Airport Parking News

www.Parctel.com: We have been following with interest an incident that happened to Dave Naylor at the Manchester Airport Terminal 3 Short Stay Parking lot recently. As Dave says:

"Well I parked in the short stay carpark on the 20th of last month, I was only away 1 night and when I came back one of the supporting box sections had rusted through and dropped a 1 foot lump of metal and crap on my BMW."

The reason for our interest is that Dave works in the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) industry and if his 'negotiations' with the owners of the Manchester Airport Parking lot do not go the way that they should, we will be interested in seeing what he does to let people know of his happiness / unhappiness at the outcome.

Read Dave's Full Story: Manchester Airport Parking

www.Parctel.com: Bosses at Manchester Airport have banned car park attendants from giving motorists a push start if they break down.

Officials at the airport - which aims to provide `outstanding customer service' - introduced the rule to prevent staff accidentally damaging vehicles when they are trying to help owners.

But the policy has been condemned by motoring groups, with one critic saying the airport had `thrown common sense out of the window'. A spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said: "It would be a matter of normal humanity to decide to help someone who is experiencing difficulty. The employer should just keep out of it and allow people to make their own personal judgement."

Sean Corker, who campaigns for motorists' rights in the north west, said: "It's incredible and I'm afraid it's more political correctness gone mad.

"You always come across the odd jobsworth but you don't often get people ordered by their bosses not to help customers. Their customer service obviously doesn't extend to those who drive to the airport."

Holidaymaker Paul Ross fell foul of the ruling when he returned to the Terminal 2 car park after a trip to Menorca and found the battery had gone flat on his Volkswagen Golf.

He approached staff at the car park for help but they said they couldn't assist him on the orders of their superiors.

Read the full story on Manchester Evening News

PASSENGERS at Manchester Airport are to be sent free up-to-the-minute boarding and departure times direct to their mobile phone.

People travelling through Terminal 1 are being offered the flight details, along with special shopping deals and parking information, as part of a pilot scheme launched this week.

As soon as passengers with a Bluetooth-enabled phone arrive at the airport, they will receive a message asking them if they want to receive the information.

If they accept, they can then tap into a system offering the updates. It is aimed at allowing passengers to relax without the need to continually check departure boards.

The airport's director of innovation Yemmi Agbebi said: "This is an incredibly exciting technology which will help make it easier for our passengers to get vital flight information and find out about special offers.

"Most importantly, they can relax and enjoy a meal or visit the shops knowing that any gate information or changes to their departure time will be delivered straight to their palm."
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Most of the airport's flights to Europe and other package holiday destinations depart from Terminal 1.

If the scheme proves a success, it will be extended to cover flights from Terminal 2, including many to the US, and Terminal 3, where British Airways, Flybe and BMI desks are based.

The technology, developed by Peak Software, could also be extended to other airports across the country. It has been designed to avoid the nuisance factor' for regular fliers by sending only one invitation per month to each mobile phone user.

Source: Andy McFarlane, The Bolton News

www.JustParking.co.uk: Hundreds of Thousands of travellers will be heading for the sun over the Easter Weekend and it would be well worth your while to stop and plan ahead as a very stressful start to your weekend could ruin the small Easter break.

Check Now that you have:

• Booked and paid for your flights.
• Booked and paid for your Airport Parking.
• Secured Travel Insurance.
• Booked and Paid for your Accommodation.
• Packed the Sun Essentials and are up to date with the new carry on regulations.

Also, make sure that you leave early for the airport and arrive well in time for your flight and check in.

For example over the Easter and Bank Holiday weekend 610,000 travellers are expected to fly out from from Manchester Airport. To help you have a hassle-free start to your journey MAnchester Airport have added new x-ray screening lanes, extra security staff and management volunteers to advise people on the restrictions as they prepare for security screening.

Manchester Airport Customer Service Advisors will also be handing out plastic bags to passengers for their liquids of 100mls or less, but the advice is “check the restrictions before you check in”.

