At an airport in Ibiza a baggage handler was nabbed on camera by a Ryanair passenger ploughing through bags after they had boarded, and stealing an item from a suitcase.
The Ryanair passenger was travelling from Ibiza to Madrid when he spotted the incident.
Footage captured the man opening a case on the luggage trolley that was waiting to be put on the flight.
He was then spotted taking a red speaker out and putting it in his pocket.
The person filming alerted a member of the cabin crew who contacted the police.
The baggage handler was then ordered to return the item to the rightful owner.
He is currently being investigated, having only worked for the airport for three days.
He was not a Ryanair employee.
It is thought that he is no longer working for the airport.
The luggage that was opened was thought to have belonged to a young boy who was travelling on the flight after visiting his brother who lives in Ibiza.
His mother said afer the return of the item: I was very grateful because I had bought it for my son’s birthday and it cost about 140 euros.
The flight then left two and a half hours later following the delay.
It isn’t the first time baggage handlers have been caught on camera treating luggage in a less than careful manner.
A passenger captured one worker at Manchester Airport throwing bags onto the baggage carousel carelessly.
A similar incident caught a woman working at Honolulu Airport in Hawaii hurling bags from the plane to a chute without much care.
Many were spotted bouncing off the chute and almost falling to the ground.
Both incidents were investigated at the time, according to the airports.
In Japan, however, baggage handlers have been spotted treating bags very differently at the airport.
A Japanese baggage handler was filmed carefully organising and cleaning suitcases as they were moved on a conveyor belt.
The young woman wearing gloves and wielding a cloth even polished some of them as they left the plane dirty.
Another man was caught on camera carefully placing suitcases on a truck when removing them from a plane.
Tourism Observer
Showing posts with label Manchester Airport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manchester Airport. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 September 2018
Saturday, 29 July 2017
UNITED KINGDOM: Manchester Airport In Ten Year £1bn Transformation
The secretary of state for transport, Chris Grayling, has visited Manchester Airport to see work begin on its ten year, £1 billion transformation programme.
The programme is designed to deliver a major boost to the UK’s growth prospects and international competitiveness.
This project, the largest private investment in the region, will reinforce Manchester Airport’s standing as the UK’s global hub in the north of England, enabling better and more international connections and supporting economic growth across the North.
The Manchester Airport Transformation Programme will provide millions of passengers and airlines with facilities that combine state of the art services with excellent customer service.
With the new development complete, the airport will be able to grow alongside a thriving northern economy to handle 45 million passengers a year, an increase of almost 20 million compared to today.
In recent years, the airport has become the only airport outside London to offer many direct routes to long haul destinations like Beijing, San Francisco, Houston and Muscat.
Grayling said: “Aviation is central to our future prosperity as we leave the European Union.
“As a global, trading nation we want to build on the great industry we have today and create opportunities for people up and down the country.
“Our new aviation strategy will look beyond the new runway at Heathrow and sets out a comprehensive long-term plan for UK aviation.
“It will support jobs and economic growth across the whole of the UK.
“This is great news for the local economy and for passengers who will be able to fly to more destinations, more often.”
Manchester Airports Group, owner of Manchester Airport, estimates that MAN-TP will create more than 1,500 jobs in the construction phase alone, nearly 200 of which will be apprentices.
Manchester Airport already plays a key role in the Northern Powerhouse, generating £5 billion every year in economic activity in the local and regional economy, employing 20,000 people on site and supporting a further 25,000 jobs indirectly.
Charlie Cornish, chief executive, MAG, said: “Today marks a significant moment in the history of Manchester Airport and demonstrates the confidence that we have in the long term future of both the north and the UK economy.
“This is the largest private investment that has been made in the region for some time and the increased connectivity that it will deliver will enable it to become one of the most accessible and productive regions in Europe.
“It has never been more important that people and businesses across the whole country have easy access to global markets and our investment in transforming the airport will do this for the 25 million people who live within two hours of Manchester Airport.”
Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com
The programme is designed to deliver a major boost to the UK’s growth prospects and international competitiveness.
This project, the largest private investment in the region, will reinforce Manchester Airport’s standing as the UK’s global hub in the north of England, enabling better and more international connections and supporting economic growth across the North.
The Manchester Airport Transformation Programme will provide millions of passengers and airlines with facilities that combine state of the art services with excellent customer service.
With the new development complete, the airport will be able to grow alongside a thriving northern economy to handle 45 million passengers a year, an increase of almost 20 million compared to today.
In recent years, the airport has become the only airport outside London to offer many direct routes to long haul destinations like Beijing, San Francisco, Houston and Muscat.
Grayling said: “Aviation is central to our future prosperity as we leave the European Union.
“As a global, trading nation we want to build on the great industry we have today and create opportunities for people up and down the country.
“Our new aviation strategy will look beyond the new runway at Heathrow and sets out a comprehensive long-term plan for UK aviation.
“It will support jobs and economic growth across the whole of the UK.
“This is great news for the local economy and for passengers who will be able to fly to more destinations, more often.”
Manchester Airports Group, owner of Manchester Airport, estimates that MAN-TP will create more than 1,500 jobs in the construction phase alone, nearly 200 of which will be apprentices.
