The Philanderer
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Oink, Oink
So a new strain of flu is spreading its way around the world as a result of the initial outbreak in Mexico. We are all checking ourselves here to ensure we have not developed small curly tails, pointy ears or large square looking noses. I guess that anybody who looks like Shrek is being viewed with suspicion, so I wonder if Manchester United have put Wayne Rooney into quarantine?
It is not surprising that cases are starting to be identified across the globe given the number of people in the air at any one time. On Sunday morning I drove past the runway at Heathrow, past Hatton Cross, and the aircraft takeoff route was right above us to the East. In the six or seven minutes it took me to pass the three sets of lights on the A30, five jumbo's took off. Thats about 2000 people, or 20,000 per hour, just from one airport.
I remember when the flu virus mutated into Asian flu some years ago and there were a number of fatalities particularly amongst the older population. It did hit Britain during the Winter, however, and I suspect the fact we are entering our warmest period now may contribute to the reduced effects the virus seems to be having here. Mexico is one of the most polluted countries in the world, and the air quality in Mexico City in particular is very poor. I am confident that sensible precautions in the UK will contain this strain as just another 'bad cold'.
Anyway, its early so I must go and stick my snout in the trough.
It is not surprising that cases are starting to be identified across the globe given the number of people in the air at any one time. On Sunday morning I drove past the runway at Heathrow, past Hatton Cross, and the aircraft takeoff route was right above us to the East. In the six or seven minutes it took me to pass the three sets of lights on the A30, five jumbo's took off. Thats about 2000 people, or 20,000 per hour, just from one airport.
I remember when the flu virus mutated into Asian flu some years ago and there were a number of fatalities particularly amongst the older population. It did hit Britain during the Winter, however, and I suspect the fact we are entering our warmest period now may contribute to the reduced effects the virus seems to be having here. Mexico is one of the most polluted countries in the world, and the air quality in Mexico City in particular is very poor. I am confident that sensible precautions in the UK will contain this strain as just another 'bad cold'.
Anyway, its early so I must go and stick my snout in the trough.
Labels: asian flu, hatton cross, heathrow, Mexico, shrek, swine flu, wayne rooney
¶ 7:53 AM 1 Comments
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Entry fee extra....
There has been much discussion lately about the rising cost of air travel, with talk of increased landing charges for Heathrow and Gatwick and fuel charge supplements affecting most major airlines. Couple that with the cheap airlines like RyanAir and EasyJet adding-on for hold baggage and golf clubs, and the whole scene becomes extremely confusing. people are up in arms about early boarding charges and 'long leg' premiums. All are classed as stealth charges making cheap ticket prices a misleading selling ploy.
Luckily the Office of Fair Trading has clamped down on these practices so that at least the surcharges are included in the price, if not the luggage charge. Now lets turn our attention to something else which continues to irritate me.
I regularly use TicketMaster for concert and sporting event tickets. They have hidden charges too. This week I ordered six tickets with face value £15 each for a rugby game at Twickenham. I was then charged a booking fee of £2.40 per ticket, and postage of £2.20. As I could only order two tickets at a time that cost me postage on each transaction. The whole package was £109.80, a 22% premium on their face value.
So, I went directly to the RFU box office as I was passing, but they were not selling tickets for this event, it was TicketMaster or nothing. What I want to know is why don't they just say the tickets are £18.40 including P & P, up front, so we all know where we stand, or in this case, sit?
Luckily the Office of Fair Trading has clamped down on these practices so that at least the surcharges are included in the price, if not the luggage charge. Now lets turn our attention to something else which continues to irritate me.
I regularly use TicketMaster for concert and sporting event tickets. They have hidden charges too. This week I ordered six tickets with face value £15 each for a rugby game at Twickenham. I was then charged a booking fee of £2.40 per ticket, and postage of £2.20. As I could only order two tickets at a time that cost me postage on each transaction. The whole package was £109.80, a 22% premium on their face value.
