Aviation Discussion

[Techniquest]

Just nipping to Vienna for a fag in the airport seems a little OTT. And Vienna does have E195s serving it, from Austrian Airlines. Just not Flybe birds.

AMS does have smoking booths airside, Butts.

I saw more Austrian props than owt else last week to be fair.

Packs of 20 are only €5 over in Vienna, much cheaper than in the UK!

 

[atillathehunn]

I saw more Austrian props than owt else last week to be fair.

Packs of 20 are only €5 over in Vienna, much cheaper than in the UK!

Well, they only have 8 of them compared to 18 Dash-8s, so statistically this is not shocking.

Yes it might be cheaper to buy them there. But Butts' question concerned the smoking booths in Schiphol, and not whether fags are cheaper in Austria or Sweden, neither of which contain Schiphol...

I've never kept logs, though Flightdiary has now started automatically inserting the reg of the aircraft flown, so I suppose I could start. Though if I were to log, it would probably be from bum down to bum up - the actual time spent inside that plane. It would give outliers in the event of delay, but would give an account of actually how much of my life I spent in these planes.

 

[Butts]

Thanks lads I just like to keep abreast of smoking facilities available in various airports around Europe (airside) now Luxembourgs has gone :cry:

 

[atillathehunn]

Thanks lads I just like to keep abreast of smoking facilities available in various airports around Europe (airside) now Luxembourgs has gone :cry:

I think you're off to Frankfurt soon? Or did I get that wrong? If I didn't dream it, you're in luck, there is plenty of smoking space there. Paris is a little bit worse, I think only in 2E and 2G

 

[Butts]

I think you're off to Frankfurt soon? Or did I get that wrong? If I didn't dream it, you're in luck, there is plenty of smoking space there. Paris is a little bit worse, I think only in 2E and 2G

Yes I am off to the Motor Show in Frankfurt next September so that's good to hear. My departure Airport BHX is okay as well.

I was at CDG for The Paris Motor Show last month and there was a smoking booth right next to my departure gate - sheer heaven

Geneva in March next year for the Motor Show is fine as well, lovely big smoking lounge sponsored by ASH .....whoops I mean JTI !!

 

[atillathehunn]

Yes I am off to the Motor Show in Frankfurt next September so that's good to hear. My departure Airport BHX is okay as well.

I was at CDG for The Paris Motor Show last month and there was a smoking booth right next to my departure gate - sheer heaven

There's smoking areas all over Frankfurt. If you have a spare £10k and go first class, I believe there's even a cigar lounge. Enjoy the Motor Show!

 

[anme]

I think you're off to Frankfurt soon? Or did I get that wrong? If I didn't dream it, you're in luck, there is plenty of smoking space there. Paris is a little bit worse, I think only in 2E and 2G

I'm not a smoker, so just curious... From my observations, most larger airports worldwide still have smoking areas. The exceptions are the USA and the UK. Are there many large airports outside these countries without smoking areas?

Smaller airports may not have smoking areas, probably for cost and space reasons.

 

[atillathehunn]

I'm not a smoker, so just curious... From my observations, most larger airports worldwide still have smoking areas. The exceptions are the USA and the UK. Are there many large airports outside these countries without smoking areas?

Smaller airports may not have smoking areas, probably for cost and space reasons.

Australia falls into the category, as does Ireland, with the UK and USA. From memory there's no smoking opportunities in any of the big airports.

Back of the hand calculations shows that most of the transit airports outside the aforementioned countries I've been through this year had some kind of airside smoking facility, whereas the more O&D airports didn't, which makes quite a bit of sense.

 

[Hornet]

Australia falls into the category, as does Ireland, with the UK and USA. From memory there's no smoking opportunities in any of the big airports.

Back of the hand calculations shows that most of the transit airports outside the aforementioned countries I've been through this year had some kind of airside smoking facility, whereas the more O&D airports didn't, which makes quite a bit of sense.

Dublin Airport has a smoking area airside:-

Can I smoke past the security point in Dublin Airport?

There is a designated smoking area at The Garden Terrace bar in Terminal 1 Dublin Airport.

https://www.dublinairport.com/at-the-airport/useful-information/frequently-asked-questions

 

[atillathehunn]

Dublin Airport has a smoking area airside:-

Can I smoke past the security point in Dublin Airport?

There is a designated smoking area at The Garden Terrace bar in Terminal 1 Dublin Airport.

https://www.dublinairport.com/at-the-airport/useful-information/frequently-asked-questions

I did say it wasn't extensive search. Thanks for the update.

 

[Butts]

Australia falls into the category, as does Ireland, with the UK and USA. From memory there's no smoking opportunities in any of the big airports.

Back of the hand calculations shows that most of the transit airports outside the aforementioned countries I've been through this year had some kind of airside smoking facility, whereas the more O&D airports didn't, which makes quite a bit of sense.

Did you not read my post correctly ? Birmingham has an airside smoking area as does Aberdeen, Cardiff, East Midlands, Manchester, Liverpool and probably a few others.