Liquids include;

• Water and other drinks, soups, syrups
• Creams, lotions and oils
• Perfumes
• Sprays
• Gels, including hair and shower gels
• Contents of pressurised containers, including shaving foam, other foams and deodorants
• Pastes, including toothpaste
• Liquid-solid mixtures
• Mascara
• Any other item of a similar consistency

View Full Current Security Restrictions

www.PArctel.com: bmi regional, a wholly owned subsidiary of bmi, is to launch a daily service from Manchester to Lyon from 25th May 2007.

The airline plans to use an Embraer aircraft on the route, which will offer both business and economy fares.

A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: “We’re delighted that bmi regional is to operate flights between Manchester and Lyon. It’s an extremely popular service with both business and leisure passengers and we’re keen to keep it on our route network.”

Manchester-Lyon Flight Schedule

Depart Manchester 10:30; arrive Lyon 13:15 (Monday to Saturday)*
Depart Manchester 14:45; arrive Lyon 17:30 (Sunday)
Depart Lyon 13:50; arrive Manchester 14:45 (Monday to Saturday)*
Depart Lyon 18:00; arrive Manchester 18:55 (Sunday)

www.Parctel.com: Can you help out this poster on the PPRuNe Forums (The Professional Pilots Rumour Network Forums)?

Hi there folks, i'm hoping to get a new thread going on this history of the airport and how things were/looked inside the original terminal (T1) between it's opening in 1962 to the present day. Any info would be great.
To start with, does anyone remember the inclined travalator system that used to run from the arrivals level up to the check-in hall and possibly to the various multi storey car park levels? I think they may have been ripped out in the mid to late 80's and replaced with lifts.

Click here to reply

A PILOT on a transatlantic flight was forced to lock the cockpit door and divert to Manchester Airport after an air rage incident involving a German banker.

Passengers on board the Delta Airlines Boeing 767 had to restrain 51-year-old Bert Niepel after he lost his temper and threatened members of the flight crew.

Niepel had upgraded himself to a seat in the first class section of the flight from Berlin to New York and refused repeated requests for him to return to his seat in economy class.

He eventually pushed an air stewardess backwards to the floor as she served drinks and had to be restrained in his seat by other passengers, including a German Army soldier.

The Delta Airlines pilot was so concerned about the disturbance in the cabin he locked the cockpit door and diverted the plane to Manchester Airport.

Niepel, a banker from Berlin, was arrested after the plane landed in Manchester on Saturday afternoon.

He pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly manner towards the crew on board flight DL79 when he appeared before Trafford Magistrates' Court yesterday. Cabin crew member Michelle Vinole said in a statement she had seen Niepel looking around the first class cabin before take-off.

Economy

The aircraft had been in the air for 15 minutes when Niepel walked into the first class cabin and sat down in a vacant seat.

Members of the cabin crew asked him to return to economy class, but he refused.

The court was told first officer Douglas Smith went to speak to him and told him he must obey cabin crew instructions or they would land and he would be arrested. He said in a statement: "I warned him four times, but he refused to return."

He said Niepel had responded that he would pay for an upgrade and would "die" if he returned to economy class.

Miss Vinole was serving drinks a few minutes later when Niepel came up and pushed her backwards.

She fell onto the console between two seats and hurt her back. Niepel offered no apology but went and sat in first class again.

The stewardess said in a statement read out in court: "It's not acceptable for any passenger to use force against myself or anyone else."

The pilots became more concerned about Niepel's actions after they were told he had pushed a stewardess.

They locked themselves in the cockpit and decided to land at Manchester.

A German marine who was on board the aircraft was asked to sit near Niepel and keep watch while the pilots decided to divert to Manchester.

Clare Hughes, prosecuting, said: "They were so concerned about his actions that they decided to land as soon as possible."

But when the pilots announced over the public address system they were going to land because of an uncooperative passenger, Niepel got up out of his seat.

