Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

In message , at 13:39:27 on Sun, 11
Oct 2009, " remarked:
Never fly budget airlines. Pay the premium and just go on a normal
airline. In many cases it doesn't work out to be much more.
And it many cases it can be much less.
Ian

Indeed, it can be less at times. Much less hassle in any event.

Using Heathrow is much more hassle than anything a low cost airline can
throw at me.
--
Roland Perry

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

wrote in message
...
Roland Perry wrote:
Massive queues for the 3-out-of-6 immigration desks open, while several
planes disgorge at once. But at least that meant the bags had been
delivered to the carousel by the time we got through.

The posh purple-FTR shuttle bus to the airport was replaced by a red
Citaro, all liveried-up so not a temporary thing. Had the vanity plate
'T5 FCC' disguising its age - but it was clearly not new. Ex-Boris,
maybe?

At Luton Airport Parkway, the "up" escalators are broken (no indication
of when they might be fixed) and a bus-load of PAX simply doesn't fit in
one trip of the lift. Having got to the platform, the PIS says that
"Easyjet tickets not valid on this service", which is understandable as
they don't sell northbound rail tickets!

Luton Airport is the worst of any of them. No proper connection from the
station to the airport terminals themselves, which are full of surley
staff from budget airlines.

I was born in Luton, grew up in Perth (down under), studied and worked back
in England for 10 years (77-87) including buying a house in Luton.

Now back in Perth, and Perth International Airport works much like Luton
except there is no shuttle bus to a railway station, just shuttle buses to
the City, and others to districts with 3* + hotels.

The comments about Luton Airport are just as commonly been made about Perth.
As a cabbie, I've heard it often: "Worst Capital City airport in Australia!"
Maybe it's me -;) (Wherever I am, the airport attracts significant adverse
comment). Traffic growth has certainly outstripped airport facilities - the
mining boom drove that. The GFC has given the Airport owners just a tad of
breathing space to sort some of the problems. But as I write, the resources
industry here is gearing for another strong cycle of development. This time,
it's led by petroleum gas extraction, processing and export, but there's
quite a few iron ore, uranium and rare minerals projects advertising for
mining and construction personnel. Fly-in-Fly-out would appear to still
dominate staff resourcing of these projects, with concommitant growth of
traffic pressure on the Airport.

SNIP

DW down under

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:40:25 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

I wonder if they'll be reducing the (zero before FCC arrived) fare, now
the main excuse (the FTRs) has disappeared in a puff of boiled frogs?

I thought it became chargeable when the airport lost interest in
providing it themselves, so FCC said they'd take it on if they could
charge to cover costs?

I strongly suspect the FTRs were only there as prior to the Swansea
metro First had nothing to do with them, as in normal service they
require conductors.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:24:34 +0100, "
wrote:

Never fly budget airlines. Pay the premium and just go on a normal
airline. In many cases it doesn't work out to be much more.

I fly from Luton because it's local. An 0700 flight is bad enough
without a 2-hour end to end journey to Thiefrow.

And you can get through Luton outbound very quickly, especially now
you can pay 3 quid to jump the security queue.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:39:27 +0100, "
wrote:

Indeed, it can be less at times. Much less hassle in any event.

I regularly fly easyJet and it isn't hassle at all.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 11:38:48 on Sun, 11
Oct 2009, Ian F. remarked:
Never fly budget airlines. Pay the premium and just go on a normal
airline. In many cases it doesn't work out to be much more.

And it many cases it can be much less.

You'll have to quote a few examples, because I've been flying round Europe
at least once a month for the last three or four years, and
I think I've only seen it once (a late evening Brussels-Heathrow with BA
that came in at 26 Euros plus 56 Euro tax (~£70); not that Brussels is
overwhelmed with Budget carriers).

I recently flew by:

BA to Inverness around £20 cheaper than EJ all in.

BA to Budapest around £40 cheaper that EJ all in.

BA to Naples £20 cheaper than EJ all in.

I always try and avoid budget airlines if I can help it as they are not
always cheaper and they cut too many corners. I still believe flying should
be a comfortable form of transport, after all it can be quite stressful. It
certainly should not be like a bus service. More often than not I only have
to pay a few quid more, if not less, for an experience that is less
stressful, and thus a lot more enjoyable, on a full service carrier.

MC

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:48:50 GMT, (Neil
Williams) wrote:
On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:39:27 +0100, "
wrote:

Indeed, it can be less at times. Much less hassle in any event.

I regularly fly easyJet and it isn't hassle at all.


Taken as a whole, the EasyJet experience is a very good example of how
to operate an airline. Low cost, no frills, but otherwise excellent
customer service.

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

On Oct 11, 3:32*pm, "MC" wrote:

certainly should not be like a bus service. *More often than not I only have
to pay a few quid more, if not less, for an experience that is less
stressful, and thus a lot more enjoyable, on a full service carrier.


Thats a lot to pay for a free coffee and roll.

--
Nick

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

On Oct 11, 2:48*pm, (Neil Williams)
wrote:

I regularly fly easyJet and it isn't hassle at all.


So do I but they've just cut the most useful route for me - Luton -
Wien.

I'm using it again next week, buts its axed in their November changes,
and its rported not just a winter t.t. cut, its permanent.


--
Nick

Wafted from paradise to Luton Airport
 

wrote in message
...
Roland Perry wrote:
Luton Airport is the worst of any of them. No proper connection from the
station to the airport terminals themselves, which are full of surley
staff from budget airlines.


Never fly budget airlines. Pay the premium and just go on a normal
airline. In many cases it doesn't work out to be much more.


Why settle for surly when for a little more you can have surly and
condescending.

Unless you pay for Business Class or better.