Manchester Airport already plays a key role in the Northern Powerhouse, generating £5 billion every year in economic activity in the local and regional economy, employing 20,000 people on site and supporting a further 25,000 jobs indirectly.
Charlie Cornish, chief executive, MAG, said: “Today marks a significant moment in the history of Manchester Airport and demonstrates the confidence that we have in the long term future of both the north and the UK economy.
“This is the largest private investment that has been made in the region for some time and the increased connectivity that it will deliver will enable it to become one of the most accessible and productive regions in Europe.
“It has never been more important that people and businesses across the whole country have easy access to global markets and our investment in transforming the airport will do this for the 25 million people who live within two hours of Manchester Airport.”
Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com
Tuesday, 18 July 2017
CHINA: Hainan Airlines Introduces Boeing 787 Dreamliners On Manchester-Beijing Flights
China's Hainan Airlines announced Tuesday it is to operate Boeing 787 Dreamliners on its route between Manchester and Beijing.
Airport officials in Manchester said the Chinese carrier will use its flagship aircraft on the route from May 1.
It follows the announcement last month that Hainan Airlines is to increase the frequency of its flights at Manchester from four per week to five.
The airline's Boeing 787 Dreamliners are fitted with 36 business-class flatbed seats and 177 economy seats.
With state of the art technology, passengers will benefit from a quieter cabin and should feel more refreshed thanks to the better cabin pressure on board the aircraft, said a statement issued by Manchester Airport.
Loic Gao, general manager for Hainan Airlines in Manchester, said: We are very excited to see our very first Dreamliner landing at Manchester Airport from the 1st of May.
Having announced our increased frequency, it makes perfect sense to operate the Manchester route with our flagship aircraft.
Stephen Turner, commercial director for Manchester Airport, said: It's great news that Hainan Airlines will be using their flagship aircraft on the Beijing service.
Coupled with the news that they will be increasing frequency, it is testament to how successful the route has been performing.
Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com
Airport officials in Manchester said the Chinese carrier will use its flagship aircraft on the route from May 1.
It follows the announcement last month that Hainan Airlines is to increase the frequency of its flights at Manchester from four per week to five.
The airline's Boeing 787 Dreamliners are fitted with 36 business-class flatbed seats and 177 economy seats.
With state of the art technology, passengers will benefit from a quieter cabin and should feel more refreshed thanks to the better cabin pressure on board the aircraft, said a statement issued by Manchester Airport.
Loic Gao, general manager for Hainan Airlines in Manchester, said: We are very excited to see our very first Dreamliner landing at Manchester Airport from the 1st of May.
Having announced our increased frequency, it makes perfect sense to operate the Manchester route with our flagship aircraft.
Stephen Turner, commercial director for Manchester Airport, said: It's great news that Hainan Airlines will be using their flagship aircraft on the Beijing service.
Coupled with the news that they will be increasing frequency, it is testament to how successful the route has been performing.
Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com
Friday, 2 June 2017
MOROCCO: Air Arabia Maroc Starts Flights To Agadir
Air Arabia Maroc has announced it will launch flights from Manchester to Agadir this winter.
The Moroccan low cost airline will start twice weekly flights from October to the resort.
It makes Manchester the only airport in the UK outside of London served by the carrier.
Adel Al Ali, group chief executive, Air Arabia, said: “We look forward to connecting Manchester with Agadir and we are confident that this step will further cater to the needs of our growing customer base.
“Agadir offers a great tourism experience year around with its unique beaches, mountains, golf resorts and excellent dining options.”
The new service will operate on Thursdays and Sunday on an Airbus A320.
Stephen Turner, commercial director for Manchester Airport, said: “It’s great news that Air Arabia Maroc will start flights to Agadir from Manchester this winter.
“Agadir is a great beach resort that also offers fantastic access to the Atlas Mountains.
“This route will provide the 22 million people in our catchment area with further choice on how to reach this exciting destination.”
Royal Air Maroc has announced the launch of a new route between Manchester and Casablanca.
From Tuesday March 28th, the Moroccan flag-carrier will begin operating direct non-stop flights three times per week from Manchester Airport to Mohammed V International Airport.
The service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
This exciting launch sees Manchester Airport become only the third UK airport to operate flights to Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc, with the airline also currently running services from London Gatwick and London Heathrow.
The new service will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with both business and economy class seating available.
The scheduled flight time is approximately three hours and twenty minutes.
As well as offering direct flights from Manchester to Casablanca, Royal Air Maroc’s new service opens the door for connections to 33 African destinations.
Key connections through Casablanca, the second-largest hub to Africa, include Lagos, Accra, Nairobi and Banjul.
There is also an opportunity for flight connections to Brazil, as well as daily connecting flights to popular tourist destinations such as Marrakech and Agadir.
Royal Air Maroc serves over 90 destinations in four continents, bringing Africa closer to the rest of the world.
The airline’s UK & Ireland general manager, Achraf El Hassani, said: “Royal Air Maroc is delighted to launch the only non-stop service from the North of England direct to Casablanca, with thrice-weekly flights between Manchester Airport and Mohammed V International Airport.
“We are thrilled to be providing yet another invaluable link from the UK to Africa and look forward to welcoming passengers on board our service from March 28th.”
