I flew into Palma last month from Manchester on a 787, it was a remote stand for arriving although we were an hour late so that might have been a factor, and the return leg was on an airbridge. Thinking about it though, the return was over an hour late too so maybe it's pot luck if the flight is behind schedule.
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Flights which use jet bridges
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Varies wildly with J2, we flew last week. Flight out was by one of the jet bridges, as was (obviously) the inward flight on the same airframe before our outward, from Palma as it happens. On return we parked in one of the very remote stands parallel to the runway at the far end.
At the other end we arrived at a bus stand, when we left it was a jet bridge. I've had jet bridges both ways, bus stands both ways and a mix of the two on a good number of different routes. That includes Palma as well, just depends how busy the airports are at any particular time, delays etc. If you land at LBA in the wee small hours it's much more likely to be a remote stand though.
At Paris Charles de Gaulle, easyJet use a mixture at Terminal 2B.
We flew out Monday morning from Bristol and were put on a stand with a jet bridge which was used, last night the aircraft was put onto a remote stand and we were bussed over to it.
We flew out Monday morning from Bristol and were put on a stand with a jet bridge which was used, last night the aircraft was put onto a remote stand and we were bussed over to it.
Flew Stanstead to Rovaniemi (Finland) on 3/11/25 with Ryanair. Completely unexpected but welcome was the air bridge provided on arrival.
Flew Amsterdam to Birmingham (BHX) 6/11/25 with KLM. Minor delay on arrival whilst they deployed steps NOT the expected air bridge which sat tantalisingly a few feet away......
Flew Amsterdam to Birmingham (BHX) 6/11/25 with KLM. Minor delay on arrival whilst they deployed steps NOT the expected air bridge which sat tantalisingly a few feet away......
zwk500
Veteran Member
On this last question, it is never guaranteed because if flights start running late then they will need to reallocate gates as planes land. I have flow BA from Bologna to Heathrow and (according to the pilot) we should have used a jetbridge gate but because we were late arriving the gate had already been filled and we were parked at a bus gate.
Totally sympathise and have wondered the same myself. For those with a relatively minor disability- which surely covers vast swathes of the population- having to ask for help is hugely off-putting. In an ideal world, total accessibility on transport (and at event venues etc) would be an absolute given; accessibility info would be full and readily available, and no one would have to ask for help (however easy the more able bodied think that is). Of course that’s difficult to implement, but I don’t believe it’s impossible if the will is there. I know so many people who don’t do the travelling they would love to, or don’t go to events they want to attend, because they fear they will be forced to ask for help, or simply worry about what obstacles they will be faced with. It’s a huge and enormously excluding issue.
Snow1964
Established Member
Bristol seems to both mobile steps (used at rear door) and mobile ramps (which slope in a rectangular spiral) at front door.
However the terminal is a shambles of bits of building added on at various times, with all sorts of random staircases up and down, both at departure gates and between tarmac and arrivals hall.
However the terminal is a shambles of bits of building added on at various times, with all sorts of random staircases up and down, both at departure gates and between tarmac and arrivals hall.
cactustwirly
Established Member
BA on the whole do, but a lot of occasions where they don't
Landed in Nice where inbound used buses and stairs and the outbound was Jetbridge
At Stuttgart almost exclusively uses buses
Had a few occasions at Heathrow where the plane has used buses and remote stands
Landed in Nice where inbound used buses and stairs and the outbound was Jetbridge
At Stuttgart almost exclusively uses buses
Had a few occasions at Heathrow where the plane has used buses and remote stands
There are some BA flights that are routinely bus gates - the late IST flight when it was a 767 was 100% remote, and BLR frequently. While it's briefly cool climbing the steps to a 777 (or 747 back in the days) the rest of the experience is poor.
Humberside has ramps rather than air stairs now. This seems to mitigate the need to use an ambulift as the z shaped setup seems to use the same amount of space. This may be the future for airports that realise the delays on ambulifts are unnecessary and operationally inefficient, not to mention the experience of the passengers concerned!
