The Airports are getting chaotic, Nothing but praise for JET 2 though.

[lillythesavage]

Just a word of warning before the School holidays, Stanstead was chaotic in the very early hours of Saturday. Ryanair, who have not so far had the problems of Easy and BA, cancelled 5 flights at very short notice.
Food outlets are mobbed, best to eat before you go, would imagine other major airports are the same.

The wife booked a week in Majorca, cheap and cheerful with JET 2, she ended up in Skiathos  . No fault of JET2, they were trying to get 5 more people back to Majorca for a funeral, who paid the difference in her holiday price, how many would bother trying?

There was nothing but praise for JET 2, from people who had used them before, and her being a first time user.

Good luck if you have flights booked. Def give yourself plenty of time.

[petermisc]

I recently flew from and to Birmingham.  The queues for security, passport control, etc were nothing compared to what they were precovid. I think some people have forgotten just how long you used to have to queue for.

Things were far more chaotic at Prague, where the return flight was delayed by an hour due to too few check-in staff.  It is not just UK airports that are having problems.  But it does seem to be UK-based airlines that are suffering from cancellations more than others.

[badsin]

Myself and friends have flown from East Midlands over the last couple of months. No issues at all, small queue to check in, literally walk through security, and no delays.
It does seem to be the larger airports that are struggling?

I plan my holidays around using East Mids, its nearby, parking is cheap, or bus return ticket is less than a tenner.

[lillythesavage]

Myself and friends have flown from East Midlands over the last couple of months. No issues at all, small queue to check in, literally walk through security, and no delays.
It does seem to be the larger airports that are struggling?

I plan my holidays around using East Mids, its nearby, parking is cheap, or bus return ticket is less than a tenner.

Yes, mainly the larger airports, I recently flew in and out of Kerry, a shed in a field , with only 4 or 5 flights a day, and Stansted was not too bad at 7am, it is bad earlier than this though, always.

Ryanair have been reliable in and out of Ireland recently, the wife was surprised to hear 5 flights cancelled over the tannoy, that is why I know about it, she has been back and forth to Dublin every couple of months with no issues, 4 flights in one week a few weeks back.

[petermisc]

Myself and friends have flown from East Midlands over the last couple of months. No issues at all, small queue to check in, literally walk through security, and no delays.
It does seem to be the larger airports that are struggling?

I plan my holidays around using East Mids, its nearby, parking is cheap, or bus return ticket is less than a tenner.

Having used East Mids myself, I have nothing but praise for the place.  Even precovid, virtually no queues.  Good transport links.  Not sure what the range of destinations is like these days though.  I used to fly with Bmibaby.

[myothernameis]

Im due to fly from Gatwick in the next few weeks, and more or less at the peak of the holiday season

Over the last month, have been checking flightradar24, and gatwick departure page, and it looks like things are slowly improving

At the beginning of June, the flight to my destination was being delayed by around 2 hours+, but now looks like the flight only being delayed by 30 mins, and todays flight was 10 mins delayed

[badsin]

Having used East Mids myself, I have nothing but praise for the place.  Even precovid, virtually no queues.  Good transport links.  Not sure what the range of destinations is like these days though.  I used to fly with Bmibaby.

Not sure of all the destinations that EM offers, and it certainly changes over the year. I've flown throughout Europe, Turkey, and Morocco etc. It will sometimes cost £40/£50 + for the same holiday flying from Manchester or another larger airport. Although I'll happily pay the extra, as its so close (15/20 mins by car).

[King Nuts]

I used Manchester a little while back. It's a hideous airport at the best of times. Queues were absurdly long. I'd go out of my way to avoid it anyway.

Southampton is reasonably close to me. Much nicer and easier to use. Single terminal, probably only a dozen gates. Been using it for domestic as well as int'l flights and never had any bother with queues. Because it's got a short runway and there's probably all manner of planning restrictions around it, it can only ever handle smaller planes, all of which are probably the reasons why it never gets super crowded.

[ulstersubbie]

EM is an airport I have used in the past (used to session with a domme in Derby), never had any issues. I always found Leeds/Bradford ok as well, doesn't have the best transport links though.

