etc, my preference is both trips as time ticks on its make the most of it.

 

[Ray Finkle]

BHX-BFS

As it was the start of the school holidays we arrived at the airport earlier than usual and with no bags to drop off we headed straight upstairs to security. After scanning the boarding cards we rounded the corner to see two queues stretching approx half way along the corridor, I said to Mrs F that I wouldn't be surprised if it took 30 mins or so to get through (and given the time of year if it had I would not have been disappointed) but the queues moved very quickly and 11 minutes later we were heading down into the departure lounge. Mrs F commented to me just how quick and efficient the whole process was, absolutely top draw performance

The departure lounge was busy but there were a few spare tables in Wetherspoons where we settled for breakfast, no Abbott Ale on this occasion though as I was driving at the other end. After we finished and Mrs F had toured the shops we took up our usual spot in the pier to watch the comings and goings. I had note on the easyjet app that our gate was to be 56 which was directly in front of us so we stayed put until boarding. Looking out across the airfield the apron was dominated by Jet2 aircraft and watching them board I would say that they were all full. In the short time they have been here they really have built up an impressive operation. The inbound easyjet from BFS parked directly in front of us (stand 56R) and I watched a very healthy load get off and fill two busses.

Boarding commenced soon after and we joined the back of a long queue, the whole process was quick and efficient although there were a few groups not sat together that decided to play musical chairs. The aircraft, G-EZPG, was very clean and tidy and I found the seats and legroom comfortable enough. After an announcement from the flight deck we pushed back and headed out to RWY15 for a southerly departure, after making a left turn I managed to grab a few pictures of Birmingham before we entered the clouds which remained until descending into BFS. FR24 shows that we departed 18 mins behind schedule but with a flight time of only 45 mins we landed only 3 mins behind schedule. I noticed one empty seat in front of us and another towards the rear of the aircraft so almost a full flight. Upon arrival in Belfast we parked on stand 12 which meant just a short walk along the corridor and into the arrivals area where the car hire desks are located. The car pick up points are only a short walk from the terminal so it must have been less than 20 minutes from leaving the aircraft to driving out of the airport.

Top marks BHX, easyjet, Budget car hire and BFS

BFS-BHX

As it was chucking it down on our last day and we'd seen and done what we needed to we headed to the airport early. The first stop was the viewing area accessed from the arrivals hall. It really is a great area, slightly reminiscent of the facility that BHX used to have. The stands are directly in front with the runway clearly visible, there is also live ATC and a television screens displaying FR24. The apron was dominated by easyjet with one TCX and a Jet2 making up the numbers. After 20 mins or so watching the action we headed towards security. Whilst not massively busy there was a steady stream of pax but, similar to BHX, the whole process was quick and efficient. The security staff were very friendly and great with my 6 yr old when he needed to be searched. Unfortunately duty free were offering tasters and I soon got talked (very easily I may add) into buying a very nice Loch Lomond 12yr old single malt scotch. After paying I was given a voucher for 20% off any second purchase that day which was seized upon by Mrs F buying some perfume and the kids buying a couple of souvenirs. The departure lounge was very busy (and really loud) but we managed to find an empty table in a bar and sit down to a couple of pints of (ridiculously overpriced) Guinness. I'd had notification on the easyjet app of a 30 min delay but 40 min before the scheduled departure time the airport screens said proceed to gate 24, which we did. I was about to buy another pint from the bar close to the gate when the inbound aircraft appeared and turned on to stand. It wasn't long after that boarding commenced so we joined the back of the queue. Belfast International is a great little airport, it's very dated in parts (think the old BHX pier before it was replaced) but we found it extremely easy to use with more than enough there to pass the time.

Boarding on the return flight was quick and it wasn't long before we were all seated. Once the doors were closed the captain came out of the cockpit and used the p.a. system to welcome the passengers on board and introduce himself and the crew, whilst there he also gave route information, eta and weather. I've never seen a pilot do an introduction in this way having only ever heard them speak from the flight deck in the past, we though it a really nice touch. Despite the app advising us of a 30 min delay we pushed back only 5 mins behind the scheduled departure time and after a flight time of only 39 mins (barely enough time for a Chenin Blanc) we landed 10 mins ahead of schedule. I had a walk along the aircraft and saw no empty seats at all. Air India landed in front of us and we followed it along some of the taxiway before turning onto 54L. Steps and busses were attached quickly and we were soon being driven to gate 12 in T2. We had no baggage but the belt started moving as we walked past, not sure if it was our flight or another though, so within 20 mins of landing we were in a taxi heading home

Great performance yet again from BHX, especially as it was the first day of the school holidays and Belfast was just as efficient.