Airports often charge more for the use of air-bridges. Some airlines are happy to shoulder that costs whilst others, unusually the expected, will not pay to use an airbridge as it also tends to slow down turnaround. This again goes back to the moveable ramp, very efficient!
Airports often charge more for the use of air-bridges. Some airlines are happy to shoulder that costs whilst others, unusually the expected, will not pay to use an airbridge as it also tends to slow down turnaround. This again goes back to the moveable ramp, very efficient!
I have certainly seem ramps used in Canada for non-jet bridge stands.
Equally I had the bizarre experience of alighting from a Dash-8 using a jet bridge. The jet bridge didn’t quite fit, so there was a kind of gangplank.
Glasgow Airport offers a slightly odd experience for travellers arriving from the Common Travel Area (CTA), such as Dublin: the plane parks at a stand by the terminal and boarding passengers walk out, however arriving passengers get put on a bus and taken to a dedicated CTA arrival hall in the eastern terminal leg. (Glasgow Airport has 3 legs: Westbound for international, centre originally domestic and eastern originally CTA)
My son is “high function autistic”, or Asperger's as it used to be known, and he really struggles with crowds. Most airlines and airports have been great once prompted, offering practical support such as priority security (less busy), and respecting a lanyard to just change the staff interaction ever so slightly to make the experience less overwhelming. Had a very strange experience in Zurich though: they were happy to provide a quieter experience for him, as long as he sat in a wheelchair…
Equally I had the bizarre experience of alighting from a Dash-8 using a jet bridge. The jet bridge didn’t quite fit, so there was a kind of gangplank.
Glasgow Airport offers a slightly odd experience for travellers arriving from the Common Travel Area (CTA), such as Dublin: the plane parks at a stand by the terminal and boarding passengers walk out, however arriving passengers get put on a bus and taken to a dedicated CTA arrival hall in the eastern terminal leg. (Glasgow Airport has 3 legs: Westbound for international, centre originally domestic and eastern originally CTA)
My son is “high function autistic”, or Asperger's as it used to be known, and he really struggles with crowds. Most airlines and airports have been great once prompted, offering practical support such as priority security (less busy), and respecting a lanyard to just change the staff interaction ever so slightly to make the experience less overwhelming. Had a very strange experience in Zurich though: they were happy to provide a quieter experience for him, as long as he sat in a wheelchair…
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
We booked assistance for the first time this year, on a Manchester-Toronto run via Dublin on Aer Lingus.
So that's navigating 3 airports each way, with 6 assists in all.
Assistance was excellent at 3 transits, but failed to appear the other 3 times, once at each of the 3 airports.
We can just about manage without help, but have to go very slow, and it's painful.
If we are first off the plane we will be last at passport control as the able-bodied surge past!
The worst was at Dublin where we arrived at 5am at a distant gate which was in the middle of a reconstruction site with narrow and congested alleyways and stairs.
And yet the outward transit there was excellent, we were met on the tarmac by a minibus and then escorted to and through the main terminal with a wheelchair.
Manchester greeted us with no assistance and down/up stairs with the adjacent lift out of service...
Definitely worth a complaint; assistance not appearing is a pretty major failure.
Nym
Established Member
I've had assistance fail to show up because. "Emirates just landed and they're more important." before now. Needless to day the mood was not good at the time.
melon68
Member
The same used to happen (at least on flights I took) from Dublin to Birmingham until this year, a bus used to take arriving passengers to the CTA arrivals door right round the other side of the older terminal. I think the revamp has moved the CTA door to near the stands used by both Ryanair and Aer Lingus regional flights, but no airbridges are located there.
pitdiver
Established Member
My wife is a wheelchair user so I always request special assistance. This is through airports specially the Canarian ones. Always very helpful. Although she initially felt embarrassed being pushed through an airport the distances you have to walk would defeat her.
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