Leeds Bradford - General Thread

[Aviador]

Hi airforced,

We have a dedicated thread relating to your question and comments regarding reduced mobility at airports located in the Passenger & Frequent Flyer forum.
Here's the link.

topic1835.html

I'll copy and paste your post into there.

 

[airforced]

Thanks Aviador I must have missed that one. Apologies.

 

[Aviador]

Thanks Aviador I must have missed that one. Apologies.

No problem at all I just thought it was probably a thread you would be interested in.

 

[Jordan-34092]

[textarea]Residents angry over Leeds Bradford Airport geese cull

A beauty spot near Leeds Bradford Airport was cordoned off in the early hours of the morning so that environment officials could kill a flock of geese, the YEP reports. Around 10 Canada Geese were killed at Yeadon Tarn after officers from the Food and Environment Research Agency shot the flock on the orders of the airport.

A joint statement from FERA, the airport and Leeds City Council said that the birds were killed because they posed ‘a significant risk to the aircraft’. But local residents are upset about incident, which came under the cover of darkness and with no warning, and have even put RIP posters around the area. They say that geese have always been regular visitors to Yeadon Tarn and they have not been aware of any shootings in the past.

Source[/textarea]

 

[Aviador]

I hope they've put them in the Freezer ready for Christmas. They'll be nice with a bit of cranberry sauce.

 

[Hendia330]

Hi guys not too ure if this post is in the correct section but can anyone explain why a Cathay pacific 747 inbound to Manchester flew at about 10,000 ft more or less right over the approach to lba's runway 32 at about 11:45am... It's a clear day so can't have been sent around here for weather reasons, just wondered if anybody could shed any light on it.

 

[tleeds]

Hi Hendia330.

I don't see anything wrong with where you have positioned your post and it is in relation to occurrences around LBA so you won't get into trouble.

I have used what a lot of members use on here the FlightRadar24 website and used their PlaybackFacility that is new to the website.
You are indeed correct about it being on-course for LBA's 32 runway at just above 9,000ft. It was Cathay's B-LIC B747 and by the looks of it, there was a lot of traffic heading over towards the Amsterdam direction on Easterly headings, which could have delayed the decent......I'm not sure.
There were a few aircraft as well, I can count 3/4 aircraft heading into MAN at the time, ranging from Macclesfield all the way to finals for Runways 23.

We will only get a real reason if the Radar and Air Traffic Control Personnel tell us themselves, but we can guess. We do occasionally get a lot of the 'heavies' descending later and they do tend to head, normally over Batley (South Leeds) area especially; Emirates' A380/B777, Qatar A330's and Singapore's B777's, and on a clear day like today, your bound to see them.

I hear the weather is supposed to be like this heading into next week, so if your around the South Leeds area, or even on high terrain North of the Airport, you will be able to see a lot of aircraft heading into MAN... (one of the very few perks of LBA being close to MAN )

Regards,
Tom.

 

[Hendia330]

Cheers tomleeds I was in work at the time it flew right overhead. Your correct about the Manchester heavies, my work looks out to the south and you can see them on There approach into Manchester on a clear day, it was unusual to see the 747 right over Leeds and the approach to 32 at such a low altitude, I have seen the emerites a380 do this but that was to avoid thunder and lightning at Manchester.

 

[Jordan-34092]

[textarea]LBA Bosses Fly The Flag For Leeds City Region

John Parkin CEO of LBA discusses German airline route opportunities with Mark Green, German honorary consul in Yorkshire, and LBA’s Commercial Director, Tony Hallwood

30 September 2011

Bosses at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) will be 'flying the flag' for the Leeds City Region at the 17th World Route Development Conference to be held in the German capital, Berlin.

The conference is an annual global gathering of the world's top airlines and airports, dedicated to discussing and planning new air services.

Over a 1,000 airline and airport delegates from across the world will meet in the vibrant German city to discuss new route development opportunities. Over three days, LBIA will meet with 20 airlines to encourage the introduction of new destinations from Yorkshire.

New routes high on the airport’s ‘wish list’ include: Frankfurt, Oslo, Madrid, Zurich and Berlin.

Leeds Bradford Airport Commercial Director, Tony Hallwood, said: “This is an ideal platform to encourage airlines from around the world to introduce new services from Leeds Bradford International Airport, extending our range of over 70 destinations currently available. Our discussions will focus on strengthening business connectivity, driving inbound tourism opportunities for Yorkshire and providing a wider choice of leisure destinations for our passengers. As Yorkshire’s Gateway airport it is also a great opportunity to raise the profile of the Leeds City Region on the world stage.”