Manchester Airport is the UK’s third largest with more than 25.6m annual passengers.
It has more than 210 routes served by 70 plus airlines.
On the announcement of the Royal Air Maroc service, Stephen Turner, commercial director at Manchester Airport, said: “We are pleased to see Royal Air Maroc launch services from Manchester Airport.”
The Moroccan low cost airline will start twice weekly flights from October to the resort.
It makes Manchester the only airport in the UK outside of London served by the carrier.
Adel Al Ali, group chief executive, Air Arabia, said: “We look forward to connecting Manchester with Agadir and we are confident that this step will further cater to the needs of our growing customer base.
“Agadir offers a great tourism experience year around with its unique beaches, mountains, golf resorts and excellent dining options.”
The new service will operate on Thursdays and Sunday on an Airbus A320.
Stephen Turner, commercial director for Manchester Airport, said: “It’s great news that Air Arabia Maroc will start flights to Agadir from Manchester this winter.
“Agadir is a great beach resort that also offers fantastic access to the Atlas Mountains.
“This route will provide the 22 million people in our catchment area with further choice on how to reach this exciting destination.”
Royal Air Maroc has announced the launch of a new route between Manchester and Casablanca.
From Tuesday March 28th, the Moroccan flag-carrier will begin operating direct non-stop flights three times per week from Manchester Airport to Mohammed V International Airport.
The service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
This exciting launch sees Manchester Airport become only the third UK airport to operate flights to Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc, with the airline also currently running services from London Gatwick and London Heathrow.
The new service will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with both business and economy class seating available.
The scheduled flight time is approximately three hours and twenty minutes.
As well as offering direct flights from Manchester to Casablanca, Royal Air Maroc’s new service opens the door for connections to 33 African destinations.
Key connections through Casablanca, the second-largest hub to Africa, include Lagos, Accra, Nairobi and Banjul.
There is also an opportunity for flight connections to Brazil, as well as daily connecting flights to popular tourist destinations such as Marrakech and Agadir.
Royal Air Maroc serves over 90 destinations in four continents, bringing Africa closer to the rest of the world.
The airline’s UK & Ireland general manager, Achraf El Hassani, said: “Royal Air Maroc is delighted to launch the only non-stop service from the North of England direct to Casablanca, with thrice-weekly flights between Manchester Airport and Mohammed V International Airport.
“We are thrilled to be providing yet another invaluable link from the UK to Africa and look forward to welcoming passengers on board our service from March 28th.”
Manchester Airport is the UK’s third largest with more than 25.6m annual passengers.
It has more than 210 routes served by 70 plus airlines.
On the announcement of the Royal Air Maroc service, Stephen Turner, commercial director at Manchester Airport, said: “We are pleased to see Royal Air Maroc launch services from Manchester Airport.”
Saturday, 20 May 2017
NETHERLANDS: Stay Alert, Dutch Tourists In Turkey Warned
The Netherlands has issued a travel warning for Turkey amid a growing row between the two countries. Meanwhile, Ankara has summoned the Dutch envoy, claiming a Turkish minister and hundreds of demonstrators were subject to “bad treatment” by authorities.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry released the updated advisory on Monday, warning citizens to be careful when visiting Turkey.
“Since March 11, 2017 there have been diplomatic tensions between Turkey and The Netherlands. Stay alert across the whole of Turkey and avoid gatherings and crowded places,” the ministry said in its warning.
It went on to warn that there is a safety risk when traveling to Turkey, adding that Dutch citizens should register with the ministry ahead of travel.
The Turkish tourism sector is already suffering following last year’s attempted military coup and a number of terrorist attacks. Visits from Dutch citizens saw a 30 percent drop last year.
FlyBe airline has announced it will be expanding its seasonal summer service on its London City-Amsterdam route.
It is currently operating this route only on weekends, however, beginning March 27, the airline will begin service on weekdays with 7 weekly flights overall.
Flybe is the largest independent regional airline in Europe. It is based in Exeter, and operates more UK domestic flights than any other airline. Its hubs are located at Manchester Airport and Birmingham Airport.
In January 2017, the airline was rated as the best UK airline for punctuality and the sixth worldwide in the 2016 OAG Punctuality League report.
The Air Lease Corporation will provide two Airbus A330-900NEO’s on a long term lease to Air Mauritius with delivery dates set for September and October next year, when two ageing Airbus A340’s will be retired from the airline’s fleet.
The new widebody jets will be powered by Rolls Royce Trent 7000 engines and offer passengers a dual class cabin layout with 28 flatbed business class seats and 263 new generation economy class seats. The airline has opted not to include a premium economy class section at this stage as this value added option is gaining traction now among the world’s leading airlines.
Air Mauritius also has orders for the Airbus A350XWB pending with the first two of these state of the art aircraft due for delivery in 2019 but rescheduled the dates for two more from 2020 to a provisional 2023.
The airline is also embarking on retrofitting the existing long haul fleet of two Airbus A330-200 and six Airbus A340’s with new seats, a new entertainment system and notably WiFi on board.
