Leeds Bradford - General Thread

[White Heather]

LBA is situated in Leeds and for the most part, it is the good folk of Leeds who have the majority of aircraft movements overhead, therefore the vast majority of significant noise nuisance (if you view aircraft noise as a nuisance - personally I don't).

However, Bradford is a city that is on the rise and in 2017 had a population of 534,300 (within the Bradford Metropolitan District). It is the 5th biggest Metropolitan District in England (outside of London) after Birmingham (1st), Leeds (2nd), Sheffield (3rd) and Manchester (4th). So, despite the fact that Leeds Bradford Airport is a bit of a mouthful, it does reflect the fact that it serves both Metropolitan Districts, with a combined population of 1.25 million people. So although I am about as parochial as it gets and would have loved the airport to be called Leeds International, it makes sense to keep Bradford in the title and shows respect to our neighbouring city. As has been mentioned previously, it was a condition of the sale to Bridgepoint Capital that Bradford be retained in the airport name and they signed up to that. Whether or not our new owners also signed up to that requirement is another matter, but if keeping Bradford within the name brings greater awareness, more passengers and faster growth, then so be it.

I do think that when it comes to airport announcements/departure boards etc. the length of the airport name may well result in many just showing Leeds, just as they might also shown just 'Doncaster' and (for example) in Italy, just Milan (excluding Malpensa). Airlines don't really have any excuse though for failing to use the correct name, and I for one was less than happy to see Pakistan International initially showing their LBA flights as being to 'Bredford' with no mention of Leeds other than on the drop down booking menu where it did show Leeds Bradford - and at least on there, they managed to spell Bradford correctly! I believe the airport management raised objections themselves with PIA at the time requesting it be changed. All that did is show PIA as being somewhat disrespectful to the airport and Leeds as a city - and lets not forget that Leeds itself has a sizeable population with Pakistani origin. I seem to recall that later, PIA actually had information on their website which was effectively a summary of Leeds as a city and tourist attraction, so hopefully they learned their lesson and it won't be repeated if ever they come back to LBA.

In the end, it could be worse - I mean, we could have had a really silly name such as Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport! Hopelessly long and Doncaster's claim to have much to do with Robin Hood is tenuous to say the least. Doncaster Sheffield is perfectly adequate. Personally I am not a fan of giving airports names after people anyway, particularly when the airport already has two city names as is the case with LBA and DSA.

 

[Finger66]

Yes we could have Harold Dennis "Dickie" Bird Leeds/Bradford International Airport - Proud to Serve Yorkshire. Sorry just being slightly facetious now!

 

[a300boy]

Robin Hood suggests the poor robbing the rich ! maybe thats the plan they have.

 

[Finger66]

Robin Hood suggests the poor robbing the rich ! maybe thats the plan they have.

Certainly doesn't apply to any deal they have with Flybe then, unless it's Flybe that are getting away with doing the robbing!

 

[Finger66]

If we are going to be silly we could have SKM (Sir Ken Morrison) airport but on checking there already is one....
Skeldon Airport (SKM)
Skeldon, Guyana (GY)

Yes but airports are trying to stop pax getting "trolleyed" before they depart so best stay away from supermarkets and best not get into a string of one liners had we!

 

[LsS27]

Any body heard of Ringway Airport recently!?

 

[a300boy]

Going there very soon !

 

[Silvercity]

Steady on, outrage or not, there’s no suggestion that Bradford is going from the name, just my thoughts on distancing the Airport from the Glasgow Prestwicks, Doncaster Sheffields, Durham Tees Valleys etc.

As I see it, the only time an appendage is needed is when there is more than one airport serving a population centre, ie. London. Otherwise, Bristol, Glasgow, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester etc. show the way.

As for ‘International’, tastes abroad may differ, but the marked trend in the UK in recent years is to drop it.

On a similar vain if you take a eurostar or one of the fast trains from St Pancras to Kent, you get Stratford International ,Ebsfleet International , Ashford International, its all a bit OTT for me.

 

[Bigman]

Lets just be glad that they never renamed it Jimmy Saville International!!