Although very short the flights with easyjet were great with friendly cabin crew and nice aircraft. I was also very impressed with the easyjet app and the notifications it was giving us. If they offered more from BHX I would have no hesitation in using them again, it's just a shame that BHX haven't been able to get anything

 

[Ray Finkle]

BHX-ACE

Arrived at the airport in the wee small hours to find a queue already forming at the TUi desks. I think spurred on by this they opened check-in 15 mins early which meant that none of the self service machines worked with all requiring a reboot, it didn't take long and the staff on hand were very jovial. Security took no time at all with us walking straight to a small queue in one of the lanes, again the staff were very polite and efficient. The departure lounge was quiet as we made our way to Wetherspoons but it wasn't long before it started to fill up, after a quick tour of the shops to grab some last minute bits and pieces we took up our usual spot in the pier.

Boarding was announced well ahead of time, gate 58 I think it was and it wasn't long before we were walking down the jet bridge to get on our 757 (G-OOBF). We were all boarded and ready to go early but the captain announced that due to staff shortages Swissport had no tug available to push us back, he seemed rather annoyed. It ended up being around 20 mins or so before a tug arrived which meant we were airborne roughly 27 minutes behind schedule. A very strong headwind en route meant a flight time of 4 hours and 14 minutes which pushed the arrival time back even further, it wasn't majorly behind schedule so no real bother for us. The flight was excellent with extremely friendly cabin crew (almost Jet2 like) and we had plenty of interesting announcements from the flight deck. The baggage hall in Arrecife was extremely busy, possibly bordering on chaotic, it took around 35 mins to collect our bags and after a lengthy uphill walk we finally made it to the coach to start our holiday

ACE-BHX

Check-in yesterday morning took around 15 minutes with another 15 minutes or so to get through security. I'd had a look on FR24 before setting off and noticed that the flight out to Lanzarote had departed 50 min late so already knew there would be a delay, a short time after I received an email from TUi advising us that our departure time had slipped from 11:10 to 12:00 (not a major issue). We watched from the roof terrace as the inbound flight (G-OOBB) landed at around 10:50, just under 20 minutes later the screen showed 'boarding' which had already commenced by the time we got to gate 6. Once we were all on the captain said his usual welcome and informed us the the late departure from Birmingham was due to two passengers arriving late for boarding, he didn't mention whether they travelled or were off loaded. FR24 tells me that we departed ACE at 11:48 and with it being quite a choppy departure it was a good 25 minutes or so before the cabin crew were released with the passenger seat belt signs going off around 5 mins after. Again it was a nice flight back with very friendly cabin crew and lots of announcements from the flight deck, as we had unusually clear skies over the UK we got a running commentary from the captain all the way from the south coast up to turning for the final approach which was a really nice touch. A shorter flight time of 3 hours and 39 minutes meant we touched down on RWY 15 at 15:26, only 16 minutes behind schedule

The aircraft parked on stand 54L, wedged between Jet2 737's, which gave us a nice walk along the pier up to UKBF where there was a small queue, it took a shade over 10 minutes. I think we waited for around 20 minutes for the baggage belt to start moving, unfortunately ours we towards the end. Overall from aircraft to taxi home took probably somewhere in the region of 50 minutes or so, which I think is excellent for an August bank holiday weekend

BHX was excellent as usual, even despite the small hiccup from Swissport

TUi were also great with these possibly being the best flights that I have had with them

Loved Lanzarote, really nice island

One thing I did notice is that on the return journey TUi were handing out vouchers for £150 off S2020 holidays, something which I have never had with them before. I wonder if they are copying Jet2 who seem to have been doing their £60 vouchers for a while?

Thanks for reading

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Great report again, Ray. Glad you enjoyed Lanzarote. Do you hire a car in resort on holidays like this?

I note from their registrations that both 757s were former First Choice machines. Are they younger than TUI/THomson's original 757s and therefore amongst the last to leave the fleet?'

 

[Ray Finkle]

Do you hire a car in resort on holidays like this?

I have done in the past but generally we like to walk around the resort and use either organised tours or local bus/taxi for trips further afield. I'm glad we did this time as the queues for Timanfaya National Park were huge yet the bus we were on overtook them all and drove straight in

I note from their registrations that both 757s were former First Choice machines. Are they younger than TUI/THomson's original 757s and therefore amongst the last to leave the fleet?'