Source[/textarea]

 

[lbaspotter]

Hi

I see The Yorkshire Evening Post have been on LBA's back yet again this week. Saying that this wasn't solely the paper fault for once. But they could have not printed instead.

Anyway the following letter was sent by somebody and it appeared in Fridays edition.

Source: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co...._our_airport_the_worst_in_the_world_1_3826436

Is our airport the worst in the world?

Published on Friday 30 September 2011 11:13

I CAN only make any sense of my recent experiences at Leeds-Bradford Airport by thinking there must be some competition for worst airport on the planet and that Leeds-Bradford is determined to win it.

Over the past three years I have travelled extensively, including North America, Australia and the Far East. Nowhere – not even New York – have I met with the total contempt shown by this airport at every level to its customers.

Yes, Leeds-Bradford, you seem blissfully unaware that passengers are actually customers who can take their business somewhere else.

There is the just plain greedy £2 drop-off charge. Aided and abetted by Leeds City Council, who can find rate payers’ money to train enforcement officers to patrol the public highway round the airport, but are closing libraries through lack of funds.

Customers requiring taxis are at the mercy of the single company designated by the airport who can charge what they want.

There is a recently introduced non-refundable £1 charge for luggage trolleys.

Would you believe there is even a £1 charge for see-through plastic bags for liquids?

Passenger seating has been removed from the first floor area and people have to stand or sit on the floor. Perhaps this is the first move to charge for seating as well!

Nowhere in the world have I met the antagonistic attitudes shown by security staff who appear to want to provoke a reaction. On this occasion my four month old granddaughter was frisked whilst being held at arms length by her incredulous mother.

Such barefaced lunacy could only happen at this airport. Any complaint is met with “anti terrorism” to which you are not allowed any response on pain of arrest.

On the return journey, because three flights had landed together, it unbelievably took over an hour for families, many with babies, to get through passport control and we were forced to queue outside the airport building on to the tarmac.

Nobody cared. Nobody apologised.

It is obvious that the faceless owners, and the equally faceless Leeds City Council jobsworths, are immune to criticism. But I would have thought that Jet2, who have invested heavily into this shambles, should be very concerned.

Peter Gargett, Holt Park Rise, Leeds

 

[User0001]

Saying that this wasn't solely the paper fault for once. But they could have not printed instead

Thing is, whilst the letter is overly-harsh, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

However, to blame things like Security on LBA's part, shows how education is needed as its pretty much the same at every airport and not the fault of the airport operator.

Slightly On topic, and off topic at the same time here:

I'm always shocked coming into the UK at how un-friendly our borders are. I know they have a job to do, but look at the comparisons on signage at airports.

Foreign airport: Welcome to xxx, please have your passports or any other documents ready for inspection.

UK airport: No Phones, no cameras, Passports must be ready, Do not show abusiveness to passport staff. You could be here for 25 minutes or more.

It seems whilst foreign signs seem to want to aid, UK signs just seem to bark orders.

Another thing I've noticed is how un-friendly the staff are. I was once in the queue at Manchester, and the chap in front of me was ringing I presume his taxi to say he had landed. A member of security came along, and instead of asking him to refrain from using his phone, he just barked 'YOU!! Off your phone, now!'. What kind of a 'welcome to the UK' is that???? Its the same at DSA/LHR/LGW/STN, and Id imagine, at LBA too.
No wonder people get p***ed off in the airport.

 

[tleeds]

I agree to a certain extent, but I think the feeling the UK has to impose is fear. The UK has to show fear to terrorism and I suppose this could account for the majority of reason why UK borders are as they are.

The UK is a bigger target for terrorism than say Spain or Portugal, so fear has to be presented at the earliest possible moment.

I don't know if anyone has been watching the Sky 2 Documentary Series 'Inside Gatwick' but the message was clear here too, that fear is the what the security team and the police want to enforce inside the airport.

Looking further into the article that Lbaspotter has posted, does anyone know anything about the seating being removed from upstairs? I presume this is in preparation for the refurbishment but does anyone know where about's the seating has been removed?

Pretty much everything else in the article is the same at other airports as I have queued outside for Passport Control at; Liverpool, East Midlands etc, many times and the charges are pretty much the same at every other airport.

It just seems that this passenger was caught at the worst time possible, passenger traffic wise.

 

[User0001]

I agree to a certain extent, but I think the feeling the UK has to impose is fear. The UK has to show fear to terrorism and I suppose this could account for the majority of reason why UK borders are as they are.

