News: Flybe opening a base in Belfast, Priority Pass opens in Berlin

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• ChrisC says:

  18 Mar18 March 11:22

  ” …because there is never a train waiting on the platform at all times …”

  The problem with that was that having a train sat on a platform for 15 minutes restricting not only the use of that platform by other services but it also blocked the line.

  With the need to increase capacity on the Brighton Main Line the GEX was extended to run to Brighton freeing up the Gatwick platforms and train paths to other services.

  This actually increased capacity for all passengers as there were more frequent services.

  Absent some specific circumstances the GEX ceased to be a Victoria – Gatwick only service in 2008.

  • Lady London says:

    18 Mar18 March 11:50

    Absolute murder trying to get on the train if you land at Gatwick early morning on a weekday though. That puts you onto the platform in rush hour. Often the ordinary trains have corridors full of commuters standing when they pull into Gatwick. Sometimes people haven’t even been able to get on, without luggage, at an earlier stop as well before Gatwick. (although my experience is mainly Mondays).

    Is the Gatwick Express experience better at these times? The pricing gap for not much different service is wide. But if it’s still possible to struggle onto the train with 2 luggage to get to work on time, it might be worth it.

    • lumma says:

      18 Mar18 March 13:53

      I’ve never thought of that, I’ve never flown long haul into Gatwick so the chances of needing a morning rush hour train back to London are slim.

      My biggest hate about early landings into Heathrow is the switch from the Piccadilly line to the District at rush hour. Hopefully Crossrail will eventually fix that for those of us out East

      • Lady London says:

        18 Mar18 March 14:21

        You mean they are turfing you off the Piccadilly Line at Acton Town and make you stand on the platform for a District Line train?

    • Ian says:

      18 Mar18 March 14:43

      Do trains in the South East still have corridors? I thought those trains went to the scrap yard years ago!

      • ChrisC says:

        18 Mar18 March 15:13

        I think LL was using “corridors” as meaning a train where you can walk through it from end to end with no doors separating the carriages.

        • Lady London says:

          18 Mar18 March 22:48

          I call corridor the walkway between the seats in an open carriage.

• Lady London says:

  18 Mar18 March 11:54

  I am looking forward to seeing how productivity, quality and labour relations go, at the new Tesla factory next door to BER.

  One airline told me BER is a “black hole” for luggage though and they are always handling claims.

  • Londonsteve says:

    18 Mar18 March 13:08

    LL I wouldn’t fear a negative outcome at Grunheide. Tesla have now largely proven their mettle, combined with the world famous German approach to car manufacturing it’ll make a pretty unbeatable marriage imho. Tesla might want to push the envelope and German labour law won’t let them, but that’s Tesla’s problem and fortunately, not the employees’, unlike the poor souls at P&O. The ferry company could never get away with doing that in Germany, they would have their operating licence withdrawn pending an investigation into the overall legality of their operation. Flagrant abuse of the law in one area could indicate a culture of corner-cutting and playing fast and loose with passenger safety, justifying the suspension of their permission to carry fare paying passengers. DP World’s expensive legal advice will have surmised that UK authorities are toothless and it’s cheaper to pay the unfair dismissal claims for those unfortunate victims who aren’t ground down to nothing by the process, than to delay the change to non-unionised agency staff right away. It’s raptor capitalism in action. You are of course correct, BER has been a top to bottom disaster and they are still struggling in certain areas, it’s not however representative of German industry in general. It was borne out of an over-optimistic reunification period with politicians of all stripes heavily involved in the design and execution, it was very much an emanation of those times and its geographical location in Brandenburg province, formerly the DDR.

    • Lady London says:

      18 Mar18 March 22:57

      Actually I don’t have any expectations positive or negative. There are factors that can make it go either way early on but I think the fact that the jobs are needed and Germans excellent on sorting manufacturing processes may bring an end to the reliabity problems of vehicles produced in…is it Fremont?

      However Schoenefeld staff airside seemed to have a fairly East German style when I was flying through therr a few times and I am wondering where the Tesla staff will come from.

      I hope it does well as I’m waiting for a Model 2. I suppose there’s no hope of Europe approving the Cybertruck I lust for with alk those sharp corners still on it.

    • Lady London says:

      18 Mar18 March 22:59

      ‘raptor capitalism’. I really love that. Did you just invent that wording? It’s brilliant.

  • Blair Waldorf Salad says:

    18 Mar18 March 13:21

    I waited 55 mins for luggage to arrive despite being on the second last flight of the day to arrive.

• ADS says:

  18 Mar18 March 22:17

  “It is possible that aircraft based at Belfast or Birmingham could operate to Leeds Bradford in a triangular pattern via Heathrow”

  Surely a W service pattern is more likely ?!

• Sam says:

  19 Mar19 March 00:15

  So Dragonpass can negotiate lounge access at BER (including Lufthansa lounge!), but priority pass can only negotiate something out of a restaurant. I think the membership base of priority pass is too large, to an extent that a lot of lounges can’t cope with and simply decide not to accept it. LHR T5 Aspire is a very iconic example, so do a lot of the plaza premium lounges in the past.

  I can see that this will only become a trend, that the priority pass will only be accepted by lounges at non-major airport, leaving only restaurant access at the major airports.

  • Rob says:

    19 Mar19 March 11:46

    PP pays far less than DragonPass.

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