[lillythesavage]

I used Manchester a little while back. It's a hideous airport at the best of times. Queues were absurdly long. I'd go out of my way to avoid it anyway.

Southampton is reasonably close to me. Much nicer and easier to use. Single terminal, probably only a dozen gates. Been using it for domestic as well as int'l flights and never had any bother with queues. Because it's got a short runway and there's probably all manner of planning restrictions around it, it can only ever handle smaller planes, all of which are probably the reasons why it never gets super crowded.

Southend is another one easy to use. Stansted has been altered, you have to walk through yards of duty free and shops, they have greatly reduced seating and food outlet sizes, every one has large queues and reduced menu. 7 quid to drop off too.

[petermisc]

Luton is one that I would avoid like the plague.  They don't even have seating at the gate - you are forced to stand or sit on the floor until you can board.  And with metal fencing to segregate the boarding groups, I felt like a sheep in a pen.

[King Nuts]

I think we're all agreed that the flying experience is not what it was.

I know 9/11 changed things, but even so, the customer experience in terms of flying and getting through airports has become pretty poor. You'd have thought that with the overall growth of passengers, routes, airlines and so on, that things would've gone the other way and got better.

I used to look forward to a flight. Now, on the comparatively rare occasions I do fly, I dread it if it involves passing through that monument to inefficiency and ripoff of ripoffs - Heathrow Airport.

Wasn't like that in the old days. I flew a lot in the 90s. LHR T1 was easy. 10-min check in with hand baggage. No real hold-ups and delays like today. So if airports and airlines are making more money than ever (C19 notwithstanding) how come things are so bad?

[nbarnes]

Myself and friends have flown from East Midlands over the last couple of months. No issues at all, small queue to check in, literally walk through security, and no delays.
It does seem to be the larger airports that are struggling?

I plan my holidays around using East Mids, its nearby, parking is cheap, or bus return ticket is less than a tenner.

EMA fluctuates. I've had 1 hour long re-entry queues before, but generally it is good.

It is my local airport - I just wish it went more places, annoying having to keep going to Birmingham and the perdition that is Stansted.

[lillythesavage]

I think we're all agreed that the flying experience is not what it was.

I know 9/11 changed things, but even so, the customer experience in terms of flying and getting through airports has become pretty poor. You'd have thought that with the overall growth of passengers, routes, airlines and so on, that things would've gone the other way and got better.

I used to look forward to a flight. Now, on the comparatively rare occasions I do fly, I dread it if it involves passing through that monument to inefficiency and ripoff of ripoffs - Heathrow Airport.

Wasn't like that in the old days. I flew a lot in the 90s. LHR T1 was easy. 10-min check in with hand baggage. No real hold-ups and delays like today. So if airports and airlines are making more money than ever (C19 notwithstanding) how come things are so bad?

The internet for starters, making the world smaller, instant demand price changes, online check in reducing staff numbers, the demand of the internet to make everything cheaper and easy to make everything extra.

Then laying off staff during the pandemic, who found other jobs when there was loads around and not returning, having to find new staff and then train them while every sector is short numbered, Insurance companies did this too, not expecting locked up people wanting to get away as soon as the door opened.

Zero customer service from most of them, it is just a numbers game now, bums on seats, they use handling agents on the ground instead of employing their own staff and airports treat every bum as a cash cow.

Everything these days is impersonal and the I am alright Jack mentality has set in, the only thing that matters is money to feed shareholders.

Rant over 

[Aldebaran]

I always use Jet2 for holidays, but last time I wavered and booked with Tui as the flight times were more friendly. Never again, we got there and back OK but TBH it was nowhere as organised as with Jet2, one family arrived without their luggage, and part of one of the overhead lockers fell off on the return flight and hit a passenger. Crap planes and quite a few crap staff too.

[King Nuts]

The internet for starters, making the world smaller, instant demand price changes, online check in reducing staff numbers, the demand of the internet to make everything cheaper and easy to make everything extra.

