Airport Parking News

www.Parctel.com: STANSTED Airport's state of the art visitors' centre has been given the green light by Uttlesford District Council.

The new building would include a lecture theatre, parking for 20 vehicles and a coach bay for school parties and organised trips and allow people an exciting insight into the world of airport operations for up to 40 visitors at a time.

BAA's community manager, Valda Edmunds, said: "It's fantastic news the visitors' centre has been granted planning permission and we thank the council for giving it the thumbs up.

"Stansted Airport is an integral part of the community and the centre will be an important place for local people and aviation enthusiasts to meet."

The new centre will be on the north side of the airfield, close to the long-stay car park. A new road will be put in to provide access to the centre and will connect with a bus service to the main airport.

Mrs Edmunds added: "Not only will it offer stunning views across the airfield, but it will act as an education resource for displays and activities for visiting school trips and community groups.

Source: Harlow Herald | Stansted Visitor Centre Images

www.Parctel.com: ‘What we do and how we do it’ was the theme of this year’s Stansted Airport Noise Seminar attended by over 100 invited guests from the local community, schools, airlines, airports and business partners.

Headline speakers from NATS, the air traffic services provider, easyJet and Fedex gave the audience an insight into how the airport, airlines and NATS work together to keep planes on the right track and noise impacts to a minimum, discussing topics ranging from aircraft track keeping, the Arrivals Code of Practice to Continuous Descent Approach.

Speaking at the seminar, Terry Morgan, BAA Stansted’s Managing Director, said: “Here at the airport we are in no doubt that noise is one of the biggest issues in our local community. I talk to many people about it, my colleagues are out and about with me in the local community to discuss it, and our Noise Communications team deals with many enquiries on a day to day basis.

“Today is about explaining the good progress we are making in managing noise; to highlight what we are doing to keep local people well informed about the issue; to learn more about how the wider industry is taking seriously its responsibility in this important area and of course, just as important, to receive your comments and feedback.”

The seminar also saw the unveiling of new aircraft departure maps, showing the routes and heights of Stansted planes when taking-off from the airport. This follows last year’s successful launch of similar maps showing where planes fly on their arrival into Stansted. With these new departure maps, the local community now has the best ever information available to them on where planes fly when they operate to and from the airport.

Vicki Hughes, BAA Stansted’s Noise Communications Manager, said: “I am delighted that so many people were able to attend this year’s noise seminar as it’s a fantastic opportunity to share information and help improve understanding of what is a very important issue for many in the local community and surrounding areas. We are committed to being open and honest about the flights departing and arriving at Stansted, and that is why I’m really excited about the launch of the new departure maps. In providing this additional information we are able to help our local community have a clearer picture of where planes fly when they leave Stansted airport and their typical heights.”

A special edition of ‘Plane Talk’, Stansted’s community newsletter, will soon be available to local residents, detailing the topics covered at the seminar.

As the Civil Aviation Authority warns Heathrow and Gatwick airports to cut queuing times at security or face penalties, airport users have called for similar sanctions to be imposed on immigration queues.

Stansted airport has been singled out as the worst offender after passengers complained of “dangerous crushes” in an overcrowded hall, with ineffective queue management and delays of up to 50 minutes at passport control.

“I flew in from Seville last Sunday night and the crowd must have been 70 deep,” reported the Sunday Times journalist Katie Bowman. “It was more like being at a gig than an airport. Children were being pushed over by the crush and there was a danger of people being trampled. Clearly, they can’t accommodate the numbers of passengers now using the airport.” Steve Wong, who regularly passes through Stansted, said: “It’s chaos. The queues are a free-for-all.” The airport’s owner, BAA, disagreed, saying no improvements are planned for the immigration area. “We’ve got planning permission to extend the hall, but we’re not going to, because we don’t need to,” it said. “Yes, the immigration area does get busy, especially on Sunday nights, when all the weekenders fly home, but it never gets dangerously crowded.”