 

[paully]

Ooohhhhh naughty......and on the tannoy ‘now then now then planes boarding at gate 8 so hurry up’

Followed by a loud `Yodelling` sound ..................................I`ll get me coat

 

[arry]

I’ve been very interested to read and hear stories of expansion particularly for the business sector and other comments from Forum members that talk of speed of boarding and of transiting the airport on arrival. Contrast that with my experience landing on the Ryanair Malaga flight yesterday. I was well placed sitting in the rear row to have a speedy exit via the back stairs but that’s where it all ended. Two waiting bendy buses held until the last passengers dawdled at a snails pace from the aircraft. Swissport escorts who seemed to have all the time in the world to chat amongst themselves about their evening plans. A bus journey around most of the terminal apron. At least the walk to passport control was shorter. Had I been able to use the covered walkway the ambling of other passengers and indifference of the Swissport staff and subsequent sightseeing bus tour wouldn’t really have affected me. This is now a regular and normal occurrence arriving at LBIA.
Were I a business person whose time is money, I think I’d be looking at alternatives. If I were one of the current LBIA airlines I’d also consider treating my passengers better.
I wish Mr Laws and his staff the very best of luck in succeeding to attract the very best to LBIA but his refurbishing of infrastructure is long overdue and a vital component to attract new business.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

I was well placed sitting in the rear row to have a speedy exit via the back stairs but that’s where it all ended. Two waiting bendy buses held until the last passengers dawdled at a snails pace from the aircraft.

I could make a good case for disabled passengers to be allowed off first. Most disabled people are not able to get to the toilet so are often in urgent need of seeking a proper disabled toilet with hoists etc. In addition you often leave injections until off the plane as to get your case down and the medicine prepared would tie up cabin staff and can cause distress to other passengers.
My partner was knocked over at Madrid airport and was seriously hurt needing hospital attention, by passengers rushing to the plane and following passenger just walked over her until guys on a stag break blocked off the air bridge. On this occasion the ground staff failed to allow enough gap between allowing disabled passengers on and then all others.
Time may be important, but not sure one persons time more important then another.
I can always remember getting off train at the start of my career on a business trip and being advised by my boss to carry the cases for an old couple, whilst he took cases of another couple (this was in the days before wheels on cases), he advised my time with his company would be very short if I did not help others worse off then me.
This guy was a colossus of a business leader at this time, yet never, thought his own time more important.

 

[Aviador]

Now I know every airport has it's faults but I do believe many of the Spanish airports are far better at processing passengers from check-in right through to the arrivals set up. At check-in you pass through to the side of the desks which leads straight to security. The security process is seamless and you arrive into the departure area without any floor changes. From there most of the departure gates are via air bridges. On arrival to the airport most of the flights use air bridges so you're straight into the terminals. A gradual slope takes you down to the passport control immigration area and then you're in the spacious arrivals hall. Everything is simple and you can see where you're going without the need for reading the signage even though they are plentiful.

Leeds as with many UK airports are so poorly designed. Arrival and departures on the same level, passengers crossing over, zig-zagging through the terminal building. You can't see your route through the terminal, the security screening is at the opposite end of the building to the check-in area. Lifts and escalators taking you to a food village and a no so obvious route snaking through the Duty Free shop leading to more shops and still no sign of the departure gates. The whole set up is wrong.

Now to the average twice-yearly passenger heading out to Benidorm won't care too much about the airport experience so long as they can shop and sit at a bar. Bring in frequent flyers and business passengers and it's a completely different experience.

 

[paully]

I agree with Aviador..The difference being that the Spanish Airports were designed and built,for the most part, precisely as holiday airports requiring a fast and efficent throughput. They are good at what they do. Leeds was, in effect, designed in the 1960`s when long term planning didn`t exist and it was excellent for the few flights that visited. Since then everything has been bolted on, turned round and made to fit. I have grave doubts that the new proposed changed will make that much difference.The size of the cake remains the same.
I`m also one of those that mourns the covered walkway,a huge inconvenience and time waste for passengers. Bussing pax ugh...any chance of it being re instated, anyone know?

 

[quik123]

I`m also one of those that mourns the covered walkway,a huge inconvenience and time waste for passengers. Bussing pax ugh...any chance of it being re instated, anyone know?

Not quite sure what you mean here as the covered walkway is still in use. A the moment passengers walk out and are bussed back in. This is a lot to do with UK Border Farce who don't like the idea of outbound/inbound passengers crossing each other.

 

[SNOWMAN]

hi paully
when we land at LBA we are praying we will be bused back to the terminal,the reason for this is my wife has bad (nothing to do with smoking) and those dam steps at the end of the covered walkway cause her some problems where as the bus back drops you where there is a lift and a escalator (if it works)thus making it a lot easier for her.
regards
snowman

 

[Britannia94]

hi paully
when we land at LBA we are praying we will be bused back to the terminal,the reason for this is my wife has bad (nothing to do with smoking) and those dam steps at the end of the covered walkway cause her some problems where as the bus back drops you where there is a lift and a escalator (if it works)thus making it a lot easier for her.
regards
snowman

Hi snowman.