Then laying off staff during the pandemic, who found other jobs when there was loads around and not returning, having to find new staff and then train them while every sector is short numbered, Insurance companies did this too, not expecting locked up people wanting to get away as soon as the door opened.

Zero customer service from most of them, it is just a numbers game now, bums on seats, they use handling agents on the ground instead of employing their own staff and airports treat every bum as a cash cow.

Everything these days is impersonal and the I am alright Jack mentality has set in, the only thing that matters is money to feed shareholders.

Rant over 

Yes, but the grief started long before the pandemic. To me, it seems the airlines are all too keen on taking payment for tickets, often a long way in advance, and then wondering how all those passengers are actually going to get transported.

Yield management is part of the problem, i.e. the practice of selling seats cheaply in advance and then making them ever more expensive as it gets closer to the day of travel. You'd have thought that a system like that, that manages ticket sales and passenger numbers pretty well for the airlines, should mean that last minute chaos is mostly avoided.

But it's the greed of airport operators that pisses people off the most. Everything about Heathrow for instance, from parking to a cup of coffee, and from flight ticket prices to drop-off charges, car rental to the outrageous cost of using the Heathrow Express, is nothing more than gouging. They charge what they like, because they can.

[lillythesavage]

Yes, but the grief started long before the pandemic. To me, it seems the airlines are all too keen on taking payment for tickets, often a long way in advance, and then wondering how all those passengers are actually going to get transported.

Yield management is part of the problem, i.e. the practice of selling seats cheaply in advance and then making them ever more expensive as it gets closer to the day of travel. You'd have thought that a system like that, that manages ticket sales and passenger numbers pretty well for the airlines, should mean that last minute chaos is mostly avoided.

But it's the greed of airport operators that pisses people off the most. Everything about Heathrow for instance, from parking to a cup of coffee, and from flight ticket prices to drop-off charges, car rental to the outrageous cost of using the Heathrow Express, is nothing more than gouging. They charge what they like, because they can.

Tickets only get more expensive as sold if there are lots sold, the system reduces them in the last few days too if demand is low. They have always over sold full planes, that is nothing new, but they also pull scheduled flights if sales are poor both ways, not sure they sell tickets then arrange a plane though  . The chaos is caused by lack of security staff and check in handlers mainly, also lack of passport control. in the departure lounges, if you can call them that now, by cancelled flights.

Prices are different story at airports, pure shareholder greed.

[Billy no mates]

Yes, mainly the larger airports, I recently flew in and out of Kerry, a shed in a field , with only 4 or 5 flights a day, and Stansted was not too bad at 7am, it is bad earlier than this though, always.

Ryanair have been reliable in and out of Ireland recently, the wife was surprised to hear 5 flights cancelled over the tannoy, that is why I know about it, she has been back and forth to Dublin every couple of months with no issues, 4 flights in one week a few weeks back.

The guy at Kerry airport is unique, with his eager and cheery shouting to get passports ready and into the queue.

At least there’s a bar now.

[lillythesavage]

The guy at Kerry airport is unique, with his eager and cheery shouting to get passports ready and into the queue.

At least there’s a bar now.

Lol, my mate works there too, in car hire though. Years ago the only flight the was on a small jet prop, via Waterford. Waterford was like landing on a roller coaster, and literally had a corrugated steel shed for a terminal.

Got a bar, but still shoving the cases through a hole in the wall, straight off the tractor, and they still make take my bloody boots off 

Try the Golden Nugget in Fossa, or Laurels in Killarney town, for the best Guinness on earth 

[binbag]

Manchester Airport's security checks have been painfully slow for a while;  even long before the current chaos. Best avoided if possible.

[myothernameis]

Manchester Airport's security checks have been painfully slow for a while;  even long before the current chaos. Best avoided if possible.