BAA insisted it monitored congestion and would delay transit trains if crowds developed, but said that responsibility for managing passport control lay with the Home Office. But when we called the Immigration Service, we got this rather cursory response: “The introduction of more comprehensive checks is a matter of government policy. It is recognised this has increased the time taken for passengers to pass through the controls, but every effort has been made to keep waiting times to a minimum.”

Source: Chris Haslam, Times Online

A passenger stopped by security staff at an international airport was found to have two chameleons in her pockets.

The four-inch creatures were taken from the woman at Stansted airport in Essex and she was allowed to travel on.

The reptiles, handed over to the RSPCA, are now being cared for at an animal centre near Braintree in Essex.

Stansted spokesman Nick Cole said: "It is very unusual to find live chameleons but in the past we have had cats, dogs and a tarantula spider."

Source: BBC

Eds Note: Stansted Airport staff deny reports that the chameleons were named Boy and George.

www.Parctel.com: Eager jobseekers descended on Stansted Airport’s latest Jobsfair on the 1st March, an event that showcased some of the exciting opportunities on offer at the airport.

Careers in a range of airport services including cabin crew, customer service, catering and retail were on display at the event, held at the Hilton Hotel, and organised in partnership by BAA and Jobcentre Plus.

Valda Edmunds, Stansted Airport's community executive, said:

"Stansted currently employs more than 11,500 people in over 180 companies and is the biggest single site employer in the East of England. The Stansted Airport Jobsfair is an extremely successful event that showcases the diverse and exciting range of career opportunities that exist at a growing international airport.

“The high turn out for the Jobsfair clearly demonstrates that Stansted Airport is an attractive and desirable location for people to work, either taking the first steps on the work ladder or looking for a new career direction.”

One of the many benefits of working at Stansted Airport is the wide range of public transport discounts available to staff. The Airport Travel Card offers an attractive option for staff to use public transport, offering significant savings on standard rail, bus and coach fares. BAA also operates a very successful staff car share scheme, which is the largest of its kind in Europe.

Peter Willis, employer engagement manager at Jobcentre Plus, said:
"Jobcentre Plus has developed a great working relationship with BAA to support employers' recruitment needs with a Jobsfair. This event has been another great opportunity for jobseekers to meet potential employers and find out more about the wide range of jobs available and the benefits of working at the airport."

Plans for new road and rail links to an expanded airport at Stansted are being unveiled today.

Last month Stansted airport bosses revealed proposals to extend the airport by building a second runway.

Expansion plans have met with widespread opposition from people living near the airport.

Opponents say expansion will ruin countryside, increase traffic and damage the environment.

In November an attempt by airport bosses to increase flight numbers was grounded because of fears that expansion would enhance climate change.

A council blocked plans to extend the existing runway in order to increase plane movements from around 220,000 to more than 260,000 per year.

Uttlesford District Council, which covers the airport, near Chelmsford, Essex, said 'no' to a planning application by the British Airports Authority citing climate change as one of a number of reasons for refusal.

Environmental campaigners hailed the council's decision as a benchmark, saying it was the first time climate change had been listed as a reason for refusing a planning application.

And residents of villages around the airport, who have mounted a long campaign against expansion, urged BAA to abide by the decision.

But Terry Morgan, Stansted's managing director, said the airport would appeal and seek to have the issue decided by a Government inspector at a planning inquiry.

And he said the airport would push ahead with plans to build a second runway.

Source: 24dash.com

SECOND runway plans at Stansted Airport are the "biggest threat to historic buildings since the Second World War".

That is the damning verdict of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings which wants to defend Uttlesford's grade II listed properties against BAA's aerial offensive.

Spokesman Douglas Kent, who lives at Wendens Ambo, told the Observer: "We do not know of any other project that involves this much destruction for commercial gain."

The society's view is shared by Stop Stansted Expansion, which has also accused airport bosses of allowing those architectural gems it already owns to go to rack and ruin even as it negotiates to buy up more to make way for expansion.