Meanwhile will Amsterdam become a year round destination for Mauritius as KLM has announced a code shared flight, KL501, to operate every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, using a brand new Boeing B787-9 as of 30th of October this year. The aircraft will be offering a three class layout for passengers with 30 flatbed Business Class seats, 45 Comfort Economy seats and 219 standard Economy Class seats.
The summer schedule flights, as of 26th of March 2018, will be operated by Air Mauritius using an Airbus A340 on the route every Monday and Friday with a third service added for the months of August and October.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry released the updated advisory on Monday, warning citizens to be careful when visiting Turkey.
“Since March 11, 2017 there have been diplomatic tensions between Turkey and The Netherlands. Stay alert across the whole of Turkey and avoid gatherings and crowded places,” the ministry said in its warning.
It went on to warn that there is a safety risk when traveling to Turkey, adding that Dutch citizens should register with the ministry ahead of travel.
The Turkish tourism sector is already suffering following last year’s attempted military coup and a number of terrorist attacks. Visits from Dutch citizens saw a 30 percent drop last year.
FlyBe airline has announced it will be expanding its seasonal summer service on its London City-Amsterdam route.
It is currently operating this route only on weekends, however, beginning March 27, the airline will begin service on weekdays with 7 weekly flights overall.
Flybe is the largest independent regional airline in Europe. It is based in Exeter, and operates more UK domestic flights than any other airline. Its hubs are located at Manchester Airport and Birmingham Airport.
In January 2017, the airline was rated as the best UK airline for punctuality and the sixth worldwide in the 2016 OAG Punctuality League report.
The Air Lease Corporation will provide two Airbus A330-900NEO’s on a long term lease to Air Mauritius with delivery dates set for September and October next year, when two ageing Airbus A340’s will be retired from the airline’s fleet.
The new widebody jets will be powered by Rolls Royce Trent 7000 engines and offer passengers a dual class cabin layout with 28 flatbed business class seats and 263 new generation economy class seats. The airline has opted not to include a premium economy class section at this stage as this value added option is gaining traction now among the world’s leading airlines.
Air Mauritius also has orders for the Airbus A350XWB pending with the first two of these state of the art aircraft due for delivery in 2019 but rescheduled the dates for two more from 2020 to a provisional 2023.
The airline is also embarking on retrofitting the existing long haul fleet of two Airbus A330-200 and six Airbus A340’s with new seats, a new entertainment system and notably WiFi on board.
Meanwhile will Amsterdam become a year round destination for Mauritius as KLM has announced a code shared flight, KL501, to operate every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, using a brand new Boeing B787-9 as of 30th of October this year. The aircraft will be offering a three class layout for passengers with 30 flatbed Business Class seats, 45 Comfort Economy seats and 219 standard Economy Class seats.
The summer schedule flights, as of 26th of March 2018, will be operated by Air Mauritius using an Airbus A340 on the route every Monday and Friday with a third service added for the months of August and October.
Friday, 3 March 2017
Best Food To Enjoy Inflight
Nik Loukas has flown around the world reviewing airline food, from fabulous first-class fare to inedible mystery meals.
But there’s still a few Aussie airline offerings he’s itching to try — including a vegan burger on Tigerair Australia.
Since Melbourne-born Loukas moved to Europe six years ago, his quest to find the world’s best airline food has seen him set up website InflightFeed, clock up about 500,000 air miles and consume about 400 in-flight meals.
Despite a few shockers of meals (ahem Ukraine International Airlines and Air India), he says running the review site has opened his eyes to how much work goes into each meal, “even that economy class dish!”
And he’s now working on delving behind the scenes to discover the inside stories of airline kitchens with his upcoming documentary “The Inflight Food trip”.
“I don’t want to give away too much else of the storyline, but basically I want to show people what happens behind the scenes, and the lengths that airlines go to in order to give you something decent,” he says.
While Aussie airlines may not serve the world’s best inflight food — that honour is shared by Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Spain’s Air Europa — they’re doing a pretty good job, according to Loukas.
Here’s a few of his tips for eating well on Australian flights:
“I’m loving what Qantas is doing in economy class, removing the trays and increasing the meal portions. I remember reading they even offered a Wagyu beef dish in economy!” Loukas says.
“They’re the only airline that I know of that allow economy class customers to pre order their main meal for their upcoming flight, that’s quite a great system they have in place.”
Tigerair
Avoiding meat when flying Tigerair could score you the best meal on the plane, Loukas suggests. Although he’s yet to try it himself, he’s had good reports about the airline’s vegan burger.
“Rowie’s veggie burger” is a chickpea, coriander and sweet corn patty with paprika and rancheros sauce in a chia and quinoa bun.
“I’ve heard it’s meant to be great,” Loukas says.
Jetstar
“I really enjoyed my pre order meals on a recent flight from Melbourne to Tokyo with Jetstar, I loved how they offered some well known Melbourne brands (like Harry and Larry’s chocolate mousse from Brunswick) on my tray,” Loukas says.
“Jetstar allows you to pre-order a meal on international flights up to four hours prior to departure. That’s a great service to offer, as most airlines require at least 24-48 hours notice.”
Virgin Australia
“I love that Virgin decided to bring back complimentary offerings in economy,” he says.
GOLDEN RULES OF INFLIGHT FOOD
What to eat
“If there’s a curry offering on your flight, take it. It’s one of the best tasting inflight meals that works really well at altitude. Also ice cream is always a winner at high altitude too.”