In the USA there are plenty as well particularly in the South

 

[atillathehunn]

Did you not read my post correctly ? Birmingham has an airside smoking area as does Aberdeen, Cardiff, East Midlands, Manchester, Liverpool and probably a few others.

In the USA there are plenty as well particularly in the South

Ah, I didn't write that. Anme did. I just didn't fact check it and took it as truth. At best I am negligent. Does this entitle me to a job as a journalist?

 

[Butts]

Ah, I didn't write that. Anme did. I just didn't fact check it and took it as truth. At best I am negligent. Does this entitle me to a job as a journalist?

Possibly The Sun - not top drawer though I'm afraid

 

[atillathehunn]

Possibly The Sun - not top drawer though I'm afraid

"Scotsman damns English newspapers in latest skirmish in Independence clash"

Now?

 

[anme]

Ah, I didn't write that. Anme did. I just didn't fact check it and took it as truth. At best I am negligent. Does this entitle me to a job as a journalist?

Well apologies! I didn't realise there were so many smoking areas in UK airports. I do remember seeing one airside at Belfast, although unfortunate smokers had to pay to use it.

Is it in fact the case that most airports worldwide have airside smoking areas, with the London airports being relative anomalies?

 

[Butts]

Well apologies! I didn't realise there were so many smoking areas in UK airports. I do remember seeing one airside at Belfast, although unfortunate smokers had to pay to use it.

Is it in fact the case that most airports worldwide have airside smoking areas, with the London airports being relative anomalies?

Nothing at Heathrow or Gatwick or Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The only ex BAA Airport with a smoking area is Aberdeen - that is a quid to get in unless you wait for someone coming out.

 

[anme]

Nothing at Heathrow or Gatwick or Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The only ex BAA Airport with a smoking area is Aberdeen - that is a quid to get in unless you wait for someone coming out.

Indeed. But worldwide, it seems that airside smoking areas at airports are the norm - at least, at larger airports where space permits, and outside the immediate American sphere of influence.

Are there any major airports in Europe, apart from the UK, that don't have airside smoking areas?

 

[Butts]

Indeed. But worldwide, it seems that airside smoking areas at airports are the norm - at least, at larger airports where space permits, and outside the immediate American sphere of influence.

Are there any major airports in Europe, apart from the UK, that don't have airside smoking areas?

Funny they can't find the space at the UK's biggest Airports :roll: - but happily flog Duty Free Fags.

There are plenty of American Airports that have smoking areas - the smaller Orlando one Sandford or whatever it is called has one and many others.

Luxembourg springs to mind from personal experience as a recent convert to No Smoking.

 

[ivanhoe]

One of the best airside smoking areas I have been in is in Girona Airport. There's a door in the departure lounge leading to an outside cafe bar where you can enjoy your butt , have a bevy and take in the sunshine. Bit more sophisticated than the smoking cage/den of East Midlands.

 

[Butts]

One of the best airside smoking areas I have been in is in Girona Airport. There's a door in the departure lounge leading to an outside cafe bar where you can enjoy your butt , have a bevy and take in the sunshine. Bit more sophisticated than the smoking cage/den of East Midlands.

Sounds good , I'm afraid "cages" seem to be the norm in the UK - better than nothing

 

[anme]

Funny they can't find the space at the UK's biggest Airports :roll: - but happily flog Duty Free Fags.

There are plenty of American Airports that have smoking areas - the smaller Orlando one Sandford or whatever it is called has one and many others.

Luxembourg springs to mind from personal experience as a recent convert to No Smoking.

I was counting the UK as "the immediate American sphere of influence" (which is quite worrying given recent developments).

So Luxembourg is a major European airport outside the UK without airside smoking areas. Any others? I don't remember seeing any in Scandinavia, but being a non-smoker I don't actively look for them.

 

[Techniquest]

Stockholm Vasteras has those funky little shelter things, the same in Vienna. I'd be surprised if they don't exist elsewhere too.

 

[fowler9]

Very technically, Qantas itself does not fly Brisbane - Auckland. It is flown by Jet Connect Pty Ltd on behalf of Qantas (its owner), based out of Auckland to take advantage of lower operating costs.

Cheers for that mate.
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Edinburgh isn't a slot controlled airport. Nor is it particularly busy.

I've had aircraft on the Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Aberdeen routes be booked for the Dash-8 be late by 30 minutes, be subbed to an E175 or E195 and arrive early. They do open them up when they need to make up time, which given Flybe's reputation is pretty regular...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


China Southern... they're not polished, but they're not bad. The crew weren't native speakers, but they managed to communicate fine. About the same as any other international carrier. The food was fine though. I didn't notice the spice. And there's always a more bland option.

Turkish have their planes hot. I also thought I wouldn't like it, and indeed I annoyed the cabin crew so much on one Amman - Istanbul return sector by asking for so much water that they left me with the entire 2L bottle from the galley. It does mean that the horrible feeling in the nose from the air conditioning blasting is absent on landing. It, combined with an Ambien and a glass of wine, also helps with sleep!

Ah cheers mate, interesting info. Many thanks.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

No the E195s are cracking aircraft. Though to save money on theme parks, book a Dash-8 flight in a winter storm.