Looking at the Airfleets website BF is 15.5 years old and BB is 18.7 years old. The same website lists G-BYAW as the oldest 757 in the TUi fleet at 24.5 years old so possibly still a few more years to go for BF and BB, I hope so anyway as I do love the 757

 

[thunderchild]

Sounds like you had a great trip - the 757 is still the best!

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

One thing I did notice is that on the return journey TUi were handing out vouchers for £150 off S2020 holidays, something which I have never had with them before. I wonder if they are copying Jet2 who seem to have been doing their £60 vouchers for a while?

Maybe the heat is on for TUI

Who is your Summer 2020 holiday? Just been curious. I wonder what the price difference would be between TUI and Jet2 if you included both companies vouchers.

Good report - sounds like TUI have switch on to Jet2 a lot and are upping the customer service levels to match those of Jet2.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Who is your Summer 2020 holiday?

Jet2 Holidays to Parga

I wonder what the price difference would be between TUI and Jet2 if you included both companies vouchers.

I've given our voucher to the in-laws who are now looking for a new company after using Thomas Cook for many years.

Just having a general browse around various Greek destinations Jet2 Holidays appear more reasonable than TUi and they're from Yorkshire so they'll go with whoever is cheapest

 

[Seasider]

No, not the cheapest, "best value", There is a difference, especially to a Yorkshireman.

 

[CraigW92]

So I returned last Thursday (21st ) from a lovely two week holiday in Gran Canaria with Jet2 and it was a fantastic holiday with yet again another great BHX experience.

After around a 2 hour 15 minute car Journey Cardiff we arrived at Birmingham at approximately 6:15 for our 09:30 departure to BHX, check in originally didn’t open for another 15 mins , we approached the Jet2 check in area and the very polite member of staff just held us in a separate queue for LPA compared with the other flights that the check in was open for , this wasn’t long however , I actually didn’t realise Jet2 now had both the people check in and also the self service bag drop one, we got called over to use the self service option and within literally 5 minutes we had weighed the bags and delivered them to the bag drop, that whole experience was very easy and stress free , with that now done it was time to head to security, security itself had a little bit of a queue at around 6:45ish , seemingly a lot of business passengers too, this went at a very brisk pace and we were once again through in around 10 mins into the departure hall. we headed for wetherspoons and once again service was very quick and staff very polite, after an hour or so looking around the airport and onto the apron it was time to head to the gate.

View attachment 15482


Around 8:30am the gate was displayed on the airport screens and it turned out to be gate 49 ( bus gate ) , only a short walk down some stairs and then we took a seat waiting for the aircraft to be called for boarding, fairly pleasant area actually, seems to be fairly newly refurbished, lots of seating and plenty of space, we had only been sitting for around 15 minutes and the Aircraft was ready to board , interesting now that Jet2 now board by boarding group , there was only A and B for this flight but it didn’t seem to make a difference as everyone was all on the bus together, a short bus ride out to the far parking stands and out aircraft was waiting G-JHZG, both back and front steps were being used for the flight and a very quick and easy boarding process with a very friendly , happy and young crew, boarding was complete by 09:30 however there was one slight issue in that some of the paper work didn’t match so there was a small delay of around 25 mins , the captain apologised and introduced himself and then gave a few details of the route down to LPA, we took off shortly just before 10AM and it was a lovely relaxing flight, great legroom and a very comfortable seat ,only 2 spare seats on the way out and also just a fantastic crew , who not only were polite but took the time to talk to you, nothing was too much trouble and they were extremely efficient, the flight itself was relatively a smooth experience and we arrived on stand around 14:15.

View attachment 15483

Ground handling at LPA on arrival was very quick , buses and steps were at the aircraft within minutes which meant a very quick exit onto the buses and into the terminal, passport control again through in minutes which was very handy as it was right next to baggage carousels, 3 Jet2 members of staff in the terminal were there to direct you to where the team would be to guide you to your bus, all very friendly again, the whole experience of getting off the aircraft to getting onto the bus to get to the resort was around 35 minutes which was very quick I thought, there must have been only 10 people on the bus going to Puerto Rico which meant the time waiting on the bus was minimal and a great start to the holiday.

The hotel itself keeps on improving and is closing from April to March for a full refurb, Food and drinks options had been improved with more branded drinks, a few international spirits also more show cooking in the evenings, a highlight in Puerto Rico for anyone that has been or thinking of going is just incredible views you will have, simply breathtaking and I’d deffo recommend staying on this part of the island, The weather itself was also great in the 14 days that we stayed 12 were complete sunshine and two cloud and sun, highs of around 26-28 daytime which was fantastic , Hotel looked around half full again this year , a lot of Thomas cook Scandinavian customers in the hotel I believe , soft of a surreal feeling seeing Thomas Cook staff in
the heart uniform etc, seems that the two weeks just completely flew by and it was time to begin the Journey home.