There was a brief struggle during which the marine and other passengers pushed Niepel to the floor. They got him into his seat and they restrained him until the aircraft landed at Manchester.

Police boarded the aircraft and arrested Niepel. He told officers: "Get your hands off me."

In an interview following his arrest, at 1pm on Saturday, he admitted raising his voice but denied assaulting the stewardess.

He said he had pushed past her in the aisle, causing her to fall to the floor.

He expressed remorse for his actions but felt he had been treated unfairly by the crew.

Niepel, who was helped in court by an interpreter, told magistrates he had moved to the front of the plane because he had a pain in his abdomen and needed more room.

He felt the crew had ignored his concerns, but added: "My behaviour was a little bit out of control, I would say."

Pains

The prosecution did not accept that he had stomach pains or that the cabin crew were ignoring him.

He was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £70 costs.

Maira Sellars, chairman of the bench, said Niepel had intended to commit the offence and had caused alarm and distress for passengers and crew.

It is understood he was heading to New York to see a friend and was then due to travel to California.

A spokeswoman for Delta Airlines said the safety and security of passengers and crew was its "number one priority". She said the airline had zero tolerance towards disruptive passengers.

Source: Manchester Evening News

This observation from Chipen Dale's Blog:

I kissed the tarmac at Manchester Airport or as close to the tarmac as I could get. It was actually the floor of the arrivals lounge and it tasted of strong disinfectant that made my lips sting. I’m glad that I experienced America. It has taught me of a world that’s harsher and odder than the one I’ve known in North Wales. People are no stranger over there but with so many gathered together in one place, there’s much more chance that a group of the very oddest should gather together and take part in orgies for the sagging and hairless.

Come on Chip (or is it Dale?) - only the Pope can pull off that stunt with elan.

A SECURITY guard at Manchester Airport has been arrested by police on suspicion of possessing drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine.

It is understood the man was arrested in a car park at the airport yesterday.

Detectives swooped as he arrived for work at about 6.30am.

He was questioned and later released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Manchester Airport confirmed that a member of staff has been suspended from duty.

A spokesman for the airport said: "An employee was arrested by police yesterday morning.

"The employee concerned has been suspended from his duties with immediate effect, pending further internal investigation."

It is believed the guard works on one of the security gates that passengers go through before they board a plane.

Officers began an investigation after a tip-off and have seized substances suspected of being drugs, which have now been sent for forensic analysis.

Source: Manchester Evening News

A Boeing 757 sporting a shiny red nose is to make its first flight from Manchester Airport to Tenerife today.

The freshly decorated plane is the first of two to be given a special Comic Relief paintjob by First Choice Airways after its link-up with the charity event.

It will then go on to fly thousands of passengers between the UK and their holiday destinations until Red Nose Day on Friday March 16th 2007.

A second Boeing 757 will start flying from London Gatwick to Grenoble on Saturday and will also carry on flying until the middle of March.

As well as the repainted planes, First Choice Airways is to have its cabin crew wear red noses and promote the event to all its passengers.

This will include getting them to reach deep into their pockets to find all the loose change they don't need to help the charity drive reach record levels in 2007.

Short and mid-haul passengers will also be treated to skits and comedy sketches from previous Red Nose Day events, featuring the comedy stylings of acts like Lenny Henry, Eddie Izzard and Ricky Gervais.

Source: Airflights

www.Parctel.com: The Manchester Airport Group has a number of tenders out for various services.

• ILS Inspection Flights - closes 13:00 16 March 2007
• Media Planning and Buying for Manchester Airports Group - closes 13:00 19 March 2007
• Wide Area Network Services - closes 13:00 29 March 2007

Visit e-sourcing company, Airport Smart for more information.

A THIRD of bosses at West Yorkshire small businesses prefer flying from Manchester Airport rather than Leeds Bradford – because it is quicker to reach.