What to avoid
“Try to avoid too much bread, it can bloat you and may even make you feel sluggish later on. I once only ate cold soups and cold dishes for all my main meals on a 12 hour flight from Seoul to Frankfurt, and felt really good when I walked off the flight at the other end.”
How to get the best deal
“Pre order, either at the time of booking your ticket, or a week before your flight. Most airlines will offer an incentive for you to pre order before your flight, sometimes 10 maybe even 20 per cent. That’s not a bad incentive,” says Loukas.
“But of course if you’re not interested in doing that you can always pack your own lunch and enjoy it when you get in the air. Most of us complain about the prices inflight, but have you seen the prices at the airport too?”
Have you found fantastic food in the air - or had a disappointing dining experience? Share your tips on the best food to order, and what to avoid with us at tourismobservermag@gmail.com
But there’s still a few Aussie airline offerings he’s itching to try — including a vegan burger on Tigerair Australia.
Since Melbourne-born Loukas moved to Europe six years ago, his quest to find the world’s best airline food has seen him set up website InflightFeed, clock up about 500,000 air miles and consume about 400 in-flight meals.
Despite a few shockers of meals (ahem Ukraine International Airlines and Air India), he says running the review site has opened his eyes to how much work goes into each meal, “even that economy class dish!”
And he’s now working on delving behind the scenes to discover the inside stories of airline kitchens with his upcoming documentary “The Inflight Food trip”.
“I don’t want to give away too much else of the storyline, but basically I want to show people what happens behind the scenes, and the lengths that airlines go to in order to give you something decent,” he says.
While Aussie airlines may not serve the world’s best inflight food — that honour is shared by Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Spain’s Air Europa — they’re doing a pretty good job, according to Loukas.
Here’s a few of his tips for eating well on Australian flights:
“I’m loving what Qantas is doing in economy class, removing the trays and increasing the meal portions. I remember reading they even offered a Wagyu beef dish in economy!” Loukas says.
“They’re the only airline that I know of that allow economy class customers to pre order their main meal for their upcoming flight, that’s quite a great system they have in place.”
Tigerair
Avoiding meat when flying Tigerair could score you the best meal on the plane, Loukas suggests. Although he’s yet to try it himself, he’s had good reports about the airline’s vegan burger.
“Rowie’s veggie burger” is a chickpea, coriander and sweet corn patty with paprika and rancheros sauce in a chia and quinoa bun.
“I’ve heard it’s meant to be great,” Loukas says.
Jetstar
“I really enjoyed my pre order meals on a recent flight from Melbourne to Tokyo with Jetstar, I loved how they offered some well known Melbourne brands (like Harry and Larry’s chocolate mousse from Brunswick) on my tray,” Loukas says.
“Jetstar allows you to pre-order a meal on international flights up to four hours prior to departure. That’s a great service to offer, as most airlines require at least 24-48 hours notice.”
Virgin Australia
“I love that Virgin decided to bring back complimentary offerings in economy,” he says.
GOLDEN RULES OF INFLIGHT FOOD
What to eat
“If there’s a curry offering on your flight, take it. It’s one of the best tasting inflight meals that works really well at altitude. Also ice cream is always a winner at high altitude too.”
What to avoid
“Try to avoid too much bread, it can bloat you and may even make you feel sluggish later on. I once only ate cold soups and cold dishes for all my main meals on a 12 hour flight from Seoul to Frankfurt, and felt really good when I walked off the flight at the other end.”
How to get the best deal
“Pre order, either at the time of booking your ticket, or a week before your flight. Most airlines will offer an incentive for you to pre order before your flight, sometimes 10 maybe even 20 per cent. That’s not a bad incentive,” says Loukas.
“But of course if you’re not interested in doing that you can always pack your own lunch and enjoy it when you get in the air. Most of us complain about the prices inflight, but have you seen the prices at the airport too?”
Have you found fantastic food in the air - or had a disappointing dining experience? Share your tips on the best food to order, and what to avoid with us at tourismobservermag@gmail.com
Sunday, 10 July 2016
UNITED KINGDOM: Chaos At Manchester Airport,Angry Passenger Takes Photos
Chaotic scenes of passport control queues, piled up baggage on a conveyor belt and traffic gridlock at Manchester airport have been published.
Stewart Imeson took the photographs after arriving into the airport on a Thomas Cook Airlines flight from Palma on Sunday, June 26.
He told the newspaper: “There was a single member of Manchester Airport staff running up and down the corridor queues asking for families with children under 12 to go straight to the front, which only resulted in everyone else waiting even longer to move.”
He then photographed suitcases blocking the conveyor in the baggage hall.
“Our suitcases emerged over an hour after we left the plane, possibly because two arrivals were sharing the same conveyor,” Imeson said.
Outside the arrivals building, he and his family were faced with gridlock as cars queued to reach Terminal One to drop passengers off. They gave up waiting for their park and ride bus and walked instead.
Imeson added: “Surely on the grounds of safety and the passenger experience, the volume of flights should be limited to the capacity the airport can handle?”