In turn, the operator has alleged its opponents are guilty of exaggeration and exploitation.

Mr Kent and SSE - along with Uttlesford District Council - have called on BAA to come clean and reveal the precise location of the 18 buildings the airport has admitted are at risk as a result of the runway scheme.

BAA has blocked their demands in a bid to protect the privacy of residents.

However the Observer has confirmed that the properties are spread over eight locations: three at Molehill Green, including the Three Horseshoes pub; four at Bamber's Green; one at Browns End Road, on the eastern side of airport, and one on the edge of Takeley.

Of those, up to seven may be left untouched by the development as BAA firms up its proposals before submitting a detailed planning application in the summer.

By contrast, SSE's website claims at least 47 picturesque properties are at risk of destruction or where quality of life will be destroyed if the runway is built.

This week, at least one family was fed-up being used as a pawn in the increasingly acrimonious argument. Resident of 15 years Anne Corr was angry to be told SSE had posted a photograph of her grade II listed farmhouse at Gaunts End - which is not actually at risk.

She said: "They do not have my permission and I am angry about this - I support the airport."

Another home caught up in the controversy is Muscombs at Great Easton. SSE accused BAA of neglecting houses including the 16th century property it bought more than a year ago and released pictures of a collapsed flint boundary last week.

BAA said the wall was damaged by recent storms and rebuilding was already scheduled.

A spokesman pointed out a tenant had been lined up, but first repairs, costing more than £25,0000 for re-wiring alone, had to be completed.

John and Rosemary Welch own Le Knells in Coopers End, one of the 18 properties at risk. Despite the threat posed by expansion, Mr Welch said the cottage was not for sale.

He said they would stay for "as long as we can" and was certainly not resigned to losing his home.

"Since the SSE campaign started, it's turning out more and more in our favour, particularly with the threat of global warming. People are more concerned about that than the expansion of the airport."

Neither BAA nor Uttlesford District Council was able to reveal details of the 18 listed properties.

A spokeswoman for BAA said: "They know who they are and we have been in contact with them for more than three years."

A district council spokeswoman confirmed: "BAA have told us they cannot release that information as they have promised affected homeowners that they will respect their privacy."

Source: Observer

BAA has ruled out selling Stansted Airport in order to settle fears in the industry that there is too little competition between UK airports.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) looks set to refer the supply of airport services by BAA to the Competition Commission (CC) for investigation.

BAA owns Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Southampton in the South East, and Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen in Scotland and has an annual turnover of £2 billion. The OFT is concerned that BAA handles more than 60 per cent of all air passengers in the UK.

It says without competition - investment at Stansted and other airports could be "inefficient and costly for air passengers and the UK".

More competition, it says, would create expansion that "takes place in a timely, cost effective manner" and is focused on the needs of airlines and the travelling public.

John Fingleton, OFT chief executive, said: "We believe that the current market structure does not deliver best value for air travellers in the UK, and that greater competition within the industry could bring significant benefits for passengers.

"There is evidence of poor quality and high charges - BAA's investment plans, which are of great importance to the UK, have raised significant concerns among its customers. These are signs of a market not working well for consumers and we believe that a full inquiry into BAA's structure is justified."

BAA responded by saying it does not think separate ownership will address the problems facing airports stating: "There is no intention on the part of BAA to sell any of its airports."

Stephen Nelson, chief executive of BAA, said: "I welcome the opportunity to have a thorough review of the UK airport market, but I am concerned at the OFT's narrow focus on the structure of BAA.

"The real problem for passengers is lack of capacity, not the structure of BAA. This shortfall is the result of a complex interplay of political, planning and environmental issues, all of which need examination.

"There is a great opportunity over the coming years to deliver dramatic improvements for passengers using our airports, but this requires a regulatory system that encourages investment. I do not believe the current regulatory model in the South East fits this purpose."

The OFT is due to make a final decision about referring BAA to the commission imminently.