The majority of the time, the parking location is governed by the airport and not the airline. Though at Eindhoven I feel it's getting a little passive aggressive now. They seem to put you as far away as possible, and then make you walk past empty stands.

The other favourite game at Manchester is to park you at an international stand, walk you over to the domestic door only to find nobody has the keys to let you in.

Never been on one myself but I have friends who refer to them as Crash-8's.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Funny they can't find the space at the UK's biggest Airports :roll: - but happily flog Duty Free Fags.

There are plenty of American Airports that have smoking areas - the smaller Orlando one Sandford or whatever it is called has one and many others.

Luxembourg springs to mind from personal experience as a recent convert to No Smoking.

In the UK the issue isn't space, it's that the law is quite strict on where smoking can be permitted, and it cannot legally be permitted indoors except in care homes, hospices, prisons, hotel rooms (but not common areas) and private homes.

In some countries the law is less strict and allows for indoor smoking areas such as these.

 

[fowler9]

Thanks lads I just like to keep abreast of smoking facilities available in various airports around Europe (airside) now Luxembourgs has gone :cry:

Wraclaw has excellent smoking facilities and a cheap bar overlooking the Tarmac when your Ryanair flight is delayed for 6 hours, the wi fi is good to.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Never been on one myself but I have friends who refer to them as Crash-8's.

Not so much those, but I have in the past described a Fokker 50 on the approach to LCY on a windy day as "the authentic plane crash experience without actually crashing". Dash 8s are smooth in comparison. I've been on F50 flights where the glasses[1] were smashing on the floor in cruise.

[1] Fly VLM used to operate an "all business class at economy prices" type service, which included proper tableware.

 

[Butts]

Imagine how we could revolutionise UK Air Travel (Long Distance) if the HS2 money was invested in improved Airports and Aircraft.

The Skies (in most places) are a lot less congested than the roads or rails.

HS2 is positively pedestrian compared to the speed most Aircraft are capable of.

An Embraer can hammer down from Inverness to London in just over an hour. it beats me why anyone would take a long distance Train during the day.

 

[Bletchleyite]

An Embraer can hammer down from Inverness to London in just over an hour. it beats me why anyone would take a long distance Train during the day.

For me, the main reason is that a train can be walk-up at a reasonable-ish price. If we went compulsory reservations for long-distance trains with fully airline-style pricing, I might well find myself using more flights. But mostly, probably, the car.

Even if airline pricing changed, it'd still have the issue of planes filling up.

 

[fowler9]

I'm not a smoker, so just curious... From my observations, most larger airports worldwide still have smoking areas. The exceptions are the USA and the UK. Are there many large airports outside these countries without smoking areas?

Smaller airports may not have smoking areas, probably for cost and space reasons.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport has a smoking area, as does Wroclaw, Schoenfeld, Chek Lap Kok. I know several other airports in Europe have them (I think Riga, Tallinn and Budapest. They aren't obvious but they are there. The one at JLA is out the back of Ryanairs portacabin section down some stairs and under a corrugated metal roof.

 

[CC 72100]

Just got back from a return to Hamburg. Flew Ryanair out (737-800) and Easyjet back (A320).

Manchester Airport I found quite easy to use - I did airport doors to Departure lounge in 25 minutes, although this was at 4am in the morning! T3 Departure lounge feels quite cramped, and so I'd not like to be flying from it at a busier time. Gate 55 was announced on time, and departure on time too. Plane was probably about 70% full - I did hear a figure of '95' being banded about but that seemed to low.

Calm flight overall, couple of moments of turbulence but nothing too out of the ordinary. Friendly crew, efficient service and on-time arrival. Ryanair choose not to use one of the stands close to the terminal, so it was a wait on the tarmac for the bus to turn up, with a great view of the Apron in the meantime! Very quick through passport control at Hamburg, no more than 5 minute wait.

First remark on Hamburg Airport T1 - what a tight security area. No room to repack your luggage which I always find one of the more stressful bits of flying! Flight back was announced as delayed as early as lunchtime, and our 17:30 flight eventually left at 18:45 - the plane shouldn't really have left any later than 18:10/15, although a lon gwait for buses saw us waiting for 1/3rd of passengers who eventually joined us just after half past. Flight was a little bumpier given the storms earlier that day. Passport Control at MAN was longer - this time around 15 minute wait.

To be honest I preferred the Ryanair flight - for the main reason that they allow a 2nd piece of carry on luggage, even on the cheapest fares. I typically take a cabin bag and then a rucksack (for use during days out) with me, and so Ryanair suits me down to the ground. On Easyjet it was almost reaching sit on my case levels, although a couple of bulky souvenirs from Miniatur wunderland possibly also had an impact. The new check in restrictions on Ryanair are a bit of hark back to the bad old days when they had a reputation of not being very customer friendly, but I don't find the interior too garish, nor the announcements of trying to sell stuff to frequent.

I'll do a longer report on Hamburg later, but safe say I absolutely fell in love with the city and was very sad to leave.