A Home Office spokesman said on June 26 some queues failed to meet its targets of 95% of EEA passengers getting through in 25 minutes, with a 45-minute standard for non-EEA travellers.
He added: “Queues may occur if a significant number of flights arrive outside their scheduled arrival times or if there are a large number of non-EEA passengers, which take longer to process. E-gates are used for all eligible passengers.
“Our priority is to maintain the security of the border. All available resources were deployed at the airport to cope with the variations in the scheduled arrival times. All passengers were seen as quickly as possible”.
An airport spokesman told the newspaper: “Manchester airport prides itself in ensuring that all passengers’ journeys through the airport are as smooth as possible.
"We work closely with all our partners on site to ensure they provide sufficient resources to meet scheduled customer demand.
“We apologise to any customer who feels they have had a negative experience and will be raising their concerns with the partners involved.”
Stewart Imeson took the photographs after arriving into the airport on a Thomas Cook Airlines flight from Palma on Sunday, June 26.
He told the newspaper: “There was a single member of Manchester Airport staff running up and down the corridor queues asking for families with children under 12 to go straight to the front, which only resulted in everyone else waiting even longer to move.”
He then photographed suitcases blocking the conveyor in the baggage hall.
“Our suitcases emerged over an hour after we left the plane, possibly because two arrivals were sharing the same conveyor,” Imeson said.
Outside the arrivals building, he and his family were faced with gridlock as cars queued to reach Terminal One to drop passengers off. They gave up waiting for their park and ride bus and walked instead.
Imeson added: “Surely on the grounds of safety and the passenger experience, the volume of flights should be limited to the capacity the airport can handle?”
A Home Office spokesman said on June 26 some queues failed to meet its targets of 95% of EEA passengers getting through in 25 minutes, with a 45-minute standard for non-EEA travellers.
He added: “Queues may occur if a significant number of flights arrive outside their scheduled arrival times or if there are a large number of non-EEA passengers, which take longer to process. E-gates are used for all eligible passengers.
“Our priority is to maintain the security of the border. All available resources were deployed at the airport to cope with the variations in the scheduled arrival times. All passengers were seen as quickly as possible”.
An airport spokesman told the newspaper: “Manchester airport prides itself in ensuring that all passengers’ journeys through the airport are as smooth as possible.
"We work closely with all our partners on site to ensure they provide sufficient resources to meet scheduled customer demand.
“We apologise to any customer who feels they have had a negative experience and will be raising their concerns with the partners involved.”
Saturday, 4 June 2016
EasyJet Plane Forced Mid-air Emergency After Technical Fault Was Discovered
An easyJet flight out of Liverpool Airport declared a mid-air emergency this morning after the captain discovered a technical fault with the aircraft.
Flight EZY7193 was forced to circle above Merseyside before it was re-directed to Manchester after declaring the emergency.
The A320 aircraft - the same type as EgyptAir MS804, which crashed on May 19 - left Liverpool John Lennon Airport around 9:25am and declared there was a problem shortly after take-off.
It was then left in a holding pattern above the Wirral before being re-directed to Manchester Airport, where it was met by standby emergency crews as it safely touched down.
The Airbus A320, which was due to land in Faro at 12:25, had technical issues with its landing gear.
However the airline has aid that the landing gear was left down deliberately in preparation for the unscheduled landing.
Twitter users reported spotting the plane at a low altitude in a holding pattern above Merseyside. One tweeted to say it sounded like a 'jet was in his bedroom', while another added that he was 'worried'.
EasyJet spokesperson said 'Easyjet can confirm that the captain of flight EZY7193 from Liverpool to Faro took the decision to divert to Manchester as a precaution due to a technical issue.
'The aircraft landed safely and was met by the fire services in line with our procedures as precautionary measure only.
'The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers guidelines.
'We would like to apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused are arranging for passengers to continue their journey on an alternate aircraft.'
Flight EZY7193 was forced to circle above Merseyside before it was re-directed to Manchester after declaring the emergency.
The A320 aircraft - the same type as EgyptAir MS804, which crashed on May 19 - left Liverpool John Lennon Airport around 9:25am and declared there was a problem shortly after take-off.
It was then left in a holding pattern above the Wirral before being re-directed to Manchester Airport, where it was met by standby emergency crews as it safely touched down.
The Airbus A320, which was due to land in Faro at 12:25, had technical issues with its landing gear.
However the airline has aid that the landing gear was left down deliberately in preparation for the unscheduled landing.
Twitter users reported spotting the plane at a low altitude in a holding pattern above Merseyside. One tweeted to say it sounded like a 'jet was in his bedroom', while another added that he was 'worried'.
EasyJet spokesperson said 'Easyjet can confirm that the captain of flight EZY7193 from Liverpool to Faro took the decision to divert to Manchester as a precaution due to a technical issue.
'The aircraft landed safely and was met by the fire services in line with our procedures as precautionary measure only.
'The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers guidelines.
'We would like to apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused are arranging for passengers to continue their journey on an alternate aircraft.'
Tuesday, 10 May 2016
Manchester County Court Orders Thomas Cook To Pay Almost £20,000 Compensation To Passengers
A judge at Manchester County Court has ordered Thomas Cook to pay almost £20,000 compensation to passengers who were stranded in Cancun for two days when their plane was impounded by the Mexican government.