Source: Harlow Herald

We are now recruiting: waiters, kitchen porters, counter staff, chefs to work in busy bars and restaurants at Stansted Airport.

Rate of pay: £6.05 - £6.60 p/h + tips

All positions are full time & min. for period of 6 months.

Airport is open 20 h a day so shifts may start at 4 a.m. or finish at midnight.

First interview will take place on Thursday 22nd February at Stansted Airport.

All candidates must be able to provide a current passport or photographic driving licence and will have to have a 5-year reference check (to receive airside pass).

If you do not live in the area you might have to relocate to Harlow, Bishops Stotford or Tottenham (you will get a discount for buses and trains).

So, if you are enthusiastic, have a big personality and speak good English please send your CV quoting ref no ST/R to marta[at]windsorworkforce.com

Source: Polish Express

MEMBERS of Uttlesford District Council have demanded airport operator BAA answers ten "critical but unanswered" questions over its proposals for a second runway at Stansted Airport.

The authority, which voted unanimously against BAA's plans to expand use of the existing runway in March, is also opposed to the second runway, with councillors claiming it will prove an environmental disaster.

Council leader Mark Gayler said: "We have closely studied the material released by BAA and their information is full of holes. As a result, we are writing to BAA seeking answers on some key questions."
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The questions include 'what message of hope does BAA hold out to the people of Uttlesford?', and 'will BAA fund a long term study to monitor how airports and airport expansion affects the health of communities?' Mr Gayler added: "As the principal local authority dealing with the Stansted expansion plans, we are determined to protect the district and residents. We will do all we can to stop the character of Uttlesford being damaged beyond repair."

Chief among the council's concerns is that the way the runways would be used - one for take off and the other for landing - will not prove a permanent arrangement.

This method, known as 'segregated mode' would in theory lessen the impact on some nearby communities but the council is sceptical that BAA would operate the runways in this way on a long term basis if the number of flights were to rise as government forecasts suggest.

Below are the questions UDC has demanded answers to.

1- What guarantees will BAA give that the two runways would be operated in segregated mode? Is this only likely to be feasible in the short term? Will BAA offer a 50-year guarantee?

2 - What happens if the actual aircraft fleet numbers do not turn out to be in line with forecasts?

3 - Will BAA guarantee it will not seek planning permission until it has consulted on: local road diversions and connections maximising public transport links to relieve stress on the road and rail system in the M11 corridor growth area safeguards to ensure the development would not proceed until the transport capacity needed had been provided in full?

4 - Will BAA carry out a full assessment of the effects on Quality of Life - not only on local communities close to the airport but also on the culture and heritage of those further afield in the region that would be affected by aircraft movements more than doubling?

5 - Will BAA guarantee to complete and publish its Health Impact Assessment of the project before submitting its planning application?

6 - Will BAA fund a long term study to monitor how airports and airport expansion affects the health of communities?

7 - Will BAA support the concept of a design code to ensure plans for new facilities meet exacting standards on environmental performance and passenger experience? An obligation to secure longer term management and maintenance is essential. A good design at an appropriate cost is simply not good enough. Therefore, will BAA guarantee to meet these exacting standards?

8 - Will BAA put forward full and explicit evidence to justify the net economic benefits of a second runway including net tourism balance and carbon emissions cost?

9 - Are BAA ready to directly address the issue of climate change in the aviation industry, using its pivotal role to ensure airlines reduce carbon emissions in real terms?

10 - What message of hope does BAA hold out to the people of Uttlesford?

Source: Citizen

Well, I suppose you will get special treatment and be allowed to park in the departure lounge in Stansted Airport if you want a parking space for your Lamborghini! This photo taken by ParaMan (Log in required to view large image)

STANSTED Airport has now reopened after staff cleared more than half a million square metres of snow using more than 40 snow-clearing vehicles.

Snow began to fall on Essex in the early hours of this morning and about 100 departing flights were cancelled. Two flights were diverted into Stansted and a further five away from the airport.