Don’t know if you know but at the bottom of the steps at the end of the walkway there is a phone that you can use to ask for assistance if you ever find it too much to take the stairs.

 

[White Heather]

Poor LBA management. They can't do right for doing wrong. I have read many complaints from passengers (including on this forum) about the inconvenience of having to use the walkway and demanding the convenience of being bussed to the terminal rather than having to walk. Now that is the position (because the crossing of inbound and outbound passengers is not allowed and the buses were brought into use to ensure that such crossing doesn't occur - thereby making the boarding process more efficient), but we have complaints about having to wait on the bus whilst other passengers get off the aircraft and a 2 minute tour of the apron. It just goes to show that you can't please everybody. Someone will always want to do things the other way, whatever the airport do.

The good news is that the changes being proposed by LBA will do a lot to enhance the experience, despite the fact the terminal itself won't be over a greater footprint than it is now. Check In will all be at one end of the terminal, with direct access next door to the security area - and then straight upstairs to the airside area via the escalator that currently takes passengers down into baggage re-claim. Coming back, passengers will visit a new, larger customs area at the Eastern end of the terminal (roughly where security is now), on the ground floor (no steps!) and from there, straight through into a new baggage reclaim area roughly where Check in Hall A is now - again on the ground floor so no going up and down, no wandering from one end of the terminal to the other. They will then exit the terminal at that end of the building, away from those coming in at the other end.

I am not sure of what is intended but we were told that after these changes, passengers using stands closer to the terminal will again be able to walk in from the aircraft - which will keep some happy no doubt - but clearly others will not be impressed at having to walk (or alternatively book assistance).

Arry - it reads as though you were wanting to get off the aircraft and out of the terminal as quickly as possible, but you have not said how long it took you overall to clear the terminal? Despite waiting on the bus, and the bus tour around the apron, the key issue is - how long to get out. I had the same experience as you when I flew in from Mahon last June and sat for 10 minutes on the bus before leaving the aircraft and another 10 minutes waiting to get off due to an Aurigny ATR42 disembarking in front of the entrance to the terminal - (we weren't allowed off until the Aurigny pax, which included wheelchair users, were in the terminal) - so it was a good half hour from engine shut down to arriving at the customs desk. Despite that, we were out of the terminal in 45 minutes as the luggage was already on the carousel waiting for us. 45 minutes is considerably better than my experience MAN or LHR and in my view, a reasonable time-span. Had you been allowed to walk straight to the terminal as you wish, the chances are you would have ended up waiting longer for your luggage anyway so may have gained nothing.

Having heard what LBA are planning to do next winter though, I am confident that many of the issues that make so many passengers unhappy will be rectified. Sadly, what is clear is that some will always remain unhappy whatever LBA do.

 

[markietg]

WH. So these major changes are going to happen throughout next Winter. What’s happening up there now? Are the lounges moving this winter? I know the Saltaire is currently closed. I’m going to Dublin for the day on Wednesday so shall have a look around.

 

[Aviador]

I respect your opinion and defence of LBA @White Heather but I do hope the new company is more forthcoming with sorting out some of the issues it faces.

Every airport receives complaints no matter how large it is. People will always find things to complain about no matter what. Every time I go abroad using a tour operator, I find there's usually always somebody at the reps desk making a complaint about one thing or another and more often than not it's the same people complaining day after day.

Sometimes though it can be an accumulation of events that cause somebody to complain about a particular situation or event. A flight delay followed by the late arrival of steps or hook up to an air-bridge can sometimes be all it takes for a passenger to be prompted to complain about something we might think is trivial.

I'd like to think that we're not just here to discuss how wonderful everything is. We don't live in a fairy tale world where everything is perfect and we can live happily ever after. We live in an imperfect world and we're here to discuss what the airport can do to improve it's passenger experience whilst maximising the benefit to the cities of Leeds and Bradford and the wider region.

There were a lot of members on here that thought the previous management were the bees-knees and some thought their experience in the aviation industry was second to none and they couldn't do a thing wrong. When I questioned some of the things they were doing such as having an emphasis on the low-cost side of the business, I was criticised as they (the old management) must know best.

Today we're in a situation where a new company and new management team are in place with a completely different mindset. A new focus on business flights, flights to the Far East and so on. To achieve this, the airport will need to follow a new business model that works well for business and leisure customers. The airport will need to address the speed in which it take passengers to process through the terminal. The soundbites so far suggest the new management team intend to do just that. The airport will also need to reconsider adding more airbridges and increasing the runway landing distance available if it is to secure long haul flights to the Middle East. This doesn't necessarily mean lengthening the runway to achieve this if a suitable overrun/undershoot can be constructed.