The judgment was handed down today after an appeal hearing in March.
Judge Main awarded Aly Lewis and 41 other passengers £487.80 each for a 43-hour delay.
In today's ruling Judge Main said: "The origin of the event here, a dispute over landing & navigation fees, was an event inherent in the normal exercise of the activities of an air carrier."
Flight TCX325 from Cancun to Manchester Airport was scheduled to depart at 17:30 on Saturday December 1 in 2012, but hundreds of passengers were delayed for 43 hours when Mexican Authority SENEAM impounded the aircraft.
SENEAM accused the airline of failing to pay a compulsory $200 (MXN) 'air navigation charge', preventing the aircraft from departing until the alleged outstanding fee was paid. The airline dismissed the claim that there was any debt outstanding.
Thomas Cook representatives said they attempted to pay the fee to SENEAM when they were told the plane would not be allowed to fly, but that the Authority would not accept cash or a cheque.
The airline was told it must use a payment process that was not in operation over the weekend, meaning the airline could not pay until Monday morning.
Passengers were sent to a hotel for two nights, eventually arriving in Manchester at 2:20am on December 3, 43 hours late.
A Thomas Cook spokesperson said: "We're extremely sorry our customers experienced such a delay on this flight, which was the result of an unfortunate set of circumstances that we believed to be extraordinary. We accept the judgment of the court and continue to operate thousands of successful flights each year to Mexico."
Kevin Clarke of law firm Bott & Co which represented the passengers said: "The airline may say that this delay was not its fault, but that is missing the intention of the Regulation; while a delay may not be an airline's fault, the law says it is their responsibility."
The judgment was handed down today after an appeal hearing in March.
Judge Main awarded Aly Lewis and 41 other passengers £487.80 each for a 43-hour delay.
In today's ruling Judge Main said: "The origin of the event here, a dispute over landing & navigation fees, was an event inherent in the normal exercise of the activities of an air carrier."
Flight TCX325 from Cancun to Manchester Airport was scheduled to depart at 17:30 on Saturday December 1 in 2012, but hundreds of passengers were delayed for 43 hours when Mexican Authority SENEAM impounded the aircraft.
SENEAM accused the airline of failing to pay a compulsory $200 (MXN) 'air navigation charge', preventing the aircraft from departing until the alleged outstanding fee was paid. The airline dismissed the claim that there was any debt outstanding.
Thomas Cook representatives said they attempted to pay the fee to SENEAM when they were told the plane would not be allowed to fly, but that the Authority would not accept cash or a cheque.
The airline was told it must use a payment process that was not in operation over the weekend, meaning the airline could not pay until Monday morning.
Passengers were sent to a hotel for two nights, eventually arriving in Manchester at 2:20am on December 3, 43 hours late.
A Thomas Cook spokesperson said: "We're extremely sorry our customers experienced such a delay on this flight, which was the result of an unfortunate set of circumstances that we believed to be extraordinary. We accept the judgment of the court and continue to operate thousands of successful flights each year to Mexico."
Kevin Clarke of law firm Bott & Co which represented the passengers said: "The airline may say that this delay was not its fault, but that is missing the intention of the Regulation; while a delay may not be an airline's fault, the law says it is their responsibility."
Thursday, 5 November 2015
Sharm El-Sheikh Flights Suspended
Adam Hancock’s family only learned their easyJet departure to Sharm El-Sheikh had been cancelled when they arrived at Manchester Airport on Thursday morning
Germany’s Lufthansa Group cancels flights of subsidiary airlines to Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.
Sharm El-Sheikh flights suspended
A family of 14 were ‘gutted’ to learn their £4,000 dream holiday to Egypt had been cancelled at the last minute.
Adam Hancock’s family only learned their easyJet departure to Sharm El-Sheikh had been cancelled when they arrived at Manchester Airport on Thursday morning.
It was one of three flights to Egypt due to carry hundreds of passengers from Manchester Airport which were cancelled after Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond suspended all flights to Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday night.
Thousands also remain stranded in the resort as flights out of the country have also suspended following intelligence a bomb may have caused a Russian jet to crash killing all 224 on board.
What to do if you are stuck in Egypt or are due to travel out on holiday
A deserted Sharm El-Sheikh Airport departures hall below.
Mr Hancock’s family, from Rotherham, had arrived at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 1 this morning anticipating an easyJet flight would take them to Egypt.
After the 31-year-old crane controller was told by airline officials in the terminal the flight had been cancelled, he told the MEN: “We are gutted.”
“Obviously we’ve all been reading the news so I phoned easyJet yesterday at about 6.30pm and they told me 100 per cent that we would be flying,” he said.
“And then it’s cancelled. We’re devastated. Obviously things had moved on with what Hammond said last night. It’s just devastating for all the kids. But we understand there’s a threat and safety is the first priority,” he added.
Also travelling in the party were five children, the youngest aged six.
Eileen Thorpe, 62, had travelled from Galway in the Republic of Ireland to Manchester to join Adam and the rest of her family for the trip.
“I knew there had been trouble when I left Ireland. I kept in contact with the family and it looked like everything was going to be OK,” said Eileen.
“It’s just horrendous,” she said.