So, I went directly to the RFU box office as I was passing, but they were not selling tickets for this event, it was TicketMaster or nothing. What I want to know is why don't they just say the tickets are £18.40 including P & P, up front, so we all know where we stand, or in this case, sit?
Labels: easyjet, gatwick, heathrow, RFU, ryanair, Ticketmaster, twickenham
¶ 12:07 PM 0 Comments
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Terminal velocity
Continuing the aeronautical theme, I was interested to see that the new terminal 5 at Heathrow airport was opened by the Queen on Friday. I try to avoid flying from Heathrow whenever possible as it has become a bit of a nightmare, but needs must and when they get it right, then its fine. Living only 15 minutes away from terminal 1 is a great advantage, but I suspect access to terminal 5 will be impossible from the M4, so a drive of indeterminate length will be required to arrive at and leave from the new building. The main problem is that the access to the terminal is a spur from the M25 motorway at one of its most busy points between the M4 and the A30. On a bad day a 15 minute journey could become an hour or more, not good.
It is interesting that Beijing has opened its new terminal at about the same time, in preparation for the Olympic Games, here are some comparisons. Heathrow Terminal 5 (T5) is the size of 50 football pitches. Beijing (B) is the size of 170!!. Both claim to be built on time and to budget. T5 is the largest free-standing building in the UK , B is the second biggest structure in the World, and has 17% more floorspace than all of Heathrows five terminals combined. Unfortunately nine villages were flattened and 10,000 people were displaced to allow for its construction.
The Olympic angle is interesting as the plan at Heathrow is now to demolish the Queens building and terminals 1 & 2 to allow redevelopment for the super jumbo's and other services offered by non-BA airlines. Recent announcements have indicated the planned redevelopment cannot now be completed in time for 2012.
I wonder how many villages will be flattened if the plans for the third runway at Heathrow gets the go-ahead.
It is interesting that Beijing has opened its new terminal at about the same time, in preparation for the Olympic Games, here are some comparisons. Heathrow Terminal 5 (T5) is the size of 50 football pitches. Beijing (B) is the size of 170!!. Both claim to be built on time and to budget. T5 is the largest free-standing building in the UK , B is the second biggest structure in the World, and has 17% more floorspace than all of Heathrows five terminals combined. Unfortunately nine villages were flattened and 10,000 people were displaced to allow for its construction.
The Olympic angle is interesting as the plan at Heathrow is now to demolish the Queens building and terminals 1 & 2 to allow redevelopment for the super jumbo's and other services offered by non-BA airlines. Recent announcements have indicated the planned redevelopment cannot now be completed in time for 2012.
I wonder how many villages will be flattened if the plans for the third runway at Heathrow gets the go-ahead.
Labels: airport, BA, beijing, heathrow, M25, M4
¶ 8:12 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
We apologise for the delay to flight EZ1234.....
We flew with GB Airways when we went to Cyprus. They are an interesting airline in as much as they were, until recently, in the private ownership of the Bland Group, with BA operating them as a franchise. The Bland brothers have now agreed to sell the airline to EasyJet, who will acquire the routes out of Gatwick and Manchester, but not the slots at Heathrow more's the pity.
The aircraft seemed to be standard BA stock although it was interesting that the seat pitch was greater flying out than it was flying back when we had those seats that stuck into you somewhere whenever you tried to get to sleep.
I have always been curious of the sub-culture which exists on aircraft. I can rationalise that they never show the Airplane movies or other flight disaster movies, but tell me this, why do you never get chips with the meal?
The aircraft seemed to be standard BA stock although it was interesting that the seat pitch was greater flying out than it was flying back when we had those seats that stuck into you somewhere whenever you tried to get to sleep.
I have always been curious of the sub-culture which exists on aircraft. I can rationalise that they never show the Airplane movies or other flight disaster movies, but tell me this, why do you never get chips with the meal?
Labels: BA, bland group, cyprus, easyjet, gatwick, heathrow
¶ 7:59 AM 0 Comments