Up to 30 per cent of the firms questioned by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said the motorway network made driving to Manchester Airport faster than battling along West Yorkshire's increasingly congested roads to Yeadon.

This was despite the fact it is much further – 56 miles from Leeds compared to nine miles.

But Leeds Bradford Airport could become their first choice for flights if it improved its choice of destinations (said 37 per cent of small businesses ), if an airport rail link were built (36.2%) and if road access were improved.

FSB West Yorkshire Regional chairman Mike Goodman, a Birstall-based businessman, said: "Several respondents say it is unbelievable that an international airport does not have a rail or motorway access. "This is one of the most striking findings of our survey. "Other key points are that traffic congestion is continuing to harm small businesses through delays and missed meetings. "Many feel there is under-investment in West Yorkshire's transport infrastructure, with specific complaints about the poor state of roads in Leeds and Kirklees which, it is also pointed out, is hardly likely to encourage cyclists. "In spite of this, it is clear that some business people could be persuaded to leave their cars at home and use public transport instead but, to achieve this, operating companies will have to ensure that they meet their needs. This is currently not the case for many.

Congestion

"The hardship caused by traffic congestion is that some of our members travelling less than ten miles to work take more than 30 minutes to reach their destination." The survey covered businesses across West Yorkshire, including Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Cleckheaton, Batley and Dewsbury. More than 95% of businesses said road congestion was a problem and 62.2% added it was a significant problem, with half blaming traffic volumes and poor road design and planning as the main causes. Eighty per cent of businesses felt traffic congestion had worsened in the last 12 months and the same number said they "often or always" avoided certain roads because of congestion which added to travel time and costs. A total of 45.7% believed that charging road users would have a detrimental effect on business, and 52.8% feared that it would cause financial hardship to many people. Only five per cent considered congestion charging to be a viable solution with 33% wanting to see investment in a light railway or tram system and 20% seeking greater investment in buses. Nearly 60% said they had lost man hours due to the transport infrastructure and 42.5% said it had increased their operating costs, while 20% said they had lost business as a result of traffic congestion. Two thirds felt that West Yorkshire did not get its fair share of transport investment from the Government and 70% supported a tram system linking major cities in West Yorkshire, although there was uncertainty on the best way to fund it.

Source: Leeds Today

AN investigation has been launched after two planes collided on a taxiway at Manchester Airport.

A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777 was preparing to take off for New York when one of its wings clipped the tail of a Flybe Dash 8.

No-one was injured but fire crews were despatched to the site of the collision.
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More than 130 passengers on the PIA flight, PK723, had to be put up in hotels overnight while the aircraft was checked over.

Passengers on the Flybe Dash 8, which was heading for Southampton with 43 people on board, were put on other flights as the aircraft's rudder was damaged.

Both aircraft taxied back to the terminals following the incident, which happened at about 1pm yesterday, so that engineers could inspect them.

The PIA plane, which was travelling to New York from Pakistan, was still on the ground at the airport this morning.

A spokesman for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch confirmed it had launched an investigation.

Incident

A spokesman for Flybe said: "Flight BE866 from Manchester to Southampton was involved in an incident at Manchester Airport.

"The Flybe aircraft was holding on the taxiway, correctly positioned and stationary.

"We understand that the Pakistan International Airways aircraft had been given permission to taxi past the Flybe aircraft provided that there was sufficient wingtip clearance.

"The Flybe aircraft was clipped by the PIA aircraft, causing damaged to the rudder. The Flybe aircraft returned to stand and all passengers disembarked without incident."

He said arrangements were made for alternative flights for all passengers on their onward journey and the vast majority of passengers had only suffered a two-hour delay.

He added: "The safety and well-being of our passengers is of paramount concern and Flybe will work with the authorities in an subsequent investigation."

PIA was criticised last year following a number of undercarriage fires on jets landing at Manchester Airport.