The family had purchased the holiday through another company, not easyJet.
Germany's Lufthansa Group announced Thursday it would cancel flights of its Edelweiss and Eurowings subsidiary airlines to the Egyptian city of Sharm el Sheik, where a Russia charter jet took off Saturday before it crashed in the Sinai Peninsula.
Flights to Cairo would not be affected, the company said.
The announcement came a day after Britain canceled flights to and from the Sinai Peninsula, stranding thousands of British tourists at Sharm el Sheik, because of “intelligence and information” indicating that a bomb was the likely culprit in the crash that killed all 224 people aboard.
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday repeated British assertions that it was “more likely than not” that a bomb brought down the Metrojet flight packed with Russian vacationers -- a scenario that officials from Russia and Egypt have tried to dismiss as premature speculation.
A group linked to Islamic State has claimed that it brought down the plane, a report rejected by Russian and Egyptian officials as not credible. Egypt is fighting an Islamic insurgency in the area where the plane crashed.
Monday, 2 November 2015
UK Busiest 40 Airports
There are 24 commercial international airports within the UK and many other domestic or private airfields.
Heathrow Airport is currently the busiest airport in the UK and serves passengers for domestic flights within the UK, external flights to the rest of the world and it is also a hub for connecting flights to many countries as well. The UK is a small country but it can take hours to drive from one end of the country to the other which is why domestic internal flights are popular from the smaller airports.
The above tables show the number of passengers for the top 40 busiest airports in the UK for last year (2012) and the year previous (2011) as well as the Year on Year change between them.
You may of noticed that Southend Airport has increased by a massive 1353.9%? We can confirm that this isn’t an error and the above figures are correct!
Airport Information Index:
1. The busiest airport are ranked depending on the number of passengers flying to or from each airport.
2. Passenger may only be catching connecting flights from an airport to another destination.
3. Passenger Number data is related to the Airport Council International estimated full year figures for 2012.
Heathrow Airport is currently the busiest airport in the UK and serves passengers for domestic flights within the UK, external flights to the rest of the world and it is also a hub for connecting flights to many countries as well. The UK is a small country but it can take hours to drive from one end of the country to the other which is why domestic internal flights are popular from the smaller airports.
The above tables show the number of passengers for the top 40 busiest airports in the UK for last year (2012) and the year previous (2011) as well as the Year on Year change between them.
You may of noticed that Southend Airport has increased by a massive 1353.9%? We can confirm that this isn’t an error and the above figures are correct!
Airport Information Index:
1. The busiest airport are ranked depending on the number of passengers flying to or from each airport.
2. Passenger may only be catching connecting flights from an airport to another destination.
3. Passenger Number data is related to the Airport Council International estimated full year figures for 2012.
Monday, 19 October 2015
UNITED KINGDOM: Vueling Airlines Announces New Routes From Manchester Airport
Vueling will operate flights to Alicante on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday
Spanish low cost airline Vueling will offer direct services to Alicante and Rome from June next year.
Vueling Airlines has announced it will launch two new routes from Manchester Airport for summer 2016.
Part of International Airlines Group (IAG), Vueling will offer direct services to Alicante and Rome from June next year.
The Spanish low cost airline will operate three flights a week to Alicante and two flights a week to Rome in addition to their existing service to Barcelona, which started in June this year.
Flights to Alicante will operate on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday with flights to Rome on Friday and Monday.
The routes will be operated by an Airbus A320, with capacity for 180 passengers.
Ken O’Toole, managing director for Manchester Airport, said: “We’re delighted that Vueling Airlines has chosen to expand its route network from Manchester Airport.
“Alicante and Rome are popular destinations with our 22.9 million passengers and these additional services reinforce our status as the UK’s Global Gateway for the North of England.”
Gabriel Schmilovich, network planning, scheduling and slots manager at Vueling, said: “We are very pleased to announce the new routes to Rome and Alicante. With these additions, Vueling passengers from Manchester will have the opportunity to fly to more than 140 destinations across Europe connecting via our hubs in Barcelona and Rome Fiumicino.”
Spanish low cost airline Vueling will offer direct services to Alicante and Rome from June next year.
Vueling Airlines has announced it will launch two new routes from Manchester Airport for summer 2016.
Part of International Airlines Group (IAG), Vueling will offer direct services to Alicante and Rome from June next year.
The Spanish low cost airline will operate three flights a week to Alicante and two flights a week to Rome in addition to their existing service to Barcelona, which started in June this year.
Flights to Alicante will operate on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday with flights to Rome on Friday and Monday.
The routes will be operated by an Airbus A320, with capacity for 180 passengers.
Ken O’Toole, managing director for Manchester Airport, said: “We’re delighted that Vueling Airlines has chosen to expand its route network from Manchester Airport.
“Alicante and Rome are popular destinations with our 22.9 million passengers and these additional services reinforce our status as the UK’s Global Gateway for the North of England.”
Gabriel Schmilovich, network planning, scheduling and slots manager at Vueling, said: “We are very pleased to announce the new routes to Rome and Alicante. With these additions, Vueling passengers from Manchester will have the opportunity to fly to more than 140 destinations across Europe connecting via our hubs in Barcelona and Rome Fiumicino.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)