I do agree that they have to be strict in their enforcement, but, I also believe that to people who show you no threat, there is a way to speak to people.

If a terrorist is entering the country, he is going to have the same reaction to a sign that says 'please' as opposed to a sign that barks orders.

Also, i reference to the example I gave to the man on the phone, I believe that the security personnel could have got the same response from the gentleman had he asked him to not use his phone, instead of shouting at him in front of a crowd of people like he was a naughty child.

At the end of the day, 'terrorists' will try and commit what they want to commit regardless of how they are spoken to. So, rather than bark at everyone to quell a small movement in the minority, why not act with a bit of respect for the majority so they don't leave with a bitter taste in their mouth?

 

[tleeds]

Fair point User001.

Maybe the security man was having an 'off-day'....

 

[Aviador]

Fair point User001.

Maybe the security man was having an 'off-day'....

If it was on entering the country it will more than likely have been Border Control staff as opposed to airport security staff.

 

[wawkrk]

I cannot imagine why border control staff are concerned about terrorists entering. The real bad guys are already here, living on benefits and free to roam the streets thanks to the Human Rights act.
Border control could not stop anyone entering if they tried. It's all bravado.
Security target the sick,the aged, and children. I saw a poor old lady who must have been close to 90 years old being told to take her shoes off at LBA. She said she was worried that she might not be able to do it or put them back on again, she was extremely distressed. She would have been left alone had she worn a burqa.

 

[Aviador]

I cannot imagine why border control staff are concerned about terrorists entering. The real bad guys are already here, living on benefits and free to roam the streets thanks to the Human Rights act.
Border control could not stop anyone entering if they tried. It's all bravado.
Security target the sick,the aged, and children. I saw a poor old lady who must have been close to 90 years old being told to take her shoes off at LBA. She said she was worried that she might not be able to do it or put them back on again, she was extremely distressed. She would have been left alone had she worn a burqa.

It is extremely annoying to say the least when some sections of our society seem to be 'picked on' passing through airport security where as others 'seem' to go unchecked. The fact of the matter is we don't live in a sectarian society so everybody must be treated the same. Unfortunately this will inevitably lead to a person in their 90's been treated the same as a person in their 30's. Religious tolerance has lead to a situation where it seems as if persons wearing a burqa or turban undergo less stringent checks for fear of causing racial hatred. As far as I am concerned everybody should undergo exactly the same type of checks whether they're wearing a burqa, turban, head scarf or a hoody.

As for seating. Over recent years proper airport style seating has gradually been replaced by retail units and food & drink outlets to encourage people to spend money. My sister flew to Gran Canaria about a month back and she complained to me about the lack of proper seating areas. She normally uses Manchester airport and to be honest she wasn't impressed with her far from pleasant experience here at Leeds Bradford airport.

All we can hope for is the refurbishment and expansion of the departure area will provide significantly more seating than what is currently available. The man who wrote the letter has just said what many others think but most people don't bother complaining, they just vote with their feet.

The airport is of course a business, so it's understandable they will want to maximise their return through concessions but if other airports can do the same yet provide sufficient comfortable seating passengers will choose those airports over Leeds Bradford. A comfortable seat is important especially if you're delayed. People like my sister who don't live close to the airport will choose Manchester airport over using LBA. Leeds Bradford needs to provide a better, more relaxed environment to get people to make Leeds Bradford the airport of choice.

 

[lbaspotter]

Hi

I just thought I’d let you all know that the http://www.lbaspotters.net website Winter 2011/12 timetable for Leeds/Bradford Airport for which I normally produce 2 each year for winter and summer is now available online and viewable by logging into the site using the following link. http://www.lbaspotters.net/WEBPROTECT-winter201112timetable.htm


This winter season looks even quieter compared to the previous past couple of years. Or is that just me, I wonder?
I have also added a list of all the Ad-Hoc charters that I know of been due so far. If anyone knows of anything that I have missed please let me know by either replying on here or sending me a private Message or email.

Regards.
Ross

 

[tleeds]

Thanks for that Lbaspotter.

It does look slightly quieter but then again we have lost several charters such as the cruises and the old weekly Innsbruck service. Overall Jet2, Thomas Cook, Ryanair and easyJet look quite well placed with the frequency of flights looking fairly good!

You could say Lbaspotter that with snow predicted already this winter, the fewer amount of flights we have, means less disruption to flights!! :whiteflag:

 

[Bigman]

..and less disruption while all the terminal work is going on!!