View attachment 15484


The time for our pick up from the hotel was posted a few days before hand and we had a 11:25-11:45 pick up time , on the day of the pick up the bus arrived exactly in that time frame , a Jet2 rep that got off the bus and ticked us off along with around 20 others that got on for Jet2 flights , the bus itself this time was completely full, only around a 45 minute coach ride and we arrived at the terminal , another Jet2 rep boarded the coach to tell us which desks to use and we were told again in the terminal by another group of Jet2 airport staff which was great if you had any problems, 12 desks were open with no queues whatsoever, check inn and then security took minimal time , and within 20 minutes of being in the terminal we were heading for departure lounge, very busy as it was peak tone for departing flights , our gate got announced as C5, boarding groups this time was announced as A, B, C, starting with C from the back of the aircraft to A at the front, the aircraft which was G-DRTA, was attached to an air bridge so it seemed sensible, a stress free boarding experience and once again a full aircraft, a cloudy day to depart but the flight itself was once again a very enjoyable one much like the way out , crew very similar to the way out in that they were very friendly and polite, looking out of the window as the sun started to set meant that the holiday was drawing to a close.



View attachment 15480

Quite a bumpy approach to BHX due to the level of cloud and also quite a strong wind, we landed on schedule and taxied off the runway to the stands at the back, 2 buses which were there as soon as soon as the aircraft doors opened and took only a few mins from when everyone arrived on board and the arrival to the passport gate area, this area itself was quite busy with Both EU and non EU, the EU passport gate line moves swiftly enough and we could have only been waiting 5 or so minutes which was very quick, the bags seemed very quick as well only waiting another 25 minutes, we collected our bags and left the airport terminal towards Car Park 1, we both had a brief moment and just shook our heads at how fast the time goes , before we knew it , we were back on the motorway homeward bound.

View attachment 15479

I’ve got to say this is the second time I’ve used Jet2 from BHX and they are just fantastic , the crew , airport staff, dispatch staff are all very friendly, a mention to our Rep in the hotel as well , we didn’t have any issues but everyday she would stop and say hello , asking us how everything is and if we needed anything to let her know , the level of customer service from the whole Jet2 company is very much up there with the best and very much making them stand out from the competition.

As for BHX this was my 3rd time using and I have to say once again it’s a great , easy, friendly experience, I’ve really enjoyed the 3 times I’ve used the airport and I already plan on using Jet2 and BHX again next winter, it’s certainly fantastic to see the relationship flourish between the airline and airport

Many thanks for reading and until next time

 

[Ray Finkle]

So I returned last Thursday (21st ) from a lovely two week holiday in Gran Canaria with Jet2 and it was a fantastic holiday with yet again another great BHX experience.

Another fantastic trip report, thanks for taking the time to post it

Looks like you had a great time

 

[rollo]

As this thread has gone dormant since covid thought I'd give it a little nudge.

Departing BHX on a P&O charter cruise flight 27th January on a TUI 789

I have to say BHX excelled itself,the flight has a dedicated check in area including P&O staff who pre check your your travel insurance and covid status ( not fully vaccinated you ain't going) then normal check in total time was about 15 minutes then on to security which was literally straight through the biggest delay was me getting my belt off.The flight was fine, departed slightly late but we arrived on time.

On our return we landed on schedule no delay in connecting the airbrdge, through passport control in a jiffy and bags 15min later. I know its the low season and the airport was quiet but I couldn't fault the airport in anyway whatsoever.

So in contrast how was the arrival/departure experience in Bridgetown?

The answer in short is at least as good if not better.

Arrival, no immigration or customs control at all just down the aircraft steps onto the waiting coaches and direct to the ship your holiday luggage arrives at your cabin shortly after you do.
To board the ship show passport, have your photo taken and receive cruise card which contains your details and said photo get on ship and enjoy holiday visiting eight different countries no passports required or other documentation to show other than your cruise card if requested when entering. The reality is you walk off the ship show you card as you walk past someone at the end of the pier if their is actually anyone that laid back doesn't describe it.

During the two weeks no other documents othter than your cruise card to leave or return to the ship but eventually you do get to meet the Barbados immigration officers on your departure date when they obligingly visit the ship and you show them your passport which the take a photograph of, smile and say hope that you had a nice holiday you are then able to wonder around Bridgetown even though you have already spent a day and a night there on arriival until its time to go to the airport, show passport go through scanner total time 5mins max and go fly home.