I flew from Manchester one year, and as usual your told to remove your belt.  I had lost weight, and trying to hold my shorts up, and as going through the scanner, was told to hold my arms to the side

I obey the security guy, only for my shorts to fall down 

[lillythesavage]

I flew from Manchester one year, and as usual your told to remove your belt.  I had lost weight, and trying to hold my shorts up, and as going through the scanner, was told to hold my arms to the side

I obey the security guy, only for my shorts to fall down 

No underwear I hope 

[Goldfinch]

"Utter shambles' at chaos-hit Manchester Airport as queues stretch back to the CAR PARK"

External Link/Members Only

[lillythesavage]

"Utter shambles' at chaos-hit Manchester Airport as queues stretch back to the CAR PARK"

External Link/Members Only

Not even the school holidays yet, and no strikes, they need to chat with Dover, arrange stacking on the M6. 

[Cactus]

Just a word of warning before the School holidays, Stanstead was chaotic in the very early hours of Saturday. Ryanair, who have not so far had the problems of Easy and BA, cancelled 5 flights at very short notice.
Food outlets are mobbed, best to eat before you go, would imagine other major airports are the same.

The wife booked a week in Majorca, cheap and cheerful with JET 2, she ended up in Skiathos  . No fault of JET2, they were trying to get 5 more people back to Majorca for a funeral, who paid the difference in her holiday price, how many would bother trying?

There was nothing but praise for JET 2, from people who had used them before, and her being a first time user.

Good luck if you have flights booked. Def give yourself plenty of time.

Apparently jet2 are the only low cost flyer who keep everything in house, so don’t rely on airports for baggage handlers and thus, are looking streets ahead of the competition.

[lillythesavage]

Apparently jet2 are the only low cost flyer who keep everything in house, so don’t rely on airports for baggage handlers and thus, are looking streets ahead of the competition.

Never used them though an ex GF works for them, wonder if she checked the wife in  .

She said on the bus she got talking to people who had nothing but praise, when her name was called over the tannoy she feared the worst.

5 passengers with only hand baggage were called and asked to take a later flight, with the people going to the funeral giving them 100 quid.

She used her head  , did not fancy Majorca but it was cheap and available last minute, asked if there were other holidays available, jumped at Skiathos, we have been there before, the other mob paid 185 quid difference in the holiday price and she took off on time 30 mins earlier than planned.

No other mob would even bother asking, something good came down south from the Toon , now you said that will def use again, with her experience too, some good news in a world lacking customer service.

[Malvolio]

London City Airport functioned very well when I flew to Frankfurt last month.  I have got a flight from Heathrow coming up - not optimistic on how that experience is going to go...

[myothernameis]

Fast-Track, I have heard some horror stories with regards fast-track.   What I understand fast-track means, you will avoid the queues, and get through security quicker, with a dedicated lane  for you

But what I have heard from some posts on Facebook, there were long queues at fast-track, and therefore they system to get you through quicker isn't working

The airports should only release a number of fast-track tickets at a time, so in a 15 min slot, 20 person can go through fast-track

[catweazle]

I flew from Manchester in May.  Prebooked "meet and greet" car parking, fast track through security and the airside lounge.

Car parking was a dream.

Bit of a queue at check-in/bag drop, but not awful.  Fast track was closed,  as they had suspended bookings for it, but showed my booking to the guy by the barrier and he immediately  let me through.

Lounge was great; they had also stopped taking bookings, and were turning away hopeful folk just appearing at the door.

From arriving  at M&G to being sat with a beer in the lounge: 57 minutes.   (Flight was on time, too)

[lillythesavage]

Fast-Track, I have heard some horror stories with regards fast-track.   What I understand fast-track means, you will avoid the queues, and get through security quicker, with a dedicated lane  for you

But what I have heard from some posts on Facebook, there were long queues at fast-track, and therefore they system to get you through quicker isn't working

The airports should only release a number of fast-track tickets at a time, so in a 15 min slot, 20 person can go through fast-track

You buy fast track when you book, not from the airport so they have no control over how many are sold, no doubt getting some of the fee.

With the current staff shortages and news about airport chaos more are buying, and those same staff shortages mean queues could be just as long on fast track.

Heathrow have baggage problems too, lots of cases not going where they should.

London City is fine, the wife has used them recently, it is only fog or very strong winds that really effect it. Lot to be said for using small airports if you can, and only having hand baggage, giving yourself plenty of time even if you have paid for fast track at the bigger airports and avoid time range anxiety.