A cat also grounded a PIA flight at Manchester for 26 hours last October after it got loose in the passenger cabin.

A spokesman for PIA was unavailable for comment.

Source: Manchester Evening News

A GROUP of plane-spotters have built their own 'model' aircraft - and it's more than 100 ft long.

The aviation enthusiasts have devoted years to the task of restoring the Hawker Siddeley Trident, which had looked destined for the scrap heap at Heathrow.

Their big day came when they put G-AWZK's fuselage, wings and undercarriage back together at its new home at Manchester Airport.

Cranes lifted the parts into place at the airport's Aviation Viewing Park, where the former British Airways' jet is set to become a new visitor attraction. It had been dismantled so it could be transported two years ago.

Neil Lomax, chairman of the Trident Preservation Society, which has been looking after the plane for more than a decade, said: "We are delighted the airport is helping to restore G-AWZK to its former glory."

Trident aircraft first took to the skies in 1962 and formed the backbone of the British European Airways' short-haul fleet before the airline merged with BOAC to form BA in 1974. They went out of service in 1985, when BA replaced them with Boeing 737s and 757s. The last one flew from Manchester on December 31 that year.

G-AWZK, also known as Zulu Kilo or ZK, was built in 1971 and chalked up more than 19,700 flights before it was retired at Heathrow on November 1, 1985.

The aircraft became A practice rig for training de-icer crews and was used by police for counter-terrorism training.

The Trident Preservation Society was formed in the early 1990s after the British Airways' charity Happy Child said it wanted an airliner to show children around. The restoration process began in 1994 but by 2003 it looked like the plane would be scrapped.

Mr Lomax set up an internet campaign and got Manchester Airport's backing to move the aircraft north. The airport joined forces with Simulation-TERS to restore the jet. And now the plane has been restored inside, with new seat covers and 1970s-style carpets. The cockpit has also been restored.

Andrew Holl of Manchester Airport said: "It's an historic aircraft and I look forward to welcoming the first visitors on board in the spring."

Source: Manchester Evening News | Comment

Holidaymakers are resorting to desperate and sometimes bizarre measures to beat the ban on carrying fluids on flights. Frustrated travellers have frozen bottles of water, emptied soup into a plastic bag and even carried out a "dirty protest" against security regulations imposed in November.

The rules - introduced after an alleged transatlantic terror plot involving US-bound aircraft - limit passengers to 100ml quantities of fluids, gels and pastes which must be carried in transparent sealable plastic wallets.

The wallet must not exceed one litre capacity per passenger - half the size of a sheet of A4 paper - and it can contain two or more items of less than 100mls each. But the wallet must not be cluttered as security officers need to check contents.

Security staff at Manchester airport, which revealed the extreme examples of behaviour, say they are still having to confiscate thousands of litres of liquids every week despite repeated reminders of the restrictions.

The airport's director of security and customer service, Mike Fazackerley, said people were confused or unwilling to accept the rules.

"Some of the lengths that people go to are incredible and amusing up to a point, but the legislation is in place for very good reason and it is in the interests of everyone travelling to make sure they fly by the rules. We do remind people of the rules as they check in, and there are posters throughout the airport. But still some people are taking no notice."

One passenger was so angry at having his deodorant confiscated that he publicly urinated into a plastic bag, while another traveller claimed that his four bottles of frozen water were solids and therefore exempt from the rules.

Airport staff also cited the case of a woman who decanted soup into a plastic wallet so she could have her lunch on the plane and of a male traveller who downed a 750ml bottle of vodka in front of security staff because he could not take it with him. The man was later removed from the flight for being drunk.

From February 19 Manchester airport will stop supplying free plastic wallets to passengers.

A spokesman said: "We've gone through millions and millions of bags since November and we can only babysit passengers for so long. It's their responsibility to make sure they know the restrictions when they arrive and follow them."

Heathrow airport said it had no examples of people trying to smuggle oversized liquids through security.

Source: Guardian Unlimited