Hundreds of people were left waiting at the airport after the closure just after 6am. The airport eventually re-opened at 11am.

This lunchtime, a spokesman for Stansted Airport said: “Disruption to flights is likely to continue throughout the day and passengers are strongly advised to contact their airline before setting off for the airport.”

Across the county thousands of children enjoyed an extra day's holiday as more than 200 schools were reported shut.

Rail passengers and motorists experienced minor delays and problems this morning.

Source: EADT

BISHOP'S Stortford looks set to become even more "urbanised" and lose its small market town feel if plans for a second runway at Stansted Airport go ahead, according to a county councillor.

Last week the Herald revealed the latest plans by BAA to create a second runway and terminal.

Cllr Bernard Engel said: "Industries which have nothing to do with the airport but want to be located near to it for the sake of convenience, will be a problem for the town.

"This means we will become more and more urbanised in the surrounding area and the preservation of Bishop's Stortford in its present form as a 'small market town' is unlikely."

Cllr Engel, who sits on the county council's highways and transport panel, said congestion will get worse due to insufficient infrastructure.

He said the necessary road and rail links to cope with the increasing passengers is "only just now being thought about" and will take anything from five to 15 years.

Cllr Engel said the development would also be an "added strain" on the railway where airport related usage will be in competition with existing commuter traffic.

He said: "Our roads will be more congested and it will be that much more difficult to oppose additional residential accommodation being built as labour demand will be that much greater."

"Noise and air quality are obvious worries but, to be honest, the next generation of aircraft that will be flying in 10 years time are likely to be quieter and cleaner than those flying now so this may be a diminishing problem."

A spokesman for Stansted Airport said a public consultation will start later this month into the infrastructure needed to support the new runway.

She said: "Over the coming months an environmental impact assessment, economic impact report, health impact assessment and a sustainability appraisal will be completed to support the application we will be making in the summer."

Source: Harlow Herald

Security is the current buzz word at Stansted Airport. Last year saw an additional 300 security officers hired to work at the airport . In order to speed up the security process, Stansted is to increase the capacity of its security search area.

The central search area at Stansted Airport is the largest of any European airport and the extension and investment will allow for further x-ray machines and arches. The £2 million investment should mean that the area is operational by the end of March. Stansted will meet the demands it’s experiencing as a fast growing international airport, along with the new security measures that were introduced across UK airports in August 2006.

Security is paramount in the minds of airlines and passengers alike with secured Stansted airport parking in growing demand. Holiday Extras, the market leader for UK airport parking, offer a wide selection of security conscious options for Stansted. With a choice of parking including on airport parking and valet services. Holiday Extras offer a solution to all Stansted airport parking needs. Options include E-Parking Midstay, Pink Elephant and Stansted Official Valet Parking. Holiday Extras offer a great selection of Stansted Airport parking options at unbeatably low prices.

E-Parking Midstay is the closest car park to Stansted airport and offers low cost, secured parking with a minimum stay for the prebooker of 3 days. Security features at this airport car park includes full CCTV coverage from the moment you enter. Transfers operate every 5 - 10 minutes and take only 5 minutes to reach the terminal. If you’re searching for secured on-airport long term carpark - Holiday Extras offer the Pink Elephant Airport car park, available to book in advance for a minimum stay of 8 days. The Pink Elephant car park is protected by high security fencing, flood lighting, CCTV coverage and regular security patrols.

Holiday Extras cater for passengers flying from Stansted who require secured parking with the convenience of valet parking. Stansted Official Valet Parking collects your vehicle from you at the Stansted terminal. Vehicles are parked in a secured storage compound with security doors with the benefit of protection by on-site 24 hour security staff.

With Stansted Airport expecting a busy Easter period and continued passenger growth throughout the year, airport parking is high in demand. Pre-booking a secured airport parking space significantly reduces the hassle of departures and offers peace of mind. Enjoy your holiday knowing that your car is safe.

Source: Web Wire